INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana State Police officials are warning residents of a fake crowdfunding account claiming to benefit the family of fallen ISP Trooper Aaron Smith.
According to ISP, they were notified of the account recently and determined it to be a scam.
“It’s heartbreaking that there are people out there who will prey on folks that just want to help. They use that to their advantage and commit fraud,” ISP Sgt. John Perrine said.
However, as state police warn of fake crowdfundings, there are other groups working to honor Smith in a positive way.
“[CGX Crossfit] will be hosting an event on July 30 for Aaron Smith. He was one of our members here,” Toni Kegle said.
The event will include a “workout of the day” and a fundraiser. The goal is to keep Smith’s memory alive.
“Support him. Honor him. If you can’t participate in the workout of the day, that’s OK. Just come and talk about him and good memories,” Kegle said.
Kegle is the General Manager of CGX Crossfit in Bargersville. She says she would coach Smith during his workouts.
“He would always give me a hard time about things. I would always try to correct his form,” Kegle said.
Kegle told WRTV that when Smith’s wife was at the gym with him, he would be very careful with her because she recently had back surgery.
“I thought that it was funny because he would always pick on her a bit and try to keep her in line,” Kegle said.
Indiana State Police Trooper Kari Woodard is also remembering her time spent with Smith.
“I was classmates with Trooper Smith. He was my partner throughout everything,” Woodard said.
That was in 2018. On Wednesday, she spent the day looking through photos of Smith at the State Police Post.
“There might be things people are going through that you may not know. Just be there for them, that’s what Smith would do,” Woodard said.
