He’s been the Plymouth Public Schools’ food services director for more than 20 years.
Police say he may have been stealing from the town for almost as long.
Patrick Van Cott, 62, was arrested this week after Plymouth police, acting on a tip, discovered he could have been pilfering school equipment and food for decades, possibly for use in a side business he runs. According to the police report, Van Cott is licensed by the Town of Barnstable to operate the Snack Shack at Sandy Neck Beach.
Om Friday, Van Cott pleaded not guilty to larceny charges and was ordered held on $50,000 cash bail, according to Plymouth County District Attorney Tim Cruz’s office. He was also ordered to stay away from Plymouth schools and related facilities.
According to prosecutors Van Cott “ordered premium meats, even lobster” from the schools for “resale” at the Snack Shack. His orders included premium hamburgers, hot dogs, lobster meat, and other food products, they said. He also allegedly stole cafeteria and classroom equipment as well as paper goods, they said.
Prosecutors ticked off a list of items that Van Cott allegedly bought but weren’t where they should be – in school storage facilities.
Those items were valued at more than $8,300 and included a refrigerated sandwich table valued at $1,700; two frying pans worth $96; an $850 convection oven; a $299 microwave; a $294 bagel warmer; and an $84 Cuisinart coffee maker.
On Thursday, School Superintendent Chris Campbell alerted the school community to the fact that something was going on but offered few details. In “A Message from the Superintendent” that was sent by email, Campbell said a “staff member” was under investigation for “inappropriate use of district property for personal benefits,”
He did not identify the employee or explicitly say whether he had been fired or placed on leave. Campbell said only that the staff member “is no longer performing any responsibilities within the school system.”
Prosecutors said he was placed on administrative leave in April.
School Committee chair Luis Pizano said he was “appalled” by the allegations against Van Cott.
“The School Committee and the administration take management of the district’s finances and taxpayer dollars very seriously,” Pizano said in an email.
“We will work to ensure that this matter is fully investigated and that any necessary actions and additional safeguards are put in place to further ensure the public’s trust.”
Van Cott, 62, who earned $114,233 in 2024, could not be reached for comment.
Plymouth detectives began their investigation on June 3, following up on an anonymous letter received by assistant school superintendent Eric Cioffi on May 30. The letter said a male employee, “Mr. Van Cott,” had been spotted stealing commercial equipment and food from the Plymouth Community Intermediate School on Long Pond Road.
Van Cott, prosecutors alleged, also stole two under the counter commercial refrigerators, including one on April 5.
Police pulled school department video footage which allegedly showed him loading a $2,268.99 stainless steel undercounter refrigerator onto the back of his pickup truck that day.
Additional April 5 video footage from the Sagamore Bridge showed Van Cott traveling east on the bridge toward Cape Cod, with the refrigerator in the bed of his truck, police said.
He owns a house in Sandwich, public records show and operates the food service business in Barnstable.
Other school department video footage allegedly showed Van Cott at the school’s loading dock on May 22, piling boxes of food into his personal vehicle.
Detectives interviewed several of Van Cott’s co-workers, who told them they believed he had been stealing for years.
One woman said she began working for the school department in June 2009 and had seen him regularly take food ever since — over more than 16 years.
She told police she saw him take “deli meats, premium food products, condiments and various items that he had ordered using the Plymouth School department account.”
Other witnesses also told police they saw Van Cott taking items from the Plymouth Community Intermediate School’s food processing center, especially over the summer — between Memorial and Labor Day.
Prosecutors alleged that once a week during the summer, Van Cott ordered employees to slice two bags of deli turkey and one bag of ham, place them in a box inside the refrigerator, with the initials “PVC” on the boxes.
It’s unclear why no one reported the alleged thefts to school or police officials until now, or why missing food and equipment was not noticed.
On June 4, Plymouth and Barnstable police searched the Snack Shack where they found a 28-foot industrial refrigerator, bins, government-issued food, a coffeemaker, blackboards and other items, prosecutors said.
Van Cott was then arrested, they said.
Andrea Estes can be reached at andrea@plymouthindependent.org.