truesee's Blog

Cops: 'Desperate' man suspected of robbery turns himself in

Tony Max Olea, Jr. (Port Orange Police / September 29, 2009)

Kevin P. Connolly

Sentinel Staff Writer

3:11 p.m. EDT, September 29, 2009

 

A "desperate" man suspected of robbing a bank in Volusia County today turned himself in 18 minutes later by calling 911 on himself, police said.

Tony Max Olea, Jr. called 911 at about 10:48 a.m., identified himself and told the operator he had just robbed a bank and he wanted to turn himself in, Port Orange police said.

Olea, 42, was on the phone with the operator when authorities arrived a short time later at the Chevron gas station at State Road 44 and Interstate 95 in New Smyrna Beach, police said.

A Port Orange detective and the Volusia County Sheriff's Department found money stolen from the Colonial Bank inside Olea's vehicle, a black 2006 Volkswagen Jetta, police said.

A teller who was brought to the gas station also "positively identified" Olea as the bank-robbery suspect, police said.

Olea, of 3009 Lime Tree Drive, Edgewater, was arrested on a robbery charge and taken to the Volusia County Branch Jail, where he is being held on a $20,000 bond, police said.

At about 10:30 a.m., a man entered the bank at 900 Village Trail in Port Orange and handed the bank teller a note that implied that he had a firearm.

"He demanded that the bank teller put all of the money in a bag, and he relayed to the bank teller that he was "desperate," a police statement said.

"The bank teller handed an undisclosed amount of money to the unidentified white male along with a dye pack. The unidentified white male was last observed driving from the area in a black in color vehicle,'' the statement said.

It's unclear if the dye pack went off.

UM researcher faces drug charges after death of girlfriend

Doctor who studied effects of narcotics died after using 'bupe'

Nick Madigan 

Baltimore Sun reporter

9:53 p.m. EDT, September 29, 2009

 

Clinton McCracken, a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Maryland medical school, is facing drug charges after his live-in girlfriend, also a researcher at the university, died of an apparent overdose. (Photo courtesy of Baltimore City police)

 

Clinton McCracken and Carrie John knew all about addictions and obsessive behavior.

Both worked as postdoctoral research fellows at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and earlier this year published their conclusions from a study of "compulsions and habit formation."

But their research might have taken too personal a turn.

John, 29, a Wake Forest University graduate with a doctorate in physiology and pharmacology, died Sunday after apparently injecting herself with what McCracken called a "bad" batch of buprenorphine, a narcotic known on the street as "bupe" and commonly used to treat heroin addiction.

McCracken, 32, was arrested after police searched the couple's unkempt rowhouse on Dover Street in Baltimore and found a large quantity of drugs, including pills, "huge gardens" of marijuana with an elaborate lighting system and "more than 20 bongs in all shapes, sizes and configurations strewn about the home," a police report said.

In an interview with detectives, McCracken -- a fellow Wake Forest graduate charged with six counts, including manufacturing drugs and possession with intent to distribute -- said that for the past two or three years he had used the New Mikee Online Pharmacy, a Web site based in the Philippines, to buy "various narcotics for recreational use." He mentioned not only buprenorphine but morphine, OxyContin and marijuana. The firm did not respond to an e-mail message from The Baltimore Sun seeking comment.

McCracken said he and his girlfriend had purchased 20 buprenorphine pills at $2 each and had dissolved a 2-milligram pill in water, placing half the solution in each of two syringes, the report said. John "began to have trouble breathing" immediately after injecting herself, McCracken told police.

He called paramedics and "never got to inject himself with his own 1 mg. dose due to the deceased's medical crisis," the police report said. "The defendant stated that he thought they could control the morphine and buprenorphine."

John was pronounced dead shortly before 7 p.m. Sunday in the University of Maryland Medical Center's emergency room, a few blocks from her home.

John and McCracken conducted scientific research in the labs of the university's department of anatomy and neurobiology and did not see patients, said Karen A. Buckelew, a spokeswoman for the medical school. John had worked there since 2006 and McCracken for the past three months.

"Dr. McCracken is still employed here, and no administrative action has been taken yet to affect his employment status," Buckelew said.

Police seized the drugs and paraphernalia from the couple's home, and McCracken was released Monday night on $100,000 bail pending a preliminary hearing Oct. 9.

"He probably didn't kill her," said Anthony Guglielmi, chief spokesman for the Baltimore police, noting that there were no signs of foul play. But he said he found it ironic that "two pharmacy Ph.Ds were ordering drugs from an online pharmacy" overseas.

Such long-distance purchases are an increasingly common way of obtaining drugs that in the United States are either illegal, considered too expensive or available only by prescription. McCracken and John arranged to have their imports hidden in stuffed toys or disguised alongside toys and trinkets, Guglielmi said.

"We will be conferring with federal authorities" such as the Drug Enforcement Administration as to the legal ramifications of having drugs sent from abroad, Guglielmi said. "I think they'll be interested in talking to Mr. McCracken."

Guglielmi, who worked previously at the pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Inc., said that online pharmacies present a grave risk to public safety.

"These potent drugs are regulated for a reason," he said, "and people shouldn't shortcut the medical process and self-?smedicate."

Introduced in 2003, buprenorphine -- prescribed as Suboxone for treatment of addiction -- is often misused, according to a series of articles in The Baltimore Sun in December 2007. Health officials said addicts were injecting or snorting the narcotic to mute cravings for heroin and opiate-based pain pills such as OxyContin.

Experts said bupe is safer than methadone -- the traditional heroin treatment, normally given out under close supervision -- and more likely to appeal to addicts because they can get bupe from their doctors. Some patients sell the pills on the street for up to $50 each, said Michael Gimbel, former director of Baltimore County's Bureau of Substance Abuse.

"Because [the pills] are expensive, many people have turned to the Internet to purchase bupe from other countries and getting them much cheaper," Gimbel said. "Obviously, quality is not guaranteed, and that may be what killed the doctor."

On the street, bupe pills are known as "subbies" or "stop signs," an allusion to their hexagon-like shape. Fatalities have been reported in India, Pakistan and other countries as a result of black-market bupe, which is usually mixed with some kind of tranquilizer and injected.

In the 600 block of Dover, a tree-lined cobblestone street near the Babe Ruth Birthplace and Museum, the sight of a police canine unit outside John and McCracken's rented two-story rowhouse Sunday night took some neighbors by surprise.

"There's never been any problem like this," said Kofi Kyei-Asare, a 13-year resident who owns four houses on the block. "This is always a very quiet street and extremely safe," he said, describing it as populated mainly by young professionals.

There was no sign of activity Tuesday evening at the house in which the couple lived, and no one answered the door. The couple's dog, a black Labrador mix, was taken to an animal shelter after McCracken's arrest.

"To me, they were just normal, regular people," said landlord Kevin Jarrell, who lives elsewhere. Jarrell rented the house to John a couple of years ago, he said, and McCracken moved in recently.

Asked if he had known what was going on inside the house, Jarrell said, "Of course not."

In their online biographies, McCracken and John emerge as accomplished scientists. McCracken's area of expertise is addiction and compulsive behaviors, according to the Neuroscience Academic Family Tree.

John's available record is more extensive. In 2004, while at Wake Forest, she wrote a paper on the effect of cocaine on serotonin levels in mice, and, that same year, another paper on the "acute and neurotoxic effects of psychostimulants."

Last year, at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, John led medical students in a neuroscience discussion titled "This is your brain on drugs."

Baltimore Sun reporter Jonathan Pitts contributed to this article.

 

RELATED STORY PHOTO OF CARRIE JOHN:

http://www.foxbaltimore.com/newsroom/top_stories/videos/wbff_vid_1609.shtml

Stuart woman arrested on marijuana possession charge at St. Lucie County courthouse

Tyler Treadway

TC Palm

September 22, 2009 at 5:32 p.m.

 

Chantel Johnson

 

FORT PIERCE — A word to the wise: If you’re planning to bring marijuana into the St. Lucie County Courthouse, don’t put it in the same satchel as a pocket knife, a razor, a pair of scissors and a padlock.

According to a St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office report, Chantel Marissa Johnson, 21, of the 800 block of southeast 16th Street in Stuart, was arrested on a misdemeanor charge of possession of less than 20 grams of marijuana about 8:45 a.m. Tuesday when a small bag containing the drug was found in her purse at the entrance of the courthouse.

W.R. “Randy” Stringham, one of a team of private security officers who check people entering the courthouse, said he saw the razor, knife, scissors and padlock as Johnson’s purse went through a scanning device, so he decided to check the rest of its contents.

“I dumped out the purse, and it fell out,” Stringham said, referring to a small plastic bag with what he called in his report “green leafy material.”

Stringham said he knew it was marijuana because of his experience as a former Florida Highway Patrol trooper and New York correctional officer; a field test later confirmed he was correct, according to the Sheriff’s Office report.

Johnson remained “cool and calm” when he found the marijuana, Stringham said, telling a woman with her, “I forgot that was there.”

Two sheriff’s deputies in the courthouse arrested Johnson, who was released from the St. Lucie County Jail after posting $500 bond.

Burglar must repay victim for time in court

Bob Egelko

Chronicle Staff Writer

 

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

(09-28) 16:36 PDT SAN FRANCISCO -- In a broad interpretation of a law requiring criminals to make restitution to their victims, a state appeals court has ordered a Northern California burglar to repay a homeowner for the wages he gave up by attending every court hearing in the case.

The court, observing that burglary can make people feel they are unsafe in their own homes, said Jason Lee Moore owes something to the victim who attempted to heal his psyche by attending all 50 hours of court proceedings.

To be exact, Moore owes the man $6,250.

Moore was sentenced to 10 years, eight months in prison for breaking into a doctor's home in Redding and stealing items in February 2008. The doctor wasn't a witness to the burglary and attended Moore's pretrial hearings and two-day trial on his own.

The Third District Court of Appeal in Sacramento said the doctor's lost pay, calculated at $125 an hour, was covered by a state law that requires criminals to compensate their victims for all economic losses caused by the crime.

"A victim's attendance at trial cannot be characterized as a paid vacation," Presiding Justice Arthur Scotland said in the 3-0 ruling, issued Wednesday. In this case, he said, "the victim felt that his children's sense of sanctuary and safety were stolen" and that going to court would help him heal.

Scotland noted a ruling last year that upheld restitution to a murder victim's parents for the time they lost at work while attending the trial of their son's killer. That principle isn't limited to murder cases, he said, but applies to crimes in which the victims are psychologically harmed.

Moore's lawyer, Richard Fitzer, said Monday that he would appeal.

It's reasonable to order compensation to crime victims for the cost of attending a trial, Fitzer said, but the court should exclude the cost of attending routine hearings.

"I can see why a victim of a burglary would want to come to the actual trial and sentencing, but why would you want to come to pretrial motions?" Fitzer said. "There's nothing to limit the amount of money they seek to get."

Moore is broke, he said, and will have a hard time paying restitution after his release.

The state has a compensation fund, supported by criminals' fines, that partially reimburses victims of violent crimes for their financial losses.

Deputy Attorney General Paul O'Connor said the ruling was a helpful precedent. Even though no one was physically injured in the burglary, he said, "it shows there were victims."

 

 

LINK TO RULING:

http://www.courtinfo.ca.gov/opinions/documents/C060618.PDF

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/picturegalleries/6242644/The-worlds-oldest-cities.html

Parents Lie to Children Surprisingly Often

Jeanna Bryner

Life Science

Senior Writer

29 September 2009 08:09 am ET

Parents might say "honesty is the best policy," but when it comes to interacting with their own kids, mom and dad stretch the truth with the best of them, finds a new study.

From claiming the existence of magical creatures to odd consequences of kids' actions, parents often come up with creative tales to shape a child's behaviors and emotions.

"We are surprised by how often parenting by lying takes place," said study researcher Kang Lee of the University of Toronto, Canada. "Our findings showed that even the parents who most strongly promoted the importance of honesty with their children engaged in parenting by lying."

Lee and colleagues acknowledge that their work is preliminary, bringing to the forefront an issue that is rarely studied. They are not sure the implications of parental lying, but suggest such tall tales could give kids mixed messages at a time when they are trying to figure out how to navigate the social world.

Lies could also harm parent-child bonds, said study researcher Gail Heyman of the University of California, San Diego.

It could even keep children from learning certain rules. "If I am always lying to the child in order to get the child to do X, Y, or Z, then they have never learned why they should do X, Y, or Z," said Victoria Talwar of McGill University in Montreal, who was not involved in the current study. "If it's constantly being used, [lying] may be preventing learning opportunities for the child."

The scientists also acknowledge that it's sometimes okay to be less than truthful with a child, say, telling a fib about how beautiful a scribbled drawing looks. But Heyman urges parents to think through the issues and consider alternatives before resorting to the expedient prevarication.

The research is published in the September issue of the Journal of Moral Education and was supported by a grant from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.

Creating Buttons and Badges in Adobe Photoshop is easy. There are different kinds of tutorials related in making buttons and badges on the web that can help enhance your photoshop skills. We collected some of the best sources so you can bookmark them.

 

http://naldzgraphics.net/tutorials/40-best-photoshop-tutorials-for-creating-buttons-and-badges/

http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/weird/Freaks-of-Nature-52528842.html

South African man marries 4 women at same ceremony

A South African man married four women at the same time on Saturday.

 

Published: 7:30AM BST 28 Sep 2009

South African law recognises traditional polygamous marriages Photo: AP

Milton Mbhele showed up for his wedding in Weenen, near Ladysmith, in a white limousine - with four brides.

The women in white gowns each received rings and a kiss from the groom at a ceremony attended by hundreds of people. On Sunday, the families gathered for a second traditional Zulu wedding and planned to exchange gifts on Monday.

South African law recognises traditional polygamous marriages - even President Jacob Zuma has three wives. Yet while polygamy remains common among several tribes including the Zulus and Swazis, simultaneous weddings are rare.

Mr Mbhele, 44, a municipal manager in Indaka, said the joint celebration saved money by combining the festivities.

He has already been married to Thobile Vilakazi for 12 years and has 11 children, but did not specify who their mothers are.

"I want her to be happy," he said of Ms Vilakazi, who was given a golden wristwatch at Saturday's ceremony. "I think getting married to her for the second time would make her happy since I will be taking in three other wives so this will relieve her in some way."

His "middle wives" - as he described them - are Zanele Langa and Happiness Mdlolo, both 24.

The youngest wife, 23-year-old Smangele Cele, said she was looking forward to marrying Mr Mbhele, even though it means she'll have to share him. She said the wives planned to live separately, with their husband rotating between them.

"It is because of the way in which he shows his love for me. He loves me in all ways," she said, adding: "We will not be living in the same house and we take each other as friends."

Wrong Roof Accidentally Removed from Florida Home

WEST PALM BEACH, FL -- David Fischer's vacation was cut short this summer with a phone call from a roofing company, "that 'oops, we accidentally ripped off your roof,'" he says.

Fischer came back to his home in Breakers West to find, sure enough, his roof was gone.

The company, Bossler Roofing, Inc. says it was simply a mistake.

Instead of doing work on Fischer's two story home, the company was supposed to replace the roof on his neighbor's one story home two doors down.

It's a mistake Fischer doesn't understand.

Fischer asks, "Its a big difference in size, so how you mixing these two houses?"

The 76-year old admits he did get an estimate from Bossler Roofing but never signed a contract.

The company's attorney, Joseph Rodowicz says it's unclear how this mistake happened.

He tells NewsChannel 5, "You know, quite frankly, I don't know. I don't know what took place on that day...but in the end we simply acknowledge that there was a mistake."

It is not only the mix-up that burns Fischer up, it's that two months later his roof still has no tiles.

Now, his insurance company is threatening to cancel his policy Monday if the roof isn't replaced and he claims Bossler refuses to do the work.

Fischer says, "My feeling is they just playing games they trying to take advantage because I'm an old person."

Rodowicz explains that Bossler is happy to give Fischer a new roof at a discount.

All he'll have to pay is his insurance deductible.

"So, he's coming out ahead even with what stands on the table," Rodowicz says.

But Fischer says Bossler is at fault for this eyesore and he is standing his ground.

"Finish it! Put the tile on and finish it," he demands.

Bossler has an "A" rating with the Better Business Bureau.

Rodowicz calls this an isolated incident, saying Bossler is still a trustworthy company.

Fischer is considering filing a lawsuit.

 

LINK TO VIDEO:

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/florida/news-article.aspx?storyid=145581&provider=rss

Police Cite Dog Walkers Along Kapiolani Park

Authorities Say Recent Complaints Sparked Crackdown

POSTED: 9:04 pm HST September 25, 2009
UPDATED: 9:07 pm HST September 25, 2009

KITV ABC 4

HONOLULU -- Police cited people walking their dogs on leashes Friday on a sidewalk beside Waikiki Beach with a criminal offense that carries a penalty of up to 30 days in jail or a $500 fine or both. 

Dan Falardeau walks his dog, Joey, seven days a week. On Friday, two police officers stopped Falardeau.

"The officers told me that I was being ticketed for having my dog in a city park, and I tried to explain to them that I am on the sidewalk because I walk through here every single day, and couldn't I get a warning and they said, 'This was on the order of the mayor's office,'" Falardeau said.

Mayor Mufi Hannemann's office said there was no directive from it to ticket dog owners.

Waikiki police said they are ticketing because of many complaints about dogs in Kapiolani Park. They said they warned some dog owners on Thursday.

The pathway where Falardeau was walking his dog is actually part of Kapiolani Park and different from a regular sidewalk. There are signs warning no animals allowed. Police ticketed three other women walking their dogs on leashes on the same sidewalk along the park Friday.

The citation is for a criminal offense, a petty misdemeanor prohibiting animals in parks. It requires a court appearance.

"I keep him on a leash. I pick up his poop. He's got a license and I don't quite understand this and now he's a criminal," Falardeau said.

Regular beachgoer Patrice Scott said she was surprised by the crackdown on leashed dogs.

I just think it is crazy. How could you get a ticket for walking your dog? I don't understand," she said. "Seems like there are a lot of better things to be writing people up for like speeding."

Other dog walkers KITV spoke with called the ticketing "ridiculous." 

Bull runs free in Paterson

Monday, September 28, 2009
Monday September 28, 2009, 1:44 PM 

MARLENE NAANES

The Record

STAFF WRITER

Bank robber caught out by personalised BMW number plate

Bank robber James Snell has been caught by police because of the personalised number plate on his BMW car that he used to stake out his target in Cardiff.

Telegraph UK 

7:55AM BST 28 Sep 2009

Snell drove his car with the registration "J4MES" to set up the £100,000 raid on a Halifax branch.

His gang of four robbers was caught when a witness remembered admiring the distinctive plate on the blue BMW - and gave details to police.

Snell, 26, and his brother Wayne, 34, were traced to their hideaway and found red-handed with more than £30,000 of the cash in bank-notes.

The number plate blunder was revealed when Wayne was jailed for eight years for robbery. James will be sentenced later.

The gang decided to use heavy metal drain covers to smash their way into a Halifax branch in Roath, Cardiff.

They set off in James Snell's BMW to plan the bank heist - including watching the branch and planning their getaway.

But Cardiff Crown Court heard they were spotted by a passer-by who remembered the J4MES number plate because it stood out.

"A witness saw a passenger lean out, lift a drain cover from the road and the car drove off," Prosecutor Tim Evans said.

"Lee Norville, who works for the council's highways department, later identified one of the two covers used to smash the windows at a branch of Halifax as coming from that drain. It is clear their arrogance contributed to their undoing."

Cash was being delivered to the Halifax branch by the security guards just before midnight when the gang struck.

Two Group 4 Securicor workers were refilling the bank's cash machine ready for business the next morning when they were confronted by men dressed in dark clothing and balaclavas.

Two used the drain covers to smash through the glass while a third armed with a bat shouted threats.

The gang took a total of £104,910 - all in £10 and £20 notes. The empty cash boxes were later found dumped in woods.

The car, with its distinctive number plate, was spotted outside a rented home in Whitchurch, Cardiff.

Fellow gang member Carl Campion, 44, of Birmingham, denied robbery but was found guilty and was jailed for 12 years.

The Snell brothers admitted robbery along with accomplice Adam Abbot, 38, of Hyde, Manchester. Abbot and James Snell will be sentenced at a later date.

Judge Gareth Jones said it was a "professional, sophisticated, pre-planned robbery on commercial premises" - and that £70,000 is still missing.

After the case, Detective Inspector Paul Andrews, of South Wales Police, said: "I would like to thank people who contacted us with information including the details of the car number plate."

AK-47 giveaway aims to win votes for Dean Allen

Food, ammo and rifle kick off candidate's campaign for adjutant general

E. Richard Walton

Greenville News 

STAFF WRITER 

September 27, 2009

 

 

Dean Allen talks with supporters during a barbecue and gun giveaway that kicked off his campaign for adjutant general on Saturday. (CINDY HOSEA/Staff)

 

 

They crowded into a shooting range on Poinsett Highway on a day when heavy rains might have kept them home, itching for a shot at winning an AK-47 rifle or at least shoot something that spit out a lot of lead.

Approximately 500 people showed up Saturday, some paying $25 for barbecue and ammo to take target practice with the weapon of their choice. The sweepstakes for the assault rifle, the type used against U.S. troops in Vietnam, was included at no charge.

The event marked the kickoff of Dean Allen’s candidacy for state adjutant general. Allen, 58, of Greenville, said the “machine gun social” was his way of celebrating the second amendment and showing solidarity against gun-rights opponents.

And he’s hoping it might win him a few votes.

“In politics, you have to stand out,” he said. “If you stand out in something, you’re going to get a little more attention.”

Many came up to Allen to express their support. Allen, dressed in a blue blazer, gray slacks and red, white and blue tie, said he is an Army veteran who served two tours in Vietnam.

Lisa Flaugher of Pickens said she came to the event at the Allen Arms Indoor Shooting Range to support Allen and try to win the AK-47.

“I want the gun for target practice,” she said.

The shooting range is owned by Frank Allen, who is not related to the candidate.

South Carolina is the only state that elects its adjutant general, who administers the Army and Air National Guard, the State Guard and the Emergency Management Division. Incumbent Adjutant General Stan Spears, a Republican, hasn’t said whether he will seek another term.

Allen said he served six years in the State Guard, but resigned in April in case Spears does run. Allen didn’t like the idea of running against his top commander, he said.

Allen said he wants the job so he can gather more support for the State Guard. He said he would try to get an updated radio system and other equipment so that the State Guard can work with greater efficiency.

The winner of the AK-47 will receive a gift certificate, Allen said. To take possession of the rifle, he or she will have to pass an FBI background check, show identification and fill out federal paperwork.

Allen, 58, said his consulting agency, Dark Horse Strategy Group of Spartanburg, came up with the idea for the AK-47 giveaway. Dark Horse spokeswoman Nicole Cobb said her company likes to be original and work with candidates “who are true conservatives.”

“I like to tell people I’m not the country club conservative, Allen said. “I’m the machine gun one.”

Wilmore couple find marriage paperwork not filed

 

KATHY MELLOTT
The Tribune-Democrat

September 26, 2009 11:39 pm

WILMORE — In a few weeks, Frank and Betty Skrout should be celebrating their 49th wedding anniversary.

Instead, they are in search of documentation to prove they ever tied the knot on a warm autumn day when Dwight Eisenhower was president and the Pirates were closing in on a dramatic World Series win over the New York Yankees.

“All these years we’ve been living in sin,” the good-natured Frank Skrout said jokingly in an interview on the front porch of the their longtime Wilmore

home.

“I thought I was married, and I was a single guy all this time,” he said.

The couple declared their love for one another in front of God and the late Rev. James Feehley at St. Bartholomew Catholic Church in Wilmore on Oct. 6, 1960. In attendance at that ceremony were Betty’s 5-year-old daughter and two witnesses.

Frank and Betty settled into a contented life, with Frank working for Bethlehem Steel and Betty at sewing factories in Johnstown, Windber and Portage.

All was well.

A son, Scott, came along, and the couple helped raise a grandson.

Now – well into retirement with five grandchildren and five great-grandchildren – the Skrouts have learned that the ceremony they based their life on was never registered at the Cambria County Courthouse as required by Pennsylvania law.

“I guess we’re not married, I don’t know,” said Betty Skrout.

“We went through everything. We did the whole thing.”

Frank interjected: “I might as well play the field. What the heck.”

‘We were married’

The problem surfaced recently when Betty learned of pension benefits she was eligible to receive from her days in the needle industry through the International Ladies Garment Workers Union.

But she needed documents to reflect her status change and her married name.

Surprise.

The certified license for the Skrouts does not exist at the office of the Cambria County Register of Wills/Clerk of Orphans Court.

What the Skrouts learned was that the “return of marriage” document completed by the priest performing the wedding ceremony was never returned to the courthouse as required by law.

Word of the couple’s situation spread quickly through the community and the joking followed.

“We’ve had a lot of fun with this,” Betty said. “But it’s like the priest told us: We were married. The records are there – somewhere.”

The Skrouts wonder how many other couples married at St. Bartholomew’s during that era may be in the same boat.

Meanwhile, they have discussed going through the process again with a small private ceremony at the church.

‘A big problem’

Patty Sharbaugh, the elected Cambria County official in charge of the records, said that while similar problems have arisen in her 33 years in the office, this is the first one she has heard of from the Wilmore church.

“Boy, that’s bad. That does cause a big problem,” Sharbaugh said.

She requires the return of marriage certificate be back to her office within 10 days of the ceremony. But if the Skrouts can locate the information from the church, she will record it, back-dating the marriage to Oct. 6, 1960.

“If the priest is still around or if they can locate those church records, we’ll complete them,” she said.

Sharbaugh said she will do the same for any other couples married at the Wilmore church and in the same situation.

But as for now, Frank and Betty as the Skrouts do not exist as a married couple in the public record.

“Not according to us, not according to our records,” Sharbaugh said. “They’re not married.”

‘Property of the parish’

During the past several years, Sharbaugh has instituted a procedure reminding people to get the certificates returned.

“Now if we don’t get a return, we call the people and write them letters. We bug them,” she said.

“If they called off the marriage, then we attach a letter to show we tried.”

The procedure is too late to help the Skrouts, but Tony DeGol, secretary for communications of the Altoona-Johnstown Catholic Diocese, said the marriage certificate should be available.

“Those records are the property of the parish and they can be found,” he said late last week.

Meanwhile, the Skrouts continue to be good natured about their strange situation.

“I guess I still don’t have my freedom,” Frank Skrout said.