Former Laraway principal faces charges
By BRIAN STANLEY Bstanley@stmedianetwork.com April 6, 2012 2:40PM
Marshall
Updated: May 9, 2012 9:45AM
JOLIET TOWNSHIP — A former principal has been arrested for allegedly forging documents that allowed a convicted killer to work at an elementary school.
Tashona R. Marshall, 32, of 241 W. 111th St. in Chicago was arrested Thursday on charges of forgery, official misconduct and making a false statement for a public hiring.
On Jan. 3, Marshall resigned from Laraway School, after serving one semester as principal. On Jan. 5, the superintendent sent a letter to parents saying Marshall had been “removed from the principalship due to a serious lapse of professional judgment in the purposeful falsifying of a personnel record,” the February school newsletter said.
“We enjoyed working with Ms. Marshall during her four-month tenure in District 70C, but we, like Ms. Marshall need to move on. Ms. Marshall is entitled to a level of privacy, and since the local law enforcement officials are continuing to investigate this situation, we are not at liberty to discuss it further,” interim Superintendent Gary Bradbury stated.
At the November and December board meetings Lashone White was introduced as a new employee for the district. Six years ago White was sentenced to seven years in prison for delivering the final head blow in a fatal beating outside a Coram, N.Y., strip club on April 24, 2005.
White, Curtis Williams and Joseph Smith began fighting with Louis McGrath, 24, inside the club, and the fight continued out into the parking lot. McGrath’s body was later found by a dancer going home and White was charged with manslaughter. He was found guilty of second-degree assault, as prosecutors acknowledged McGrath instigated the fight, local media reported.
State police Sgt. Ruben Bautista said Marshall and White already were acquainted when he applied for a job with the district.
“She knew his history would show he is on parole, so instead of sending his fingerprints to the Bureau of Identification for a background check, she (reused) her own and presented them to the school as his,” Bautista said.
Soon after White was hired, the superintendent reportedly did a background check of his own and discovered White’s parole status on a New York website. When he contacted state police to learn how that hadn’t been reported, the investigation led to Marshall, Bautista said.
Sources said White is no longer employed at the school district, but is not being sought on criminal charges for his hiring.
Marshall was released from the county jail Friday after posting $15,000 bond.
