Crime
Authorities say he funneled food and equipment from the district to his personal business.
Authorities are charging a longtime Plymouth school food service director with stealing district supplies for years — allegedly to stock his snack shack on the Cape.
Police are charging Patrick Van Cott, 62, with felony and misdemeanor larceny exceeding $1,200 and larceny from a building.
Van Cott pleaded not guilty on Friday morning in Plymouth District Court and is being held on $50,000 cash bail, according to court documents. He is expected to return to court for a pretrial hearing on July 21.
According to a Plymouth Police report, the assistant superintendent of Plymouth Public Schools received an anonymous letter last Friday that stated a man was stealing commercial equipment and food products from the school.
The town owns the allegedly stolen property and used federal funds to pay for it.
The school administrator identified the man in question as Van Cott, the director of Plymouth Public Schools’ Food Services.
Police say surveillance camera footage from April 5 at 8:15 a.m. shows Van Cott loading a stainless steel refrigerator, valued at nearly $2,269, into the back of his truck near the loading dock at Plymouth Community Intermediate School.
Police also say they secured footage of Van Cott traveling over the Sagamore Bridge on April 5 with a commercial refrigerator in the rear of his truck at approximately 8:58 a.m.
Video surveillance also shows Van Cott loading boxes of various food products into his truck on May 22 at 5:48 a.m., police said.
During the investigation, police spoke with several witnesses. One told police that Van Cott was taking products from the processing center for over 16 years, according to the report. She saw him remove “deli meats, premium food products, condiments,” and other items that he ordered using the Plymouth School Department account, police said.
Van Cott’s LinkedIn profile states that he has worked at the district for over 20 years.
Other witnesses also reported that he was taking items for several years, specifically during the summer months, between Memorial Day and Labor Day, police said.
Police discovered that Van Cott owns a home in Sandwich and holds a license to operate the snack shack known as “The Shack” at Sandy Neck Beach.
Police reported arresting Van Cott while he was at The Shack.
Van Cott’s lawyer and the Plymouth School District did not immediately return a request for comment.
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