September has come and the kids are back in school. For my family, that means our youngest is a senior and the oldest is in her 3rd year of college. It leaves Mom and Dad wondering, where did the time go, and a little lonely at times.
The Washington County Sheriff's Office has started its school patrol program in full swing. Remember the laws of passing and approaching school buses with both their red and amber lights on. Just because you don't see a marked patrol car in the area, doesn't mean there is not a deputy around. The Washington County Sheriff's Office has 5 unmarked vehicles in its fleet.
Warning: Another thing to remember is speeding in construction zones. With the new law, fines for speeding have way more than doubled and can reach as high as $1,000, plus court cost and surcharge. For example, driving 1-10 mph over the limit WILL result in a fine of $253, 11-20 mph over $451, 21-25 mph over $715, greater than 25 mph $1,375.
Criminal Mischief and Trespass: Many may think tee-peeing, removing lawn ornaments from yards, egging, paint-balling, or anything else you wouldn't want to get caught at is "just having fun, not hurting anyone". The fact of the matter is, most of the things mentioned above can be taken as criminal and nowadays, most people ask for law enforcement to deal with the situation instead of handling it themselves. Many towns have ordinances in place, along with state laws, making those types of activities illegal. Fines, along with added surcharges and court costs, can range from $100.00 to well over $500, and for some there could be jail time. Egging and paint-balling may seem innocent enough, but eggs will dull and most timeººs remove paint from automobiles. Paintballs have damaged and broken property, and have caused permanent personal injury. As Homecoming draws closer, Washington County law-enforcement will be focusing in on these types of concerns.
Tours: On August 26, 2009, the Wellman Rotary Club visited the new Sheriff's Office and Jail. The tour consisted of walking through the jail as if they had been arrested and as someone coming to visit. They also got a taste of what today's jail food is like. No one mentioned we should start a catering business! It was good to see community interest in how the facility operates and is kept. I welcome any groups to contact us in the future if interested in a tour.
Tree Planting Day: We have made plans to plant some hardwood trees around the Sheriff's Office and the Jail. The Washington Tree Committee helped us secure a grant through Alliant to purchase 17 trees, then plant and mulch them. We have tentatively set Saturday, Sept. 19th at 9:00 am as the day we will be planting them. Anyone interested in helping, please call 653-2107 and ask for Karla Davis. Please leave your phone number so we can contact you in case of date or time change.
Tip of the Month: Though it is not the rutting season for deer, the deer seem to be on the move already. I have noticed what seems to be an increase of deer on or along side the roadways. With many county, state, and federal cut backs to road departments, roadways are not being mowed and groomed as well. I've also noticed many farmers that have mowed county gravel road ditch's in prior years are not mowing them as much or at all. Please slow down on the gravel and pay extra attention to all road ditches, as many of them have more cover for the deer to hide in.
From the staff at the Washington County Sheriff's Office, be safe and think safety at all times.