Crime & Safety

Ellington Woman Charged With Embezzling Money From Developmentally Disabled Group Home Clients

She was a supervisor at two MARCH Inc. homes in Vernon, police said.

The supervisor of two group homes for the developmentally disabled in Vernon is accused of stealing from some of the clients in her care, police said on Monday.

On Friday, just after 10 a.m., Vernon Detectives took Paula M. Bolling, 42, into custody. She formerly resided at 76 Higbie Dr., East Hartford, and was arrested in Ellington, where she was living at 31 Grand Blvd., police said

Six warrants had been issued for her arrest, police said.

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The investigation conducted by Vernon detectives began on April 30, when a criminal complaint about money missing from client accounts was made by Manchester-based MARCH Inc.

MARCH Inc. is a private, non-profit organization that supports people with developmental disabilities in a residential setting. The organization owns and operates several residential group homes, two of which are located in Vernon. 

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Police said executives at MARCH were made aware of money potentially missing from residents' bank accounts and the organization immediately referred the matter to Vernon police and then began an internal audit with its quality assurance director.

Both the audit and investigation determined that Bolling, the residential supervisor of the two Vernon group homes who was responsible for handling the developmentally disabled residents' bank accounts, had been allegedly embezzling money, police said. 

It was learned that Bolling had allegedly embezzled a total of $10,925.48 from the bank accounts of six different developmentally disabled residents from two different Vernon group homes, police said. 

The money was allegedly stolen from the clients between February 2011 through March 2012, police said.

The victims ages were 37, 45, 54, 55 and 63, police said. 

Bolling allegedly took money out of a sixth client's account after the client had died, police said. 

Bolling was charged with:

• Second-degree larceny.

• Three counts of third-degree larceny. 

• Three counts of third-degree larceny. 

• Fourth-degree larceny.

• Two counts of fifth-degree larceny.

• Seven counts of second-degree forgery.

Bolling was arraigned on Monday at Rockville Superior Court and was transferred to the Department of Corrections. No continuance date was available on Monday night.


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