Monroe school board member charged with shoplifting
MONROE – A school board member has been charged with stealing more than $500 of merchandise from a Marlboro pet store.
Peter Tufano, 51, who was the top vote-getter in last year's school board election, was charged in late January with shoplifting for allegedly stealing $510.87 in merchandise from Petco on Route 9 in Marlboro Commons on Jan. 7, according to the Marlboro Police Department incident report.
Tufano is scheduled to appear in Marlboro Municipal Court at 11 a.m. April 6.
Tufano, his attorney and the school district's business administrator have not responded to requests for comment.
According to the police report, authorities contacted Tufano by phone, advised him of the charged and asked him to come to the Marlboro police station. At the station. he was processed, fingerprinted and booked without incident and released on a summons.
News of Tufano's arrest was initially posted on a Monroe Township Education Facebook page.
Tufano's campaign Facebook page indicates he is a small business owner in town, a father and was first elected to the school board in November 2018.
Also see:Monroe voters refuse a third time to pay for schools improvement project
Three years ago, there was a Change.org petition calling for Tufano to be removed as a member of the Monroe school board for allegedly making "countless irresponsible and derogatory remarks in the Monroe Township Voice Facebook group with the complete confidence of a man abusing a position of power."
The petition, which has nearly 6,000 signatures, states the school board has a code of conduct and instructs board members to "avoid making defamatory statements about the Board of Education, the school district, employees, students, or their families."
The petition alleged Tufano violated the code by verbally and sexually harassing Monroe citizens online, making openly racist statements, and threatening those who dare to disagree with him.
Tufano was the top vote-getter among six candidates in the November school board election, receiving 8,325 votes.
Email: srussell@gannettnj.com
Suzanne Russell is a breaking news reporter for MyCentralJersey.com covering crime, courts and other mayhem. To get unlimited access, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Monroe NJ BOE member Peter Tufano charged with shoplifting
