NORWICH – An investigation into thefts by the Norwich Police Department concluded Thursday with the arrest of a Norwich teacher for grand larceny in the third degree and forgery in the second degree––both class D felonies.

The Norwich Police arrested Rebecca L. Evans, 49, of Norwich after it was alleged she had stolen approximately $7,600 from the Norwich Purple Tornado Community Team, of which Evans was treasurer.

The PTCT is a parent-teacher group that works closely with the school district to raise funds for student events and programs.

The Norwich Police Department reported they were contacted by the Norwich Purple Tornado Community Team (PTCT), who believed their treasurer had stolen money from the organization and the thefts occurred between July 2016 and March 2018.

Tyler Brown, Purple Tornado Community Team President released a statement Friday on behalf of the group:

“We recently discovered inconsistencies in our financial records. We immediately froze all our accounts and removed access to them from our PTCT Treasurer Rebecca Evans. Upon working with NBT Bank and the Norwich City Police through our investigation we believe over $7000 has been utilized for personal use and suspect forgery has been committed. We are deeply disappointed by all that has transpired.”

Evans is an employee of the Norwich City School District. Information on the school’s website said she is a reading teacher at the Perry Browne Intermediate school. The school’s district office said Friday it was reviewing the incident.