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EXETER — Better late than never.
Deprived since Friday of two weeks’ pay, employees of Exeter Community Ambulance finally got paid, an employee confirmed Wednesday to the Times Leader.
The employee, who requested not to be identified for fear of repercussions, said some of the organization’s 15 members received their pay Tuesday night at a special meeting called to discuss the issue. Others received paychecks Wednesday morning when reporting to work.
As far as an explanation as to what caused the holdup, which the employee said resulted in suspended service at least one day last weekend, the employee didn’t believe there was one — and was afraid to pursue the answers.
“I’m not asking any questions at this point. You get in too much trouble,” the employee said Wednesday.
Instead, an official said the investigation would be kept in-house.
Reached Tuesday afternoon by phone, Ralph Dixon, ambulance company chief, confirmed the launch of an “internal investigation” into the missed checks, headed by the organization’s president, Richard McNeil. Dixon refused further comment and told the reporter that he was instructed not to disclose the McNeils’ phone numbers.
The employee wasn’t sure why other members were told not to release phone numbers.
“If I had to take a guess it’s because they don’t want negativity,” the employee said. “They just don’t want things in the paper.”
But the responsibility to answer for “higher-ups” that oversee the organization shouldn’t fall on the shoulders of its employees, the employee continued.
One of those officials, the ambulance company’s vice president and McNeil’s nephew, Thomas McNeil Jr., is the husband of Stephanie McNeil, former treasurer of Exeter Hose Company No. 1.
Stephanie McNeil was ousted from her position late last year and has been identified as being at the center of an investigation into alleged financial irregularities at the fire company.
Multiple messages left Tuesday and Wednesday for organization treasurer Richard Turner were not returned.