City litter worker loses 15 days’ pay

The detective’s actions amount to dishonesty and improper conduct, the
police chief said.

By PATRICIA MEADE

VINDICATOR CRIME REPORTER

YOUNGSTOWN — A city litter and recycling department worker accepted 15 days off without pay for taking travel expenses to which she was not entitled, records show.

Linda DeJoe used a city litter vehicle to travel to Detroit to a Weed and Seed conference in August and took along Detective Sgt. Patricia Garcar, an accident investigator. Each was given $225 to cover the cost of driving their personal vehicles and later returned the money after questions were raised, records show.

DeJoe waived a predisciplinary hearing and accepted the time off this month.

Garcar is scheduled for a predisciplinary hearing Monday afternoon, said Law Director Iris Torres Guglucello. A written decision will be issued sometime after the hearing.

“The investigation shows that your actions amount to dishonesty and improper conduct,” police Chief Jimmy Hughes said in a letter to Garcar. “Discipline may range from suspension up to and including termination.”

The police department’s Internal Affairs Division investigated the matter and turned the results over to Hughes and Carmen Conglose, director of public works.

Garcar has said the travel money problem was miscommunication. DeJoe has declined to comment.

The Weed and Seed conference ran from Aug. 21 to 24 in Detroit and hotel rooms were prepaid. Garcar and DeJoe left together Aug. 19 in a city van, said Rick George, associate director for Youngstown State University’s Center for Human Services Development.

George’s department is fiscal agent for a five-year $875,000 federal Weed and Seed project grant from the U.S. Department of Justice for the North Side. The program targets high-crime areas and strives to improve residents’ quality of life.

George said Garcar and DeJoe paid back the travel expenses. Garcar wrote a check for $225 on Sept. 14, and DeJoe submitted a money order dated Sept. 17 for $293.50.

It wasn’t immediately clear why DeJoe returned more than $225. Aside from travel money, the women were also given $180 for meals.

George said Thursday that travel policies for future Weed and Seed trips will be developed. “We will use YSU travel guidelines as a model,” he said.

meade@vindy.com