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!["Defendant was the treasurer of the Lenape Meadow HSO and used funds from [the] non-profit account for personal expenses," the Mahwah police report says.](https://cdn.dailyvoice.com/image/upload/dpr_2,f_auto,q_auto:eco,w_720/fdfggfd_nwung2.jpg)
Kerry Stumbo, 50, is charged with theft by unlawful taking from the Lenape Meadows Elementary School's Home School Organization (HSO) while she was treasurer.
Stumbo "used the organization's debit card...for personal expenses (Verizon, Gas Stations, Starbucks. ACME, ShopRite, and CVS)," a complaint on file in Superior Court in Hackensack alleges.
"Additionally the suspect wrote a check to herself from the organization in the amount of $1,500," it says.
Neither the complaint nor a township police arrest report specifies a total, although sources familiar with the case said it was a shade under $7,500.
Stumbo was released after being booked at Mahwah police headquarters on Nov. 18, according to the township report, which lists March 2020 as the incident period.
Police forwarded the case to the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office. County prosecutors will determine whether to present it to a grand jury in Hackensack for a possible indictment.
One of three elementary schools in Mahwah, Lenape Meadows reportedly serves a little over 300 students in pre-K through 3rd grade.
It's HSO is "an important organization" that "raises funds needed in areas that will enrich the children's growth and development," according to district literature.
Stumbo, who is married with a young child in the district, was treasurer when she wrote to the community during a 2020 booster drive:
"Our HSO completely funds the following committees - Assemblies, Family Night, Field Day, Grade Celebrations for Kindergarten and 3rd Grade, Playground and Indoor Recess Supplies, Science Day, Staff Holiday Luncheon and the Staff Appreciation Luncheon. In addition, we also fund 2 scholarships for Graduating Lenape Alumni at Mahwah High School."
Events include field trips, assemblies, science day, bake sales, walk-a-thons and bingo nights, among others, parents told Daily Voice.
Some defendants in cases like Stumbo's have accepted pre-indictment plea deals from assistant prosecutors in exchange for sentencing leniency. Others fight the charges.
An alternative to both is the Pre-Trial Intervention Program.
Under PTI, defendants without prior criminal records can have third- or fourth-degree charges erased completely if they keep their noses clean while following certain conditions for a specified time period, ordinarily a year.
Depending on the offense, PTI can require community service, restitution and/or fines, psychological testing, urine monitoring and alcohol evaluations.
If a participant fails to complete the program, the charges go to the grand jury. At the same time, a judge could significantly reduce the time period depending on the defendant's level of cooperation.
Those charged with first- or second-degree crimes aren't eligible for PTI in New Jersey.
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