Clifford Town Marshal Charlie DeWeese has been using his personal sport-utility vehicle on the job for the past four months since the cost to repair the marshal’s town-provided vehicle far exceeds its value.
DeWeese’s transportation situation could improve significantly next month, however, thanks to generosity from a fellow southern Indiana police department.
Crothersville Police Chief Brent Turner recently read about Clifford’s plight, highlighted a month ago in a Republic article.
DeWeese had been using his Chevrolet Trailblazer on the job as town marshal, but the personal SUV is not equipped with flashing lights and sirens. That means he can’t make traffic stops or transport anyone to jail after an arrest.
After also learning that DeWeese and other town officials are working without pay because of a financial challenge Clifford is facing, Turner decided to offer help.
The Crothersville Police Department has a 2009 Ford Crown Victoria that has been out of commission for about a year and has about 100,000 miles on it. The department obtained the vehicle in 2013, and it was used as a reserve car until being put out of service when new squad cars were purchased, Turner said.
The chief recently asked the Crothersville Town Council for permission to donate the car to Clifford.
“We’re going to get rid of one or two anyway. It won’t hurt us any,” Turner told the council.
For more on this story, see Wednesday’s Republic.
