January 16, 2012

SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT – Fire crews battled a house fire and the bitter cold this morning in Lycoming County.  Lycoming County 9-1-1 tells us the fire was at 538 Route 15 in South Williamsport, also known as South Market Street.  Fire crews were called there just after 2 this morning.  Water being used to fight the fire caused Route 15 in the area to become slick and a bit hazardous earlier this morning, but the roadway is again safely passable after being treated.  No one was inside the home when the blaze broke out and fire officials say the fire was under control in about 90 minutes.  No injuries were reported.  The cause of the fire is under investigation.
(WGRC)

MEISERVILLE – Fire crews were called to a house fire in Snyder County this afternoon.   Fire fighters responded to 966 Lauver Hill Road in Chapman Township for a reported house fire.  Fire crews from at least two counties were sent there just after 3 this afternoon.  They remained on scene as of 5:30 this evening.
(WGRC)

PERRYVILLE – Three injured in a two car crash in Lycoming County early this afternoon.  Rescue crews were sent to the 8100 block of Route 15 north in Cogan House Township for a vehicle accident just before 12:30 this afternoon.  Reports from the scene said three people were hurt with two entrapped.  All three were taken to a hospital by ambulance.  Route 15 north in Cogan House Township was closed for about an hour as crews worked at the scene.
(WGRC)

OLIVER TOWNSHIP – Investigators are working to determine who tried to kill pigs housed on a Perry County farm.  Newport State Police say someone shut off several breakers, the main power and the backup generator at the Aspen Perry Pig Farm on Oak Hall Road in Oliver Township.  Police haven’t said if any pigs were harmed during the Sunday afternoon incident. 
(WGRC)

GILBERTON – A Schuylkill County man and woman are charged after an altercation Friday night.  State Police say 47-year old Connie Delowery of Gilberton hit 43-year old John Blashock, also of Gilberton, in the head with a bottle just before 10 Friday night at a home on Chapel Lane in Gilberton during a confontation.  Delowery is jailed on $20,000 bail and charged with simple assault and harassment.  Blashock is charged with simple trespass and harassment for instigating the incident.
John Callahan (WGRC)

BELLEFONTE – A Centre County man is being evaluated to determine if he is a violent sexual predator.  24-year old Justin Hickox had a hearing Friday to find out if an expert thinks he should be classified as a violent sexual predator.  Hickox pleaded guilty in March to charges involving his relationship with an 8-year old boy he met through Big Brothers Big Sisters and whose mother he later married.  After the prosecution’s expert testified, Hickox’s attorney asked that they be allowed to hire their own expert to evaluate Hickox and possibly testify on his behalf.  The Centre Daily Times reports, Hickox also wants to withdraw his earlier guilty plea, but a judge has yet to rule on that motion. 
(WGRC)

UNDATED – Today marks the Martin Luther King Junior national holiday.  The third Monday of January is set aside each year to honor the civil rights leader who was assassinated in 1968.  Former President Ronald Reagan first signed the holiday into law in 1983.  There will be no government services, mail service or school today.  
(WGRC)

SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT – In Lycoming County, South Williamsport Borough Police are advising motorists to use added caution when traveling along Route-15.  Police say road conditions are slippery from water used as fire crews worked overnight at the scene of a structure fire.  Those roads are being treated by PennDOT and Borough crews.
Don Casteline (WGRC)

LEWIS TOWNSHIP – In Union County, an early Sunday morning high-speed crash injures three and leads to charges.  State Police say 32-year old Stacey Young, of Milton, was speeding when she lost control of her truck at Route-192 and Sand Mountain Road in the Bald Eagle State Forest.  The truck struck several trees and narrowly missed a PennDOT snow plow.  Both Young and another passenger sustained minor injuries, while passenger 37-year old Chastity Guyer, of Milton, was taken to Geisinger with major injuries.  A nursing supervisor tells us she is in serious condition this morning.  Police say Young has been arrested for suspicion of D-U-I. 
Don Casteline (WGRC)

McCLURE – A Mifflin County crash has left a teenager in the hospital with serious injuries.  Reports say the unidentified 17-year old lost control of her vehicle on Back Maitland Road, in Decatur Township, near McClure.  Around 3:30 Sunday afternoon, the car went off the road, struck a large boulder and rolled over.  According to the Sentinel, the driver was ejected from the wreckage and was in serious condition last night at Geisinger Medical Center.  
(WGRC)

MONTOUR TOWNSHIP – A Columbia County burn victim has died from injuries suffered more than a month ago.  The Press Enterprise reports 27-year old Elizabeth Kopitsky was pronounced dead early Sunday morning at Lehigh Valley Hospital.  Kopitsky suffered the intense burns after accidentally spilling gasoline on her hands and forearms December 1st outside her Grovania Drive home in Montour Township.  
(WGRC)

UNDATED -- No one was hurt when a vehicle struck a home in Juniata County.  Lewistown State Police are filing D-U-I charges against 24-year old Joseph Strausser, of McAlisterville, for causing the Sunday night accident at the intersection of Seven Stars Road and Schoolhouse Road in Monroe Township after 8 o’clock.
(WGRC)

NORTH MANHEIM TOWNSHIP – State Police in Schuylkill County are searching for the driver who knocked down power lines along Second Mountain Road around 3:30 Sunday morning.  Troopers say numerous lines were pulled down by what may have been a blue Chevy blazer.
(WGRC)

STATE COLLEGE - Geisinger Health System will expand its presence in Centre County by adding an 80,000- square-foot ambulatory care and surgical center to its Grays Woods facility in Patton Township. Geisinger officials said they hope to break ground by spring on the addition. Plans for the addition were filed on January 3rd. Voting by Patton Township on the plans may be as soon as February 6th. Geisinger hopes to occupy the building by 2013 or early 2014.

BALTIMORE – A Union County youngster got a ‘kick’ out of her special experience yesterday.  Thirteen-year old Kayla Kline, of Mifflinburg, was among the young champions recognized for winning the N-F-L’s Punt, Pass and Kick competition.  Each of the winners was introduced during the A-F-C Divisional playoff matchup between the Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans on Sunday.  
(WGRC)

HARRISBURG – This year’s Pennsylvania Farm Show attracted record crowds.  State officials say nearly 70-thousand vehicles were parked in Farm Show lots, up 22-percent from last year.  The annual show ran January 7th through the 14th and featured more than 10-thousand exhibits and 6-thousand animals.  ‘Storm free’ weather is cited as helping to boost the turnout.
Don Casteline (WGRC)

COAL TOWNSHIP – In Northumberland County, a suspect has been identified by police in connection with a severely injured puppy found last weekend.  The puppy was found at the bottom of a cliff behind a cemetery in the Springfield section of Coal Township. Coal Township Police Chief William Carpenter said the suspect is a local man, but he did not provide a name. The approximately 3-month-old female brindle pit bull was reportedly thrown over an embankment, which could result in a cruelty to animals misdemeanor charge for the culprit. The dog suffered brain trauma and remains in Sunbury Animal Hospital. Cheryl Hill, owner of Mostly Mutts, a no-kill animal shelter in the Sunbury area, reported the dog is improving. She said its medication has been decreased and it's sleeping better. She said the puppy is attempting to sit up, but is still not using its legs.

MOUNT CARMEL – U.S. Congressman Tom Marino will present medals to honor two World War II veterans in Northumberland County tomorrow.  The noontime ceremony will be held tomorrow at the Mount Carmel Living Center.  94-year old James Welliver, of Shamokin and the late Stanley Todzia will both be honored.
Don Casteline (WGRC)

MILTON - A Sunbury man who was identified in a grand jury report has been charged with selling drugs in 2008. Neil Neidig was charged with six felony counts of possession with intent to deliver. Neidig was identified by testimony from witnesses in a grand jury investigation into a $450,000 drug ring led by 39-year-old Michael Angstadt, of Northumberland. Neidig was jailed after failing to post $200,000 bail.

KELLY TOWNSHIP – State Police continue to investigate a Union County robbery.  Troopers say a woman allegedly demanded money from a Lewisburg woman who was at her home in Century Village, Kelly Township last Thursday night.  Police say the suspect, described as a short Hispanic woman, held a plastic knife to the victim’s throat.  The suspect fled after the victim gave her 10-dollars.
Don Casteline (WGRC)

BLOOMSBURG — A Bloomsburg woman who worked as a personal care aide admitted stealing cash from a home in Franklin Township, Columbia County where she cared for an older woman. Thirty-seven-year-old Linda Andreas, was ordered back for sentencing after pleading guilty to theft last Monday. Police say Andreas took around $1,300 in cash between May and August from the elderly woman while caring for her. The Press Enterprise reports, Andreas told police she used the money to pay for her own medical bills.

STATE COLLEGE – In his first interview since the Jerry Sandusky Child sex scandal came to light, former Penn State coach Joe Paterno is quoted as saying “he didn’t know which way to go” after an assistant coach came to him in 2002 saying he had seen retired defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky sexually abusing a boy.  Paterno told The Washington Post that assistant Mike McQueary “didn’t want to get specific” about details in his 2002 allegation involving Sandusky, who he claimed was showering with a boy in the Penn State football facility.  Paterno insists he did the right thing, and describes his career at PSU as “wonderful”.

STATE COLLEGE - The Second Mile will sell the Patton Township property where two months ago it stopped construction on what was going to be its Center for Excellence. Second Mile officials made the announcement on Friday. Construction on the 45,000- square-foot facility, at 2400 Bernel Road, was stopped in November after the charity’s founder, Jerry Sandusky, was charged with sexually abusing boys he met through the organization. The state froze a $3 million grant that had been given for the $9 million project. The Center for Excellence, on 60 acres of land near the University Park Airport, was to have had space for the charity to house camps for children as well as its main office.

Meanwhile, prosecutors have consolidated the two criminal cases against Jerry Sandusky and will try them as one, according to documents filed by the Attorney General’s Office on Friday.   Sandusky’s attorney, Joe Amendola, has until Tuesday to respond to the motion. In all, Sandusky is facing more than 50 charges of sexual abuse.

HARRISBURG - A former aide to a high-ranking Pennsylvania state House member was sentenced Friday to at least 9 months in jail for her role in a corruption case involving the illegal diversion of public resources for campaign purposes.  A Dauphin County judge also set a maximum sentence of nearly 2 years for 59-year-old Jill Seaman of Dauphin County, and ordered her to serve 6 years' probation and pay $50,000 in restitution and more than $20,000 in fines.  Seaman, an aide to former State Representative 57-year-old  Brett Feese from Lycoming County, is the first Republican to be sentenced in the 5-year-old state investigation. After a six-month trial, she and Feese, were convicted in November of 40 criminal counts each. The Associated Press reports, sentencing for Feese, is set for next month. He is a former Lycoming County prosecutor and a six-term legislator who had served as House majority whip and chairman of the House Republican Campaign Committee.

SELINSGROVE – State Police are investigating a retail theft in Snyder County.  Troopers say a woman, believed to be in her early 20’s allegedly stole several items from the Wal-Mart, near Selinsgrove, on Friday afternoon.  Police say she struggled with a  Bloomsburg man when exiting the store.  The suspect is believed to have fled in a red Ford Taurus with an Arizona registration.
(WGRC)

MILLVILLE — Suspended Millville notary Dennis Stackhouse has permanently relinquished his license to operate in Pennsylvania, ending a state probe. The Press Enterprsie reports, in 2009, the Department of State received 44 complaints alleging Stackhouse failed to process paperwork for the Bureau of Motor Vehicles, kept money due to PennDOT, and never delivered vehicle titles, tags or other paperwork for some customers. In 2010, Stackhouse's commission expired. Then last year, he was charged with about 150 criminal counts, all stemming from more accusations that he took money for notary work never completed. The Department of State was planning to punish Stackhouse last year, but instead of disciplining Stackhouse, the state agreed to allow him to voluntarily surrender his license, with the stipulation that he can never operate in Pennsylvania again. Meanwhile, Stackhouse is still waiting for his day in court on the criminal charges.
(WGRC)

POTTSVILLE - A pilot program is under way in Schuylkill County, the results of which will help determine how a statewide drug-testing system for some welfare recipients will be implemented. The program, which began January 3 and is set to last six months, launched in Schuylkill, in part due to the county's population and its proximity to Harrisburg. The Department of Public Welfare reports, the two state prisons in Schuylkill County benefit the study, and that in-county probation and parole agencies have the capability to perform the mandated drug testing. Two additional counties will be added to the pilot program in March, and the results of the three-county study will help determine the cost-effectiveness of statewide testing, which could begin this summer. Governor Tom Corbett signed the testing into law last summer as part of a measure designed to save $400 million for the Department of Public Welfare this fiscal year. The testing applies only to welfare recipients who are currently on probation for or have been convicted of a felony drug offense in the last five years and are enrolled either in the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Program or General Assistance Program.

BELLEFONTE — Attorneys argued Friday whether one of four men accused in a string of Centre County burglaries and armed robberies could withdraw his guilty plea. District Attorney Stacy Parks Miller agreed that the legal standard is liberal, but said that the standard included exceptions and shouldn’t apply to someone like 29- year-old Alexei Semionov, who has changed his mind multiple times. Local police, with help from the FBI, arrested Semionov in March 2010 in connection with a series of crimes that occurred in 2009 and 2010. In May 2010, Semionov agreed to be a witness for the prosecution. Weeks before the trial was scheduled to begin in February 2011, he fired his attorney and recanted his confession. After three days of testimony, Semionov agreed to plead guilty — which led to a mistrial for the other three defendants and his alleged accomplices, 28-year-old Anatoliy Veretnov, 25-year-old Dmitriy Litvinov, and 22-year-old Maksim Illarionov. In September, Semionov refused to testify in a separate trial for Illarionov. Shortly after that, he filed a motion to withdraw his guilty plea. DA Miller tells the Centre Daily Times “It’s game playing. It’s not what the rule’s intended for,” Parks Miller said, adding that the longer Semionov delays the trial, the harder the case is to prosecute. “He’s jerking us back and forth.” Kistler told the two attorneys to submit written briefs for their argument, and he would make a ruling after that.

STATE COLLEGE - A State College man was arrested Friday evening after police said he was found to be passed out drunk in his car with his infant child in the backseat. The Centre Daily Times reports, 24-year-old Christopher Meder, faces charges of child endangerment, a felony, and DUI. Police said a passer-by made the report, and police responded to find Meder at 1000 Greenfield Drive, State College, around 7 p.m. Friday. Police say Meder’s blood alcohol level was nearly four times the legal limit.