Police: Saratoga Springs man tried to use fake credentials to get school job

Thomas C. Dean, 22, of Saratoga Springs was arrested for giving fake credentials to the Queensbury Union Free School District to get a summer school job. Dean tried to pass himself off as a New York Registered Nurse, according to the Warren County Sheriff’s Office.

Dean was an approved teacher/paraprofessional substitute and had been working as a substitute for Washington-Saratoga-Warren-Hamilton-Essex BOCES, the district said in a statement posted on its website.

“I could not be more impressed by the due diligence and alertness of our staff who quickly identified the false information and ensured the safety of our students,” said Queensbury Superintendent Kyle Gannon. “It is important that we continue to work together to keep our students and staff safe.”

The sheriff’s office said Dean was charged with:

• First Degree Felony count of Offering a False Instrument
• Felony count of Unauthorized Practice of a Profession
• Third Degree Felony count of Burglary

Dean was turned over to the New York State Police after he was arraigned in Warren County for similar charges against him in Wilton. An order of protection was issued against Dean that keeps him off of the Queensbury Union Free School District property.

He has also been revoked from the substitute list as well as been reported to the New York State Education Department and the Office of the Professions, the district said.