Cedar man jailed after failing Sobriety Court

Gregory S. Peplinski, 55, was sentenced to six months in the Leelanau County jail after a failed attempt in Sobriety Court.  He was stopped for an equipment violation in Centerville Township on March 29, 2013 at 8:48pm.  The deputy determined Peplinski was intoxicated and he was arrested for Operating While Intoxicated 3rd Offense.  His Datamaster breath test result was .16%.

Peplinski pleaded guilty to OWI II in Sobriety Court but failed the program.  He was resentenced to 180 days in jail with Community Corrections possibility after 30 days.

$2,500 fraud reported

A Leelanau Township resident reported to the Leelanau County Sheriff's Office that he was defrauded out of $2,500 recently.  The victim said he was instructed to wire $2,500 by Western Union to a person in Florida in order to receive the Mercedes Benz and $100,000 he won in a sweepstakes.  He never received either prize and told a deputy that he now believes he has been defrauded.  An investigation will be conducted but the chance of locating the fraudster is remote as they are often located off-shore in foreign countries.

Citizens are reminded to never send money in order to receive sweepstakes winnings.  Requests to wire the money using Western Union or Moneygram are red flags of a scam as well.  Call the Leelanau County Sheriff's Office with any questions on the validity of a contest or promotion.  The old adage of "If it seems to good to be true, it probably is" is certainly the case with Internet, phone or mail scams.