Plymouth School Cafeteria Director Accused of Stealing Food, Equipment and More

PLYMOUTH (WBSM) — The man in charge of the cafeterias for Plymouth Public Schools has been arraigned on charges that for years he stole food, cafeteria equipment, classroom equipment and paper goods for his Cape Cod food stand.

Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz and Plymouth Police Chief Dana A. Flynn announced in a joint release that Patrick VanCott, 62, of Sandwich had pleaded not guilty at his arraignment Friday in Plymouth District Court.

VanCott is charged with larceny over $1,200 by a single scheme and larceny from a building. He was held on $50,000 cash bail and ordered to stay away from all Plymouth school campuses and school storage facilities. He is due back in court on July 21.

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An Anonymous Letter Led to an Investigation

The investigation began when school officials contacted Plymouth Police on May 30 after receiving an anonymous letter “alleging criminal activity at the Plymouth County Intermediate School.”

“The letter alleged that a person had been stealing commercial equipment and food products from the school,” according to the release. “The alleged stolen property is owned by the Town of Plymouth and was paid for by the U.S. Federal Government.”

The ensuing investigation led police to identify VanCott as the suspect. As Director of Plymouth Public Schools Food Services, he “was the sole person with the authority to place orders for the cafeteria,” the release stated.

“VanCott additionally operates the Snack Shack at Sandy Neck Beach in Barnstable,” the release stated. “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.”

VanCott Allegedly Caught on Camera

The release stated that on April 4, VanCott allegedly was caught on surveillance video taking two under-the-counter commercial refrigerators from the school on a Saturday. They said the video shows him loading one onto a town truck and departing, then returning to the school in his personal pickup truck and loading the second onto his own vehicle.

“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,” the release said. “As a result, VanCott was placed on administrative leave from Plymouth Public Schools.”

VanCott Allegedly Had School Staff Slice Deli Meat for His Snack Shack

The release said that 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,” according to the release. “Others reported to investigators they witnessed VanCott take condiments, snacks, paper goods, coffee and other items from the kitchen.”

Over $8,000 in Items Missing From Storage

The release also claims that items totaling over $8,300 were purchased by VanCott but not found in the Plymouth Public Schools storage facility, including but not limited to a refrigerated sandwich table ($1,700), two fry pans ($96), convection oven ($850), undercounter freezer ($1,700), microwave ($299), bagel warmer ($294) and Cuisinart coffee maker ($84).

Police Locate Items at the Snack Shack

Plymouth Police and Barnstable Police executed a search warrant at the Snack Shack on June 4. According to the release, police located “a 28-foot industrial-sized refrigerator, bins, government-issued food, a coffee maker, blackboards and other items.”

VanCott was taken into custody as a result.