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Community Corner

East Haddam Superintendent Sets Thief Free

On 4.12.2013 at about 9:45 am Officer Karubeinikoff received an anonymous call from a woman stating that an East Haddam employee, Chris, had stolen a pitching machine and it was set up at his house in Chester. The officer was in court and advised the woman to contact Troop K in Colchester. A short time later the woman contacted the officer again and said that she had spoken with the East Haddam First Selectman regarding this matter. She then advised that Chris had loaded the pitching machine into an East Haddam Town truck with the license plate 39EM on the truck and was headed back to East Haddam. On 4.12.2013 at about 11:10 am Officer Karubeinikoff saw the town vehicle with a lone caucasian male not wearing a seatbelt and the vehicle was stopped. The officer saw parts of the pitching machine in the bed of the truck and also in the front seat. The operator of the vehicle was identified as Christopher Lelyo of Chester, Connecticut.
The officer obtained a written statement from Lelyo in which Lelyo stated that on 4.9.2013 he used a town truck to take the pitching machine from the old middle school and drive it to his residence in Chester. Lelyo further stated that he set it up at his residence after work and that he did not know if it worked or not. Lelyo further said that his supervisor asked him about the pitching machine and Lelyo said he wanted to repair the machine. His supervisor told him to return the machine. 
The First Selectman, Mark Walter, was again contacted regarding this matter this time by Officer Karubeinikoff and the officer was told that it was would be up to the superintendents office to press charges or not because the property belonged to the school. The officer spoke with the East Haddam School Superintendent Marybeth Iacobelli and she advised the officer that the town does not want to pursue criminal charges against Lelyo and they would handle the discipline internally. 
This information is contained in a police report written by Officer Karubeinikoff of the East Haddam Police Department and obtained from The Connecticut State Police. Officer Karubeinikoff is to be commended for his outstanding police work and dedication to this town. If not for a concerned town citizen and competent police this incident would have been covered up permanently.
This individual had a town owned pitching machine in his possession for four days before he was caught and told to return it. He used a town truck to steal town property during his work shift and the town paid him during that time and he is not arrested. That is appalling.                   

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