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Stealing Ciggys?
Fire chief charged with attempted theft of cigarettes 
GOODLAND, Kan. (AP) - The fire chief of this northwest Kansas
town was charged with attempting to steal cigarettes from the
wreckage of a tractor-trailer, and a volunteer firefighter is
charged with stealing enough of the cigarettes to trigger a felony
charge.
Fire Chief Scott Gilmer is charged with misdemeanor attempted
theft, while volunteer firefighter Neal Normandin, 38, is charged
with felony theft.
Gilmer, 46, is accused of stuffing several cartons of cigarettes
into his uniform. He is charged with the lesser offense, Sherman
County Attorney Bonnie Selby said Wednesday, because she believes
he might have taken the cartons back out voluntarily.
"That's why I charged him with attempted theft, because he knew
he'd done something wrong and did what he could to rectify it,"
she said.
Gilmer's attorney, Kevin Berens of St. Francis, entered a not
guilty plea on Tuesday. Normandin's first court date is next
Tuesday, according to a District Court document.
The tractor-trailer was carrying about $1.5 million worth of
cigarettes, Selby said, when it crashed July 19 on Interstate 70,
about 9 miles west of Goodland.
The trailer broke open, and boxes of cigarette cartons spilled
into the ditch.
Selby said she had no problems with the way fire crews handled
the wreck and took care of driver Robert Proffitt, of Laurel Fork,
Va., who was able to free himself before emergency workers arrived.
"They went about checking for gas leaks, and got him loaded
into the ambulance," Selby said. "They did their jobs
professionally."
But after that, the theft charges allege, Normandin loaded two
boxes of Camel cigarette cartons into a Fire Department truck and
also put some cartons into his firefighter's suit. Selby said he
took the boxes out of the truck when witnesses confronted him.
Gilmer and Normandin both smoke Camel cigarettes, Selby said,
noting that the semi was hauling a number of brands.
City Manager Wayne Hill said Gilman is still Goodland's fire
chief and Normandin is still listed as a volunteer firefighter.
Selby said she believed Gilman had been suspended with pay and
that Normandin was no longer taking part in fire calls.
"I think it was just poor decision-making on the part of some
members of agencies that don't usually subject themselves to this
kind of behavior," she said.
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Information from: The Salina Journal, http://www.saljournal.com
GOODLAND, Kan. (AP) - The fire chief of this northwest Kansas
town was charged with attempting to steal cigarettes from the
wreckage of a tractor-trailer, and a volunteer firefighter is
charged with stealing enough of the cigarettes to trigger a felony
charge.
Fire Chief Scott Gilmer is charged with misdemeanor attempted
theft, while volunteer firefighter Neal Normandin, 38, is charged
with felony theft.
Gilmer, 46, is accused of stuffing several cartons of cigarettes
into his uniform. He is charged with the lesser offense, Sherman
County Attorney Bonnie Selby said Wednesday, because she believes
he might have taken the cartons back out voluntarily.
"That's why I charged him with attempted theft, because he knew
he'd done something wrong and did what he could to rectify it,"
she said.
Gilmer's attorney, Kevin Berens of St. Francis, entered a not
guilty plea on Tuesday. Normandin's first court date is next
Tuesday, according to a District Court document.
The tractor-trailer was carrying about $1.5 million worth of
cigarettes, Selby said, when it crashed July 19 on Interstate 70,
about 9 miles west of Goodland.
The trailer broke open, and boxes of cigarette cartons spilled
into the ditch.
Selby said she had no problems with the way fire crews handled
the wreck and took care of driver Robert Proffitt, of Laurel Fork,
Va., who was able to free himself before emergency workers arrived.
"They went about checking for gas leaks, and got him loaded
into the ambulance," Selby said. "They did their jobs
professionally."
But after that, the theft charges allege, Normandin loaded two
boxes of Camel cigarette cartons into a Fire Department truck and
also put some cartons into his firefighter's suit. Selby said he
took the boxes out of the truck when witnesses confronted him.
Gilmer and Normandin both smoke Camel cigarettes, Selby said,
noting that the semi was hauling a number of brands.
City Manager Wayne Hill said Gilman is still Goodland's fire
chief and Normandin is still listed as a volunteer firefighter.
Selby said she believed Gilman had been suspended with pay and
that Normandin was no longer taking part in fire calls.
"I think it was just poor decision-making on the part of some
members of agencies that don't usually subject themselves to this
kind of behavior," she said.
---
Information from: The Salina Journal, http://www.saljournal.com
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