Former co-worker says Raucci sexually harassed him

SCHENECTADY -– Day eight of the Steven Raucci trial started with more physical evidence for the jury to see.

Steven Raucci is the former head of facilities for the Schenectady School District and is on trial facing 23 felonies, including arson and terrorism.

First to take the stand Wednesday was Ronald Kriss, the former custodial supervisor for the Schenectady School District.

Kriss said his relationship with Raucci started out cordially but “after I received a $10,000 raise, everything changed.” 

Kriss testified that Raucci became belligerent toward him, and on more than one occasion, sexually harassed him.

On one particular day, Kriss said, Raucci "walked by and touched my genitals."

"I jumped, and he came back and did it again, and later did it again," said Kriss. "After awhile, I felt like a whipped dog."

Kriss also testified that in a meeting Raucci was talking about the Grays. “He said they may have won the battle but I’m going to win the war," Kriss testified. "I’m not gonna rest until both of them aren’t breathing.”

Hal Gray had testified earlier in the trial that his home was targeted a number of times with spray paint, canned paint and his vehicles were vandalized -- all because Raucci believed Hal’s wife Debby had written a complaint letter to CSEA about Raucci. 

All the stress caused Kriss to leave work indefinitely, he said. He filed a sexual harassment case against Steven Raucci and a worker's compensation claim for stress, anxiety and a hostile work environment.

Kriss told the jury that he had a meeting scheduled with the district to discuss the sexual harassment but had to cancel hours before he was due to come in: In the hours before he was due to meet officials that day in July 2005, Kriss, who was working at Home Depot by that time, left his workplace to find his vehicle keyed and all four tires were slashed. The damage totaled $2,812. 

At his Rotterdam home in October 2006, Kriss continued, he walked out to find all the tires were slashed on his truck, and two tires were punctured on his wife’s car. An acid-type substance believed to be paint thinner was sprayed on the vehicles that ate away the paint. The damage totaled $9,322.

During cross, Raucci’s attorney Ronald DeAngelus asked Kriss if he saw the person who committed these acts against him. Kriss replied, “No, I didn’t.”

DeAngelus also presented a letter written by Kriss and sent to the district. The letter states, “Steve is most dedicated and caring about each and every event that takes place in the school district.”

Later in the letter, Kriss writes again, “Just wanted to let you know that it’s a pleasure working with a man that has so much caring and compassion for the district.”

During the redirect Prosecutor Peter Willis asked Kriss about a conversation he had with Raucci. [Raucci] “says there were three steps. The first was that your vehicles will be keyed. The second is the vehicles will be sprayed with an acid and the third will be a brick through your window with a note on it,” Kriss testified.

Kriss was the only witness called in the morning.

After lunch break for the jury, witness John LaPointe III was sworn in. He has worked in the facilities department for the Schenectady School District since 2004.

LaPointe testified that Steven Raucci was "irate" over an anonymous letter written about him to CSEA. “He was infuriated, veins were popping out, spit was flying out of his mouth,” said LaPointe.  

"[Raucci] said the only consolation he has is that Hal and Debby Gray lived in constant fear,” LaPointe said.

A number of witnesses through this trial have testified that Raucci believed that CSEA union member Debby Gray wrote the letter. Debby's husband Hal also worked for the Schenectady School District and testified in the trial earlier.  Hal Gray had testified on Monday that he and his wife’s vehicles and home were targeted 5 times when red and yellow spray paint were sprayed and poured all over the place.

LaPointe also said he was part of a caravan of employees that Raucci took on a trip past the Grays' home after it had been vandalized one of the times.

The young facilities worker then told the jury that on the same day that Ronald Kriss found his tires punctured in the parking lot of the Home Depot in July 2005, he had seen Steven Raucci sharpening a screwdriver in the shop on school grounds.

LaPointe also said Raucci promised him a better job with better pay but that he had to bring in a picture of his girlfriend. LaPointe said he refused but finally succumbed to the pressure.

The next day, LaPointe said, Raucci had posted it in the shop with arrows pointed all around the picture with derogatory comments next to it.

"Isn’t it true my client apologized for that?” DeAngelus asked. 

“I wouldn’t exactly call it an apology," LaPointe III replied. "He just said, 'I didn’t think you were going to be in this morning.'”

Joseph Stone took the stand soon after. Stone lives across the street and one house down from Ronald Kriss in Rotterdam.

Stone identified a Schenectady School Facilities truck as driving past Kriss’s home a number of times on the night of the vandalism took place there in 2006.

DeAngelus pointed out that many trucks look similar to Kriss's. But Stone was adamant that it was the truck he saw.

Debby Gray took the stand late Wednesday afternoon. She testified that the anonymous letter sent to CSEA about Steven Raucci was not authored by her.