LUDLOW, Ky.
- The telephone at the police station rang almost non-stop Wednesday with tips on the whereabouts of a couple who stole $100,000 from an elderly woman.
"It's been constant all day," Sgt. Benny Johnson said. "Everybody's
got ideas. But nothing's panning out so far."
Aileen Hellebush, 93, lost the money Tuesday afternoon after she paid a man $2,000 to put a coating on the roof of her Oak Street house. Investigators think the man saw Mrs. Hellebush take the cash out of a safe and saw where she kept the key. He went back and removed all the money when a woman he was with distracted Mrs. Hellebush by asking to see her garden.
The Hellebush family has lived in Ludlow for years, operating a paint store for some time and owning property around Northern Kentucky, police said. Mrs. Hellebush could not be reached for comment.
Investigators thought they had a solid lead Wednesday when a tip led them to a man who has a previous record in Adams County, Ohio. But he did not turn out to match the description in Mrs. Hellebush's case.
For now, Sgt. Johnson said, the department can do little except follow up every lead.
The suspect is described as a white male, 5-feet-4, 150 to 160 pounds and 30 to 45 years old. He has collar-length brown hair and was wearing a teal T-shirt, blue jeans and work boots. Anyone with information is asked to call Ludlow police at 261-8186 or the Kenton County dispatch center at 261-8185.
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WOMAN, 93, LOSES $100,000 IN SCHEME August 27, 1997
