By: Charles Stannard
DEEP RIVER— Laura Smith has entered a plea of not guilty to the charge of first degree larceny by embezzlement that was filed against her last November. Smith, the wife of long-time First Selectman Richard Smith, entered the plea in Middlesex Superior Court on Jan. 26.
Smith, 46 , was arrested on a court warrant in November on a charge related to the alleged embezzlement of $47,983 from accounts at the Liberty Bank branch on Main Street.
Smith was employed at the bank until an investigation began in February 2009. The funds have been paid back to the bank. Smith was represented in court last week by Essex lawyer Christopher Morano. Morano is a former Chief State’s Attorney of Connecticut now in private practice.
DEEP RIVER & CHESTER— The criminal cases against Charles “Chuck” Della Rocco, the unsuccessful Democratic nominee for first selectman in Chester, and Laura Smith, the wife of Deep River First Selectman Richard Smith, have been continued to next month after scheduled appearances Tuesday at Middlesex Superior Court in Middletown.
Della Rocco’s case, with charges of seond degree forgery and third degree larceny, has been continued to Dec. 23. The charge of first degree larceny against Laura Smith has been continued to Dec. 15.
Della Rocco, 41, was the unsuccessful Democratic challenger to Republican First Selectman Tom Marsh in the Nov. 3 Chester town election. Della Rocco was arrested by state police on Nov. 5 on charges related to the alleged illegal sale of a Ford pick up truck he borrowed earlier this year from neighbors Peter and Cheryl Lynch.
Smith, 46, was arrested and charged with first degree larceny on Nov. 4 for the alleged theft by embezzlement of $47,983 from accounts at the Liberty Bank branch on Main Street. Smith, who had been employed at the bank, is alleged to have taken funds from accounts controlled by Patricia Pytlik of Haddam Neck, the co-owner of an Old Savbrook car wash.
Della Rocco and Smith are each free on bond.
By Charles Stannard
DEEP RIVER— Laura Smith, wife of First Selectman Richard Smith, is alleged to have misappropriated $47,983 from accounts at the Main Street Liberty Bank branch, according to the state police arrest warrant in the case.
Smith, 46, was arrested on Nov. 4 and charged with first degree larceny by embezzlement. She is free on $20,000 bond pending an appearance Tuesday at Middlesex Superior Court in Middletown. Smith lists a 12 Russet Lane, Essex address in the warrant filed at the court.
According to the warrant, the police investigation began on Feb. 26, 2009 after investigators for the bank detected the loss. Smith worked in deposit services, and certain days each week, as a teller at the bank.
According to the arrest warrant, most of the money was taken from accounts controlled by Patricia Pytlik, the co-owner of Classic Carriage Car Wash in Old Saybrook. Pytlik first reported losses to bank officials on Jan. 28, 2009.
Laura Smith was interviewed by bank investigators on Feb. 13, and allegedly admitted taking funds from accounts controlled by Pytlik. Smith told investigators she had a severe gambling problem.
Records from the Mohegan Sun Resort Casino in Montville show Smith lost $408,887 at the casino since 2001. Records at the Foxwoods Resort Casino in Ledyard show Smith lost $10,745 at the casino since 1992. According to the warrant, Laura Smith repaid the $47,983 to the bank last February.
By Charles Stannard
DEEP RIVER— Laura Smith, the wife of First Selectman Richard Smith, was arrested Wednesday on a charge of first degree larceny by embezzlement related to an alleged theft of money from bank accounts at the local Liberty Bank branch on Main Street.
Smith, 46, surrendered at the Troop H barracks on Hartford after being advised a warrant had been issued for her arrest. She was released on a $20,000 non-surety bond for a Nov. 24 appearance at Middlesex Superior Court in Middletown. The arrest came one day after her husband was re-elected for a record 11th term in the town’s top job. Richard Smith was uncontested in the Tuesday vote.
Detectives with the state police Central District Major Crime Squad initiated an investigation of Laura Smith last February after being advised by bank officials that an internal audit had shown that “a large amount of money had been taken from various bank accounts of a particular individual.” Laura Smith had been an employee of the bank.
Richard Smith, a Democrat who also serves as one of the town’s three part-time police officers, could not be reached for comment Thursday.
