Page 2 Tupper Lake Free Press Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Your homeowners insurance doesn’t cover flooding.

Call us today for a no obligation flood quote.

April ShowersMay bring May Flowers

42 Park St., Tupper Lake (518) 359-3333 85 Main St., Saranac Lake (518) 891-2000

but they can also bring FLOODS!!

1213 US Highway, Gouverneur, NY 13642

www.teamblevins.com 315-287-1300

Check outour

“Bracket Challenge” atwww.teamblevins.com

2014 Ram 1500 Quad Cab4x4, Tradesman,

Stock #2765, Flame Red,

Popular Equipment Group,Exterior Appearance Group,

Rear Back-Up Camera

MSRP...........................................$35,945Incentives/Discounts...................$6,500

2015 Dodge Grand Caravan Se

Stock #2914, Bright White

MSRP...........................................$22,190Incentives/Discounts...................$1,500

TEAM BLEVINS PRICE

*Must qualify for financingand finance with

Chrysler Capital toreceive full incentives.

Up to $4,500 Incentives on 200’s!!!

$20,690

2015 Chrysler Town and Country TouringStock #2900, Moca Java Pearl

MSRP...........................................$32,885Incentives/Discounts...................$4,500

TEAM BLEVINS PRICE

*Must qualify for financingand finance with

Chrysler Capital toreceive full incentives.

$28,385*Plus tax and fees.

*Plus tax and fees.

Leather, Power Sliding Doors,Power liftgate, DVD player

Must qualify for Minivan Owner LoyaltyRetail Bonus Cash to receive full incentive

listed

*Must qualify for financingand finance with

Chrysler Capital toreceive full incentives.

*Plus tax and fees.

TEAM BLEVINS PRICE

$29,445

2015 Dodge Dart AeroStock #3027, Passion Red,

Sport Cloth Seats, Automatic

MSRP...........................................$22,240Incentives/Discounts...................$1,500 *Must qualify for financing

and finance withChrysler Capital to

receive full incentives.

*Plus tax and fees.

TEAM BLEVINS PRICE

$20,740

Hello Dolly to hit the Tupper Lake stageAlso adding to the performance is veteran choreographer Fred Walton, who has had a dance career that included movies, television and commercial work. He toured in the US and to Canada and Mexico with Disney on Parade and its national touring company. His movie credits include The Goodbye Girl and Thank God It’s Friday.

Now, cast and crew are ready for opening night.

“We’re all very excited and ready to go!” Liz said.

The talented cast includes Annachristi Cordes as Dolly Levi, Ben Geiger as Horace Vandergelder, Dorran Boucher as Cornelius Hackl, Theresa Bower as Irene Molloy, Noah Cordes as Barnaby Tucker, Gabby Wells and Ally Bartlett as Minnie Fay, Dakota Larabie as Ambrose Kemper, Kendall Davison and Caitlyn Fortune as

Continued from page 1 Ermengarde, Alex Gagnier as Rudolph Reisenweber, Monica Dederick and Klarissa Hoyt as Ernestina, and Mitch Baker, Gabe

Burns, Delanie Clark, Kirsten Denis, Madi Fortier, Stephanie Fortune, Martina Jensen, Bella LaScala, Sophia Martin,

Casey O’Connor, Thomas Sexton, Andrew Trudeau, and Matthew Varden in various smaller roles. The stage manager is

Liam Price, assisted by Aaron Clark, Bryce Davison, Tashina Fox,

Jami Hubbard, Charlotte Price, Jasmine Vallien and Miranda Vaillancourt.

Annachristi Cordes as Dolly Levi. (Rich Rosentreter photo)

by Mary PeryeaIn a March 16

press release, the Office of the New York State Comptroller announced the arrest of former Tupper Lake Volunteer Fire Department Treasurer Timothy J. Brown.

Mr. Brown was arrested on grand larceny charges on Monday for allegedly stealing as much as $20,000 from the fire department.

“From plane fare to pizza, Mr. Brown used fire department money for his own benefit, even shamelessly pocketing fundraising money,” Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli said in the press release. “He financed trips to North Carolina

Timothy Brown arrested for theft of fire department funds

and Massachusetts, including the Boston Duck Tour, using volunteer department money. I thank the Tupper Lake Police Chief Eric Proulx, Acting Franklin County District Attorney Glenn MacNeill and Assistant District Attorney David J. Hayes for their diligent work in helping us hold Mr. Brown accountable.”

“I cannot begin to say how many times I took cash from the fire department,” Mr. Brown said in a statement given to the Comptroller’s auditors and Chief Proulx.

Mr. Brown is a 30-year member of the fire department and has been treasurer for the last eight

years. He admitted to taking cash and to using the department’s credit card from 2010 to 2013 to pay for personal expenses, including hotel rooms, family trips to North Carolina, and a birthday celebration in Boston. He admittedly pocketed more than $3,500 in 2013 from the fire department’s chicken barbecue and golf tournament fundraisers.

Assistant District Attorney David Hayes said, “My office will prosecute this case and any others like it to the full extent of the law. It’s essential for residents of this county to be able to trust their fire department leaders. I thank Comptroller DiNapoli and his staff for their thorough detection of these missing funds.”

Police Chief Eric Proulx said, “Mr. Brown violated his public duty at a high cost to our village. His arrest serves as a warning to others who may consider similar crimes. I thank State Comptroller DiNapoli for partnering with us in this case.”

Mr. Brown, 53, of Tupper Lake, has been

charged with grand larceny in the third degree, a Class D felony, and sent to the Franklin County jail in lieu of $5,000 bail. He is due back in Tupper Lake village court on April 13.

At Monday’s village board meeting, Chief Proulx said that all the money taken by Brown came from the fire department membership’s personal account and no village monies were involved.

Fire Chief Carl Steffen told the board that 12 recommendations were made by the comptroller’s office as a result of the audit, and all have been completed.

Councilman Rick Donah commended Chief Steffen for reporting the alleged theft and for putting protections in place for the department’s funds. “Hopefully this situation won’t happen again,” he said.

In addition to volunteering with the fire department, Mr. Brown has volunteered with ARISE, operating the groomer at Big Tupper for several years.

Highway Superintendent Bill Dechene had a full report for the town leaders at this month’s town board meeting.

The following are some of the projects tackled by members of the highway crew in addition to the routine plowing and sanding of town roads and village streets:

-replaced the wire whip on the Arctic Cat snowmobile for the cross country trail groomer.

-transported the trail program’s Skandid snowmobile to Roberts Sports Center in Malone to have the voltage regulator replaced. The tow hitch was also repaired on that machine by the crew.

-delivered two cords of firewood to the municipal park for the Fire and Ice Golf Tournament. Two more face cords were delivered to the golf course for the chamber’s Brew-ski.

-thawed the temporary water line to the Tupper Lake Food Pantry.

-received assistance from the village electric department and its bucket truck to enable Town Employee Ryan Shaheen to chip ice off the roof of the Aaron Maddox Center. Mr. Shaheen has also been grooming the snowmobile trails from Mt. Arab to the Mt. Matumbla loop trail daily in recent weeks, as well as the trail to the Piercefield dump.

-helped the village Department of Public Works pick up snow on Park, Lake and Main streets and Wawbeek Ave. with one town loader and one dump truck.

-also helped the village DPW pick up snow six times in February using one of the town’s tandem trucks.

-pushed back snow banks on town roads with a loader and grader.

-plowed the parking lots of the town hall, Aaron Maddox Hall, country club and Tupper Lake Rod and Gun Club and rinsed trucks off daily

Highway chief reports full month of activities

after use.Mr. Dechene also

attended “Advocacy Day”- a day of lobbying by town officials for the continuation of Consolidated Highway Improvement Program funds.