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Wednesday, June 11, 2014
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Germantown man is Brookeville drowning victim
Reaching for the future
Teen was with group of friends in Triadelphia Reservoir n
BY
TERRI HOGAN STAFF WRITER
Montgomery County police have identified a man who died while swimming in Triadelphia Reservoir in Brookeville last week as Avery Troix Williams, 19, of Germantown. Williams was last seen on June 4, swimming with a group, officials said. Police said in a news release that Williams began struggling in the water, then went under the surface. His friends called 911 for help. Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service spokesman Pete Piringer said the body was found at about 2:30 p.m. Friday in the area where rescue workers had been concentrating search efforts. The body was located
Sherwood High School graduates, including Ellis Dozier (above), line up for commencement on Monday at DAR Constitution Hall in Washington. At right, Sherwood High graduate Eleanor Wiersma waves to someone she knows in the gallery during commencement. PHOTOS BY TOM FEDOR/THE GAZETTE
about 65 feet from shore, in about 25 feet of water. The Charles County Dive Team and divers from the state Department of Natural Resources were in the water at the time the body was located. Piringer said Williams was swimming near the Greenbridge Recreation Area on June 4 with a group of about a dozen people, all in their late teens and early 20s. Swimming is prohibited in Triadelphia Reservoir. “They attempted to swim across the cove, and he went down and didn’t resurface,” Piringer said. “They were able to call 911 pretty quickly, and units from Howard and Montgomery counties responded.” The search, which used sonar and thermal imaging, continued into the evening until a storm led the operation being suspended. The search contin-
See DROWNING, Page A-12
Early voting stations County cracks down on ‘rip-off’ artists open on Thursday Rockville woman among victims of unscrupulous home contractors
n
BY
RYAN MARSHALL STAFF WRITER
Jim Crutchfield thought he was doing everything right when he hired a roofer to work on his Cabin John home. The roofer provided references who gave good reports of his work when Crutchfield called them. The contractor said he had a license to do roofing jobs, but Crutchfield didn’t ask to see the
license before the work began in December 2012. Crutchfield said the man made plenty of promises to finish the work but failed to do so, ultimately even removing part of the work that had been done and saying he didn’t have enough money to finish. Crutchfield said the experience that ultimately cost him about $8,000 was frustrating, but he learned a valuable lesson. Crutchfield’s lesson was the same that all homeowners should learn before letting anyone do work on or around their house, said Eric Friedman, director of Montgomery County’s Of-
fice of Consumer Protection. “You really need to make sure they’ve got their license,” Friedman said. On Friday, Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett (D) announced a renewed effort by police and county departments to crack down on “rip-off artists” who target residents with fraudulent offers to do projects such as roof or driveway repair or tree work or removal. “We will not tolerate the victimization of our residents, particularly our seniors,” Leggett said. Leggett appeared with representatives from the Montgom-
ery County Police Department, Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office, Montgomery’s Office of Consumer Protection, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and the state Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation and police from other jurisdictions. They spoke at the Rockville home of Selma Nootenboom, an elderly woman who was charged $2,000 for tree work despite agreeing to pay only $700. Nootenboom is legally blind and hard of hearing, her nephew Eric Barr said Friday.
See RIP-OFF, Page A-12
There will be nine early-voting sites in Montgomery County, open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily from Thursday through June 19. County, state and federal races will be on the ballot. More information is at montgomerycountymd.gov/elections/index2. html. The Gazette’s online voters guide, with candidate profiles and more, is at gazette.net/ section/vg2014.
Early-voting sites • Activity Center at Bohrer Park, 506 S. Frederick Ave., Gaithersburg • Damascus Recreation Center, 25520 Oak Drive, Damascus
• Germantown Recreation Center, 18905 Kingsview Road, Germantown • Jane Lawton Recreation Center, 4301 Willow Lane, Chevy Chase • Marilyn J. Praisner Recreation Center, 14906 Old Columbia Pike, Burtonsville • Mid-County Recreation Center, 2004 Queensguard Road, Silver Spring • County Executive Office Building, 101 Monroe St., Rockville • Silver Spring Civic Center, 1 Veterans Plaza, Silver Spring • Wheaton Recreation Center, 11711 Georgia Ave., Wheaton
Chamber honors real estate agent, winery Awards presented at Celebration of Excellence n
BY
TERRI HOGAN STAFF WRITER
Bette Buffington and The Winery at Olney were recognized for their contributions to the community at the Olney Chamber of Commerce’s annual Celebration of Excellence, held on June 5. Bette Buffington received the Business Person of the Year Award. After a career in nursing, she began her
real estate endeavor in 1979, after moving to the Olney area with her husband “Doctor Joe,” a now retired obstetrician/gynecologist. She opened her first office in 1985, and now has thriving businesses in both Olney and Clarksburg. Buffington credits her husband, her son Joe Buffington and others for making everything possible. “It’s really a great honor, but it is not just me,” she said. “My family has been supportive in everything I have done.” When the Buffingtons opened the Olney RE/MAX Realty Centre, they included
See CHAMBER, Page A-12
SPORTS
ELECTION
SWINGING FOR THE FENCES
2014 Learn more about the candidates running in the June 24 primary. Check out our online voters guide at www. gazette.net/voters guide2014.
a community room to help satisfy Olney’s need for meeting space. In 2013 more than 200 classes, meetings, clinics or shows took place in the room, most of them at a greatly reduced nonprofit rate, or pro bono. In December, Buffington learned that Curves, a gym and fitness center for women located in her Olney Building, was closing. She didn’t want to lose a tenant, but also knew how much the members enjoyed it. She and Doctor Joe purchased the business two months ago, joined by one of her agents, Denise Fox.
Richard Montgomery graduate earns honors, gets game against Team USA.
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Bette Buffington (left) of RE/MAX Realty is congratulated by Jon Hulsizer, executive director of the Olney Chamber of Commerce, after Buffington was awarded Business Person of the Year during the chamber’s 2014 awards ceremony June 5 at Manor Country Club in Rockville.