STIFEL’S BRYAN RUDER EARNS CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ CERTIFICATION

ST. LOUIS — Stifel is pleased to announce that Bryan Ruder, Associate Vice President/Investments in the firm’s Evansville, Indiana, Private Client Group office, has earned the Certified Financial Planner™  (CFP^®) certification.

Mr. Ruder began his investment industry career in 2013 and joined Stifel in 2015.  In addition to the CFP^® certification, he holds the Accredited Asset Management Specialist^SM (AAMS^®) and Accredited Investment Fiduciary^® (AIF^®) certifications, Series 7, 9 & 10, and 66 licenses, and life, health, and variable insurance licenses.  He earned a Bachelor of Arts with a Spanish Major and Economics Minor from Hanover College, where he was selected for the Business Scholars Program.  

Active in the community, Mr. Ruder is president of the Green River Kiwanis and serves on the board of directors for the Ark Crisis Child Care Center and the Student Financial Aid Association.  

Stifel’s Evansville office is located at 3000 E. Morgan Avenue, Suite A and can be reached by calling (812) 475-9353.

About the Certified Financial Plannerâ„¢ Certification

The Certified Financial Planner™ certification identifies those individuals who have met the experience and ethical requirements of the CFP Board, have successfully completed financial planning coursework, and have passed the CFP^® Certification Examination covering the following areas: the financial planning process, risk management, investments, tax planning and management, retirement and employee benefits, and estate planning.  CFP^® also agree to meet ongoing continuing education requirements and to uphold CFP Board’s Code of Ethics and Professional Responsibility, Rules of Conduct, and Financial Planning Practice Standards.

The Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office has arrested an Evansville woman for defrauding a grieving family of over $18,000.00 meant to cover burial and memorial expenses for a deceased child. Caroline Marie Rich was arrested and charged with three counts of Fraud and three counts of Theft, all Level 6 felonies, following an investigation by the Sheriff’s Office.

On September 7, 2019, deputies were called to Alexander Memorial Park for a Fraud report. Detectives with the Sheriff’s Office began an investigation that revealed that Rich, a Family Service Counselor for Dignity Memorial/SCI Shared Resources which owns Alexander Memorial Park, had worked with the family of Oliver Dill, a child who passed away in July, on contracts involving the purchase of burial plots and headstones. The parents and grandparents of the child had paid a total of $19,273.00 for the plots and headstones. These payments had been made via PayPal money transfers to a PayPal account of Rich’s and personal checks made out to Rich with the belief that she would transfer the funds to Dignity Memorial. These monies were from both the victims’ personal accounts as well as a GoFundMe account set up for the Dill family to cover funeral expenses. A member of the Dill family had a personal friendship with Rich and assumed there was nothing suspicious about the payment arrangements.

The Dill family began receiving invoices indicating a substantial outstanding balance owed on the account and contacted the cemetery. It was their belief that everything had been paid in full and questioned the invoices. Dignity Memorial immediately began an internal investigation and discovered that their employee, Rich, had apparently kept all but $1,000.00 of the money paid by the Dills. That amount she had paid towards the balance using her personal bank account. Detectives with the Sheriff’s Office verified the money transfers had been made to Rich personally and that a total of $18,273.01 had apparently been stolen.

On today’s date, Rich came to the Operations Center with her attorney for an interview. Rich initially stated that she took the funds with the intention of helping the family but when detectives began questioning her story, she declined to speak further. Rich was arrested and taken to the Vanderburgh County Jail where she will be held without bond pending a court appearance.

Dignity Memorial has cooperated fully with the investigation and will refund an overage on the account charged by Rich as well as absorb the loss on the remaining balance.

ARRESTED:

Caroline Marie Rich (pictured above), 37, of Evansville. Fraud (3 counts) as a Level 6 Felony, Theft (3 counts) as a Level 6 Felony.

Presumption of Innocence Notice: The fact that a person has been arrested or charged with a crime is merely an accusation. The defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in a court of law.

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A crash this morning on Big Cynthiana Road in northern Vanderburgh County caused a box truck to overturn and resulted in one driver being transported to the hospital.

On Wednesday, September 11, 2019 at approximately 6:49 AM at State Road 65 (Big Cynthiana Road) and Nisbet Road the Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office responded to a vehicle crash involving a box truck and a Toyota Sequoia SUV. Responding deputies were advised that the occupant of the Sequoia was pinned inside with a serious leg injury.

Upon being extricated by the Scott Township Fire Department, the driver of the Sequoia was transported by ambulance to the Deaconess Hospital emergency room. On scene investigation and witness statements revealed that the Sequoia had been traveling south on SR 65 when it crossed the center line, striking the northbound box truck. The impact caused the box truck to overturn onto its side. The driver of the Sequoia admitted to deputies that he was traveling too fast and failed to negotiate a curve, causing him to strike the box truck.

Pursuant to state law regarding crashes involving serious bodily injury or death, both drivers consented to a post-crash blood draw. The crash will remain under investigation pending toxicology results, although alcohol is not currently suspected as having been a factor in the crash.

The driver of the box truck was not injured. SR 65 was shut down for a few hours while crews cleaned up the wreckage.

CORRECTION: A previous version of this article mistakenly omitted the word “not” from the sentence concerning alcohol being a factor in the crash.