Second Full-Time Job Leads To Larceny Charges For Ex-State Employee

LITCHFIELD, CT — A Litchfield woman faces criminal theft charges and is accused of working for her hometown and Connecticut State Community College at the same time.

State police on Feb. 7 charged Erin Kennedy, 44, on a warrant with two counts of first-degree larceny.

The Western District Major Crime Squad launched an investigation after receiving a complaint from officials with the state’s community college system, or CT State.

Kennedy worked full-time at CT State’s northwestern campus in Winsted as a SNAP Coordinator and Non-Credit Allied Health Coordinator, an arrest warrant affidavit shows.

CT State’s administration told police that Kennedy was never given approval to work another job. The state claimed her hours for both jobs were during the first shift and overlapped.

Litchfield’s First Selectwoman Denise Raap told police Kennedy started working full-time for the town in May 2023 as Social Services Coordinator, which involved handling the town’s food pantry and various services for local seniors.

In December 2023, Litchfield officials suspected Kennedy was doing non-work related activity on her computer, according to police. Raap ordered the town’s IT department to pull Kennedy’s computer data.

Raap told police she discovered information related to CT State’s northwestern campus on Kennedy’s town computer, the warrant shows.

Raap looked at the campus’ website and saw Kennedy’s name and contact information, the warrant states. Raap told police she called and Kennedy answered the phone. This was on a day Kennedy had left her Litchfield job early for a “sick day,” Raap told police.

Kennedy resigned from both jobs after state and town leaders investigated her dual employment situation, according to the warrant.

State police concluded that between May 2 and Dec. 12, 2023, Kennedy worked 708.25 hours that overlapped at both jobs.

Investigators claim the state paid Kennedy $33,018.62 and Litchfield paid her $16,502.33 for work she didn’t perform because of this overlap, the warrant shows.

According to police, when questioned, Kennedy told them she was a salaried worker for the state, so she didn’t work set hours, rather, she worked until the job was done.

She told police she worked for the state for one-year-long, renewable contracts that expired June 30 each year. When the state community colleges merged, she worried her contract wouldn’t be renewed. That prompted her to get the Litchfield job. Kennedy told police that during the hiring process, she told Litchfield officials about her other job. She asserted she was told there would be no issue, and the new position was “flexible,” according to the warrant.

Kennedy is scheduled to be arraigned in Superior Court in Torrington Feb. 24.