From John Marzulli at the Daily News, this really uncomfortable story about a teacher, her colleague, a stolen cell phone, and a police sting.<\/p>\n
If the cell phone were a gun, this would be an episode on Law and Order<\/em>. Instead, it’s a bad thing for teacher Fermina Pena and since it just became a Notice of Claim, it’ll be a bad thing for the City and NYPD, i.e., us tax-paying citizens. The story, entitled (in the print version), iGot shaft in bad sting: Innocent teach busted, fired: $15M suit,<\/em><\/a> begins:<\/p>\n A longtime Bronx preschool teacher \u2014 snared in an NYPD sting operation \u2014 lost her job after she literally got left holding the bag.<\/em><\/p>\n The trouble for Fermina Pena began in April when her co-worker, Sabina Deleon, met with undercover cops inside a McDonald\u2019s on E. 204th St. in Norwood. Deleon, according to court papers, agreed to buy a \u201cstolen\u201d iPad mini for $100.<\/em><\/p>\n Pena, 43, was walking from a supermarket during her lunch break, returning to work at the Monsignor Boyle Little Angels Head Start program. She ran into Deleon, who had just exited the fast-food joint.<\/em><\/p>\n Deleon, 41, asked Pena to hold the gadget. Then Pena placed the iPad alongside some potato chips in her plastic grocery bag. The cops pounced on a group of teachers and demanded to see some identification. The women complied and were released.<\/em><\/p>\n They returned to work but several minutes later, the cops showed up at the school on Hull Ave. and demanded that Deleon and Pena come outside. Both women were handcuffed.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cIt hurt me a lot that a little boy who was waiting for his dad saw me getting arrested,\u201d Pena told the Daily News.<\/em><\/p>\n The case against Pena \u2014 rotten to begin with (or so I judge) \u2014 was dismissed because of “evidentiary issues…” But the dismissal took place a month after she was fired from her teaching position.<\/p>\n She’s married to a retired NYPD sergeant.<\/p>\n Her lawyer is Eric Sanders.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" From John Marzulli at the Daily News, this really uncomfortable story about a teacher, her colleague, a stolen cell phone, and a police sting. If the cell phone were a gun, this would be an episode on Law and Order. … Continue reading