DANVILLE -- A notary in Montour County is accused of breaking the law, and even though 177 names of victims are mentioned in court papers, we had a hard time trying to find anybody who would say anything bad about the suspect!
We made numerous phone calls and stopped by several businesses, but nobody had anything bad to say about Natalie Wetzel of Danville. The same Natalie Wetzel who is charged with 85 counts of theft. Some of the folks we spoke with, do not even believe they are victims. But we're told several other victims, including two state police troopers were prepared to testify before Wetzel gave up her right to a preliminary hearing.
State police said Wetzel Notary Service went out of business when its owner's daughter, Natalie Wetzel of Danville, allegedly kept money and fees she collected for her own personal use while working there. Wetzel faces 85 charges, including theft by deception.
According to state police, between February 2012 and February 2013, Wetzel intentionally kept almost $42,000 for herself while working at the business in Danville, which was owned by her father. Court papers list 177 alleged victims.
Even though Natalie Wetzel faces all those charges, Newswatch 16 was not able to find anyone who had anything bad to say about her. We even spoke with someone who is listed in the court paperwork as one of her victims.
"We don't understand why. We've never had an issue," Andy Lysiak said.
Andy Lysiak works at Riverside Notary, which used to be Riverside Garage. The business is listed as one of Wetzel's alleged victims. Lysiak said he doesn't understand why.
"We've actually never had any issues with her at all. She's always been very fair to us. She's always been prompt. I've never had any reason to complain," Lysiak said.
"She always did everything for us that she was supposed to do. The paperwork went where it needed to go and the people got what they needed to get," Derl Reichard Jr. Said.
Reichard Junior and his father own a used car business and said they've dealt with Wetzel many times.
"We were very surprised when we found out that the business had been shut down and what had happened to her," Reichard said.
We were not able to get a hold of the investigating officer for a comment about why Riverside Garage was listed as an alleged victim. Investigators said most of the alleged victims have since received their money. If you feel you are a victim in this case, you are asked to contact state police.