Albany School Custodian Lived in Workplace for Six Months Before Discovery

Timothy Walters, a 36-year-old head custodian with 17 years of service in the Albany school system, secretly converted an unused fourth-floor room at Hackett Middle School into a small apartment and lived there for roughly six months. He equipped the area with multiple beds, a sofa, a mini-fridge and other furniture, and his four teenage children stayed with him on weekends. The arrangement came to light during a review of security video aimed at investigating suspected overtime fraud, which showed Walters occupying the space.

The district suspended him without pay in May and he formally resigned on June 23, according to district spokesperson Ron Lesko. Local police initially charged him with trespassing, but those charges were later dismissed, and his sister started a GoFundMe to help him secure housing. Walters said his $64,000 salary and child-support obligations left him unable to afford his own apartment, prompting the illicit solution.