Beacon Dec 2023

December 2023 THE BEACON Page 3A
Judge and Mayor Work Collaboratively to Change Lives of Juveniles
Asst. Chief Probation Officer Dena Steiner, Mayor Kelly
Mollaun, Judge Aaron Negangard, Police Chief Dave
Schneider, and Chief Probation Officer Bill Belew. (Photo
by Guinevere Banschbach)
Continued from page 1A
program that stresses accountability
and responsibility.
“This program will allow
juveniles to be held accountable
for their actions without
straining our local resources.
In addition to probation,
curfews, parental house arrest,
drug testing, treatment, and
education, the juvenile would
be required to work so many
hours under the supervision
of the Lawrenceburg Police
Department. The work would
include cleaning the levee,
the riverwalk, the dog park,
and washing vehicles owned
by the city,” shared Judge
Negangard.
As with all criminal cases,
the court is not the only entity
to handle a situation. The decision
that a juvenile might be
a good candidate for the Juvenile
Justice Community Service
initiative begins with the
probation department. Both
Bill Belew, Chief Probation
Officer for Circuit Court, and
Dena Steiner, Assistant Chief
Probation Officer for Circuit
Court, have been instrumental
in developing protocols to
identify viable candidates for
this program. Lawrenceburg
Police Chief Dave Schneider
will work closely with Mayor
Mollaun to determine a list of
Manchester Native Serves Community and Country
Continued from page 1A
a situation, including the
physical status of the victim,
the surroundings, the surface,
and other factors, is critical to
be sure the correct care can be
applied. Missed details can result
in complications in care.
Every day on the job, Deputy
Wolfer must be confident in
her training and decisions
since lives can be in the balance.
Jobs like this are not
for everyone, so we are very
lucky to have smart, caring,
quick-thinking individuals
like Morgan Wolfer who are
there to get us through some
of life’s toughest situations.
I have known Morgan and
her family since the year 2000
when she was just five years
old running circles around the
other Lollipop soccer players
on the field. I recognized
quickly that she and her family
were very special. Morgan
and my daughter Tara West
became close friends, so I was
fortunate to work with Steve,
Gina, and Jake Wolfer for the
next twenty years.
Morgan continued with soccer,
adding basketball and softball
to her repertoire – always
giving 150% to all her endeavors.
As she grew and matured,
she started giving back to the
community by officiating at
games even coaching. This
came naturally since her parents
also spent a considerable
amount of time giving back to
the community through athletic
support. It seemed fitting
that when Morgan graduated
from college, she joined the
military in 2017. Eventually,
she attended the Drill Sergeant
Academy in 2022 and is
currently serving in the Army
Reserve. Drill Sergeant Wolfer
Deputy Wolfer with with Will, Rowan, and Stevie Wolfer
commented, “I have been serving
in the same (Ft Thomas,
KY) unit since January 2020.
I chose this path because I
wanted to do more to help my
country. I had always had a
passion for the military and
law enforcement.”
In 2019, after leaving active
military duty, Morgan was
called to continue her service
to others by moving into local
law enforcement. She served
as a reserve deputy at Hidden
Valley Lake before being
hired by Dearborn County as
a full deputy. In parallel, she
attended the Indiana Law Enforcement
Academy, graduating
in June of 2021.
When I asked Morgan about
the rescue, she shared “It was
just another day. I wouldn’t
say I enjoy the attention, but
it is nice to feel appreciated.
We help people on their worst
days, and most of the time the
outcome does not go in our
favor. It was nice to feel like
we (myself and the Bright
Fire Department) got the win
that day.” She added some
advice for those considering
service jobs like this, “There
is always going to be a betterpaying
job, but we don’t do it
for the money. Find your passion
and follow your dreams.”
projects to be completed by
the juveniles in the program.
Like the JCAP program,
The Juvenile Justice Community
Service initiative will
relieve some stress on the
juvenile system. It may result
in cost savings for Lawrenceburg’s
maintenance line in the
city’s budget.
Lawrenceburg City Court
Judge Joe Johns handles
vaping cases that involve
nicotine-based vaping. He
shared, “This is just the type
of program we need to get
the attention of our youth to
discourage the vaping of nicotine.
In addition to the community
service, they are also
required to attend a vaping
education program.”
Identifying a problem and
then working together to
solve it is exactly what Judge
Negangard brought Mayor
Mollabn in to achieve. As the
program is fine-tuned, the goal
is for other municipalities to
join the program and work
cooperatively.
The Juvenile Justice Community
Service Program went
into effect on November 1,
2023, with the cooperation
of the Lawrenceburg Police
Department and the Circuit
Court Probation Department.
Downtown
Lawrenceburg
Holiday
Open Houses
Saturday, Nov 25
On Small Business Saturday this year,
enjoy one-time-only specials at the
shops & restaurants in downtown
Lawrenceburg!
With any purchase made at a
participating retail store, enter to win
$100 or $250 in Downtown Dollars!
DowntownLawrenceburg.com
OPEN AN
ACCOUNT
ONLINE
Any time, day or night.
It’s banking at your
fingertips from the
comfort of your home
or on the go.
fcnbank.com
Get it All at www.goBEACONnews.com