BURNETT COUNTY
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19, 2015 VOL. 53 NO. 50 www.burnettcountysentinel.com $1.00
GRID IRON GUESSING GAME: Weekly Football Contest begins. P16
Realtor sentenced BY STEVE BRIGGS SENTINEL
year for the right candidate to fill the position on a permanent basis, Moore said. Interviewed Monday morning in his new surroundings in the administrative office at Siren Schools, Dr. Shetler said, “This is my first day, so I plan to meet with the administrators and see what are their pressing concerns and what academic ideas they have, in relation to the district. “I’ll be finding out about the culture, reviewing what the school’s mission and vision are.” “I met with the finance director
ROCHESTER, Minn.—Debra Lynn Hitchcock-Gale, 54, of Webster, entered an Alford plea of guilty Wednesday, Aug. 5 in Olmsted County District Court in Rochester, Minn., to one charge of financially exploiting a disabled relative from Pine Island, Minn., formerly of Webster. The court found Hitchcock-Gale had defrauded the relative of more than $225,000 in cash and real estate. In an Alford plea, the defendant maintains her innocence but recognizes there may be sufHitchcock-Gale ficient evidence to convict her. According to the Rochester Post-Bulletin newspaper, the Minnesota judge ordered Hitchcock-Gale to attend mediation to determine how much of the $225,000 she will be required to repay. At her Aug. 5 sentencing, Hitchcock-Gale received a stay of adjudication, which means the judge didn’t accept her guilty plea. Instead, the judge put Hitchcock-Gale probation for 20 years. If she successfully completes probation, the offense will not be entered on the defendant’s criminal record, and the charges would be dismissed. Arrest records, however, would still indicate an arrest. The Minnesota judge fined Hitchcock-Gale $585 and prohibited her from contact with any vulnerable adults. She was further ordered not to hold a fiduciary position for any individual or have contact with the victim or his family. The Post Bulletin further reported that in June 2014, employees of Olmsted County Adult Protection were told the relative, who lives in Pine Island and has been diagnosed with “severe Alzheimer’s disease–dementia,” was in need of additional services. When the informant contacted Hitchcock-Gale, who had been appointed attorney-of-fact for the man, she said there was no money left to pay out. According to the complaint, Hitchcock-Gale was made the sole agent in July 2013, shortly after her co-agent, another family member, questioned the way she was spending the money. The family member said Hitchcock-Gale told him he was “putting his nose where it didn’t belong.” From September 2011 to July 23, 2014, when Hitchcock-Gale was arrested, records obtained by law enforcement indicate she made a large number of ATM cash withdrawals at St. Croix Casino in Danbury, and several casinos in Las Vegas. When interviewed, Hitchcock-Gale told law enforcement she used the casino ATMs to draw out money to give to the vulnerable adult. Casino employees, however, said Hitchcock-Gale is frequently seen at the casino and is well-known
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STEVE BRIGGS | SENTINEL
Skol! Klaus Nieder of Markville, originally from Germany, and his wife Ingrid, founded the Danbury Oktoberfest 15 years ago, celebrated on Saturday. They shows no sign of slowing down. More photos on Page 14.
Interim administrator hired in Siren BY STEVE BRIGGS SENTINEL
SIREN—Siren School District has hired Dr. Kevin Shetler as interim district administrator, Siren School Board President Peggy Moore announced Monday. Moore said the Siren board interviewed four candidates in early August to fill the vacancy created by the departure of Scott Johnson, who resigned in July to take a similar position at New Auburn. Dr. Shetler was offered a one-year contract. The Siren board enlisted the help of the Wisconsin Association of School Boards to conduct a search during the coming school
Dr. Kevin Shetler
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