Former Funeral Home In Vernon Broken Into

VERNON, CT — Vernon police are investigating a break-in at a former funeral home that became vacant under scandalous circumstances.

Police released details of the Sept. 2 incident this week.

Just before 8 that night, officers were dispatched to the former Burke-Fortin funeral home at 76 Prospect St. that is currently for sale. The building owner said he believed someone had been inside the building the previous night, according to an arrest report.

When officers began looking at the building — a Victorian Period mansion — they noticed a ladder that was positioned at an open window, according to an arrest report. Officers then went inside and found a 42-year-old woman with her two children and two other adults on the second floor, according to an arrest report.

They had entered the place illegally, police said.

The woman, identified as Jessica Korolenko, who lives in the same neighborhood, was charged with two counts of risk of injury to a child, second-degree criminal trespass, third-burglary and possession of a controlled substance, police said.

She appeared in Rockville Superior Court on Sept. 3 and her initial $50,000 bond was reduced to a promise to appearing court on Oct. 9, according to judicial system record.

The property became vacant in July, when business owner Philip Pietras began facing accusations of swindling more than $80,000 from his clients to finance vacations and casino trips, three of his four business locations have been offered for sale, with one already being listed as "under contract."

Pietras, 51, was arrested by Connecticut State Police April 6 on charges of first-degree larceny. According to a heavily-redacted affidavit supporting his arrest, eight clients had opened pre-payment funeral and burial accounts with one of Pietras' four funeral homes in Hartford and Tolland counties, with the purpose of opening a trust account via an escrow agent. The accounts accrue interest over time.