Evening star., 1951-11-28
'SchooI.Workers
|ToFaceFurther
Probe by County
Three Maintenance
Employees Indicted
In Montgomery

SO1A4Cly SOu11Ly oOo1N VI GAoSo
ton and a former board worker
face further investigation by
county officials.
States Attorney Walter w.
Dawson made this clear late yes
terday. after the grand jury re-
turned the indictments against
Kasmer Phillip Grabarkiewicz.
director of school maintenance;
Melvin F. Nicholson, carpenters
foreman, and Arthur w. Saun-
ders. jr., former electricians fore
man. Grabarkiewicz also was
indicted for larceny.
Mr.. Dawson said he did not
know how long the investigation
will continue nor would he specu-
late on whether he expects to
bring additional charges against
the three men.
Suspended Pending Trials.
Meanwhile. the Board of Edu-
cation, when informed of the
grand jury's action, Immediately
suspended Grabarkiewicz and
Nicholson from duty. pending out
come Of their trials.
"Any suggestion of improper
conduct on the part of board en-
ployes, is of course, a matter Of
deep concern to the board and
its staff and will not be treated
lightly" said Mrs. Ben B. Baylor,
Ijr.. board president.
mo one who claimed to have
knowledge of any irregularities Of
improper conduct has ever COM
planned to the board or to the
superintendent of schools or his
assistants.
"In April of this year, when
stories in the press suggested COM
plants had been made to the
States attorney, the board re-
quested copies of the complain
ants statements, but they were
not. and never have been, made
available for reasons which we
must presume were good.
Hours Spent in Interviews.
"A committee of four members
of the board spent many hours
interviewing maintenance en-
Iployes and former employees in an
effort to determine what ir-
Irregularities were charged and
whether any existed.
In its report submitted May 8.
1851, the committee found no evil
Idence sufficient to justify conclud-
ing that board employees had been
dishonest. The committees report
emphasized that it was not de-
signed to forestall or in any way
impede any other inquiry by
proper authorities.
Grabarkiewicz and Saunders re-
fused to comment. Nicholson
could not be reached.
The school maintenance director
8 who lives in Rockville has been
with the board about three years
,, and Nicholson of Travilah, about
.Ieight years. Saunders of Wheaton.
resigned about year ago, after
TO years service with the board.
E He is working now in a Wash
ington machine shop.
= Charges Against Director.
Three malfeasance indictments
, against Grabarkiewicz accuse him
of using other School Board en-
ployes and equipment for personal
:. projects on boardtime last April.
, Mr.. Dawson said the work con-
sisted of building an addition to
the maintenance directors home
and remodeling the house.
:, He also is charged in the in
), dictments with submitting false
, pay roll vouchers to the School
o Board and having the employees
build him a Toulouse valued at
$500 with county lumber.
+ In the larceny indictment, he
n is accused of taking a board re-
frigerator worth $125 last May.
+ Indictments Climax Probe.
n The Indictment against Nichol-
= son accuses him of using board
n employees and materials to help
o build a garage at his home in
;, December, 1850. And Saunders
S indictment states he used board
workers and equipment for per-
sonal project in July, 1850. Mr..
U Dawson said this consisted of hav-
D ing the other employees move some
i. of Saunders furniture on a board
truck.
Nearly a dozen present and for
mer School Board employees ap-
5 peared before the grand jury in
e connection with the case. The in
= dictments climaxed an investiga-
= ton that began nearly three
r months ago. under Mr.. Dawson q
= direction.
It was conducted by Detective
Sergts. Frank Griggs and James
M. Anderson. They were respon-
sible for unearthing information
that caused Mr.. Dawson to order
the probe, after the School Board
had given its maintenance director
10 n1ooo hill Af LaoI&L