Schools

Lawyer for Ex-Rockwood Science Head Tells Out-of-Town Press: Client Is Innocent

William Goldstein, the lawyer representing former Rockwood School District employee, Michael Szydlowski, told a Columbia, MO, reporter about the pending case against Szydlowski—who now works for Columbia Public Schools.

William Goldstein, a Clayton-based lawyer representing Michael Szydlowski, a former science department coordinator for the Rockwood School District, confirmed with a Columbia Daily Tribune reporter today that the case against his client is still pending.

Goldstein said his client was innocent of stealing charges filed against him in Eureka municipal court.

Eureka-Wildwood Patch first published the article about the matter on Tuesday, after a jury trial for the case scheduled for Monday morning did not occur as planned on the St. Louis County Circuit docket.

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Immediately following the Monday trial, Patch called both the defendant's attorney and the prosecuting attorney to inquire about the legal status of the case. Patch received a call back from the prosecutor, , on Tuesday afternoon, confirming the details that were published as a follow-up on Patch Wednesday.

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“Mike has maintained his innocence throughout,” Goldstein told the Tribune. “He is a beloved educator and beloved by many in the Rockwood School District and now in the Columbia school district, and for good reason. He is an outstanding educator, and Columbia is lucky to have him.”

 officials and the Eureka prosecutor filed charges in 2010, stating that Szydlowski misused his district credit card and "appropriated the property of the Rockwood School District without the consent or knowledge of the district."


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