MHS Physics Teacher Arrested for Yonkers School Burglary

by Judy Silberstein

(October 2, 2008) A Mamaroneck High School physics teacher, Domingo Cabrera, was arrested by Yonkers police on Monday, September 29 and charged with burglary, 3rd degree, for stealing science lab equipment from Roosevelt High School, where he last taught in 2007.

Mr. Cabrera, 48, was seen by a school safety officer entering Roosevelt High School and going to an upstairs science lab at 6:30 pm on September 21 when the building was open for Westchester Community College classes, said Lt. Diane Hessler, spokesperson for the Yonkers police. The officer then saw Mr. Cabrera leave the school with several large plastic bags that he placed in his car. A school custodian was another witness to the incident.

Police believe he entered the lab with a key he had from his days of teaching there. The next day, school officials inventoried the classroom and found several items missing, including several scales, lasers and a DVD player. Yonkers police were called and began investigating.

Mr. Cabrera, an Ardsley resident, turned himself in to the Yonkers police on Monday morning and was later arraigned. His next court appearance is scheduled for November 14, according to the Westchester District Attorney’s office.

Mamaroneck Responds

Mr. Cabrera will not be teaching his MHS classes while Mamaroneck conducts its own investigation, according to a message from the district broadcast to parents on Wednesday, October 1 through the ConnectEd automated phone system.

“While the alleged incident is not directly tied to our own school district, where he began as a new employee just a month ago, the allegations are of course disturbing,” said the message. “As always, we want to assure you that the welfare of your children is our top priority. For now, we need to let the legal system take its course, and we’ll react with an appropriate and professional response.”

The timing of the judicial proceedings suggests Mr. Cabrera will be out of the classroom for several months, at a minimum. A substitute was to be taking over the class as of Friday, October 3, according to Debbie Manetta, spokesperson for the Mamaroneck schools.

Mr. Cabrera is one of five physics teachers at Mamaroneck High School and the only physics teacher among the three new science teachers hired this year, reported Ms. Manetta. "All of our employees are fingerprinted and have criminal background checks - everything came out clean," she said. In addition, the district "always checks several refernces and only selects teachers with outstanding recommendations."

Last year, Mr. Cabrera taught physics at White Plains High School. He began in the fall and resigned in the spring before classes ended, according to White Plains Superintendent Timothy Connors, who declined to comment further. Before that, Mr. Cabrera taught physics, chemistry and other sciences in the Yonkers school district from 1997 until 2007, when he resigned.

Parents and students were still absorbing the news on Thursday, October 2. “I was as stunned as everyone else when I read about him in the paper,” said Diane Goodman, whose son is in Mr. Cabrera’s physics class. “He was very impressive at back to school night. Every child I talked to said he was a very good teacher – they liked him.”

Front Page

Print This Page
Email this page