Resident says 911 call for help went unanswered
WANDA ENGLISH BURNETT
Duncan brought a newspaper article that was published in The Versailles Republican regarding the situation and asked the Commissioners to do what they could to help with the harassment she has been getting all this time. She said the Sheriff has not been helpful and now feels the 911 Office has let her down. Sheriff Rob Bradley, along with Chief Deputy Lee Davidson defended their actions with the Commissioners offering an alternative action.
“No one was dispatched to my home,” Beth Duncan noted as she appeared before the Ripley County Commissioners on Monday of this week to discuss a problem with her calling 911 for help. She was awakened on April 4 to what she described as a chainsaw running and a vehicle making burnouts in front of her rural home.
The story goes back 10 months when Duncan came to the Commissioners asking if something could be done about the road she lives on. After an accident, she noted that when the crops are high, motorists cannot see around the curve, which is what caused the accident she was referring to. She asked local farmers, what they could do, and with no response, took her cause to Commissioners.
At that time, Mark Horstman said he and the others felt putting up a stop sign would alleviate the problem. However, motorists in the area didn’t agree and according to Duncan began harassing her. Large signs were installed by her home advising motorists to honk their horns, which many did at all hours of the day and night, according to her. She said she has endured much harassment to what she believes constitutes stalking according to Indiana law. She has logged more than 70 incidences. Vehicles revving their engines, doing burnouts, a drone flown right up to her front door and more has taken place in that time period.
She told Commissioners on Monday that Sheriff Rob Bradley has been rude to her and simply would not help with the situation. At one point he said she was “dramatic”. She presented paperwork to Commissioners where her sister had talked with the Sheriff, who asked if Duncan had a history of mental illness. Duncan said she is offended highly by that and noted, “I have no mental illness.” She said she now suffers from anxiety and panic attacks from the whole ordeal.
Duncan said all she wanted in the beginning was for the people to slow down and possibly prevent another accident in the area on Milhousen Road. She said people paid no attention to the stop sign, with commercial vehicles, along with private motorists, running it. She said there were no patrols that she could see watching.
So, through the back and forth from Duncan’s experience to the Sheriff’s rebuttal, Commissioner Horstman asked if they took the sign down would it make things better? He said he felt Duncan had good intentions. She said she never asked for a stop sign in the first place and if it would make those who are harassing her in the neighborhood quit, she would be glad for the signs to be gone. The Sheriff said the signs were not legal anyway and if he wrote a ticket, it could be beat in court.
Back to the 911 question and why her call for help went untouched on April 4 a little after midnight.
Duncan produced a copy of the 911 report where she gave her address, which later in the document appeared wrong. She also gave an exact direction of travel for the offending vehicle, but under an Edited version, the paperwork said “unknwn direction of travel.”
911 Director Will Sunderson was at the meeting on Monday but didn’t speak as the Commissioners said this was a personnel matter that they would take up with him in an executive meeting. It was noted that two deputies were sitting in the dispatch office when the report came in from Duncan. Officers allege the request for help was handed to one of them.
Duncan said no one from the Sheriff’s Office ever contacted her. She called her sister to let her know what was going on, and her sister, Amanda Hater, later contacted the 911 Office and was dispatched through to the Sheriff.
On the 911 report there are notes that indicate an officer did speak to people on Brownstown and Milhousen roads about the incident. But no one contacted Duncan. The report reads in part, “made contact and they advise that they did not hear anything last night. That they have a 16-year-old son who has friends that have done burnouts in front of their house before.” Another place said it was storming, and they didn’t hear anything. Burnout marks were found up and down the roads with the Sheriff saying that is not uncommon. He lives close in the area and said it happens even by his house.
When Duncan said she even called a county councilman at one point, Commissioners questions why she would do that. They advised her always to call 911. She referred to the situation at hand saying, “What good would it do?” She continued, “Is this gross negligence or intentional? I’ve called the police. They have done nothing! What’s the end game?”
Commissioner Horstman advised Duncan the Commissioners have no jurisdiction over the Sheriff. But he did say they felt they had done their part by having the stop signs installed 10 months ago. They approved taking them down and restoring the road flow back to the way it was before the signs. Jason Edwards, highway superintendent, was at the meeting and left immediately to have the signs removed.
Commissioner Jeff Volz asked if the paper would print that motorists please stop the harassment at the Duncan property. All parties just wanted a peaceful resolution to a problem that has gotten way out of hand and caused a lot of grief and misunderstandings.
Editor’s Note: This was NOT taken from unofficial minutes, but was covered live at the meeting on Monday, April 28. There will be more information about the entire meeting as the unofficial minutes become available.
