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Forsvth Count ****************** 3-DIGIT 306 Vol. 94, No. 207 Phone scams targeting senior citizens By Colby Jones Staff Writer An 89-year-old Forsyth County man wired $15,000 to Canada earlier this month after a phone caller told him he won $1 million but needed to pay taxes before collecting the prize. Forsyth County Sheriff Ted Paxton said the man apparently fell victim to a cruel scam targeting sen iors. “Unfortunately, this is not an iso lated type of incident. This is a scam that has been perpetrated over and over again,” Paxton said. According to a sheriff’s report, Nitrous oxide tank found in Honda Accord; driver cited By Colby Jones Staff Writer Robert Cole Davis apparently wanted a jump on traffic. A routine traffic stop by a Forsyth County sheriff’s deputy uncovered a working nitrous oxide tank in the trunk of a 2000 Honda Accord driven by Davis, states a sheriff’s incident report. Nitrous oxide, the same chemi cal dentists use to anesthetize their patients, can give cars a boost by infusing the chemical into the car’s com justion chamber. During the combustion process in the engine, nitrous breaks down and releases oxygen, allowing more fuel to burn and making the car go faster. The deputy reported locating two nitrous oxide tanks in the trunk of Davis’ car after stopping him for running a red light at the intersec tion of Hwys. 306 and 309 in north Forsyth County shortly before 10 p.m. on Dec. 17. The tanks were connected to the engine with hoses, states the report. Nitrous oxide can legally be used in certain race cars but not on public roads, said Capt. D.T. Smith. The vehicle was impounded to give authorities a chance to remove the nitrous oxide system from the car. Davis was issued a citation and released from custody. A passenger in the car, August M. Meuth, 44. of Freeport, Texas, was taken into custody for posses sion of methamphetamine after the deputy found the drug wrapped in cellophane next to the passenger’s door. North Georgia tech fair is coming to Cumming By Nicole Green Staff Writer Sports enthusiasts anticipate a championship game. Musicians practice diligently for an upcoming concert. And young computer prodigies look forward North Georgia Regional Technology Fair ‘O4, Feb. 6-7 • Register online by Jan. 9 to be a participant, judge or sponsor at http://techfair.fors yth.kl2.ga.us. est really aren’t recognized, and this is a great way,” fair director Linda Spudic said. Public, private or home-schooled children in See TECH, Page 2A Missed paper policy: For a replacement paper, call 8 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, and 9 a.m. -1 p.m. on Sunday - (770) 887-3126. Copyright © 2003 Forsyth County News 91 994 cl (I J Your "Hometown Paper" Since 1908 the victim received a call from a man identifying himself as a Western Union security agent on Dec. 11. The caller told the man he won $250,000 but was required to pay $2,500 in taxes to the United States and Canada before he could claim the prize. The agent, presumably after receiving the initial wire transfer, requested additional payments and informed the man he won $1 million. The man wired $15,000 total in $2,500 increments between Dec. 15 and 17. He was required to pay a $129 processing fee for each transac tion. The $1 million check was sup posed to arrive Dec. 18, but the man ■ ■O : fl I o A IBflra fl ■ 111 ■ 111 ■ fIIML H nff II s MMIk wo Photo/Audra Perry Capt. Frank Huggins of the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Department demonstrates to the Forsyth County Newcomers Club a vest that every sheriff's deputy in Forsyth County wears. The group donated $395 to the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office for the pur chase of a new set of body armor. to the annual technology fair to show off their genius. The fourth annual North Georgia Regional Technology Fair will take place at Cumming Elementary School on Feb. 6-7. “Sports are a big thing in high schools and middle schools, but kids who really have the tech skills and inter- INDEX Abby 118 Church events 4B Classifieds 8B Events 4A Food 5B Horoscope ...... 118 Opinion 7A Sports IB FRIDAY December 26, 2003 A BULLETPROOF SOLUTION 'J-’'* * Thirteen educators get National Board Certification PagelA never found the prize in his mailbox. He filed a report with the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office on Monday. It will be difficult to tie the money to the caller because the sus pect used Western Union and received the transfer in Canada, Paxton said. “We’re going to have to rely on the feds to help us because it’s crossed international lines,” Paxton said. The sheriff reminded the public, and senior citizens in particular, to be wary of offers sounding too good to be true. It is impossible to win a con test if you have not entered it, he added. “The bottom line is, if people get phone calls like this, notify us imme diately,” Paxton said. The recent fraud is the type of crime the sheriff is hoping to prevent through creation of a group dubbed “Seniors and Lawmen Together” or S.A.L.T. A partnership between law enforcement and the Forsyth County chapter of the American Association of Retired Persons, the group plans to take proactive steps to educate and protect local seniors. Crimes against seniors often go unreported because victims feel ashamed about being taken advan- Enjoy a New Year’s Eve meal for two Pagesß False alarms an epidemic for Sheriff’s office; remedy eyed By Colby Jones Staff Writer In a scene played out dozens of times every day, Forsyth County sheriff’s deputies on Tuesday morning responded to a burglar alarm at a local business. When they arrived on the scene, deputies located two employees of the business but found no evidence of a break-in. The employees informed deputies that their boss gave them keys to open the business but neg lected to provide them with the security code to disarm the alarm system. It was another waste of law enforcement manpower and taxpayer resources in the eyes of Sheriff Ted Paxton. As of Monday, the Forsyth County E-911 Center had received 9,219 false alarm calls this year. The total response time for each alarm call is 14 minutes, meaning deputies spent 21,511 hours this year responding to false alarms alone. The sheriff said those numbers translate into two sheriff’s deputies working around-the-clock on nothing but alarm calls for the entire year. In 2002, statistics were not compiled on the number of false alarms. Deputies, however, responded to 10,332 total alarm calls. ’’Data shows over 99 percent of the alarm calls are false,” Paxton said. The sheriff praised action taken by the Forsyth County Board of Commissioners Monday to pur sue strengthening of the county’s false alarm ordi nance. The ordinance would not take effect until after public hearings and an official vote by the board. The proposed change increases penalties for business and property owners who cannot control their alarm systems. Under the proposed ordi nance, a warning would be issued for the first three false alarms during a calendar year and a SI,OOO fine imposed for a fourth violation. It would amount to a significant strengthening of the ordi- See FALSE, Page 2A New look at fairgrounds Two buildings and a covered bridge show the first complete touches of the Cumming Fairgrounds’ new Cherokee Heritage Indian Village that is being con structed on 2.2 acres at the fairgrounds off Castleberry Road. The village, similar . to the existing Heritage Village at the fair grounds, will be a tribute to the Cherokee Indians. The village will serve as an exhib it for the fair in the fall. The project, which should be complete in time for the annual fair next fall, has been in the works since the fairgrounds opened in 1995, said David Horton, fairgrounds administrator. The first phase of the project included placing the Buffington, or Blackburn Tavern on the land, said Horton. Future additions to the village may include primi tive Cherokee Indian homes and items to place in the exhibit, Horton said. Photos/Audra Perry — i4_ Sunny LAKE LANIER LEVELS Date Level Aug. 6 1063.36 ft Aug. 7 1063.31 ft W Aug. 8 1063.19 ft Aug. 9 1063.11 ft Full 1071.00 it High in the upper 50s . Low in the mid-30s ■** * SPORTS, 1B ims ready for holiday tournaments tage of in a scam. The group plans to inform seniors on how they can pro tect themselves, Paxton said. The group currently has 15 char ter members. Anyone interested in participating in S.A.L.T. should con tact Shelley Johnson, director of the Forsyth County Senior Center, at (770) 781-2178 or Deputy Woody Woodward at (770) 205-4547. The next S.A.L.T. meeting is scheduled for Jan. 14 at 10 a.m. at the Forsyth County Senior Center. Future S.A.L.T. meetings are planned for the second Wednesday of each month at the Senior Center. The public is invited to attend.