Found Deceased IA - Ethan Kazmerzak, 22, Hampton, 15 Sept 2013 *vehicle found*

[Redux]

Here's the AWP vid showing the discovery of Ethan submerged in his vehicle and the recovery operation. Kudos to AWP for their successful efforts. They rectified a failed, incompetent search and brought resolution. And what did they get for their trouble? - they got screwed out of the supposed reward. Nice.

Whaaaa? Anyone know why? Please tell me there's a reasonable explanation cause those guys go out there of their own volition and volunteer the services to the family, relying on donations and reward money to keep them afloat. Hrrmmph.

 

[Finlay]

Crime Stoppers USA legal director weighs in on Kazmerzak reward

According to the terms of the reward, it was valid through the end of 2015 and could be extended by those putting up the reward money.

The anonymous donors say it expired in 2015, but as recently as September 2020, Hampton Police Chief Robert Schaefer told reporters it was still available. Schaefer declined to comment on when the reward was last renewed.

.......


Richard Carter is a retired Texas municipal judge and currently serves as the Director of Legal Services for Crimestoppers USA.

"I think these sorts of things are important because you have to have the confidence that rewards that are offered are going to be paid," he said. "It is better to have the money in hand as opposed to pledges or promises."

Carter was not involved with the Kazmerzak case, but he has dealt with rewards from crime stoppers and other similar programs since 1976 and shared his thoughts in an interview with KWWL.

In this case, the reward was offered by a handful of anonymous donors and not handled by officials, something Carter cautioned against.

"They are good-hearted people with the best of intentions, but they may not have the experience in contract law," he said. "They may not understand how law enforcement handles these things or how you manage the reward, so you don't end up getting yourself involved in litigation."

 

[mlhenn]

Dive team who found missing Iowa man's remains may sue for $100,000 reward

A month and a half after a dive team found Ethan Kazmerzak's car and remains in a Franklin County pond in October, a battle is brewing over the $100,000 reward in the case.

Jared Leisek and Sam Ginn, two Oregon-based divers who specialize in recovering vehicles underwater, found the car. They have a YouTube channel called "Adventures with Purpose." The group traveled to the area twice to search for Ethan and documented it in videos released on their youtube channel.

Now, the group says it is considering suing to get the reward.

Leisek said he did not pursue the case because of the large reward but said he and his team feel they are owed that money.

 

[itsrak]

Dive team who found missing Iowa man's remains may sue for $100,000 reward

A month and a half after a dive team found Ethan Kazmerzak's car and remains in a Franklin County pond in October, a battle is brewing over the $100,000 reward in the case.

Jared Leisek and Sam Ginn, two Oregon-based divers who specialize in recovering vehicles underwater, found the car. They have a YouTube channel called "Adventures with Purpose." The group traveled to the area twice to search for Ethan and documented it in videos released on their youtube channel.

Now, the group says it is considering suing to get the reward.

Leisek said he did not pursue the case because of the large reward but said he and his team feel they are owed that money.

The people who'd initially promised to contribute to reward funds are presumably local. They'd have known that in Sept. on the anniversary of the disappearance, media was stating that the reward was still a thing. If they were no longer backing the reward, they should have contacted media to correct that. Did media confirm with those backing the reward that the reward was still active, or was it LE that suggest that it was still active, or did media just make an assumption that reward was still active?

IMO, if reward funds are not held in escrow or in a local bank account, I'd assume there isn't really a reward.

 

[mlhenn]

The people who'd initially promised to contribute to reward funds are presumably local. They'd have known that in Sept. on the anniversary of the disappearance, media was stating that the reward was still a thing. If they were no longer backing the reward, they should have contacted media to correct that. Did media confirm with those backing the reward that the reward was still active, or was it LE that suggest that it was still active, or did media just make an assumption that reward was still active?

IMO, if reward funds are not held in escrow or in a local bank account, I'd assume there isn't really a reward.

In the one article, it stated LE told the media.
The anonymous donors say it expired in 2015, but as recently as September 2020, Hampton Police Chief Robert Schaefer told reporters it was still available. Schaefer declined to comment on when the reward was last renewed.

 

[HauntsForHope]

Heh. I was right way back then. As a member of AWP I feel they should get the reward. The team works hard to help sove cold cases like this.

 

[evilwise]

I remember when the car SAS found thinking that $100,000 was a pretty good payday even for a long distance underwater recovery operation. This is going to be a pretty interesting case to follow. Of course AWP is going to pursue cases with higher rewards and it's silly that they have to pretend large rewards have nothing to do with what cases they choose. Unfortunately that concern probably prevented them from feeling comfortable inquiring about the current state of the reward and their undertaking was almost certainly related to Chief Schaefer's comments. I feel like they have every right to sue for the full $100,000 and it's reasonable for them to accept a settlement that can cover their operational expenses. I'm sure the city's insurance can cover it. What makes it complex is their image. Their brand is quite virtuous and they need to be able to calculate if the damage to that would be worth the money.

 

[Algo214]

I don't see how suing for what they in good faith believed was a currently valid reward for what they accomplished to do would do any damage to AWP's image.
It would only be fair that they get the money in my opinion.

 

[CastlesBurning]

Adventures with Purpose: Volunteer dive team solves nearly 25 missing-person cold cases — and counting