Ex-PTA president at Harborfields charged with larceny

A former PTA president was arrested Thursday, charged with stealing more than $3,000 from the Harborfields Central School District parent volunteer group over a five-year period, Suffolk County police said.

Sally Torres, 42, was charged with third-degree grand larceny.

Torres, of 45 Dunlop Rd., Huntington, was released without bail Thursday after her arraignment at First District Court in Central Islip, pending her next court appearance Feb. 28, said Bob Clifford, a spokesman for Suffolk District Attorney Thomas Spota.

Police said Torres, "who held various positions in the Harborfields Special Education PTA," or SEPTA, stole the funds between Jan. 1, 2007, and July 31, 2012.

"Her last position with the group was president," police said in a news release.

The SEPTA unit advocates for special needs students.

Diana Todaro, Harborfields superintendent, declined to comment.

In a news release, police did not explain how the money was stolen or where it went.

Torres'arrest followed a five-month investigation by Suffolk police and the district attorney's office, Clifford said.

Neither Torres nor her attorney, Vito Palmieri of Mineola, could be reached for comment Thursday night.

With Bill Mason