Police beat Sept. 7
Welfare fraud charge: Chelsey M. Wilson, 21, of 42 Route 21 Mobile Home Park, Cumberland Township, was charged Tuesday by an agent with the state Office of Inspector General with welfare fraud after she allegedly failed to report the father of her children, a household member, had begun earning a wage. According to the criminal complaint, Wilson obtained $2,172 in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits from Sept. 1, 2016, through Jan. 31, for which she was not eligible.
Escape charge: Justin Eugene McElroy, 27, an inmate at Greene County jail, was charged by the Greene County district attorney’s office with escape after he allegedly failed to return to jail from a drug treatment program. The district attorney’s office said Greene County President Judge Farley Toothman ordered McElroy to be furloughed May 11 from the sentence he was serving in order to enter an inpatient rehabilitation program. On May 27, McElroy was discharged from Greenbriar before completing the program, and he failed to return to the jail, according to the criminal complaint. Greene County sheriff’s deputies arrested McElroy on a bench warrant July 19, the complaint said.
Contempt charge: Charles Franklin Varner Jr., 55, of Franklin Township, was charged by state police with contempt for allegedly violating a protection-from-abuse order by going to the Bedilion Road residence of a woman with whom he had been ordered to have no contact. Police said the woman contacted police after Varner allegedly showed up at her residence at 2:30 a.m. Tuesday, argued with her and had physical contact with her. According to the criminal complaint, the woman has had an active PFA against Varner since Sept. 29, 2014. Police issued a warrant for Varner’s arrest.