A Lakes of the Four Seasons woman waited nearly two hours before venting her anger and frustration at the end of the Winfield Town Council meeting.
“I want some answers and I want them now,” Marie Buckingham said, while also threatening legal action against town officials.
“The council did give away my dog. I’m not taking this lightly. It’s an investment I made in the community. I guess the town council didn’t want to do that,” she said.
Buckingham three years ago donated a $16,000 trained K-9 to the Winfield Police Department with the stipulation the black Labrador retriever, named Rak after her son’s initials, would remain there until his retirement.
Rak is not with the department but apparently was taken by his handler, Sgt. Stephen Garpow, who has resigned his position, according to town officials.
“We realize the impact on you. We’re dealing with his attorney,” Town Councilman Zack Beaver, R-at-large, said.
“We are actively trying to get him (Rak) back,” Beaver said.
Beaver, after the meeting, said Garpow had been on paid administrative leave, pending a disciplinary hearing, but he resigned at the end of December.
Garpow’s name was brought up last fall during the murder trial of Raju Rawal, 67, of Merrillville, who was later found guilty of the death on Feb. 23, 2023 of Haley Losinski, 36, of Winfield.
Garpow, as one of the first responding officers and an initial crime scene supervisor for the Winfield Police Department, was expected not to testify, according to a story published on Oct. 28 in the Post-Tribune.
That was because Garpow was on leave and expected to be fired, lawyer Jeff Williams told Judge Natalie Bokota at that same hearing.
Defense lawyer Kevin Milner said in court that Garpow was facing “various allegations” including theft, according to Post-Tribune archives.
Town Marshal Dan Ball was also placed on paid administrative leave following a Jan. 10 meeting with two members of the town council — Beaver, who served as the council’s public safety liaison, and Tim Clayton, R-at-large, who served as council president until Tuesday when that title was given to Beaver.
The two councilmen had met to discuss plans for Ball’s departure from the Winfield Police Department.
“Tim and I met with Dan to plan for his transition and things fell apart,” Beaver said.
Beaver said that Detective Corporal Jordan Billups-Taylor will assume Ball’s duties while the town conducts a search for a new police department head, and that the town plans to post a request for applicants soon.
Both Beaver and Clayton declined to provide additional details on Ball or Garpow, citing personnel matters.
Ball has the right to have a disciplinary hearing in the future if he requests one, both Beaver and Clayton said.
Buckingham, who believes Garpow was forced off the department on false allegations, last came before the Winfield Town Council at its Jan. 25 meeting three years ago to take part in Rak’s dedication ceremony.
That ceremony included Rak being “sworn in” and his paw print inked on a document pledging his oath.
Buckingham said she had promised her son, Ryan Adam Kelly, “you will never be forgotten” on his deathbed and just before he was taken off life support.
She said she bought the dog to carry on her son’s name and to get drugs off the street.
Buckingham said she took up the cause against drugs after her son was hit from behind by an impaired truck driver on Nov. 19, 2010, while driving to work.
Her son died six days later, on Thanksgiving Day, after spending nearly a week in a coma. Buckingham said she founded VOID Inc. Victims of Impaired Driving, the Ryan Adam Kelly Foundation early on after her son’s death.
“It took me three and a half years to save up $16,000,” she said.
Post-Tribune archives contributed.
Deborah Laverty is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
