JANESVILLE, Wis. – A union-endorsed candidate running for the school board on a platform of “transparency and honest leadership” allegedly crashed into a neighbor’s vehicle and drove away, then lied to police about it.

Rock County employee Carla Quirk is now blaming her legal troubles stemming from the accident on a conspiracy to keep her off of the Janesville school district’s board of education, Channel3000.com reports.

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“Once again, I have been a target,” Quirk told the news site. “I’m not going anywhere. I don’t want these types of things, this type of bullying to prevent people from running for non-partisan or any elected position.”

Quirk is endorsed by the Janesville Education Association and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees unions for one of three seats on the Janesville school board in its April 7 nonpartisan election.

“I’m committed to protecting the interest of the students, employees and taxpayers,” Quirk announced on campaign literature distributed throughout the district. “I will work to bring transparency and honest leadership to the school district of Janesville.”

But a police report secured by EAGnews alleges Quirk was far from truthful when she contacted police about a hit-and-run March 1.

The lies 

Quirk called Janesville police around 7:30 a.m. March 1 to report that her husband’s 2004 Chevrolet Avalanche was damaged when she parked it at a local Woodman’s Foods between 6 and 6:20 a.m. that morning, according to the police report.

“When Carla left, Carla said she was driving … into the Shopko parking lot when she heard some noises coming from her vehicle,” the report states. “When Carla looked, it appeared someone had struck her car.

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“Carla believed someone had struck her car in the Woodman’s grocery store. She felt she was hearing rubbing from her tire on the front quarter panel that was bent in.”

The officer confirmed the damage to the Avalanche, and took pictures and measurements. He also followed up by reviewing video footage of the grocery store parking lot where the alleged incident occurred, which revealed the vehicle was not damaged at the store, according to the police report.

“When I watched the video, Carla appears to pull into the parking lot according to their video at approximately (6:15 a.m.) At approximately (6:28 a.m.) Carla leaves. Throughout the course of watching the video there was nowhere in the video that any vehicle was anywhere near Carla’s vehicle in the parking lot when the supposed, alleged incident occurred,” according to the report.

Quirk also appeared to look at the damage to the vehicle in the Woodman’s parking lot, though “it was unknown why whew s unable to see it at that point,” the report states.

The officer then went to Quirk’s work at the Janesville Veterans Affairs building, and when the vehicle wasn’t there, he attempted to call her cell phone. Quirk didn’t initially pick up, but called him back a few minutes later asserting that she was still at work.

“At that point I was en route to Carla’s address,” the report states. “Carla claimed she was at the VA clinic. Carla said she was unable to get a hold of her husband yet.”

The officer went to the Quirk residence and knocked on the door, but nobody answered. On his way back to his vehicle he noticed something unusual.

“As I walked towards the S. Fremont St. side I noticed two things. One was that there was a male now with the garage door open at 1433 E. Milwaukee St., and two there was a vehicle in the street between E. Milwaukee St. and the driveway to the 1433 E Milwaukee St. that had damage,” the officer wrote in the report.

“There were parts laying on the ground near the left rear side of the vehicle.”

The officer spoke then spoke with Dan Quirk, Quirk’s husband, who had no idea how his vehicle was damaged.

“Dan said he did not use the vehicle since Friday and he did not know how the vehicle was damaged in the roadway,” the report reads.

That’s when Carla Quirk arrived home.

The truth

“Carla at first denied any knowledge about what occurred to the vehicle in the roadway. At some point I told Carla that I felt her Avalanche had something to do with the damage to the vehicle in the roadway,” according to the police report.

The officer told Quirk he planned to match the damage to the vehicle in the road, a Chevrolet S-10, to the damage on the Avalanche, and could pursue criminal charges.

That’s when Quirk allegedly fessed up to crashing into the truck.

From the report:

Carla told me she had been having issues with her husband, she is in the process of running for school board, she has other things that are coming on. Carla told me she left from her residence at approximately (5:30 a.m.) to do something.

Carla claims she left northbound from her driveway with the Avalanche this morning. Carla said she forgot something and went around the block. When Carla went around the block and came back onto N Fremont St, Carla claimed her vehicle slid into the vehicle on the roadway.

Carla claimed she did not feel anything. She told me she did not necessarily hear anything either as she claimed she had some hearing impairment. Carla claimed she felt she hit the vehicle however did not see any damage to (the) vehicle on the roadway nor her car. Carla claims she continued on what she was doing. Carla claimed she was campaigning later on today. …

The damage to the Chevrolet S-10 was consistent with the damage on the Chevrolet Avalanche. Carla Quirk apologized to me and the owner of the truck that she struck.

The cover-up

Roger Merry, Quirk’s attorney and treasurer of the campaign committee “Friends Of Carla Quirk,” now alleges Quirk never hit the vehicle at all.

“She said she didn’t believe she hit the car, I suppose anything is possible if you are hearing impaired you might not be as aware of it, but there is no way that kind of impact could’ve happened between these two vehicles,” Merry told Channel3000.

Janesville Education Association head Dave Goth refused to discuss Quirk’s alleged lies.

“I’m not going to talk to you, I’m sorry,” he said before hanging up on an EAGnews reporter.

Janesville school board member Deborah Shilling, who is not seeking re-election, said both Quirk’s alleged lies to police and her conspiracy theory after the fact are quite concerning.

“They are saying there has been bullying going around … so she’s deflecting (attention from her current problem) to what’s already been going on in this election,” Shilling said.

Shilling said Quirk is alluding to being a “target” of partisan politics, but her supporters in the JEA have also done their fair share of political maneuvering leading up to the election by successfully removing non-union candidates from the ballot over paperwork technicalities.

“People are already polarized,” Shilling said of the election. And casting blame on others for her crash only makes matters worse, she said.

“I’m very disappointed in it because we struggle to get candidates to run” for the school board, Shilling said, adding that the unions’ continued support of Quirk in light of her legal troubles is also alarming.

“I do find it disappointing they aren’t trying to separate from her actions,” Schilling said. “The union stands up for what it thinks is right for the union, because that’s their interest.”

But school board members should be honest and trustworthy community leaders that base decisions on what’s best for students in the district, she said.

Fellow board member Bill Sodemann agrees.

“There’s no doubt that politically I’m opposed to this candidate, but beyond that, it’s about decency … basic honesty and trustworthiness,” Sodeman said.

“Our students should look up to our school board members as being examples.”

Sodemann said he’s also perplexed as to why the JEA continues to stand behind an accused liar.

“The question is why would they continue … to endorse somebody with this,” he said. “I’m sure they know about it.”

Quirk was cited by police for a hit-and-run, and for driving too fast for conditions, Channel3000 reports.

She’s due back in court on Election Day, April 7.