Credit: Jeff Bohen/LevittownNow.com
A Bristol Borough School District substitute teacher was taken out of Snyder Girotti Elementary School in handcuffs last Thursday, accused of stealing from children and staff while working at the school.
According to the probable cause affidavit, Kathryn Boyce, 34, of Fairless Hills, was observed by students of the class she was assigned to cover on January 30 rifling through pupil school bags, taking things out and then placing them in her bag, Principal Thomas Shaffer told borough police.
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The students, in addition, told school officials, who in turn told police, that when the teachers aide left the classroom, Boyce walked over to where the aides purse was and was seen bending over it, court documents show.
The students, according to court documents, advised the aide of what they observed when she came back into the classroom. The aide saw that $75 was now missing from her purse, police say.
School officials called Boyce down to on office within the school where a Bristol Borough School District official explained the situation and asked Boyce if she removed anything from student school bags or the aide’s purse, court documents say. Boyce denied any wrongdoing, police said.
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Boyce consented to let police search her bag and they walked into a conference room where the substitute teacher began pulling things out of her bag. The items included a copper purse. She then placed the bag between her legs and stated that she had medicine in her bag and refused to show what was inside the bag to school and police officials, court papers say.
The police then instructed Boyce to put everything back in her bag. The substitute asked “why,?” and she was told borough police were going to get a search warrant for her bag, police wrote in court papers. Boyce then told school and police officials, “look, I just found out I’m diabetic” and quickly opened the bag where a hypodermic needle laid.
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Police also noted when Boyce reached to open her bag they observed “track marks” on her wrist and said she reported she was insulin dependent, court papers say.
Bristol police advised Boyce they were still going to seek out a search warrant for the bag and at that point she asked to speak with the responding officer alone, court records show.
Boyce told responding patrolman Carlos Rivera that she was involved in an accident where she broke her tail bone and required pain medication that she became addicted too and when she ran out off her prescription she started using heroin, court records show.
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Boyce was asked by Rivera if the track marks on her wrist were from shooting heroin; she replied “yes. ” Rivera told Boyce he would try and help her the best he could, but she would have to tell him what happened in the classroom, according to the probable cause affidavit.
Boyce admitted to taking the $75 out of the aide’s purse and taking some gift cards, court documents say.
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Boyce was charged with theft and receiving stolen property and is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on March 12 in Bristol Borough District Court.
Editor’s Note: All individuals arrested or charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty. Story was compiled using information from police and public court documents.
