Joan Tuckruskye, an official with the Baldwin PTA, is accused of endangering the welfare of a child, Nassau police said. (Handout / December 15, 2008)
Nassau police said Tuesday they are investigating what really went on in the back seat of a vehicle where a 44-year-old Baldwin mom and a 13-year-old boy were caught half-naked.
The woman, Joan Tuckruskye, is a vice-president of the Baldwin Middle School parent-teacher association. The district released a statement Tuesday that identified the boy as a student at that middle school.
Citing the police investigation, the statement said, school officials would not provide additional details.
'However, please be assured that Baldwin Middle School Principal James Brown has met with administrators and staff to help students deal with any information or hearsay in regard to this case,' the statement said. 'The district is working to maintain a normal and calm school environment for all students while police investigate.'
The parked, running vehicle behind a Baldwin elementary school seemed suspicious to officers Friday night, said Det. Lt. Kevin Smith. The late hour -- about 10:30 p.m. -- also made it unusual for the 2008 Nissan Pathfinder to be parked behind Meadow Elementary, Smith said.
'They tapped on a rear window,' Smith said of the two First Precinct officers. The windows were foggy, he said, but the officers could make out two figures inside.
'They noticed both of the individuals were not clothed from the waist down,' Smith said.
The officers asked for identification, and the boy said he was 18. Smith said police were skeptical about the age of the boy, who later said he was 15. Later that evening at Nassau University Medical Center, it was determined that the boy, whom police would not identify, is 13, Smith said.
Tuckruskye was charged with endangering the welfare of a child, a misdemeanor. If convicted, she could face up to a year in jail.
She could not be reached for comment.
If police determine a sexual act took place, the charge could be upgraded.
'The investigation is not over,' Smith said.
Smith said police have information Tuckruskye and the boy have met several times.
SOURCE - Newsday
