NORWICH – Two former employees of Opportunities for Chenango who were accused of stealing more than $2,000 worth of building supplies and other items from the organization’s low income Weatherization Assistance program pleaded guilty last week to a reduced charge.
First Assistant District Attorney Stephen Dunshee reported that 31-year-old Kim P. Slater Jr. and 21-year-old Thomas M.W. Demuth pleaded guilty to petit larceny, a misdemeanor, after originally being charged with fourth degree grand larceny, a felony.
“Normally people come into court and try play dumb in these kinds of cases, but these defendants seemed to possess a willingness to admit their crimes and pay for them from the beginning,” he said. “Both men admitted their role in the crimes at their arraignment and said they were willing to cooperate and pay back the amounts. So in the best interest of justice, we reduced it from felony to a lower charge.”
Dunshee also noted the men lack of criminal histories and that both had lost their jobs as a result of the conviction.
According to the plea, both men will have to pay a total of $1,217 back to OFC.
According to the felony complaint filed with the Norwich City Court Clerk, the men were accused of stealing at least $2,163 worth of material from their employer. Dunshee said police had recovered some of the material at the defendants’ residences.
OFC Executive Director Wayne Viera reported April 8 that the agency detected internal “inventory irregularities” that led to supervisors contacting police.
He also said that the men worked for the organization for “a period between one and three years.”
According to the New York State Division of Housing and Community Renewal, the Weatherization Assistance Program “assists income-eligible families by improving their homes through energy efficiency measures.”
Dunshee said if the defendants fail to pay back their half of the restitution, they could spend up to a year in local jail.