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LaPlante Sentenced to Five Years Probation for Wrongful Conversion of School Funds

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[CREDIT: WPD]Former Director of Warwick Schools Buildings and Grounds David LaPlante was charged with misappropriating more then $70K in equipment Dec. 23, 2015.
[CREDIT: WPD]Former Director of Warwick Schools Buildings and Grounds David LaPlante was charged with misappropriating more then $70K in equipment Dec. 23, 2015.
WARWICK, RI — David LaPlante, former Director of Warwick Schools Buildings and Grounds, was sentenced in Kent County Superior Court Tuesday to five years suspended and five years probation, and ordered to pay $46,399.46 in restitution after pleading no contest to a count of wrongful conversion of about $70,000 in school funds dating back to 2011.

LaPlante was also ordered to pay court costs of $453.25.

Warwick Police seized more than 220 items from LaPlante’s 100 Fairway Lane home on Dec. 7 and Dec. 10 2015, equipment detectives alleged he used to improve his kitchen and to clean up storm damage from the Aug. 4 “macro-burst,” totaling about $70,000.

Police charged LaPlante with five felony counts of Wrongful Conversion by Municipal Employee. Under Rhode Island General Law 11-41-27, LaPlante faced up to 20 years in prison and fines of up to three times the value of the items for each charge.

According to the Warwick Police Department’s warrant, the items seized Dec. 10 were among a supplementary list the school department provided of misappropriated goods dating back to 2011. Those goods included a Troy Built 30-inch snowblower, a large two-wheeled wheelbarrow, two dehumidifiers, numerous assorted tools, a pool pump and collapsible tent.

The warrant with a full list of items seized is embedded below: LaPlante Warrant 1

Related Stories:

WPD Alleges LaPlante Used School Funds for Kitchen Update, Storm Cleanup

WPD Charges Former School Building Director With Misappropriating 70K in Equipment

School Committee Votes to Fire Facilities Director 5-0, for ‘Purchasing Irregularities’

WPD Investigates Unidentified School Staffer, Mum on Details

Rob Borkowski
Author: Rob Borkowski

Rob has worked as reporter and editor for several publications, including The Kent County Daily Times and Coventry Courier, before working for Gatehouse in MA then moving home with Patch Media. Now he's publisher and editor of WarwickPost.com. Contact him at [email protected] with tips, press releases, advertising inquiries, and concerns.

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