Well guys, I may be looking for a job elsewhere this summer. Looks like my old boss has been arrested. Dunno how this’ll affect my summer employment there…
| A longtime East Windsor school district administrator was arrested yesterday for allegedly swindling the district by selling school computers and pocketing the proceeds. Robert Parker, 59, of Georgetown Road in Yardville, was arrested yesterday and charged with 12 counts of official misconduct by the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office. Parker is the director of technology and instruction for the East Windsor Regional School District and reportedly oversees all the computer-related facilities in the district’s schools. Superintendent Dr. Ronald E. Bolandi immediately suspended Parker from his duties. Complaints filed by the prosecutor’s office yesterday allege that Parker, under the guise of his office, sold computers belonging to the school district and kept the money as his own. Each of the 12 counts represents one computer Parker sold and an investigation into how much he profited from the illegal sales is ongoing, according to Casey DeBlasio, spokesperson for the prosecutor’s office. Parker, a 29-year employee of the East Windsor school district, was released on his own recognizance after his arrest. The Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office began an investigation into Parker’s alleged computer deals after a colleague, David Shafter, alerted authorities. Shafter is the school district’s business administrator. The monthlong investigation by the Economic Crime Unit of the prosecutor’s office ended with Parker’s arrest yesterday afternoon. A school official who said he knew Parker said he was “surprised” by the arrest and allegations but would not comment further. Attempts to contact Parker yesterday were unsuccessful. Mercer County Prosecutor Joseph Bocchini Jr. issued strong words in a statement following Parker’s arrest. “Abuse of the public’s trust is a serious allegation, more so because Mr. Parker should be a role model to his students,” Bocchini said. A date for an appearance in court has not been set, DeBlasio said. |