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Hartford County drama teacher Karen Vinick, age 34, of Manchester, was arrested on Thursday, Oct. 13, by East Hartford Police.
The incident began in June when East Hartford PD detectives began investigating a report from the Department of Children and Families that Vinick, a teacher at CREC Academy of Computer Science and Engineering Middle School, was allegedly having an inappropriate relationship with a student, said Officer Marc Caruso, of the East Hartford Police.
During the investigation, Vinick was immediately placed on administrative leave by Principal Jill Wnuk.
Staff reported during a drama club sleepover at the school, they observed Vinick and the student lying together under the same blanket, Caruso said.
Detectives were able to check the video of the Great Hall in the school and were able to confirm the staff’s allegations, he added.
Caruso said a lengthy investigation showed Vinick was calling and texting the student outside of the drama club text thread and there were numerous calls from Vinick’s phone to the student over the span of several months.
Many of those calls took place after school hours," Caruso said. "Vinick was also on the “frequently contacted” section of the student's call log.
There were no reports or evidence of sexual contact between Vinick and the student, he said.
At the end of the investigation, an arrest warrant was issued for the risk of injury to a minor.
After the warrant was signed, detectives went to Vinick’s home in Manchester and took her into custody.
Vinick was later released on a court-set $150,000 bond.
She is no longer employed by the school.
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