'Beat the Clock' custodian fired

CRANSTON, R.I. (WPRI) - A Cranston school custodian allegedly caught on camera tampering with a time clock has lost his job.

The Cranston School Committee voted unanimously Monday night to fire Neal Emmett, the custodial foreman at Western Hills Middle School.

Last month, the Target 12 Investigators received an anonymous tape shot from a hidden camera inside the janitorial office at Western Hills Middle School. It shows a man remove the shell from the time clock, winding the gears to change the time, then punching four time cards.

Cranston Mayor Allan Fung released a statement that reads in part:

"I applaud the school department for taking a strong stance on Mr. Emmett's egregious actions that hurt the taxpayers of our city. Such behavior is intolerable particularly for those of us in public service."

Target 12 showed the tape to Cranston School Officials, who identified the man tampering with the time clock as Emmett. When approached with the video, Emmett told the Target 12 Investigators he had no comment.

A criminal investigation by Cranston Police is still ongoing.