When an anonymous citizen called Charles County Crime Solvers to report the whereabouts of a La Plata man wanted since early 2004 for possession of child pornography, the tipster’s information led to the arrest of the fugitive. In March, the tipster received a $1,000 reward from Crime Solvers for the information. But the tipster wasn’t finished helping the community yet.
John Groat, president of Charles County Crime Solvers, and Cpl. Don Kabala, the Sheriff’s Office’s Crime Solvers liaison, donated the money to Paula Hancock, a Civista Health Foundation board member, at the tipster’s request in March.
For those who are not familiar with the Crime Solvers process, here’s how it works: If you have information about a crime in Charles County, call the Crime Solvers hotline at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477). Someone will take your information and assign you an identification number. The call taker will forward the information to the investigator. You remain anonymous.
If your information leads to the arrest or indictment of a suspect in a crime, you are eligible for a reward of up to $1,000. The amount of the reward is determined by the Crime Solvers board of directors, which is comprised of citizen volunteers. To find out if you are eligible for a reward, call Cpl. Kabala at 301-609-3282, ext. 292. You will only need to give him your assigned identification number. He will let you know if you are eligible for a reward and, if you are, how to collect it.