A former Perrysburg Junior High School principal pleaded guilty on Friday to a reduced charge of
unauthorized use of property.
Patrick Calvin, 45, of Perrysburg, was ordered to pay restitution to the Perrysburg School District in
the amount of $2,235. He appeared before Wood County Common Pleas Court Judge Alan Mayberry.
Mayberry also sentenced him to 30 days in jail, but suspended that time. The judge placed him on one year
of unsupervised probation.
As part of the plea agreement, Calvin agreed to resign from the school system and withdraw the appeal of
his suspension.
The original charge of theft in office, a fourth-degree felony, was filed following a lengthy
investigation into misuse of funds involving his job as principal. The amended charge, made through a
plea agreement, is a fourth-degree misdemeanor offense.
Alan Konop, defense attorney for Calvin, told the court of Calvin’s "sincere remorse" and his
desire to "try and get his life back."
When given an opportunity to speak, Calvin said he agreed with what had previously been stated and
thanked all those involved.
Calvin was suspended without pay by the Perrysburg Board of Education on Aug. 5, 2008 for failing to
follow established protocols for maintaining financial records.
He joined the district in 1998 as assistant junior high principal. He was promoted to principal in 2000.
He had just started his second year of a two-year contract when he was suspended. His salary in 2007-08
was $98,537.
According to the 16-page resolution unanimously approved by the school board at the time of his
suspension, Calvin’s conduct "was sloppy and imprecise" and "gave the appearance that he
was trying to take improper advantage of his position as building principal."
Mayberry said he was concerned about a recent abundance of cases similar to this that involved the abuse
or misuse of "public trust."
He generally followed the prosecution recommendations, but added the 30-day suspended sentence. Mayberry
also ordered the maximum fine of $250.
Following Friday’s court proceedings, Konop simply stated, "This was the proper resolution to this
case."
Gwen Howe-Gebers, an assistant Wood County prosecutor who presented the case, told the court that the
case involved specifically the use of gift cards and money which belonged to the schools.
At the time of his suspension, the school was concerned with various items including an $800 purchase
order for gift cards in 2006, missing book fines of nearly $850, overdue fees of $200 and a charge for
shoes for personal use added to a district purchase order.
Another report alleged that Calvin used cash from school events as a "slush fund" to pay for
other school-related items without documenting cash flow in or out of the office.
Calvin turned himself into Perrysburg police in October and was indicted by a Wood County grand jury in
December.
Photo caption: Patrick Calvin in court Friday afternoon. (J.D. Pooley/Sentinel-Tribune)