The Sellersburg Celebrates! parade for 2006 is set and parade participants are invited to register early for the grand event. The Sellersburg Celebrates! parade will be Saturday, August 26 at 10 a.m. Chair of the parade is Jennifer Brown.
    The theme this year, In the Mix in 2006, reflects the many important elements that represent a town or a community. Entrants into the parade are encouraged to incorporate the theme into their float.
    Applications for parade entries can be downloaded from the website at www.sellersburgcelebrates.corm or by contacting Brown at 502-639-8852 (leave a message). Deadline for parade entries is Tuesday, August 1. Applications should be mailed to Attn: Jennifer Brown, SC! Parade Chairman, 555 Wildwood Road, Sellersburg, Indiana, 47172 or faxed to 812-246-3658.
    The parade will begin at Prather Lane in Sellersburg and will end at Silver Creek Township Park. Judges will bestow various awards upon parade participants including best float, best antique car and more. The awards ceremony will be at Silver Creek Township Park at 12:30 p.m. on the main stage.
    Sellersburg Celebrates! is Thursday, August 24 and continues through Saturday, August 26. Art in Speed Park will be Saturday and Sunday, August 26 and 27.
    For more information regarding festival events, booth rentals and activities, log onto www.sellersburgcelebrates.com.

    A New Washington woman is facing 50 counts of forgery and 2 counts of theft after being arrested by the Clark County Sheriff’s Office last Tuesday.
    Pamela M. Wiggam, 46, is facing the charges after allegedly taking $130,000 from the Washington Township Water Corporation, where she was the former office manager, according to Lt. Racheal Lee of the Clark County Sheriff’s Office.
    "The total value accounted for is over $130,000," Lee stated. "That is what it is now."
    Detective Randy Burton is still investigating the case and amendments will be made if additional funds are owed.
    The warrant for Wiggam’s arrest was issued last Tuesday and Lee served the warrant the same day.
    "She was brought in on a $95,000 cash surety bond out of Circuit Court," Lee explained.
    Wiggam made bond the same afternoon within a few hours paying the $9,500.
    The water utility officials began to notice differences in water usage and the bills paid. They then began an internal investigation.
    The alleged forgery had been ongoing since 2004.
    "It appears that forgery started in April 2004 to April 2006. Our office was notified on June 7 by Mr. Bolley, the attorney for the Washington Township Water Corporation. They were made aware because of the discrepancies in the water usage and the bills paid," Lee added.
    After noticing the differences officials with the water corporation began looking through records and accounts.
    "Originally she blamed it on computer errors why the funds were not accurate," Lee stated.
    Wiggam was corporative throughout the Clark County Sheriff’s Office’s investigation.
    Lee explained one instance that was one of the more substantial amounts of money.
    "One of the larger amounts of money, since she was an agent of the water corporation, she was sent to open a CD account. She opened it in her name and social security number," Lee said. "Since she was able to open it, she had easy access to the money. There was a substantial amount taken, it was $50,000 short."

    On July 27 at approximately 2:12 p.m., the Clark County Sheriff’s Office was notified of a bicyclist that had been struck by a car in the 25500 block of Gill Road in New Washington and that the driver of the vehicle striking the bicyclist had left the scene. Information described that the vehicle leaving the scene was a gold or tan passenger car.
   Upon officers arriving at the scene it was learned that the injuries to the bicyclist, identified as Eric C. May, 32, of New Washington, were severe enough that EMS had requested STATCARE for transport. At the time of transport the victim was taken by STATCARE to University Hospital suffering from a severe head injury as well as obvious injury to his lower extremities.
   During the course of the investigation it was learned that the victim was traveling west bound on Gill Road. The suspect vehicle approached from a distance behind also traveling west bound on Gill Road. Information received by witnesses stated that the vehicle then sped up and pursued the bicyclist as the bicyclist attempted to get out of the path of the vehicle.
   Officers of the Clark County Sheriff’s Office located the suspected vehicle less than a mile from the scene of the accident. During the course of the investigation a suspect was developed. Detectives worked late into the night and were able to detain a suspect and make an arrest that evening. The suspect arrested was Justin K. Simpson, 18, also of New Washington.
   According to the Clark County Sheriff’s Office the suspect and victim are familiar with one another and there had been an ongoing conflict between the two that apparently led to this particular incident.
   Simpson was charged with Attempted Murder- A Felony, Aggravated Battery with Vehicle- B Felony, Criminal Recklessness with Vehicle- C Felony, Leaving the Scene of a Personal Injury Accident- D Felony and Driving While Suspended- A Misdemeanor.
   He was being held in the Clark County Jail without bond until his arraignment.
   Additional investigation in the case led to two additional arrests last Friday. Also arrested in connection with burglaries in Clark and Scott Counties were Adrian Louis May, 47 and Charles "Charlie" Simpson, 43, both of New Washington.
   Both suspects were arrested after being under investigation for numerous burglaries in the two counties. These burglaries had been reported to the Clark County Sheriff’s Office and to the Indiana State Police.
   The arrests of the two individuals were the result of long hours put in by detectives and road officers as well as the bicycle-car accident. Simpson is the father of Justin.
   The Clark County Sheriff’s Office felt that the arrested would be trying to get rid of property that they had stolen, due to the most recent incident in New Washington involving Eric May and Justin Simpson. Detectives aided by patrol units located and stopped the suspects in the 18000 block of Highway 62. During this contact with the suspects, it was found that the vehicle they were in had stolen property. The two were then taken into custody.
   Both Adrian May and Charlie Simpson were arrested and charged with Burglary- C Felony, Theft- D Felony and Possession of Paraphernalia- A Misdemeanor.
   According to the press release from Lt. Racheal Lee, "Our agency feels that the attack on Mr. Eric May was due to the investigation of these parties along with Donnie Wells who was also arrested after a warrant was executed at this residence in New Washington a couple of days earlier. Our agency feels that apparently Justin Simpson felt that it was possible that Eric May was an informant for the Sheriff’s Office, which he was not."
   Some of the property recovered so far has been identified, however, the Clark County Sheriff’s Office is asking for those who have reported their property stolen to the agency or to the Indiana State Police, to contact Det. Harold Kramer or Det. Donnie Bowyer to see if any of the property in the Sheriff’s Office’s possession can be identified and returned to its rightful owner.

   Scott County Extension Educator Jackie Benham has announced that the Area 2 County 4-H Programs along with Indiana Department of Natural Resource Conservation Officers will host an ATV Safety Workshop on Saturday, September 23. This program invites youth grades 3 through 12 to come participate at the Clark County 4-H Fairgrounds from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. that day. The cost of the workshop is $5 per participant and $10 for two or more youth in the same family. Pre-registration is required and it can register by calling the Purdue Clark County Extension Office at 1-812-256-4591.
    The workshop will be administered by a 4-H ATV Safety Certified Instructor and will include two hours of instruction and up to four hours of supervised riding.
    Directions to the Clark County 4-H Fairground are to follow State Road 62 one mile west of Charlestown and the fairgrounds is to the south. Lunch will be provided.
    All participants must follow ATV Safety Institute Guidelines.
    The goal of the 4-H ATV Safety program is to increase the practice of safe behaviors and attitudes among those youth already operating ATV’s. Additional emphasis for this program will be place on helping adults make informed decisions about whether youth in their care should operate an ATV.