Cool cash lands ex-HVAC teacher in hot water

Clark County

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Floyd “Buck” Skirvin, 49, of Jeffersonville was charged with one count of forgery, a class C felony, two counts of theft, both class D felonies, and check fraud, also a class D felony, for allegedly taking money from one of his students that he claimed he was going to invest. File photo

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August 7, 2012

Cool cash lands ex-HVAC teacher in hot water

Former Ivy Tech instructor accused of defrauding student

By BRADEN LAMMERS braden.lammers@newsandtribune.com The News and Tribune Tue Aug 07, 2012, 05:24 PM EDT

JEFFERSONVILLE — A former Ivy Tech Community College teacher has been accused of defrauding one of his students of $2,000 and a warrant has been issued for his arrest.

Floyd “Buck” Skirvin, 49, of Jeffersonville was charged with one count of forgery, a class C felony, two counts of theft, both class D felonies, and check fraud, also a class D felony, for allegedly taking money from one of his students that he claimed he was going to invest.

Skirvin was an instructor for Ivy Tech Community College’s HVAC — Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning — program, a new program that was launched at the community college’s satellite location in Jeffersonville’s Industrial Park in January. Skirvin was employed at the community college from Sept. 1, 2011, to July 9, 2012, according to Ivy Tech. The school would not comment further on Skirvin’s employment or why his tenure ended.

According to a previous report in the News and Tribune, the HVAC program was the first of its kind in the state and was a five-day-a-week program that took place over the course of 30 weeks.

It was during a break in one of the six-hour long classes that Skirvin is alleged to have approached one of his students about an online investment.

In March, a 19-year-old student was approached by Skirvin to invest online, according to a probable-cause affidavit filed in Clark Circuit Court No. 4. Skirvin claimed to have earned several hundred thousand dollars through eTrade online investments and he convinced his student to give him $1,000 for an initial investment. A week later, Skirvin asked for, and received, another $1,000. About a month later, the student asked for his money back and Skirvin reportedly showed him a bogus stock portfolio that reported the student’s investment totaled more than $3,200.

“[The victim] said he was taken into Skirvin’s confidence because the conversations and transactions took place during break times of regularly scheduled classes at Ivy Tech and he believed he could trust his teacher,” according to a Jeffersonville Police Department report.

According to the probable cause affidavit, after the student asked for his money back, Skirvin issued him a $50,000 check as “good faith funds.”

Jeffersonville Police brought Skirvin in for questioning and during the interview he said that after the student saw his online stock portfolio, the student showed an interest in opening his own account. Skirvin agreed to help and the money was exchanged. When the student began asking for the $2,000 back he wrote him the aforementioned “good faith” check.

“Skirvin admitted that he never opened an investment account for [his student] and advised he was holding his money until [the student] returned his tools he borrowed,” according to the police report.

Skirvin told police he had also placed a stop-payment on the check he had written to the student.

Clark County Chief Deputy Prosecutor Jeremy Mull said this was one incident, but it might not be the only time Skirvin took money from a student.

“In the course of our investigation, we have reason to believe there may be other victims in the case,” Mull said. “We’re just waiting to see if other students report anything similar.”

He asked that anyone else who has been potentially defrauded come forward to the Jeffersonville Police Department.

If Skirvin is convicted on the charges, he faces 17 years in prison and $40,000 in fines.