At last week’s Westmoreland County Board of Supervisors meeting, Westmoreland Sheriff’s Officers were commended for work on a case where Senator Richard Stuart was the victim.

Stuart spoke at length after Sheriff C.O. Balderson was joined at the front of the room by 1st Sergeant Vanlandingham, Sergeant Mulvena, Master Detective Belcher, and Detectives Jernigan and Shackelford. The only one not in attendance that evening was Master Detective Jones.

“One of our proclamations talked about the dedicated service our law enforcement officers have, often under challenging conditions protecting the life and property of the citizens, and I’m an example,” stated Stuart.

“When I was in session this last winter, my law office was the subject of wire fraud. What we thought was a cashier’s bank check turned out to be counterfeit. When I became aware of it, I called Major Hoover and the State Bar. I told him what had happened.

“The next day, I was visited by Sergeant Mulvena and Detective Jernigan — I told them the story, showed them everything. They were incredibly professional. We had phone numbers, text messages, the works. I had never seen such tenacity, professionalism, and good police work.”

This detective work led the team down toward Florida, where they worked with a local sheriff’s office. Not only were they able to make an arrest and bring the suspect back up to Virginia, but they also found the money Stuart’s law office had lost.

Photo: R. Burrell “They found my money,” Stuart continued. “They found it at a local branch where the money had been run through, and solved cases for a law firm in Rhode Island and several others. I had written that money off as loss. I thought it was somewhere under a tent in Cambodia by then. It amazed me — the Westmoreland County Sheriff’s Office did almost all of this on their own by running it down, and solved the case, not just for us, but for other states around the country.

“I want the citizens of Westmoreland County to know what a great job our Sheriff and his team are doing, and I am incredibly proud of them. You have no idea how grateful I am.”

Sheriff Balderson also congratulated his detectives. “I want to commend these folks for all the hard work they’ve done, not just for this case but every one they have done. Once they dig their heels in, I would not want to be their target. These people deserve all the credit,” he said.

“Most people will tell you how this sort of stuff usually goes unsolved, to say nothing of actually getting the money back. I can’t say enough about them — I’m the Sheriff, but this is the team, and I appreciate all that they do.” Like Stuart, Sheriff Balderson praised the detectives on how fast they handled their trip down to Florida. He expected they’d spend a week. Instead, they took a mere two days.

“These folks drove down, did this incredible work, and drove right back, with the person in custody and Senator Stuart’s money,” said Balderson.

The contributions by the sheriffs down in Florida also went a long way toward achieving this amazing outcome. According to Sheriff Balderson, the local sheriffs proved instrumental in tracking down the suspect, as well as giving the Westmoreland detectives a crash course on financial crimes.

As of now, the suspect in custody is facing at least four charges here relating to the fraud committed against Senator Stuart’s law offices, and several more in Rhode Island, which involved as much as half a million dollars.

“I also thanked the Sheriff down there and his folks for their help. Not only did they find this individual, the wealth of information they shared with us on financial crimes will prove invaluable later, because we can be certain it’s going to happen again.”

Supervisor Darryl Fisher stated, “I’m rarely at a loss for words, but I’ll just share this: a great big ‘thank you.’ It serves as another shining example that sometimes too much emphasis is put on large agencies and what they perceive they should be able to do. I’ve learned long enough to understand, though, that it’s the smaller agencies that are serious and meticulous about the job that they do.

“This is an example of your dedication, hard work, training, and an opportunity to put it to use. You all rose far above what was expected and came out with a positive impact. Thank you for a job well done. If it were a different circumstance, I’d tell them they did what they were supposed to, but didn’t have to do that job so well. Thank you so much.”

Vice Chairman Jeff McCormack chimed in noting that while he gets a lot of calls from his constituents, he never once had someone complain about the WCSO.

“Maybe you’re getting them instead of me, Sheriff,” said McCormack, “but I’ve never gotten one. That boils down to your professionalism, leadership, and dedication to excellence, and I want to thank you all for what you do. It is not an easy job, yet you make it look easy.”

Chairman Tim Trivett had some comments as well, dwelling on the difficulties the officers face throughout their careers these days.

“There are a number of websites that have been putting up the names of local law enforcement that were killed in the line of duty,” stated the Chairman. “There are people that hate you for nothing — for what you do. It’s how you deal with that situation which really determines how you look. We know that everything you normally do is on camera, so you have to be professional all the time.

“To put this much effort into this, and I know it wasn’t just because of Senator Stuart — you do that for everything. It’s important, regardless of whether it was a major fraud case or just a kid’s bike being stolen. That victim is just as important, and it means everything. If it’s a problem for a citizen, then it’s a problem for you. Thank you for how professional you are. You have one of the most professional organizations. Getting your accreditation renewed says a lot about you and the people with you. It’s well-noticed, Sheriff. Thank you all for your service and what you all do every single day.”