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Monarch Eau golly! Racing @ butterfly Gauley The Bullring is in peril Season is See A8-A9 here See A4 See B9 Still Free! Sept. 11, 2001 Inside We will PC Labor Day parade never forget INNformer Page A10 Volume 9, No. 18 The Wells Inn, 316 Charles St. Sistersville, WV 26175 September 9, 2022 Fraud Sistersville averted by municipal Friendly pool future postal clerk still in talks By Charles Winslow By Charles Winslow FRIENDLY – Thanks to the attention SISTERSVILLE – More than two and effort of a local postal clerk an at- dozen members of the community, tempt to scam an elderly woman out of Sistersville city government and thousands of dollars was prevented. the Park and Pool Commission came together Tuesday, Sept. 6, for During the last week of August the in- an informal meeting to address tended victim, whom the INNformer problems at the city’s pool and to has talked to but won’t identify, received plan for the future. a phone call from someone posing as her Citing a decline in attendance and grandson claiming he had been arrested mounting losses, the Park and Pool in Connecticut and was in custody. The Commission ended the pool’s sea- caller, according to the daughter of the son during the first week of August, intended victim and mother of the earlier than expected. grandson, disguised his voice by pre- tending to be upset and crying. He “We need help at the park and begged her for money for his bail and a pool,” Sistersville Mayor Bill Rice lawyer, who was on the line with him said. He said the pool began the during the call, and pleaded she not tell season with a $3,900 deficit then his mother or his aunt, who he named. had to do a lot of work to get the While grandmother did become suspi- pool open for the season. He noted cious when her ‘grandson’ called her the pool cost an average of $645 “grandma” instead of their usual fam- per day in payroll and, to date, had ily term of endearment, the man pos- spent in excess of $25,000 in em- ing as the attorney quickly interjected ployee-related costs. Even on the to explain he was in the lockup with sponsored “free days” the pool lost other prisoners nearby and the grand- money, bringing in only $300 a day. son didn’t want to be ridiculed. He Overall, the pool deposited a little then instructed the distraught woman more than $9,000 for the season. to overnight him $12,500 in cash. “The big killer was that kids were “I knew something wasn’t quite right,” not coming to the pool,” Rice said. Roberta Essof, postal clerk in charge of Ribbon cut for new Tyler One reason for the decline in atten- the tiny Friendly Post Oiffce in south- dance was attributed to the lack of ern Tyler County, said. “She came in coordination of free swim days be- and said she needed to overnight a let- County Judicial Building tween local municipal pools. Kids ter containing family heirlooms to a were going to the Paden City pool MIDDLEBOURNE – The ceremonial relative and it must get there by the during their free days instead of next day. While helping her fill out the ribbon cutting for the new $5.4 mil- paying to swim in Sistersville. overnight mail label Essof said the lion state-of-the-art Tyler County Ju- “We need to look at if we want to woman was clearly upset and men- dicial Building at 228 Main St. in tioned that her “relative” had her re- keep the pool going and the costs Middlebourne was held Aug 30. of running the pool,” the mayor peat his address three times back to cautioned. him to make sure she got it right. The handsome 10,000 square-foot, “She didn’t even want to have it signed single-story brick building contains One suggestion floated by David for but I suggested if it was that impor- three court rooms, holding cells and Pancake was renovating the con- the oiffces for the Magistrate Court cession stand, expanding the offer- tant, she should at least have a signa- ings and having it open during and replaces the former location, ture confirmation that it arrived other events at the park. Audist, his safely,” Essof, a 32-year veteran of the an aged, converted storefront lo- United States Post Oiffce, said. “Some- cated just across the street. wife, added fundraising needs to be thing just wasn’t right.” The facade of the new building, de- a year-round project and more ac- tivities are needed at the pool when The next day, when the woman checked signed by Wheeling’s McKinley Ar- it’s open. the tracking number and discovered the chitecture and Engineering, features Others in attendance offered the package hadn’t been delivered, she a series of arches that complement camping spaces, which provide rev- called Essof and asked her to check the 1850s-era Tyler County Court- enue for the park and pool, should where it was. Essof then called the local Continued on page A2 be better advertised and access to post oiffce handling the delivery of the bathhouse facilities should be im- package in the Connecticut city and was proved. told the address provided was for an apartment complex and the label did Mayor Rice said Linda Pryor-Hen- not contain an apartment number. riksen was organizing a Friends of The mail carrier at that oiffce, Essof was the Pool, as an auxiliary. Other told, went door to door looking for the local communities, such as Paden addressee only to be told no one by that City and the Village of Matamoras, name lived in any of the apartments – so have seen success setting up these the package was returned to the local of- groups to help with fundraising ef- fice and was available for pickup. Essof forts. For example, the small village expressed to the clerk there her concerns of Matamoras – which was in dan- and recommended they verify the iden- ger of losing its pool – has turned tity of the person if they should come to things around and recently ralffed sign for the package, the standard pro- off a $1,600 Par Mar gas card to cedure and the limit the post oiffce can help support their ongoing efforts. do without law enforcement or postal Rice said another brain-storming inspector involvement. session for the pool will be held One of the scam artists did reach out with meeting details announced to the Connecticut post oiffce and was later. told he could pick up the package, after People who are concerned about he provided identification. When the the future of the community are package wasn’t picked up, it was re- encouraged to become involved Continued on page A2 and should plan to attend. INDEX Area prep football A6 Puzzles B3 Cops & courts A3 Big Moses A7 Comics B4-B5 AG oiffce September visit A3 Hillbilly 100 A8 Bow season nears B6 Endangered monarch A4 Paden City Labor Day parade A10 WVDNR news B7 Sardis to celebrate A5 RECIPES: Foil packs B1 Event calendar B8 Offroaders ride for Shop With a Cop A5 Reminder: High water danger B3 Gauley season! B9
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