The Versailles Republican Headline News

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UPDATED BY MARIA SIEVERDING FEBRUARY 23, 2017 1 P.M.

Legion honors police and firemen

Wanda English Burnett
EDITOR

A number of police officers from many different agencies were in attendance at the 49th annual Law and Order Dinner at the Versailles American Legion, along with firefighters from various departments. They were all honored with a dinner for their service to their communities throughout the year.

Gary Thomas and Gabe Cruser WANDA ENGLISH BURNETT PHOTO
Gary Thomas, right, SAL member, presents Gabe Cruser with the Firefighter of the Year award at the annual Law and Order Dinner held at the legion hall on Thursday, February 16.

Firefighter Gabe Cruser from the Otter Creek (Holton) Volunteer Fire Department, was honored as Firefighter of the Year. He is presently the chief and has been with the department since 2010. Cruser has served the fire department as the treasurer/secretary, has been assistant chief, and helped last year’s chief work on and obtain grants for the department. Gary Thomas, a member of the Sons of American Legion #173 Versailles, presented Cruser with the plaque.

Roger Kavanaugh, Versailles American Legion member, presented the Police Officer of the Year award to ISP Trooper Nicholas Albrecht. He has been with the Versailles District since January 2015. Trp. Albrecht has been busy with 129 criminal charges filed and 64 felony charges filed on 47 people he arrested in 2016. He arrested three individuals for Dealing in Meth in December 2016 on multiple charges at a residence in Milan. He has worked numerous crashes and 44 criminal investigations, along with working cases such as domestic battery, property crimes, battery, drugs, warrant service, and strangulation. He has made 352 traffic stops and had 212 calls for service from his community that he responded to in 2016.

There were close to 75 people at the dinner according to present Commander Candice Tuller, the first female to be in that position at the Versailles Post. The Second Vice Commander Sara Bettis was also in attendance. The legion holds many activities throughout the year and is very involved in the community helping others.

Beware of scams going around

Wanda English Burnett
EDITOR

Ripley County residents are reminded that scam season is in full swing. Last week a grandmother from the Holton area received a call that her grandson was in trouble.

The call:
“Grandma,” she replied yes, and called the grandson by name. They had her. The male on the other end said yes, it’s Justin (not his real name). Then he continued to talk to her telling her he had been driving someone else’s vehicle and had a crash. He claimed to have hit his head and didn’t quite know where they (the police) were holding him. When she said, “Are you in Versailles, Madison or Greensburg?” the man on the other end said, “Yes, Madison I believe.” He claimed to need a lawyer and $2,000. She told him she didn’t have it, but called other relatives, which he had advised her not to do because “they would be upset.”

It didn’t sound like something her grandson would do, so she called his parents right away and the matter was resolved. No, he had not been in an accident, and was not in jail and did not need any money. Matter of fact, the party calling was not her grandson at all. They were simply looking for money. This scenario is being played out over and over in our county and some people have lost money because of it. It’s nothing to be ashamed of. These people are cunning, according to Sheriff Jeff Cumberworth, who says it infuriates him.

“Another scam right now is the IRS one,” he told the Osgood Journal. “Someone calls pretending to be from the IRS telling you if you don’t get the money wired to them immediately, you will be put in jail.” The sheriff says the IRS will never call you requesting money in this manner. He said he deals with people weekly who have been called and some have even lost money to these scams. His advice is, “Never send money in the mail. Never give out your private information such as banking, social security number, or birthdate, and never ever feel threatened by the phone calls.”

The sheriff advises people to call someone immediately after they get a call, whether it’s a family member or police. Just talking with someone about it helps. If you do send money, you’re usually not getting it back. He said police can not track these calls since they may seem local but are usually in another country. Once the money is gone, it’s gone.

You can call the Indiana Attorney General Consumer Affairs Division at 1-800-382-5516 or go online at www.in.gov/attorneygeneral. If you are a victim of an international scam or want to report one you can call the US Secret Service at 202-406-5572 or email 419.fed@usss.treas.gov. Local police numbers include the sheriff’s number at 812-689-5555 or the Indiana State Police at 812-689-5000.

UPDATED BY MARIA SIEVERDING FEBRUARY 7, 2017 9:30 A.M.

Local Bulletin Board

Deadline is March 17
Margaret Mary Health accepting scholarship applications

Margaret Mary Health is now accepting applications for its scholarship program. To qualify, applicants must be pursuing degrees in the health care field, be a full-time student and maintain a grade point average of 3.0 or higher. Recipients receive an initial award of $3,000 and $1,000 each year up to three years. Applications are available at the hospital, area high schools or online at www.mmhealth.org. Completed applications must be returned to human resources by March 17, 2017. For more information call 812-933-5259.

Reservations due March 18
Art in Nature II to offer free art classes

Are you a budding artist but never got to try your hand at watercolor painting, wood turning, or recycled art? Art in Nature is the perfect opportunity to feel free to attempt artistic aspirations guided by talented local artists ready with the tools you need. Scheduled for Monday through Saturday, April 3 – 8, at the Recreation Hall in Versailles State Park (VSP), classes will be held nightly from 6 – 8 p.m., plus a jewelry making class Saturday from 1 – 3 p.m., and an art show of all the created art Saturday evening from 6 – 8 p.m. For a complete schedule and how to register pick up a copy of the Osgood Journal dated January 31, 2017.