Zelie fire department's raffle money not missing after all
ZELIENOPLE - What the borough fire department first feared was a theft turned out to be just a misunderstanding.
The Zelienople Volunteer Fire Department, which is selling tickets for its annual car raffle, filed a report with borough police a little more than a week ago after several businesses said they had already turned over sales money when department representatives came around collecting.
The discrepancy, at first feared and reported as a theft, was actually the result of miscommunication between the fire department and the businesses, said fire Chief Drew Mathew.
After finishing a complete audit of ticket sales, Mathew said all tickets and proceeds are accounted for.
He said the department filed the report with police as a safety precaution but, once the audit was finished, the hunt for an "older" woman named Alice - who allegedly was posing as a fire department representative - was no longer necessary.
This first place prize in this year's raffle is a 2005 Ford Mustang.
The fire department sells the raffle tickets for $5 each with the drawing coming on Sept. 10. The second place prize is cash.
Despite accounting for every ticket sale in the audit, Mathew said ticket holders can check their stubs with their tickets at the fire hall at 7 p.m. Tuesday or 7 p.m. Aug. 30.
He said holders who come in would be able to see their ticket stubs waiting to be mixed into the barrel from which the 2005 winner will be chosen.
Last week, the department circulated a letter from Mathew to borough residents and businesses explaining the misunderstanding.
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