Dowagiac ambulance service manager charged with embezzlement

By CAROL DRAEGER, Tribune Staff Writer

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Kathy McFadden, 43, of Hartford, Mich. was arrested and charged with embezzlement

Kathy McFadden, 43, of Hartford, Mich. was arrested and charged with embezzlement. (Photo provided)

By Tiffany Griffin

Story Created: Mar 17, 2008 at 11:39 AM EDT

Story Updated: Mar 17, 2008 at 2:21 PM EDT

DOWAGIAC — The former office manager for the Dowagiac Fire and Ambulance Service was arrested and charged with embezzlement, the Cass County prosecutor’s office said Monday.

Kathy McFadden, 43, of Hartford, Mich., turned herself in Friday and was arraigned on seven felony counts, Cass County Prosecutor Victor Fitz said.

Fitz alleges that McFadden embezzled about $19,785 last year by fraudulently using an ambulance ATM card 59 times.

Fitz said the illegal ATM withdrawals occurred in four Michigan counties and in South Bend and Chicago from Jan. 4 of 2007 to Dec. 24 of 2007.

McFadden’s cash/surety bond was set at $10,000. She bonded out of the Cass County Jail, a jail official said Monday.

McFadden had worked for the ambulance service for several years.

The Dowagiac City Council in January awarded the city’s ambulance contract to Coloma Emergency Medical Service after the Dowagaic ambulance service ironically could not financially support itself over the past few years.

McFadden is expected in Cass County court for a pre-examination on March 26 at 9 a.m.

Wednesday, Mar 26 at 9:23 PM anonymous wrote ...

Wow Dave I'm so glad you listen to the radio while you are at work and actually work 56 hours a week that makes you a real man, Congrats to graduating to adulthood. The think that gets us is you complain about response times alot, but when it comes to Lifecare only staffing ONE car in CASS and when you get back to back calls how does your company handle that?? Maybe Frisbe should look into serving there coverage area alittle better. Maybe you should be in charge of that mission.

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Wednesday, Mar 26 at 1:33 PM Anonymous wrote ...

It's been amost a month with CEMS and I haven't seen the same Ambulance's in the area for more than 1 day! They keep switching them around from old to new? We were told that the Ambulance's were going to be new one's for the year! They also said that 2 ALS unit's would be in the area, Ive seen time's where there is only one ALS unit to serve the whole area while 1 does a transfer to Kalamazoo? The don't call dispatch, so it can't be traced.

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Tuesday, Mar 25 at 9:44 PM Anonymous wrote ...

Let's get this back on track with the article. Only one person is being charged here. There may be other people accountable, but let's stick to the topic at hand. Has anyone thought of looking into her past? Perhaps she's a pathological liar and thief. It certainly can't be the first time, can it? Where is her family? Someone must know something more ...

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Tuesday, Mar 25 at 2:28 PM Anonymous wrote ...

But someone did die already. That family needs to push the issue. Maybe it'll help this not happen to another family. I'm so sorry for this family.

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Tuesday, Mar 25 at 11:09 AM Anonymous wrote ...

Saturday, Mar 22 at 6:49 PM seriously wrote ... Spell check begins at home and hopefully you start using it before you critique others. As for the other comments listed above this one...the word is recall election. Get a recall petition worded and signed by Cass County voters to force a recall against the elected officials who refuse to acknowledge what the people want and not their own selfish reasons. It's a good thing CEMS contract is only for 1 year, use this to your advantage.

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Tuesday, Mar 25 at 8:30 AM Dave wrote ...

There isn't anything we can do about it at this point. Unfortunatly we are going to have to wait until someone dies because of there dire need for the all-mighty dollar for something to happen! I feel sorry for the family it's going to happen to. I wrote a letter to the editor with some very valid questions to Dr Butts and he never replied to a single one. He also made no attempt to contact me to discuss the info I had! Glad I don't live in Wayne Twp!

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Monday, Mar 24 at 12:40 PM ccresident wrote ...

we have gone to the board meetings, we have written letters to the township supervisors, our efforts have fallen upon deaf ears. We have even gone to Doc Butts personally, but to no avail. What more can you suggest we do if you think we need to "do something about it"?

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Monday, Mar 24 at 12:10 PM EG wrote ...

to "So:" You are absolutely right! Our elected officials need to be reminded of their mistakes come re-election. But they need to do more than homework. They need to let us vote on what they spend our tax money on instead of "daddy makes the decisions." We complained to our city reps before they voted for CEMS and were told it didn't matter what the public thought, the decisions were already made and the vote was only a formality to make it official. Nice, huh? Thanks, Dowagiac City Council!

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Sunday, Mar 23 at 5:27 PM So wrote ...

Ok we all knew CEMS was a bad choice for Dowagiac. But why doesn't someone do something about it? The people that were elected to make these choices need to be reminded at the next election time that they made poor choices. When comes to taxpayer money and services they need to do their homework.

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Saturday, Mar 22 at 6:49 PM seriously wrote ...

if you are going to try and rip CEMS to shreds, perhaps you should use spell check. It makes you actually look like you have half an education

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Friday, Mar 21 at 9:25 PM SL resident wrote ...

Wayne12113... your only saying that cause you have them at your station, you werent saying that months prior to their arrival before your famous Butts went vocal about it.. Now its a different story since you have to make yourself look good at wayne and to your higher ranks. You've always hated coloma and new that they were trying to take the ambulance service that you were going to become employed at. Guess since you like them now you can just work for balows sorry self right!!

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Friday, Mar 21 at 5:24 PM DAVE wrote ...

Anonymous at 2:58 Actually I do alot of stuff other than just sit and listen to the radio. I work at least 56 hours and HAVE to listen to the radio while I'm at work. Tell me, what have I said that was wrong?? Another thing, if you are going to threaten me with "What goes around, comes around" grow some and use your name!

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Friday, Mar 21 at 4:51 PM Anonymous wrote ...

If it's not a windfall CEMS then give the Van Buren Co tax payers back thier money!! Trying running all your service without it. Don't try picking up more coverage for free!!!

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Friday, Mar 21 at 2:58 PM anonymous wrote ...

Hey DAVE...I see you don't have anything better to do other than listen to the radio and complain and make comments and just make yourself look like a fool over and over! What comes around goes around DAVE! You will get a taste of your own medicine one of these days :)

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Friday, Mar 21 at 2:30 AM Anonymous wrote ...

I'd just like to point out that ALL the ambulance services in VanBuren county get a tax subsidy for the areas they cover. VBEMS gets the lions share since they cover the largest area, CEMS gets some from their townships as well as Medic 1, Covert, and SHAES. This was voted on and passed by the tax payers of the county, and while CEMS spoke in favor of the millage, they were not the company making the biggest push for it to be passed, and its not the huge windfall some seem to think it is.

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Friday, Mar 21 at 12:27 AM Anonymous wrote ...

everybodyneeds to quit blameing everyone else for ambulance failing there was a board that overseen fire and ambulance in dowagiac apparently they didnt do there job as far as colma ambulance goes i along with a lot of other people who work in the emergency services feild tried to tell the authority about cems we were told we didnt know what we were talking about and now when we try and tell our elected officals about ungodly response times we r told they r doing fine

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Thursday, Mar 20 at 10:48 PM wayne 12113 wrote ...

we all need to just get a long we here to help the community out cems is trying to get use to the roads around here im sorry that life went out but we need to just get a long with what we got and help them out just like we would with any other ambulance service around here

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Thursday, Mar 20 at 9:57 PM Leslie wrote ...

Yes Jackie is my aunt. But the point is that the board controls finacial issues not the director. Most other services, the treasurer brings reports to the board not the director. The director doesnt have anything to do with the finaces in most cases. I think that there is alot more talk on this issue and things being taken way to far... alot of anger and blame being placed everywhere. Its sad that our community is torn into pieces like this! Kathy took the money and she will pay thats that.

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Thursday, Mar 20 at 8:54 PM Kasey wrote ...

Hey, I hear she is now working at Van Buren EMS as a medic. Watch out Van Buren - you could be next! She should rot is jail. Not too pretty without all her make-up!

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Thursday, Mar 20 at 4:20 PM Dennis wrote ...

50 to 75 dollars a year for groceries you never get??? Interesting concept.

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Thursday, Mar 20 at 9:28 AM Cass County taxpayer wrote ...

Dennis obviously isnt up to date on how municipalities pay for services. You pay for ambulance service as well as fire protection. EVERYONE pays a little to prevent the few from paying a lot. That would lead to there being no service at all. Personally, I would rather pay $50 - $75 per year to have a DECENT service nearby than to pay nothing for ...well...exactly that...NOTHING!

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Thursday, Mar 20 at 7:01 AM Dennis wrote ...

Coloma Ambulance is not free. People who use the service get charged, people who don't need it....don't. When is the last time you paid for groceries you didn't get?

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Wednesday, Mar 19 at 11:28 PM Anonymous wrote ...

Sorry, I meant Van Buren County!

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Wednesday, Mar 19 at 11:27 PM I'm Anonymous Too wrote ...

Hey Anonymous 7:35 just a little FYI Coloma gets service for free also. So now you can say you are paying for 2 counties, not to mention Mr. Balow is now trying to get Watervliet for free as well. I'm sorry man or woman but you are paying for everyones ambulance service.

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Wednesday, Mar 19 at 11:27 PM Anonymous wrote ...

Actually VB county is fronting the tab for ALL of CEMS covereage area now! Coloma and Coloma Twp are getting the service for ZERO subsidy! The only subsidy CEMS get's is from Van Buren Twp now!

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Wednesday, Mar 19 at 7:35 PM Anonymous wrote ...

I would like to know how come we in the north have of Van Buren Co have to pay a mill for coverage from Coloma EMS and the people in Cass Co get it for free. I sure hope my tax dollars are going to them!!! I feel that if they (Cass) get it for free then we should too!!! I hope our Twp board members are looking in to it and hard!!!

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Wednesday, Mar 19 at 3:22 PM Dave wrote ...

Sorry about that, I misread the comment, my fault! I have worked for 2 defunked ambulance services, Cass and Dowagiac. Cass didn't go under because of money issues, Cass actually was good (I say that lightly) with money at the end, they went because the community wanted ALS. Dowagiac, well we all know what happened to them. I wonder if they could have stayed longer had they not had $20,000 STOLEN from them? Yes, I have been keeping track of times and such!

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Wednesday, Mar 19 at 12:31 PM Check here wrote ...

http://www.topix.com/city/dowagiac-mi/2008/03/dowagiac-ambulance-service-manager-charged-with-embezzlement

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Wednesday, Mar 19 at 12:11 PM wow wrote ...

Dave I suggest you and anyone else you know keep track of time and addresses when there are calls like this.Send a letter and let the family know what happened. They deserve to know how they are not being served,I'd want to know. The people are probably the ones that can throw it in the town and the fire chief's face that they screwed the town out of good care.DVFD welcome to the future fire dept's have to fo EMS. The town needs to look into that too.

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Wednesday, Mar 19 at 10:11 AM Anonymous wrote ...

Dave? can't you read it said that the twp car was in route to the ER with an attempted suicide pt on board and the city car was in route to the ball rd call. where did you go to school DUHS (Duh High school)

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Wednesday, Mar 19 at 9:49 AM Anonymous wrote ...

Hey, Dave how many defunked Ambulance services have you been on (let's see)Cass Ambulance, then to Life-Care then to Dowagiac then back to Life-Care, seems to me you need to take care of Dave.

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Wednesday, Mar 19 at 2:17 AM Dave wrote ...

12104: If that's the case, how come the Wayne Twp unit wasn't going to the Ball Road call?? Why was the Wayne Twp unit going to Dow and the Dow unit going to Wayne Twp? How come someone from Decature BEAT the ambulance there? Hmm! GO CEMS! NOT! The director knew about the debit card, don't let that fool you! I knew about the debit card and all I did was order supplies! The director should be just as much at fault for not keeping track of the money!

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Tuesday, Mar 18 at 11:16 PM Anonymous wrote ...

By the way just for the record, she is 53 NOT 43.

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Tuesday, Mar 18 at 10:59 PM CLS wrote ...

Seems people are blaming the ambulance director for not catching the ATM use and money missing. HAS ANYONE HEARD OF IDENTIY THIEFT? All the directors info is on record and could be lifted.If someone is smart enough to embezzle, they are smart enough to take someones identity. Maybe she (the director) didn't even know there was an ATM card in existance. Red flags should be raised about CEMS,since Kathy came in and embezzled enough money to put DAS out of business,and she had worked for CEMS.

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Tuesday, Mar 18 at 8:33 PM Anonymous wrote ...

HEY OUT THERE...IS ANYONE PAYING ATTENTION? Mr Balows salary jumped from $90k to $180k in 1 years time and he bought a 1/2 million dollar home in prestigious Texas Twp in Kalamazoo County and that was before any contract was signed by Cass County. Are there any red flags flying around yet? Does anyone even care? Someone should be looking into his financial records to make sure he and CEMS are on the up and up.

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Tuesday, Mar 18 at 7:14 PM Anonymous wrote ...

to anonymous at 0845,well if the ambulance service was owned by the Volunteer Fire Department then they should have had a handle on the finances right?The DFD are just a bunch of bullies.Running out the ambulance because you don't like them. Again SHAME ON YOU! Face it DFD it's not all fire and accidents anymore. Good luck City of Dowagiac with CEMS. I hope your life doesn't depend on it. Kathy did what she did but do not put the blame on the former crews. Good job past crews.

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Tuesday, Mar 18 at 6:53 PM Geesh wrote ...

18 minutes? When you don't have a pulse and your are not breathing? OH that's ok cause the service is free. Right?? I think this is a clear cut case of you get what you pay for.

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Tuesday, Mar 18 at 6:51 PM Anonymous wrote ...

Kathy is responsible for stealing. However the director, who was also Kathy's full time partner, should have had some clue. Also the accountant that handles their books, and the town board. Why would they need an ATM card in the first place? How would you not know it was missing? It's clear that Dowagiac EMS was ran by incompetent people that had no business running a business. The town owes it to it's people to make sure that their tax dollars aren't being mishandled and they failed...

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Tuesday, Mar 18 at 6:22 PM Wayne 12104 wrote ...

First ambulance was in route to Dow with attempted suicide. Second ambulance was coming from Dow to the Ball Rd. call. I was there CEMS didn't get lost. There was nothing they could do to revive the patient.

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Tuesday, Mar 18 at 5:22 PM Me wrote ...

To: 9:32 AM Mark from Dowagiac wrote ...Just for the record Screw CEMS it only took them 18 Min to respond to a full arrest now what kind of service is that you tell me Dowagiac is getting screwed! And yes Kathy is to blame for the majority of it.

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Tuesday, Mar 18 at 4:17 PM Dave wrote ...

Mark, I'm a volunteer firefighter and have a pager/radio with me at all times, THAT's how I hear what is going on. I do have a real job that I show great passion in! Through my job and the fire department I get to hear the 'inside scoop' and get to see other services work first hand. So before you try and tell me again that I don't know what I'm talking about you may want to stop just shy of "I don't know what I'm talking about" because I will debate it with you as long as you'd like!

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Tuesday, Mar 18 at 3:16 PM Tax Payer wrote ...

Mark probably unlike you we listen to our pagers that we carry with us 24/7 it's called dedication to our community unlike Kathy & CEMS who where and are only here for themselves & the money. Get a job and you wouldn't need a free ambulance. remember you only get what you pay for. sure hope we don't find out Mr. Balow is in on this.

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Tuesday, Mar 18 at 1:44 PM Mark from Dowagiac wrote ...

Dave and TaxPayer, How do you guys keep on top of every ambulance dispatch, track every ambulance move in Cass, Berrien, Van Buren, and Kalamazoo, and keep times for each unit? Don't you guys have real jobs? CEMS is here, so deal with it. No amount of complaining will bring back Dowagiac Ambulance.

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Tuesday, Mar 18 at 1:12 PM Tax Payer wrote ...

why did the city have to pay for refurb. i hear Mr. Balow has offered or is paying the utilities at wayne twp. and for Kathy she gets what she deserves along with CEMS

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Tuesday, Mar 18 at 12:00 PM Dave wrote ...

Mark, Have you used CEMS yet?? Did you know the CITY put up $9000 to referb the old DPS building so they could have a station?? So much for free eh?? People have DIED because of there neglect to call for help! How great is it for an ambulance to cover ALL of the area from the Indian Lake Fire station? When they take the two ambo's they have sitting here to K-zoo for NON EMERGENCY transfers they put an ambulance at ILVFD! Hope you don't live far away!!! KATHY DESERVES PRISON!!!!

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Tuesday, Mar 18 at 10:58 AM Doctor Proctor wrote ...

Someone was just released from jail for hitting another person over the head with a metal bar, so there's room for this embezzling monster of the century. Now that's justice (as long as we don't leave hour homes).

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Tuesday, Mar 18 at 10:42 AM Tax Payer wrote ...

Hey Mark since you know so much about CEMS then you heard the calls last week when Cems had three calls back to back one was a bs call and the other two were heart attacks Cems didn't even call for mutual aid they just let the patient suffer longer until they could get there. oh let's not forget Cass dispatch sent a tribal unit with a AED. WOW i hope i get that free service. Oh ya let's not forget the Ball Rd. heart attack that CEMS could not find and that patient died. ya i am keeping track.

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Tuesday, Mar 18 at 10:39 AM anonymous wrote ...

Mark obviously hasnt heard about CEMS not knowing where they are going. 19 minutes to get to a call that was FOUR blocks from their city station, and TOTALLY blowing the directions to someone not breathing in Wayne Township.......you were all warned about CEMS. Now you can ignore the truth and keep getting your citizens killed off or fix the situation and do what is right!

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Tuesday, Mar 18 at 10:30 AM Tax Payer wrote ...

hey let's face it Kathy use to work for Mr. Balow at CEMS. She did her job well, she was probably only doing what Mr. Balow wanted get in and destroy the small town ambulance service so he could move in and take over. Come on folks Mr. Butts has been taking to Mr.Balow for a couple of years, also let's not forget the Fire Chief who did everything in his power to keep the ambulance service from prospering

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Tuesday, Mar 18 at 10:29 AM EG wrote ...

Far be it from me to jump to the defense of an EMS director who clearly didn't know what she was doing to begin with, but we're missing the point. If it was easy to watch one's employees to make sure they aren't stealing, embezzlement wouldn't be an issue in this country. As inept as the director was, this was not directly her fault. Granted, maybe if she paid more attention, she would have caught the problem before it was an issue, but I digress. Point: this is Kathy's doing, not Jackie's.

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Tuesday, Mar 18 at 10:19 AM anonymous wrote ...

Kathy is the reason CEMS is in Dowagiac, I think that Brian Balow should pay her bond. What a shame! This is a black eye on EMS as an industry. So many good things could have come from having a local Ambulance Service in Dowagiac. I guess the firfighters should look back at their own behavior and see how some of the choices they made in the past have allowed this to happen. When you have a Fire Chief that doesnt want EMS in his house, bad things are bound to happen. Shame on you DFD, shame,SHAME

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Tuesday, Mar 18 at 9:32 AM Mark from Dowagiac wrote ...

I have enjoyed the service that CEMS has provided since they took over. I have not seen or heard about any problems with their service. This article is about Dowagiac being involved in another scandle and is not related to CEMS. Give it up, Dowagiac and surrounding areas are being served by CEMS now. The board made a good decision for the people they serve. Lets move forward. Stop the bad-mouthing.

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Tuesday, Mar 18 at 8:50 AM Anonymous wrote ...

It's funny that someone can put the blame on the fire department when the two were seperate entities. Just because your aunt was the director stop trying to place the blame on someone else. Your aunt is just as much to blame! It is her responsibility to run the day to day business, which includes MONEY! Stop trying to save your aunt! Kathy and the Director should give written apologies to the community, fire dept, and employees! It is there fault Dowagiac Ambulance is GONE!

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Tuesday, Mar 18 at 8:45 AM Anonymous wrote ...

To Anonymous at 11:33 pm, The fire department and the ambulance service had their own seperate budgets. The ambulance service was owned by the volunteer fire department. The volunteer fire department was run by a board who chose the EMS director, who as the director, should have had a handle on what was happening financially. The money for the ambulance service came from the townships and billing insurance companies. As for the fire department, the city of Dowagiac provides for them.

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Monday, Mar 17 at 11:33 PM Anonymous wrote ...

Yea well the fire department should be ashamed of themselves. Up until the ambulance service was taken over by a private company the budget for the fire department and ambulance came from the same. Right? Sure quick to point fingers at the ambulance director and manager now that they are gone, out of the station. But what about the fire department side? Where was the chief in all this. Ya know the firemen at Dowagiac Fire can't be heros without needing the EMTs and Paramedics to back them up?

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Monday, Mar 17 at 11:18 PM Anonymous wrote ...

How come the director isn't being held responsible for letting this happen? The director should have checked the statements, monies, and bills!!! The director should be charged with some sort of neglect!! She was the one that was ultimatly responsible for the business. I wonder if the comisary in prison will let you buy lipstick??

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Monday, Mar 17 at 11:17 PM Anonymous wrote ...

Sounds like the city fathers in Dowagiac failed to have the proper checks and balances in place and they went out and signed on with the cheapest service they could find. Remember cheaper is not usually better.

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Monday, Mar 17 at 11:07 PM anonymous wrote ...

Nobody is siding with Kathy...she will get what she deserves if convicted. That is now up to the courts. But you should be worried about the service that can come into an area and state they can do it for free when 5 other very reputable services stated they needed a subsidy. Something fishy here.

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Monday, Mar 17 at 10:51 PM Anonymous wrote ...

Sounds like someone should investigate Coloma EMS and how they operate!

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Monday, Mar 17 at 9:27 PM Anonymous wrote ...

Coloma hires anything that walks and carries a license. I choose to work for an employer that is picky about who they hire. Hiring quality people means you will have quality patient care, as well as a quality service to work for. Dowagiac was a good place to work. It isn't the employee's fault when a co-worker goes bad. She will get what she deserves because what goes around comes around. The EMS director should have been the leader she was hired to be and known what Kathy was doing.

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Monday, Mar 17 at 9:22 PM Paula wrote ...

I think that a lipstick shade more in the bronze/ brown palet would have gone better with the prison orange.

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Monday, Mar 17 at 9:17 PM just me wrote ...

what a waste of a good brain she could put you all to shame

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Monday, Mar 17 at 8:12 PM Joe wrote ...

Come on guys- admit it- she played you- she played every last one of you and you all fell for it. You got on the Kathy bandwagon and dissed Coloma Ambulance and played right into her game. Isn't it time to move on and admit that maybe- just MAYBE this wasn't the only thing she was lying about? What kind of person steals from their so-called "friends"? Kathy cares about Kathy- that's abundantly clear now. I hope she enjoyed her Xmas Eve shopping spree in Chicago...

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Monday, Mar 17 at 8:10 PM Anonymous wrote ...

Since when did this start to become about CEMS?? How about the fact that a PARAMEDIC, that we are suppose to trust with our lives betray's the community's volunteer fire department, the community, and her fellow co-workers by her selfish acts of taking all of that money! I hope she get's the book thrown at her, loses her paramedic license (she wasn't a good paramedic anyway), and sits in prison for a while, THEN let's see how tough she is!!

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Monday, Mar 17 at 7:24 PM Anonymous wrote ...

Hey Anonymous- (Kathy) keep on trying to avoid the real subject matter here- you were SOOOOO dedicated to the service that you stole from the pockets of your co-workers and basically took food out of their children's mouths. By the way- the orange suit goes great with the red lipstick...

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Monday, Mar 17 at 6:49 PM Anonymous wrote ...

This is the SECOND embezzlment case with Dowagiac Fire Departmetn involved!!! Great track record, huh?

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Monday, Mar 17 at 5:35 PM Jim wrote ...

Spoken like a CEMS employee

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Monday, Mar 17 at 5:00 PM Anonymous wrote ...

Yeah....tell me again how the director of CEMS salary went from $90,000 in 2006 to over $180,000 in 2007 and he just bought a $500,000 home in Texas Twp. He tells Cass County residents he can provide the coverage for free but residents in Van Buren County have to dish out 1 mill to subsidize his operations. Where is the fairness in that. Maybe some news team needs to start looking into CEMS and Mr. Brian Balow's financial status.

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Monday, Mar 17 at 2:31 PM Rich wrote ...

So that's how CEMS can cover the Dowagiac area without any additional taxes! They keep an eye on their money and they must screen their employees better.

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Monday, Mar 17 at 12:36 PM Anonymous wrote ...

PLUS THOSE ATM FEES.

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