OCR Text |
Show X Utah Press Association 167 fit 300 So, SIC, UT 8V111 Volume Eighty-Seven SPRINGYILLE. ITAH KIM3 - Mav IS. 1W2 Price :?' NumlxT Nineteen to By Rodd G. Wagner Employees at Valtek, Inc. of Springville received bonus checks totaling $165,030 last Thursday, after the company exceeded its production goal for the last quarter of the company's com-pany's fiscal year, which ended April 30. The checks were distributed to the Springville plant's 282 employees at a brief, ceremony conducted by Larry Haines, executive vice president. Mr. Haines praised and congratulated the employees for their teamwork and high productivity. The amounts of the bonus checks were based on the wages of each employee em-ployee earned either during the fiscal year or the last quarter of the year (whichever yielded the higher bonus), said Herbert E. McLean, corporate communications director. The average check was made out for $585. Company officers were not included in the program, he said. According to Mr. McLean, the company concluded its most productive month, quarter and year on April 30. The plant exceeded its goal of $7.5 By Rodd G. Wagner The atmosphere of trust, and a certain elemenrof naivete, which are common to Utah cities .such , a.s ' vpnngvlTleina'ke ther'neasy targets for swindlers who leave with hundreds, thousands or tens of thousands of dollars, according to local white collar crime authorities. "Living in a town like this is a dist inct advantage for the criminal," said Leland Bowers, Springville chief of police. He said many local residents are loo willing to put their trust in transient con men, often resulting in the loss of their life savings. "The word is out that Utah is an easy mark," said Betty Engemann, executive director of the Utah Valley Better Business Bureau. But she stressed that white collar crime is not a new problem in Utah County, rather it is an old one which is increasing and gaining more attention. The types of schemes used in Springville alone to separate people from their savings are as numerous and varied as the number of ways to earn money legally. Roof and Driveway contracting, mail fraud, tree removal, I Cm M9R i sofly pip w V J" Officer Dave Caron asks questions of a man stopped for driving without a valid license. On a night stop, a second possibly driving under the influence of alcohol while officer generally drives past or stops to make sure Officer Dave Davis writes a citation against the man for everything goes smoothly. million in orders shipped, reaching $8.6 million. $3.6 million of that production was done during the month of April, he said Mr. Haines cited team spirit as the primary reason for the high levels. Plant automation and a strengthened sales staff were also mentioned as reasons for the improvement in a company press release. The bonus checks were part of the company's incentive program, said McLean, adding that the employees were to receive $100,000 had they reached the initial goal, but the bonuses were raised when the goal was passed. "We realize that we have a long way to go," said Mr. Haines, "but a simple comparison gives us optimism: It took us nearly three years to reach our first million dollars in orders shipped. Today we're shipping that much approximately ap-proximately every two weeks from Springville alone." The production figures do not include company operations at other Valtek sites, Mr. McLean said. The company recently began its 17th year of operation. home selling, diamond fraud, door-to-door selling and investments are several of the games used here by swindlers, said Det. Norm Cole, who 'handles large-scale white-collar cases for Ihe Springville police. The problem is compounded by the criminals' high degree of skill. Mr. Cole said the con men working in this area are well-practiced and have powerful talents for convincing strangers they are trustworthy. "Some of them could sell a refrigerator to an Eskimo," he said. One Springville man was approached by a man who claimed to be a bank examiner. The "examiner" asked the man to withdraw $5,000 of his savings from a local bank so he (the "examiner") could check whether one of the tellers was stealing money from the customers. The Springville man consented, handed the money to the con man and never saw either again. Such criminals have convinced local residents to take out second mortgages on their homes for false or shady in a- i f J i-wmrf! : r. 1 irirtmir,lfM. tSi T rV fx i'S Larry Haines, executive vice president of Valtek Inc., congratulates one of the Springville plant's 282 employees. em-ployees. Bonuses totalling $165,030 were distributed to the vestments, bought $20,000 motor homes with bad checks and traded inferior contracting work for inflated"- prices. : .' .. Many times a white collar criminal will gain a subject's confidence through the mention of someone's name, who is prominent in the community or local church. Often the reference is subtle, said Mrs. Engemann, such as a picture of an LDS temple hung in an office or the mention of an LDS mission in passing. Mr. Cole said investigating white collar crime is a difficult and time-consuming time-consuming task. "It may take two years to investigate," he said, "Maybe six months, maybe 30 days." Victims of this type of crime rarely come forth in their embarrassment at being taken, and when they do, they get upset at the police for not bringing charges against the swindler instantly. "I've taken more abuse from victims than I have from the ones who committed com-mitted the crimes," Mr. Cole said. To prove a case against most con men it w J 0 requires that a pattern of fraudulent dealings be established, which is f sometimes impossible when only one or Jwo victims come forward, he said. Mrs. Engemann, Mr. Bowers and Mr. Cole all agree that the best solution to the Utah County white collar crime problem is increased consumer awareness. They suggest the following guidelines to avoid getting "burned": - Be suspicious of offers claiming a high rate of return (above 12 to 16 percent). "Going for big bucks means a big risk," said Mrs. Engemann. - Beware of anyone dropping the name of a church or civic official to lend credibility to a scheme. - Be suspicious of offers where no paperwork is involved, or where the contract is difficult to understand. A lawyer's fee is worth the cost if it helps you to avoid losing the money you invest. in-vest. - Contact the Better Business Bureau if you have doubts about the trustworthiness trust-worthiness of a business or individual. City 'mm foff mi mii' m prte night sMfff By Rodd G. Wagner Last Saturday night, Springville seemed almost dead. A few cars moved up Main Street; most of the other roads were empty. It had rained earlier in the evening and the weather was cold, so the bars and clubs in town didn't have their usual Saturday night crowds. The lights were out in most of the houses, and the majority of the city was asleep. Three of the people who were not asleep that night were Officers Dave Davis, Dave Caron and Lt. Oliver Nielson of the Springville Police Department. They were on "graveyard shift." "This city runs hot and cold," said Mr. Davis. This night it was cold. Between 10 and midnight, he'd pulled over a few cars for faulty taillights, followed several more to make sure the driver was sober and made several circuits around the south side of the city to make sure nothing was out of its place. His eyes moved up and down the roads, catching details such as whether the car four blocks down the street was hugging the line (one sign of a possible drunk driver) or whether there was any movement in any of the closed businesses on Main Street. "Small communities like this require a different kind of police," he said. The laws aren't any different in Springville than they are in Salt Lake City, he stressed, but the people that he deals with aren't strangers, and he'll see them again and again, he said. The difference seemed to be in his approach. He knew half of the people he was tagging that night. He knew where workers after they reached beyond their goal to a production level of $8.6 million during the last quarter of their fiscal year. Mitchell named new member on art board Harold D. Mitchell was appointed to the Springville Museum of Art Board of Trustees to fill the one-year term as required re-quired in the new by-laws recently adopted by the board. Also at the first meeting of the board with the newly elected trustees, Yvonne B. Johnson was elected to a second term as president and Robert L. Marshall, Mar-shall, newly elected board member, was elected vice president for the coming com-ing year. The board of directors expressed the need to increase interest in the Art Museum among the residents in and around Springville, following the report of Museum Director Vern Swanson on the recent phone campaign. Mitchell was recently appointed Springville Spr-ingville City Attorney and has been practicing law in Springville for some four years. He originally comes from Parowan, Utah, where he attend school and graduated from high school. He is a graduate of Brigham Young University and the University of Utah Law School. they lived, where and if they worked and what their personalities were like. And so his demeanor towards them (in most cases) seemed more like that of a next-door neighbor than a police officer. of-ficer. "I try to keep it on a friendly basis," he said, "until they say 'no'." Decent, people Officer Davis said he enjoys working in Springville because "people down here are more decent." "The good people stand out," he said. "When I first started working here a woman said 'thank you' after I'd given her a ticket, I almost passed out." That kind of "decency" makes law enforcement easier, Mr. Davis said. "You can pick out a creep like a sore thumb." Alcohol problem Despite its being a relatively small city, Springville has its problems. They are just less frequent than in cities such as Provo or Salt Lake. And the vast majority of the problems handled by the Springville police have one common denominator: alcohol or drugs. According Ac-cording to Mr. Davis, alcoholism and alcohol abuse are big problems in the city, and are a factor in accidents, family disturbances, fights and most other calls handled by the police during the night shifts. At 1 a.m., (when the bars close) both Officers Davis and Caron were weaving in and out of Main Street, watching 4th East and the roads to the highway for drunk drivers. Main Street was silent. "That means they're someplace else," said Mr. Davis, adding that the people who frequent the drinking clubs in Springville have become smarter at StQtB 001116 postponed The Utah State 3-A baseball game which was scheduled for Monday night, and which included the Springville High School Red Devils, was postponed due to inclement weather. As of press time the game had been scheduled to be played Wednesday night, if conditions permitted. logo contest open fo off The Springville City Council has announced a contest for the creation of a design to be used as the official city logo on all letterhead, signs, and vehicles. The contest is open to everyone, and a $100 prize will 1 awarded for the winning entry. A panel of judges selected by the council will determine the winner. The criteria for the design are as follows: 1. The design must be original. 2. It must be in full color. 3. The name and address of the artist must be printed on the back of each entry. 4. An individual may place more than one entry into competition. 5. All entries will become the property of the City of Springville. Entries are to be submitted to the Springville City Offices prior to 5 p.m. on Tuesday, June 8. Harold D. Mitchell avoiding the police on their ways home. Rumors have it that they practice the field sobriety tests with each other while they're drinking. They've learned to stay off Main Street and take backroads home or out of the city. Moving down one of those backroads, Officer Davis tagged a car moving slowly near the edge. The driver's reactions seemed to be sluggish. Mr. Davis hit the lights on the patrol car and pulled him over. The driver got out in an almost routine fashion and met the officer behind his car. He did well on the field sobriety tests and didn't seem to be legally intoxicated, but a records check showed he had no valid license and was arrested for DUI (driving under the influence of alcohol) the week before. "How many times is it going to take until you learn your lesson," asked Officer Davis. "I think it will only take one more," replied the man in a serious tone of voice. High-speed chase At about 2 a.m., Officer Caron, who was patrolling the north side of town, turned his car around on Main Street to follow a small, white car which seemed to be hugging the side of the road. He continued to follow the car as it turned west on the parway toward 1-15. Mr. Caron speeded up to 75 miles per hour, but wasn't gaining on the car. If he wasn't drunk, he was speeding. Mr. Caron followed the car onto the highway high-way and punched the accelerator to the floor, making the patrol car spring to 110 miles per hour. The suspect car raced through the Continued on Page 10 t X r I - I HU'r'" |