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Uploaded: Monday, October 22, 2012, 11:45 AM
Hanretty sentenced to two years in state prison; expresses 'extreme remorse' for wrongdoing
Former superintendent pleaded no contest to crimes including embezzlement from Portola Valley School District,
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By Barbara Wood
Special to the Almanac
Tim Hanretty, former Portola Valley School District superintendent and Woodside Elementary School District finance officer, was handcuffed and taken into custody directly from a Redwood City courtroom after being sentenced to two years in state prison this morning (Oct. 22) by Judge Mark Forcum.
Looking on from the courtroom were officials from both districts, appearing somber, and in some cases close to tears at the resolution to the case.
Still to be determined is exactly how much restitution Mr. Hanretty will be required to pay to the Woodside district.
Judge Forcum ordered Mr. Hanretty to pay the full amount of restitution that the Portola Valley district has requested -- more than $180,000, including the nearly $101,000 he admitted embezzling from the district, plus its attorney, auditor and staff overtime costs.
Woodside has asked to be reimbursed $67,783 in attorney fees, $35,173 for an accountant, $1,556,446 in loan interest and $1,968,000 in loan principal.
A hearing will be held on Nov. 15 to determine the restitution to be paid to Woodside.
Mr. Hanretty appeared grim during the hearing, but addressed the court calmly. "I stand before you today with extreme remorse for my acts of wrongdoing," he said, reading from a prepared statement. "I profusely apologize to everyone who has been harmed by my actions."
On July 31, Mr. Hanretty plead "no contest" to charges of felony misappropriation of public funds in Woodside and Portola Valley.
In Woodside, he was accused of forging documents that allowed a loan of up to $3 million to be made to the district, despite the fact that the school board had approved borrowing only $632,000. He eventually obtained a loan of $2.6 million, which district officials say was spent on school projects.
In Portola Valley, an investigation found that Mr. Hanretty had charged $100,926 for work on his own home, drawing the money from the district's solar panel fund.
"I am not a quitter. I never have been," Mr. Hanretty told the court before the sentencing, saying he planned to use his plumbing, electrical and other skills to start a home improvement business to earn money to pay back the districts.
The Almanac will provide more information as it becomes available. A complete story will appear in the Almanac's print edition.Are you receiving Express, our free daily e-mail edition? See a sample and sign-up for Express.
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Posted by Some Guy, a resident of the Menlo Park: Downtown neighborhood, on Oct 22, 2012 at 12:22 pm Lets be clear here.
He has remorse for getting caught, not for any wrong doing. If he had any actual remorse for his actions, he wouldn't have done it in the first place.
How much of a douche bag do you have to be to steal from children?
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Posted by remorse, a resident of the Atherton: other neighborhood, on Oct 22, 2012 at 1:00 pm Is he remorseful enough to pay back the money that the cities have asked for? Or is he only sorry that he is going to jail?
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Posted by PV neighbor, a resident of the Portola Valley: Ladera neighborhood, on Oct 22, 2012 at 1:25 pm "Some Guy" said
"If he had any actual remorse for his actions, he wouldn't have done it in the first place."
I'm not an apologist for Hanretty, and I think it's fair (if pointless) to question the reasons for his remorse, but that statement above makes no sense.
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Posted by Michael G Stogner, a resident of another community, on Oct 22, 2012 at 1:30 pm Hon. Judge Mark Forcum is one of San Mateo County's Best.
I hope this works out for Woodside.
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Posted by Sad All Around, a resident of the Portola Valley: Central Portola Valley neighborhood, on Oct 22, 2012 at 2:25 pm I was livid when this all happened. I absolutely felt that a prison term was the only fair punishment for these crimes. I also agree that he needs to pay back every single cent that he took, and then some.
At the same time, I am surprising myself because I truly feel sorry for him. Then again, I'm wondering----who does he think is going to hire him for his skills of electrical, plumbing, etc---certainly not anyone in the PV School District. I guess he'll have some time to think that over, huh.
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Posted by John, a resident of another community, on Oct 22, 2012 at 3:30 pm The comment about if had been remorseful, he wouldn't have taken the money in the first place is ridiculous given that he would not have had anything to be remorseful about if he had not been dishonest. Of course, the punishment adds to his remorse, but I actually feel that losing his job and having to do construction work the rest of his life to pay back the money he took and the loans he got in behalf of the School district plus attorneys and account fees would have been punishment enough. Secondly, how can he pay the school districts back if he is in jail? I think the jail time is primarily to satisfy the residents of Portola Valley and Woodside rather than rehabilitate Mr. Hanretty. Lastly, I wonder how much he hurt the children in the school district vs. the school boards who are embarrassed that it happened during their watch.
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Posted by Amy, a resident of the Woodside: other neighborhood, on Oct 23, 2012 at 7:22 am You get the honest measure of a man when he is in his most difficult times. The same is true of each of us, as we read this article and choose our response.
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Posted by Susan Smith, a resident of the Woodside: other neighborhood, on Oct 23, 2012 at 7:50 am The article in the Mercury News covered the best details of this event. Mr. Hanretty has already reimbursed PVS app. $120K, the WES $20K, thus far, which this article fialed to mention.
worth a read: Web Link
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Posted by helpful, a resident of the Menlo Park: Central Menlo Park neighborhood, on Oct 23, 2012 at 11:01 am Susan, here's the Almanac's updated version that's in today's print edition:
Web Link
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Posted by Hmmm, a resident of another community, on Oct 23, 2012 at 11:11 am Pride goeth before the fall. And he has fallen.
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