The Herald, Sharon, Pa.

Local News

December 5, 2009

UPDATE: Ex-school secretary gets probation for theft from activity, boosters funds

By Monica Pryts

SHARON — A former Sharon City School District secretary accused of stealing $10,500 in student activity and wrestling booster club money was sentenced Friday to 2 years’ probation.

Brenda L. Connelly, 46, Spartanburg, S.C., formerly of Ormond Avenue, Sharon, pleaded no contest Oct. 13 to one consolidated count of forgery before Mercer County Common Pleas Court Judge Thomas R. Dobson.

A no contest plea is considered a guilty plea for sentencing purposes in Pennsylvania.

Mrs. Connelly has already paid back the money to the school district and while trust was violated, she has no prior criminal record, her attorney David Betras of Youngstown, told Dobson.

She was under pressure to pay the bills for student activities and wrestling booster club expenses and it was “stupid” of her to forge names to the checks.

According to court documents and Herald files, Mrs. Connelly resigned in January after 8èyears as a high school secretary when irregularities were found last fall with those two accounts.

Mrs. Connelly stole three checks from the activities account, used the principal’s signature stamps without permission and deposited $10,500 into accounts for the wrestling club, of which she was the treasurer.

“She is the most remorseful defendant I’ve represented in 25 years. She’s a mess,” Betras said, standing next to a sobbing Mrs. Connelly.

She’s depressed, has “beat herself up,” felt publicly ridiculed and had to leave the area. She was fired from a job in South Carolina because of this case, Betras said.

Mrs. Connelly didn’t actually pocket any of the money in question; she forged signatures to pay bills on behalf of the school, he said.

“I have humiliated myself. This is not who I am,” she said.

She is “truly sorry” to everyone and said she’d never hurt the students, whom she loves like they’re her own children, she said. She left her family behind for two jobs in South Carolina and “worked her tail off” for eight months to pay back the money.

Mrs. Connelly said everything was on her shoulders when it came to making sure the bills were paid and things kept getting more expensive while available funds were decreasing.

There seemed to be “no limit” with expenses when the wrestlers had to travel. The boosters club often took the boys out to eat, letting them order whatever they wanted, she said.

She hates that people think badly of her now and the thought “kills her inside.”

Sharon police have said when Mrs. Connelly turned over the checks and ledgers, 27 checks were missing and nothing noted about where they went, so it was hard to determine how much money she stole.

Dobson said it was a difficult case because he didn’t have all the facts nor did Mrs. Connelly clearly explain why she did what she did.

During her 2 years’ probation, she can’t handle any money in any job she has and needs permission to travel, even to return to South Carolina since the probation order stems from Pennsylvania, Dobson said.

Betras argued about Mrs. Connelly not being able to return home Friday, and Dobson said she could go to jail instead.

She also is to serve 500 hours of community service.

Assistant District Attorney William J. Moder III had asked Dobson to sentence Mrs. Connelly to an unspecified amount of jail time because she breached the public’s trust and mishandled money meant for students.

Text Only
Local News
  • pension graphic Pension bomb ticking for city

    The city of Sharon pays more people who don’t work there anymore than folks who still do.

    And the amount of money the city must pay to the retirees is going up about $250,000 next year, a hike that creates more problems for the cash-strapped town, City Manager Scott Andrejchak said.

    May 26, 2012 1 Photo

  • Church softball league to Mormons: You’re out!

    The Grove City Area Church Softball League’s decision to exclude a Mormon team from Slippery Rock has sparked a controversy far beyond the local sandlot.

    May 26, 2012

  • Fired bus driver files lawsuit

    A Mercer County woman fired from her job as a school bus driver over a 25-year-old drug conviction filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against a state education official and Jamestown Area School District.

    May 26, 2012

  • Recycling program a bit too popular

    The  county’s effort at going green by encouraging recycling in rural areas has been a tremendous success by most accounts, but isn’t without a few glitches. In Wilmington Township, residents often only have a window of a few minutes to get cardboard recyclables in before the bin is full, prompting a discussion among Mercer County Commissioners Wednesday morning.

    May 25, 2012

  • District will tap reserve fund

    Reynolds school directors plan to fill a $374,567 hole in the 2012-2013 budget with money from the district’s fund balance.

    May 25, 2012

  • School board mulls change to sports chaperone policy

    In order to comply with the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association, the Sharpsville Area School Board is looking to adjust a chaperone policy it implemented six months ago.

    May 25, 2012

  • Afternoon crash hurts 3 high school students

    Three Jamestown High School students were injured – one seriously – when their pickup left a roadway in southwest Crawford County and crashed into a tree Tuesday afternoon.

    May 24, 2012

  • Board sells some, holds some

    Brookfield Board of Education members voted Tuesday to accept only the bids for the elementary school and the middle school, for a total of $97,050.
    The decision came after an hour-long executive session.

    May 24, 2012

  • Levey: Kohl’s project died with school vote

    Stripped of the necessity of voting for a tax incremental finance plan by Hermitage School Board’s unwillingness to participate, Mercer County commissioners said Wednesday they would like to meet with school board and Hermitage city officials to discuss other ways they can help Levey and Co. build a retail development in the city.

    But Levey spokeswoman Jeffrey A. Mills said there is nothing to discuss.

    May 24, 2012

  • Warden expects hectic season at county jail

    With the unofficial start of summer just a few days away, Mercer County Jail officials are preparing for a busy season.

    May 23, 2012