Latest news with #VanCott
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Mass. school employee stole food, supplies for his Cape Cod snack shack, authorities say
A Plymouth County public schools employee faces larceny charges after officials say he stole food and cafeteria equipment for several years for resale at his snack shack on Cape Cod. Patrick VanCott, 62, of Sandwich pleaded not guilty at his arraignment in Plymouth District Court on Friday. His charges include larceny over $1,200 by a single scheme, larceny from a building and larceny under $1,200 by a single scheme. He was ordered held on a $50,000 cash bail and to stay away from all Plymouth school campuses and school storage facilities. He's been placed on administrative leave, according to officials. A superior court judge lowered his cash bail to $10,000 after his attorney petitioned for a bail review on Friday, court records show. He posted the bail and was ordered to wear a GPS monitor upon his release. 'People should be reminded that folks are innocent until proven guilty and we are going to vigorously defend this case,' Nate Amendola, an attorney for VanCott, said on Sunday. Plymouth County District Attorney Tim Cruz's Office said public school officials contacted the police after they received an anonymous letter 'alleging criminal activity' at the Plymouth Community Intermediate School. 'The letter alleged that a person has been stealing commercial equipment and food products from the school,' officials said. The property is owned by the town and paid for with federal dollars, officials said. VanCott, the director of food services for Plymouth public schools, was identified as the suspect after a police investigation. He is the only person with the authority to place orders for the cafeteria, officials said. VanCott also runs a snack shack at Sandy Neck Beach in Barnstable, officials said. His orders consisted of premium Angus hamburgers, hot dogs, lobster meat, and other food products that were not served to students or school staff, officials said. Surveillance footage shows VanCott taking two commercial refrigerators from the school and onto his truck in April, officials said. Police reviewed cafeteria financial documents and compiled a list of items purchased by VanCott but not currently in the public schools' storage facility that totaled over $8,300 in goods, including: Refrigerated sandwich table: $1,700 2 frying pans: $96 Convection oven: $850 Undercounter freezer: $1,700 Microwave: $299 Bagel warmer: $294 Cuisinart coffee maker: $84 In June, police executed a search warrant at the snack shack and found an industrial-sized refrigerator and other kitchen equipment and 'government-issued' food. VanCott was taken into custody. His next court appearance is scheduled for July 21. National Guard troops arrive in Los Angeles on Trump's orders to quell immigration protests These beaches in Massachusetts are closed on Sunday, June 8 Swim portion of Springfield's Ironman 70.3 canceled due to Connecticut River pollution 10 cases of rare illness linked to Botox from Mass. spa, officials warn Mass. State Lottery winner: Cape Cod man wins $120,000 'Keno' prize Read the original article on MassLive.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
DA: Plymouth schools' food director stole goods, resold them at Barnstable snack shack
The longtime food services director for Plymouth Public Schools is facing charges that he stole thousands of dollars' worth of food, paper goods and equipment from the district, then used and resold the items at his privately run snack shack on Cape Cod, according to the Plymouth County district attorney's office. Patrick Van Cott, 62, of Sandwich, was arraigned Friday, June 6, in Plymouth District Court on charges of larceny over $1,200 by a single scheme and larceny from a building. He pleaded not guilty and was held on $50,000 cash bail. A judge ordered him to stay away from all Plymouth school buildings and storage facilities, the DA's office said. According to investigators, Van Cott used his position to order items – including lobster meat, Angus burgers and kitchen appliances – that were never served in school cafeterias. Instead, police say they ended up at the Sandy Neck Snack Shack in Barnstable, which Van Cott runs during the summer. A list of items that were purchased by Van Cott but are not currently in the Plymouth Public Schools storage facility was compiled totaling over $8,300 in goods, police said. Van Cott has worked for the district for nearly 22 years and was earning $114,000 annually as of 2024, according to his LinkedIn profile and town finance records. The investigation began after an anonymous tip was sent to school officials on May 30. Surveillance footage from April showed Van Cott removing commercial refrigerators from a school on a Saturday and taking them across the Sagamore Bridge, police said. A June 4 police search of the Snack Shack turned up government-purchased food, kitchen appliances and other district property, police said. Van Cott was arrested at the scene. His arraignment followed a statement from School Superintendent Christopher Campbell the previous day noting that a then-unnamed staff member had been removed from duty due to 'serious allegations' of misusing school property. More: Plymouth school employee accused of 'inappropriate use' of district property. What we know Van Cott is scheduled to return to court July 21. This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Plymouth cops: School official stole food, supplies to resell on Cape
Boston Globe
2 days ago
- Boston Globe
Plymouth cafeteria director charged with ordering lobster, stealing kitchen equipment equipment, for use at his Cape Cod snack shack
His bail was set at $50,000. If he posts it, VanCott must stay away from all Plymouth schools and storage facilities if released, the statement said. He is due back in court July 21. VanCott has been employed as the food services director for Plymouth Public Schools since 2003, according to his Advertisement He was first flagged by authorities on May 30 after they received an anonymous tip that someone was stealing food and equipment from Plymouth Community Intermediate School. Since VanCott was the only person authorized to place cafeteria orders, he was quickly identified as the suspect, the statement said. A review of purchase records revealed premium Angus burgers, hot dogs, lobster, and other items that were never served students or staff, according to the statement—and all of which appear on the Snack Shack's Advertisement Investigators also spoke with cafeteria employees, who said that for years, once a week between Memorial Day and Labor Day, VanCott had them pack bags of deli turkey and ham marked with his initials, for no apparent school use. They also said that he routinely took condiments, snacks, paper goods, coffee and other supplies from the kitchen, according to the statement. Additionally, VanCott allegedly purchased more than $8,300 worth of kitchen equipment which was not found in the cafeteria or school storage, the statement said. This includes under-counter refrigerators and freezers, a refrigerated sandwich table, convection oven, microwave, bagel warmer, coffee maker and two fry pans. Surveillance footage from a Saturday allegedly shows him loading one of those under-counter refrigerators onto a town-owned truck and later returning in his personal pickup to transport a second unit. Additional video from the State Police Fusion Center then shows his pickup crossing the Sagamore Bridge with the stolen refrigerator secured in its bed, bound for Cape Cod, the statement said. The investigation is ongoing. Rita Chandler can be reached at
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Plymouth schools food director accused of stealing lobster, refrigerators for his Cape Cod business
The food services director for Plymouth Public Schools is accused of stealing lobster, meats and commercial refrigerators from the district for use at his Cape Cod business. Patrick VanCott, 62, of Sandwich, who runs the Snack Shack at Sandy Neck Beach in Barnstable, pleaded not guilty at his arraignment in Plymouth District Court on Friday on charges of larceny over $1,200 by a single scheme and larceny from a building, Plymouth County District Attorney Tim Cruz said in a statement. VanCott was held on $50,000 cash bail and ordered to stay away from all Plymouth school campuses and school storage facility. Prosecutors said VanCott allegedly stole food, cafeteria equipment, classroom equipment, and paper goods from the school district 'for a number of years.' Surveillance video from the school and also on the Sagamore Bridge showed VanCott's personal truck cross the bridge with one small refrigerator, that he allegedly stole from the school, secured on the rear truck bed, Cruz said. On May 30, Plymouth Public Schools officials contacted Plymouth Police after they received an anonymous letter alleging criminal activity at the Plymouth Community Intermediate School, Cruz said. The letter alleged that a person had been stealing commercial equipment and food products from the school, Cruz said. The alleged stolen property is owned by the Town of Plymouth and was paid for by the U.S. Federal Government. Plymouth Police immediately launched an investigation, which identified the suspect as VanCott, director of Plymouth Public Schools Food Services. As director, VanCott was the sole person with the authority to place orders for the cafeteria. VanCott also runs the Snack Shack at Sandy Neck Beach in Barnstable. 'VanCott's food orders consisted of premium Angus hamburgers, hot dogs, lobster meat, and other food products that were not served to students or school staff,' Cruz said Friday. On April 4, VanCott is alleged to have taken two under-the-counter commercial refrigerators. Surveillance video shows VanCott at the school on a Saturday loading one of the refrigerators onto a town truck and departing. VanCott then returned to the school in his personal pickup truck and loaded the second refrigerator into his own vehicle, Cruz said. A review of video taken from the Massachusetts State Police Fusion Center cameras located on the Sagamore Bridge showed VanCott's personal truck cross the bridge with the small refrigerator secured on the rear truck bed, Cruz said. As a result, VanCott was placed on administrative leave from Plymouth Public Schools. 'Earlier this week, the Plymouth Public Schools learned about serious allegations concerning a staff member's inappropriate use of District property for personal benefit,' Plymouth Public Schools Superintendent Christopher Campbell said in a statement. 'District leadership took swift and appropriate action under its internal policies, and the staff member is no longer performing any responsibilities within the school system,' Campbell said. 'This matter is currently under active police investigation and also involves internal personnel processes,' Campbell said. 'To protect the integrity of these proceedings, the District will not be issuing further comments at this time.' As part of their investigation, police conducted numerous interviews, reviewed surveillance video, and analyzed cafeteria financial documents. The investigation alleges that for years, once a week between Memorial Day and Labor Day, VanCott ordered cafeteria employees to slice two bags of deli turkey and one bag of ham, place them in a box inside the refrigerator with the initials 'PVC' written on them. Others reported to investigators they witnessed VanCott take condiments, snacks, paper goods, coffee, and other items from the kitchen. A list of items that were purchased by VanCott but not currently in the Plymouth Public Schools storage facility was compiled totaling over $8,300 in goods. Cruz said the items include but are not limited to: Refrigerated sandwich table - $1,700 2 Fry Pans - $96 Convection oven - $850 Undercounter freezer - $1,700 Microwave - $299 Bagel warmer - $294 Cuisinart coffee maker - $84 On Wednesday, Plymouth Police with the assistance of Barnstable Police executed a search warrant at the Snack Shack. They located a 28-foot industrial-sized refrigerator, bins, government-issued food, a coffee maker, blackboards, and other items, Cruz said. VanCott was taken into custody. 'We want to reassure our community that Plymouth Public Schools is committed to maintaining a safe, ethical, and professional environment,' said Campbell, the schools superintendent. The investigation is ongoing by Plymouth Police. VanCott is next scheduled to appear in court on July 21. This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
