Wabash Township attempts to reclaim property from former trustee
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Board members believe former trustee Jennifer Teising still owns property owned by Wabash Township – three weeks after leaving office as a convicted robber.
“We’re still missing a few pieces of equipment,” new director Angel ValentÍn said at Tuesday’s board meeting in response to a question from board member David Tate.
“There is a missing phone,” ValentÍn said. “The one Mr. Ward used to have from the department. Also, his radio is missing, along with his pager.
“That’s over $7,000 worth of equipment from those three pieces – on the conservative side.”
The Journal & Courier left a voicemail for Teising at the last phone number he had saved for her. She did not answer.
Because some of the volunteer firefighters left after Teising laid off paid firefighters in June, there were additional radios, Fire Chief Ed Ward said.
So he and the three other paid firefighters had radios when they returned to work on Monday.
“Unfortunately, because my radio has law enforcement channels, we had to disable that radio. So we had to pay for that,” Ward said at Tuesday’s board meeting.
“It’s more of a thorn in the side,” Ward said. “We have the equipment; we still have the ability to do the job.
“It’s just one of those things that would have simplified the process.”
Office keys are still missing and the municipality has changed some of the locks, ValentÍn said.
In addition, the keys to a bank safe where the titles of the town’s vehicles are kept are missing. If the township has to replace them, it will cost $130 for each missing key, Valentín said.
Board member Brendan Betz asked if it was worth suing Teising for the equipment and the cost of what’s missing, to change the locks and for new security deposit keys.
Betz suggested his comment to pursue cost recovery is a conversation for another day.
Contact Ron Wilkins at [email protected] Follow on Twitter: @RonWilkins2.