Charges against Nassau worker dismissed
A Nassau County casework supervisor who was fired after he was charged with using the state's confidential child-welfare database to try to discredit a police officer who had written him a speeding ticket has had the charge dismissed.
Glen Tuifel, 43, of Glen Cove, had been charged in May 2009 with improperly using his access to the child welfare database to find a then-5-year-old, unfounded child welfare complaint against the officer.
Tuifel has been back working at Child Protective Services since fall 2009, after the reversal at arbitration of his April 29, 2009, firing.
"There was never any finding of facts to support the charge, and it was finally dismissed after an unbelievable 39 appearances in district court over 2 1/2 years," Tuifel said of the Dec. 20 dismissal.
Chris Munzing, a spokesman for Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice, said the charge was dismissed by Judge Francis Ricigliano "for procedural reasons. The case never received a hearing on its merits."
Tuifel said he was unhappy that as of Wednesday morning, the DA's website still made available the news release about his arrest.
Later, Munzing said it was standard practice "to take down any news releases about a case that ends in dismissal or acquittal, and the release regarding Mr. Tuifel's arrest has [now] been removed."
Out East with Doug Geed: Wine harvests, a fish market, baked treats and poinsettias NewsdayTV's Doug Geed visits two wineries and a fish market, and then it's time for holiday cheer, with a visit to a bakery and poinsettia greenhouses.
Out East with Doug Geed: Wine harvests, a fish market, baked treats and poinsettias NewsdayTV's Doug Geed visits two wineries and a fish market, and then it's time for holiday cheer, with a visit to a bakery and poinsettia greenhouses.
