A Nanticoke man faces charges after allegedly attacking police when they tried to arrest him for domestic violence assault.
Joseph Charles Holminski, 49, is charged with aggravated assault, simple assault, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct.
According to the criminal complaint, Holminski's ex-girlfriend Kim McDonnell told Nanticoke police on May 8 that Holminski choked her over "stupid (expletive)" after they had been drinking. McDonnell's daughter saw Holminski choking her mother and yelled at him to leave her alone.
As police were arresting Holminski, he asked them what the (expletive) they were doing, then with his shoulder pushed Sgt. Brian Williams into Officer Amos Vanderhoff and charged at Williams.
A scuffle ensued, after which the officers told Holminski he was under arrest and had to come with them. Holminski asked them "who the (expletive) do you guys think you are?" When the officers attempted to escort Holminski to the police vehicle, Vanderhoff told him to "stop trying to be a tough guy." Holminski charged at Williams, trying to get at Vanderhoff.
The officers managed to get Holminski down on a couch in the living room, during which time Williams injured his right hand and wrist. Holminski continued to struggle with and kick at the officers until Vanderhoff stunned him in the leg in an attempt to get him under control. Holminski fought with officers again and they had to stun him again to get him into the police car and take him to headquarters.
Holminski was arraigned by Magisterial District Judge Andrew Barilla Jr., who imposed $5,000 cash bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for 1 p.m. May 16.

5/14/2012
Pool thieves dive into trouble at two Walmart stores
Citizens Voice

A Bear Creek woman and Nanticoke man went off the deep end when they allegedly tried to steal a large pool from one Walmart and return it at another, according to police.
Tabetha Gillispie, 36, and Eric Hunter, 41, each face a charge of retail theft in the incident, which occurred Wednesday.
An employee at the Walmart in Pittston Township told police that a man and a woman exited the store with a shopping cart containing a large pool valued at $199.97, loaded it into a vehicle with the Pennsylvania license plate DVC-4520 and left, with the man driving.
The Pittston Township employee notified the Wilkes-Barre Township Walmart's asset protection office about the theft. Shortly afterwards, the Wilkes-Barre Township store called back to say two people were trying to return the pool at the customer service deck.
Wilkes-Barre Township police arrived and held Gillispie and Hunter for Pittston Township police and the Walmart employee to identify. Gillispie and Hunter admitted to the theft of the pool and its attempted return. Police said Gillispie has two prior convictions for retail theft, and, although Hunter does not, his driver's license was suspended.
Hunter and Gillispie were arraigned by Magisterial District Judge Andrew Barilla Jr., who imposed $5,000 cash bail apiece. Their preliminary hearing is scheduled for 8:45 a.m. Tuesday.

5/9/2012
Man charged in home invasion that lead to police chase, shots fired
Ed Lewis - Times Leader

William Gronosky got the idea of robbing a disabled man after overhearing two women talk about their former roommate, according to charges filed on Wednesday.
Township police allege Gronosky, 29, of West Church Street, Nanticoke, robbed and tied up Anthony Passetti inside Passetti’s house on Church Street on March 25.
Gronosky stole more than $8,400 in electronics from the house and Passetti’s 2004 Ford Focus, which was pursued by a Wilkes-Barre police officer into Lackawanna and Monroe counties.
Police said at the time that the driver of the vehicle fired multiple shots at the pursuing officer, who was not injured.
Gronosky was arraigned by District Judge Joseph Halesey in Hanover Township on two counts each with robbery and criminal conspiracy, and one count each of robbery of a vehicle, burglary and unlawful restraint. He was remanded to the Luzerne County Correctional Facility for lack of $50,000 on the latest charges.
Gronosky has been charged with burglarizing a state police trooper’s house in Laflin and robbing along with Kevin Williams Jr., 29, the Carousel Lounge adult club in Plymouth Township.
Police also charged Gronosky’s live-in girlfriend, Ashley E. Evans, 23, with criminal conspiracy for her alleged role in the home invasion in Hanover Township. She was arrested Wednesday afternoon at Gronosky’s preliminary hearing before Nanticoke District Judge Donald Whittaker on the Carousel Lounge robbery charges.
Evans struggled with state police when she was arrested in front of Gronosky, who erupted in a profanity laced tirade.
According to the criminal complaint:
Passetti told police he arrived home from grocery shopping at about 9:15 p.m. on March 25 and was confronted by a gunman outside. He told the gunman he has cerebral palsy, in which, the gunman said, “I know.”
Passetti said his hands were tied behind him, a towel placed over his head and a sock stuffed in his mouth.
Gronosky was upset that he was sent to the house “for nothing,” and repeatedly asked Passetti if he “knew anybody that would want to set him up,” the criminal complaint says.
Police allege Evans gave Gronosky a ride to Passetti’s house.
Gronosky was captured in Montgomery County on April 15.
He allegedly told police he decided to rob Passetti after overhearing two women talk about items inside his house. The two women formerly lived in Passetti’s house, according to the criminal complaint.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled on May 30.

5/9/2012
Gronosky unleashes profanity-laced tirade after girlfriend's arrest for robbery
Bob Kalinowski - Citizens Voice

It's been a wild day in court for William Gronosky.
The 29-year-old charged with multiple area crimes and suspected of shooting at police was charged this morning in connection with a March home invasion robbery that led to a 20-mile police pursuit with shots fired.
Leaving that hearing, he offered a simple "not guilty" to reporters as police led him to an awaiting cruiser.
It was a much different story when Gronosky arrived around 1:30 pm for a hearing in Nanticoke related to a strip club robbery in West Nanticoke.
Gronosky unleashed a profanity-laced tirade directed at reporters as he was led into the Nanticoke Municipal Building, shocking the many people waiting in the lobby.
Gronosky eventually was calmed and placed into Magisterial District Judge Donald Whittaker's courtroom.
Then Gronosky's girlfriend, Ashley Evans, showed up.
She was wanted as Gronosky's codefendant in the Hanover Township home invasion robbery.
Police arrested and handcuffed Evans in front of Gronosky, which resulted in another prolonged outburst.
He shouted multiple profanities at police saying they arrested her for no reason.
Police were forced to take Gronosky from the courtroom, walking him past citizens in the lobby who watched him hurl insults and profanities at cops. Police eventually placed him in a holding cell in the police station.
Hanover police came to arrest Evans on charges related to the home invasion robbery. She was taken to be arraigned in front of magisterial District Judge Joseph Halesey.
Gronosky is still awaiting his hearing on the strip club robbery case.
In addition to these cases, Gronosky is charged with burglarizing a state trooper's home in Laflin and is suspected of shooting at a state trooper outside the strip club.

5/1/2012
Nanticoke man charged with machete terrorizing
elewis@timesleader.com

A man terrorized his former girlfriend and her three children by holding them captive in their apartment with a box cutter and a machete, according to charges filed.
Yajaria DeJesus claimed Benjamin Artache, 22, entered her Apollo Circle apartment Friday morning and assaulted her in front of her three children.
She alleged Artache ripped her clothing from her body and punched her in the head several times and told her not to pursue prior assault charges against him.
Police said Artache was arrested just after 11 a.m. Saturday when he attempted to escape the apartment.
Artache was arraigned Sunday by District Judge Donald Whittaker on five counts each of reckless endangerment and unlawful restraint, four counts of kidnapping, two counts each of simple assault and terroristic threats, and one count each of burglary, criminal trespass, intimidation of a witness or victim, resisting arrest, stalking and criminal mischief.
He remained jailed Monday at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility for lack of $150,000 bail.
Police charged Artache with simple assault and trespassing charges when he allegedly assaulted DeJesus at her apartment on April 23. He was ordered to stay out of the apartment complex.
According to the latest criminal complaint:
DeJesus claimed Artache locked her and her children in a bedroom on Friday, yelling at her not to testify or pursue the assault charges against him. She alleged Artache pointed the machete at her saying, “Someone was going to die tonight.”
DeJesus said Artache spat in her face, punched her several times and smashed a soda can against her head, the criminal complaint says.
Police were notified of a domestic dispute at the apartment by a neighbor just after 11 a.m. Saturday. Police said a person in the apartment gave “non-verbal cues” signaling they were in distress.
Artache attempted to escape by jumping out a second-floor window. He was arrested when he walked down the interior stairs, police said.
Police allege in the criminal complaint Artache struggled with officers and damaged a door on the cruiser.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled on May 9 before Whittaker.

4/29/2012
Woman charged with heroin possesion
Citizens Voice

A nosy neighbor was arrested for possessing heroin and is awaiting a May 1 hearing after she accidentally led officers into the Nanticoke apartment she was staying at.
According to records, Nichole Briggs opened the door to Apt. 1B at 203 Hanover St. to ask police officers what they were doing at 12:30 a.m. Friday. Police told her they were looking for Apt. 1B - and Briggs told them she was standing in it.
Briggs began to backpedal and reached into her pocket. Police officers feared she was reaching for a weapon and began to struggle with Briggs, who was clutching a bag of heroin.
Briggs was charged with resisting arrest, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia and was unable to post $75,000 bail. She's being held at Luzerne County Correctional Facility until her 9:30 a.m. hearing before Magisterial District Judge Joseph Halesy.

4/27/2012
Money missing from cafeteria at GNA school
Jerry Lynott - Times Leader

Police are investigating a report of money missing from the cafeteria of the Greater Nanticoke Area Educational Center.
School officials contacted law enforcement Thursday, said Vito Deluca, solicitor for the school district.
Nanticoke police Detective Capt. William Shultz confirmed the investigation focused on the middle school.
Shultz said Luzerne County District Attorney Stefanie Salavantis was notified about the missing funds.
The district attorney added that she assigned a detective from her office to work with Nanticoke police on the investigation.
They will get together early next week.
Deluca, Salavantis and Shultz all said they could not go into detail about the investigation at this time because it is in the preliminary stages.
“We may have to have an audit done,” said Shultz.
Deluca added, “We’re also conducting our own investigation concurrently.”

4/26/2012
Plymouth man guilty of sex crimes
Times Leader

A Plymouth man charged with sexually assaulting two girls was convicted Wednesday of all counts relating to the case.
Robert Caravella, 53, of Gould Street, was convicted of four counts of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, three counts of aggravated indecent assault of a child, three counts of contact with a minor, sexual offenses, and two counts each of corruption of minors and endangering the welfare of children.
County Judge Tina Polachek Gartley said Caravella will be sentenced on July 19. He faces a maximum of 20 years in prison on nine of the charges that are felonies of the first degree.
A jury of four women and eight men was chosen Monday, and deliberated Wednesday for about two and a half hours before delivering their verdict.
Polachek Gartley said Caravella will be evaluated by the Sexual Offenders Assessment Board and was remanded to the county prison. During opening statements to jurors, Deputy District Attorney Alexis Falvello said the younger girl was 3 years old and the other girl was 7 when the alleged assaults began. They are now 11 and 17.
Falvello said Caravella was trusted by the family and often babysat the girls.
Caravella’s attorney, Andrew Katsock III, told jurors there are “two sides to every story.”
Caravella has maintained his innocence since he was arrested by police in March 2011. He claimed the girls never told their mother.
Police allege Caravella separately assaulted the two girls in Nanticoke and Plymouth, and would make them watch pornography videos or look at adult magazines.
Katsock told jurors the girls were enrolled in day care and school and were never alone with Caravella from 2002 to 2005.

4/25/2012
A man was arraigned Tuesday in Wilkes-Barre Central Court on charges he assaulted his girlfriend.

David Louis Wolfe, 43, address listed as homeless, was charged with simple assault and two counts of harassment. He was jailed at the county prison for lack of $5,000 bail.
Cerisa Roberts alleged Wolfe threw her to the ground several times injuring her head and knee on East Grand Street at about 9:20 p.m. Monday, according to the criminal complaint.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled on May 2 before District Judge Donald Whittaker in Nanticoke.

4/24/2012
Testimony to begin in child sexual assault case
Times Leader

Testimony is scheduled to begin today in the trial of a Plymouth man charged with sexually assaulting two girls at his home and at home in Nanticoke over a several year period.
Robert Caravella, 53, is facing multiple counts of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, aggravated indecent assault, endangering the welfare of children and corruption of minors in connection with alleged assaults on the girls that occurred between 2002 and 2005.
Caravella is also charged in connection with separate case involving the sexual abuse of a a 13-year-old boy that is scheduled for trial in August. In that case, police say Caravella and Carol Ann Hahn kept boy isolated in their home, where he was repeatedly sexually abused over the years. Hahn is also facing charges in connection with that case and is awaiting trial.
In the case being heard this week, the two girls, then ages 10 and 15, went to police in August 2010 to report Caravella had sexually assaulted them on numerous occasions. One of the girls alleged Caravella also forced her to watch pornography.
Deputy District Attorney Alexis Falvello is prosecuting the case. Caravella is represented by attorney Andrew Katsock.

4/23/2012
Nanticoke woman wrecks vehicle after police chase
Citizens Voice

A Nanticoke woman crashed her sport utility vehicle in Schuylkill County after allegedly involving state police in a vehicle chase around 9 p.m. Friday.
State police at Hazleton started pursuing Kari McCoy, 23, on Interstate 81 in Luzerne County. Police followed McCoy's 1996 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo into Schuylkill County, where McCoy left I-81, turned onto state Route 61 northbound in Frackville Borough and continued north on Route 924.
At that point police terminated the pursuit, but McCoy kept going north on Route 924, tried to get onto the exit ramp in Gilberton Borough, but was unable to negotiate a left-hand curve in the road.
McCoy's SUV left the road, struck a cable guardrail and rolled over, coming to rest on its roof on the ramp, according to state police in Frackville. Police did not say whether McCoy was injured, but they did state she was not wearing a seat belt. The Jeep sustained moderate damage.
State police are continuing to investigate the crash.

4/19/2012
Pregnant woman robbed
Edward Lewis - elewis@timesleader.com

A pregnant woman said she was knocked down and robbed of nearly $1,000 by her friends, according to charges filed.
Police arrested two men and are searching for a third in connection with the robbery on Friday, and charged a woman Tuesday with providing false information to investigators.
According to the criminal complaints:
Heidi Martin, 27, who is six months pregnant, told police she was visiting Maurice Porter, 25, and Denise Vezo, 46, to drop off baby clothes at their new residence in Nanticoke. Martin did not know the location of their new residence and was meeting Vezo’s son, Joshua Vezo, 23, in the area of Washington and Hanover streets to take her there.
While walking in an alley, Martin said, a masked man approached her, pointed a handgun at her head and said, “Run your pockets (expletive).”
Martin said she turned around and noticed the weapon was a pellet gun that she swatted away. She tried to run away but she said Joshua Vezo blocked her. Martin said in the complaint she was pushed to the ground and $921 was taken from her pants before the masked man and Joshua Vezo ran away together.
Police arrested Joshua Vezo on Friday. Denise Vezo was charged with hindering apprehension after she allegedly told police Porter was not in her residence at 15 Enterprise St., where Porter was arrested on Tuesday.
Joshua Calderon, 20, surrendered Wednesday when he walked in to the Hanover Township Police Department. He was arraigned on robbery related charges and jailed at the county correctional facility for lack of $100,000 bail. Joshua Vezo and Porter are facing charges of robbery, theft and criminal conspiracy. They were jailed at for lack of $100,000 bail each.
Denise Vezo was jailed for lack of $50,000 bail.

4/18/2012
2 men charged before
elewis@timesleader.com

Two men called “armed and dangerous” by state police were once alleged to have looted a house during the Wyoming Valley-wide evacuation during last year’s record flood.
City police accused William Gronosky Jr., 29, of West Church Street, Nanticoke, and Kevin Williams Jr., 29, of Philadelphia, with breaking into a house on Brookside Street on Sept. 11. They were spotted by a city officer leaving the house and running through yards before they were apprehended, according to the criminal complaints.
Gronosky and Williams stated that they were checking the house for a friend.
At the time of the alleged break-in, the Brookside area was evacuated because of flooding.
Gronosky and Williams were charged with burglary, criminal trespass and loitering and prowling at night. Those charges were dismissed at a preliminary hearing in Wilkes-Barre Central Court on Nov. 15 when the homeowner failed to appear to testify.
Police Chief Gerard Dessoye, through city spokesman Drew McLaughlin, stated in an email that the arresting officer, Stan Wychock, requested the preliminary hearing be continued when the victim was unable to attend due to employment.
A district judge denied the request, dismissing the charges “with prejudice,” meaning police were prohibited from refiling the charges against Gronosky and Williams.
Gronosky and Williams were labeled by state police as being “armed and dangerous” after they allegedly robbed the Carousel Lounge adult night club at gunpoint on March 15. Gronosky was further charged with burglarizing a trooper’s house in Laflin, stealing guns, ammunition and other items on March 22 into March 23, the criminal complaints say.
State police intensified their search for the two men when Gronosky allegedly fired two shots at a trooper when Gronosky was leaving the Carousel Lounge on Friday.
Gronosky and Williams were captured in Montgomery County early Sunday morning.

4/17/2012
Woman allegedly aided flight
Cops: Ashley Evans paid woman for use of rented car used by William Gronosky Jr.
Edward Lewis - elewis@timesleader.com

State police allege Ashley Evans paid another woman $500 to use a rented vehicle to drive her wanted boyfriend, William Gronosky Jr., away from the area on Friday, according to charges filed.
Evans, 23, gave explicit instructions that the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze should be parked near the Carousel Lounge on Route 11 in Plymouth Township, where Gronosky, 29, allegedly fired two shots at a trooper before fleeing in the vehicle.
Details about how Gronosky took possession of the car are listed in a criminal complaint charging Evans with two counts of hindering apprehension.
She remained jailed Monday at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility for lack of $50,000 bail.
Gronosky and Kevin Williams Jr., 29, of Philadelphia, were captured in Montgomery County early Sunday morning when a Montgomery Township police officer spotted the car on state Route 309. The officer learned Gronosky and Williams were considered “armed and dangerous” and watched them go into a convenient store.
Police surrounded the store and arrested Williams outside and Gronosky in the restroom. A gun was found in the vehicle, Trooper Martin Connors said.
The two men were wanted for their alleged roles in a March 15 armed robbery at the Carousel Lounge in which more than $3,500 was stolen. Gronosky was also wanted on charges he burglarized a trooper’s house in Laflin on March 22 into March 23.
Connors said Gronosky will be charged with criminal attempt to commit homicide for allegedly shooting at a trooper outside the Carousel Lounge at about 1 a.m. Friday.|
According to the criminal complaint filed against Evans:
State police said the vehicle was rented from Avis Rental Co. in Avoca by a woman known to Evans.
Evans asked to use the rented car to drive Gronosky out of the area because he was wanted by authorities. Evans paid her friend $500 to use the rented car and gave instructions to her friend to park the car behind the Carousel Lounge on Thursday night.
State police said the license plate was replaced on the rented car with one that was stolen in Columbia County.
In an unrelated case, Evans is facing a trial on May 7 in Luzerne County Court on charges she assaulted an exotic dancer in the Cabaret Lounge adult night club in Kingston on May 9, 2011.
Gronosky and Williams are charged with robbery and theft-related offenses and were jailed at the county prison for lack of $1 million bail each.

4/16/2012
Fugitives are captured
Shooting, theft suspects nabbed in Philly suburb
elewis@timesleader.com

A man wanted for his alleged role in a robbery at an adult night club and for firing two shots at a state police trooper was captured in Montgomery County early Sunday morning.
State police said William Gronosky Jr., 29, was arrested in a restroom of a convenient store in Montgomery Township in the suburbs of Philadelphia at about 3 a.m.
Gronosky and Kevin Williams Jr., 29, were apprehended after a Montgomery Township police officer spotted a Chevrolet Cruze with a stolen license plate on state Route 309. The officer learned Gronosky and Williams were considered “armed and dangerous” after Gronosky allegedly fired two shots at a trooper near the Carousel Lounge on state Route 11 in Plymouth Township on Friday. The trooper was not injured.
Trooper Martin Connors said the officer called for backup and surrounded the store, arresting Williams when he exited and Gronosky when he was seen “peeking out of the (restroom).”
Gronosky and Williams were returned to the area late Sunday afternoon and arraigned by District Judge Donald Whittaker in Nanticoke on multiple robbery and theft related charges. They were jailed at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility for lack of $1 million bail each.
Gronosky said he “didn’t do it” and Williams flirted with two reporters when he was escorted into the state police barracks in Wyoming and to his arraignment in Nanticoke.
Gronosky and Williams were targets of a search since the robbery at the Carousel Lounge on March 15. State police say the pair entered the adult night club wielding firearms, knocking the owner to the floor and stealing more than $3,500 from two safes, according to the criminal complaints. State police intensified their search when Gronosky allegedly fired the shots at the trooper when he was seen leaving the same adult club at about 1 a.m. Friday.
State police on Friday arrested Gronosky’s live-in girlfriend, Ashley Evans, 23, on charges of hindering apprehension and obstruction of justice for her alleged role in attempting to hide Gronosky.
Last week, state police charged Courtney Marie Sadusky, 23, of Wilkes-Barre, alleging she drove Gronosky and Williams to the Carousel Lounge on March 15, and alleging she drove Gronosky to a trooper’s house in Laflin to burglarize, according to court and arrest records.
Gronosky and Williams are also persons of interest in a home invasion on Church Street, Hanover Township, on March 26, where the homeowner’s Ford Focus was stolen. During a pursuit on state Route 115 in Bear Creek Township and Suscon Road in Pittston Township, shots were fired at a Wilkes-Barre City police officer chasing the Ford.
Connors said additional charges will be filed as the investigation continues.

4/15/2012
Woman arrested in connection with Gronosky case
mhughes@timesleader.com

State police said Saturday they have made an arrest in connection with the search for William Gronosky Jr., the man who allegedly fired at a police during a car chase early Friday morning, but the suspect remains at large.
State police said Saturday they arrested Ashley E. Evans, 23, of West Church Street, Nanticoke, on charges of hindering apprehension or prosecution and obstruction of law or other governmental function in connection with the Gronosky case.
State police said the charges stemmed from information obtained at 1:10 a.m. Friday morning, around the same time Gronosky allegedly fired two shots at a police cruiser that was pursuing the Chevrolet Cruz Gronosky was driving.
Police combed the Parsons section of Wilkes-Barre Friday morning looking forGronosky and a woman known to him. State police said the woman is believed to be an exotic dancer at the Cabaret Lounge on Market Street, Kingston.
Court records stemming from a May 2011 fight in which Evans was charged with simple assault and summary offenses indicate Evans was then employed as a dancer at the Cabaret Lounge.
State police said Evans was remanded to Luzerne County Correctional Facility in lieu of bail.
State police also said Saturday they are continuing the search for the rented gold Chevy Cruz Grononsky was driving during the incident Friday morning, which may now be displaying a different license plate. State police said they believe vehicle is displaying a Pennsylvania license plate, number DRS-3071, which was stolen from a vehicle in Centre Township, Columbia County.
Gronosky and Kevin Williams Jr., 29, were charged last week for their alleged roles in the armed robbery at the Carousel Lounge in West Nanticoke. State police said the two men got away with more than $3,500.
Both are still at large.
State police on Thursday charged Courtney Marie Sadusky, 23, of Wilkes-Barre, with driving the pair away from the Carousel Lounge robbery, and driving Gronosky to burglarize the trooper’s house in Laflin, according to the criminal complaints.
Sadusky told investigators she was coerced into helping Gronosky because her boyfriend owes him money for drugs, the criminal complaints say.
Gronosky and Williams are persons-of-interest in a home invasion on Church Street, Hanover Township, on March 26.
Township police said the Church Street homeowner was bound inside the house and had his Ford Focus stolen. A Wilkes-Barre police officer spotted the Ford and escaped injury when the driver fired shots at the cruiser during a 25-mile pursuit that ended in Monroe County.
Anyone with information about Gronosky and Williams is asked to call state police at Wyoming at 697-2000.

4/14/2012
Nanticoke man charged in robbery of pregnant woman
Citizens' Voice

Police arrested Joshua Lee Vezo, 23, of Nanticoke on charges of robbery, theft, and criminal conspiracy after he allegedly played a part in the robbery of a pregnant woman.
Heidi Martin, 27, who is six months pregnant, told police she was going to visit friends Maurice Porter and Denise Vezo in Nanticoke around 12:50 p.m. She told police her friends had baby clothes for her. Porter told Martin he would send Denise Vezo's son Joshua Vezo to escort Martin from a hospital in Nanticoke to the friends' new house.
Martin and Joshua Vezo met and were walking in an alley near the Nanticoke hospital. When they turned a corner, they were confronted by a masked man with a gun.
The man demanded money from Martin, but she refused to hand over any cash. The gunman pointed the gun to the back of Martin's head, and she turned and smacked the gun with her hand. The gun appeared to be a plastic pellet gun. "Are you serious?" Martin asked the gunman. Then, Martin turned to escape, but found Joshua Vezo blocking her path. She turned around, but the gunman pushed her to the ground and ripped her pants, which contained $921.
Joshua Vezo and the gunman fled, and Martin called police. Police charged Joshua Vezo with two counts of robbery, one count of theft by unlawful taking or disposition, and three counts of criminal conspiracy. The gunman has not been charged.

4/11/2012
Feds: Nanticoke woman filed false tax return
Citizens' Voice

Federal authorities have charged a Nanticoke woman with filing a false federal income tax return.
Deborah Rentko is accused of filing a false tax return in March 2008 for the year before, according to the U.S. attorney's office.
The charges allege she materially and falsely underrepresented her income, U.S. Attorney Peter J. Smith said in a statement.
If convicted, Rentko faces up to three years in prison, a fine of $250,000 and three years of supervised release.

4/9/2012
Shots fired during invasion
Times Leader

No one was injured when shots were fired early Sunday during a home invasion at 309 E. Noble St., police said.
According to police:
Three males wearing dark-colored clothing and hooded sweatshirts tried to enter the apartment through the main door and then smashed a large, glass sliding door to get inside around 4:35 a.m. Two people inside the apartment yelled and one of the intruders fired a handgun multiple times before fleeing with the other men.
Nanticoke police and state police recovered shell casings at the apartment located in a complex owned by the East Side Housing Authority.
The investigation is ongoing and anyone with information is asked to contact Nanticoke police at 570-735-2200.

3/26/2012
Judge denies Nanticoke man's request for shorter sentence
Citizens' Voice

A Nanticoke sporting goods dealer can't have his sentence shortened, a federal judge has ruled.
D&R Sports Center owner Mark Komoroski is in the Federal Correctional Institution at Fort Dix, N.J., until December for conspiring to illegally ship paramilitary equipment to Russia.
He had petitioned U.S. District Court Senior Judge Edwin M. Kosik to allow him a hearing to "vacate, set aside or correct" his sentence, alleging he unjustly received a longer prison term than his co-conspirator, Russian national Sergey Korznikov, due to use of the wrong federal sentencing guidelines and ineffective counsel.
Kosik denied Komoroski's motion, stating in a decision released last week that Komoroski had not sustained the required burden of proof.
Prosecutors said Komoroski and Korznikov conspired to smuggle defense items such as rifle scopes and riot shields from the United States to Russia without approval from the U.S. State Department.
Both men pleaded guilty, but Komoroski was sentenced on July 29, 2010, to 32 months, or 2.6 years, imprisonment, two years of supervised release and a $10,000 fine. Korznikov was sentenced in July 2011 to six months in prison and two years of supervised release.
The argument Komoroski made during a hearing in December was that his sentence was incorrectly determined under guidelines for offenses involving national defense and weapons of mass destruction, but Korznikov's was determined using federal guidelines for economic offenses, which have lighter penalties. Komoroski alleged his attorneys didn't discuss the sentencing guidelines but instead had him plead guilty.
Komoroski acknowledged under cross-examination that his counsel told him if he was convicted of mail fraud, he could face a sentence of up to 40 years, according to the ruling. Kosik noted that the government could additionally have charged him with money laundering and smuggling, which also call for a longer sentence.

3/23/12
Man pleads guilty to 16 theft charges
Joshua Hallas entered the plea in eight different cases before Judge David Lupas.
sdelazio@timesleader.com - 570-970-7235

A Nanticoke man charged in a string of thefts over an 11-month period pleaded guilty Thursday to 16 related charges.
Joshua George Hallas, 29, of West Ridge Street, entered the pleas in eight different cases before County Judge David Lupas. The charges included theft by unlawful taking, criminal mischief and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Lupas said Hallas will be sentenced on May 3.
According to court papers, Hallas’ spree began on Dec. 27, 2010, when workers at the Walmart store in Wilkes-Barre Township observed Hallas take several DVDs and conceal them in his pants.
Over the next nine months, Hallas was charged by police in a number of incidents, mostly for stealing scrap metal from area businesses.
• March 22, 2011: Police said Hallas tried to take scrap metal from the Pennsylvania American Water Co. in Hanover Township, and an employee blocked Hallas’ vehicle in until police arrived.
• May 11, 2011: Police said Hallas took metal from Tabit’s Scrap Yard in Larksville where police were called to the scene. Police said they were able to stop a vehicle driven by Hallas, who was had a suspended license.
• July 26, 2011: Police said Hallas stole metal from Casey-Kasa Coal Co. in Newport Township, and he was driving with a suspended license.
Police said they could not track down Hallas immediately after they were called to the coal company.
• Aug. 17, 2011: Police said Hallas and two other men made off with approximately $4,000 worth of metal piping from Brundage Bone Blanchett in Dorrance Township.
Police said that same day they found Hallas in possession seven hypodermic needles.
• Aug. 18, 2011: Police said Hallas took several thousands dollars worth of metal from Eclipse Fleet, on West Union Street in Nanticoke.
Police said Hallas and two other men stole the metal and sold it at a scrap yard.
• Nov. 20, 2011: Wilkes-Barre City and Township police said Hallas was driving at a high rate of speed with beer kegs in the car.
Police said the three kegs were taken from the La Tolteca restaurant on Mundy Street.
According to court documents, Hallas had been involved in 10 other cases beginning in 2002 through 2010, including theft by unlawful taking, receiving stolen property and driving under the influence.
According to court papers, Hallas’ spree began on Dec. 27, 2010, when workers at the Walmart store in Wilkes-Barre Township observed Hallas take several DVDs and conceal them in his pants.

3/23/12
Man charged with child sex offenses
elewis@timesleader.com - 570-970-7196

A Nanticoke man was arraigned Friday on charges he sexually assaulted a teenage boy.
Thomas Wydra, 25, of East Green Street, was charged with two counts each with involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, indecent assault and corruption of minors. He was arraigned by District Judge Martin Kane in Wilkes-Barre and jailed at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility for lack of $20,000 bail.
City police allege Wydra sexually assaulted the boy at least twice from May 2007 to May 2009 when the boy lived on North Welles Street, according to the criminal complaint.
Wydra dated the boy’s mother, police said.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled on March 28 in Wilkes-Barre Central Court.

3/20/2012
A man was arraigned Sunday on charges he stalked his ex-girlfriend and damaged a toilet in a cell at police headquarters.
Times Leader

Stephen Michael Pivinski, 37, of Lee Park Avenue, Hanover Township, was charged with two counts each of criminal mischief and criminal trespass, and one count each of defiant trespass, resisting arrest, institutional vandalism, indecent exposure, stalking, harassment, disorderly conduct and public drunkenness. He was jailed at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility for lack of $5,000 bail.
According to the criminal complaint:
A 14-year-old girl told police Pivinski tried to enter the home on Garfield Street where his ex-girlfriend lives just before 6 p.m. Saturday. Police said they found Pivinski trying to hide on a porch.
The girl told police Pivinski was not allowed at the home.
Pivinski was placed in a cell at police headquarters, where he took off all his clothes and kicked a toilet, the complaint says.
Police restrained Pivinski with handcuffs. Pivinski banged his head on cell bars, causing an injury, according to the complaint.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled on March 28 before District Judge Donald Whittaker in Nanticoke.

3/12/2012
Police news
Times Leader

A man accused by Plymouth police of shaking a 2-year-old girl on Feb. 24 waived his right to a preliminary hearing before District Judge Donald Whittaker on Wednesday.
Kenneth Olshefski, 32, of West Main Street, waived a reckless endangerment charge to Luzerne County Court. Police withdrew charges of endangering the welfare of a child and harassment against Olshefski.

Charges of simple assault and harassment against Richard Opalski, 50, of South Walnut Street, Nanticoke, were dismissed during a preliminary hearing on Wednesday.
Nanticoke police charged Opalski after his wife, Loretta Opalski, claimed he broke her cell phone and threw it at her, striking her head, on Feb. 28, according to the criminal complaint.

Eight counts of possession of drug paraphernalia were dismissed against Brian Engle, 26, of Bilby Hill Road, Shickshinny, during a preliminary hearing on Wednesday.
Nanticoke police alleged Engle was found with a syringe and seven empty heroin packets when he was stopped after an alleged shoplifting incident on West Main Street on Feb. 28, according to the criminal complaint.

3/9/2012
Man arrested in apartment robbery
elewis@timesleader.com

Police arrested a man they allege robbed another man at gunpoint inside a neighbor’s apartment
Benjamin Artache, 22, of Apollo Circle, was arraigned Thursday in Wilkes-Barre Central Court on charges of robbery, burglary, criminal attempt to commit robbery, criminal trespass, receiving stolen property, illegal possession of a firearm and simple assault. He was jailed at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility for lack of $25,000 bail.
According to the criminal complaint:
Shaka Diamayne told police he was in his girlfriend’s apartment at 264 Apollo Circle on Wednesday when Artache entered uninvited with a handgun and a police-style baton. Diamayne alleged Artache aimed the gun at him and demanded anything of value.
Diamayne told Artache he had nothing to give him. Artache ordered Diamayne upstairs and followed him closely behind while aiming the gun at him.
Artache then left the apartment and drove away.
Police said they arrested Artache when he returned to his apartment at about 4 p.m.
A police search of Artache’s apartment found a loaded .32-caliber handgun hidden under children’s clothes in a dresser, the complaint says.
The gun was reported stolen to Nanticoke police in October.
Police said Artache is prohibited from carrying or owning a gun due to a conviction in Massachusetts.

3/6/2012
Three people arrested in drug sweeps
elewis@timesleader.com

Three people were arrested in separate drug sweeps by the state Office of Attorney General's Luzerne County Drug Task Force.
Marion Gause, 44, of Myers Court, Wilkes-Barre, also known as Unique, and Nichole Lane, 42, of East Ridge Street, Nanticoke, were arrested Fri dray after they allegedly sold heroin in the parking lot at the Hanover Mall, Sans Souci Parkway. A search of Lane's residence uncovered heroin packets stamped "No Way Out" and "Mafia," township police said.
Gause and Lane were charged with several drug trafficking charges and jailed at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility for lack of $50,000 bail each.
Gause is a member of the Bloods street gang, police said.
Drug agents arrested Edward Clark Pacheco, 31, also known as Q, on Monday after he allegedly sold heroin in the same parking lot. A search at Pacheco's residence on East Main Street, Nanticoke, allegedly uncovered heroin packets stamped "CVS" and "Hangover," crack cocaine, cell phones, a digital scale and a .40-caliber handgun, police said.
Pacheco was charged with multiple drug offenses and jailed at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility for lack of $50,000 bail.

3/5/2012
Man charged with theft from garden center arraigned
elewis@timesleader.com

A Nanticoke man accused by Hanover Township police with stealing more than $2,800 worth of items from Dundee Gardens last year was arraigned Monday.
Michael Anthony Laury, 33, last known address as East Main Street, was arraigned on two counts of theft, and unrelated counts of receiving stolen property, possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia and harassment. He was jailed at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility for lack of $5,000 total bail.
Hanover Township police allege Laury stole $2,800 worth of lawn ornaments from Dundee Gardens in early May, according to the criminal complaint.
Township police received information that the stolen items were inside Laury’s residence. A search warrant was served at Laury’s residence on May 20 when police recovered most of the stolen items.
Laury’s girlfriend, Kyla Higgins, 23, who formerly resided at the East Main Street residence, was sentenced on Oct. 6 to six months in the county’s accelerated rehabilitation program on a criminal conspiracy charge for her alleged role, according to court records.
Police alleged Higgins was acting as a look out when Laury stole the lawn ornaments from Dundee Gardens, the criminal complaint says.

3/1/2012
Slashing victim wants arrest in case
Jen Mieczkowski says she has twice identified attacker from Jan. 1 incident.
elewis@timesleader.com

On two separate occasions, Jennifer Mieczkowski said she identified the woman who slashed her face and neck with a box cutter inside the Prospect Street Cafe in Nanticoke.
With what she believes to be a positive identification of her attacker, Mieczkowski, 30, is questioning why there hasn't been an arrest.
Two months after the vicious attack in the early-morning hours on Jan. 1, Mieczkowski said her patience is wearing thin with the Luzerne County District Attorney's Office.
"I identified the girl two days after this happened," Mieczkowski said during an interview at her home on Wednesday. "And I identified her from surveillance (video) a month after it happened. As far as I'm concerned, it's done. Why haven't they arrested her?"
"I can't comment on what the victim says, but her version of the facts is not accurate," First Assistant District Attorney Sam Sanguedolce said. "We have an ethical duty to arrest the right person."
Sanguedolce said Nanticoke police recently turned over their investigation to be reviewed by an assistant district attorney. A meeting is scheduled next week with police to go over the investigation, Mieczkowski's statements to investigators and any statements made by witnesses.
Mieczkowski has returned to work as owner of a beauty salon in Nanticoke while she recovers from multiple slashes to her face and neck. Her face and neck scarred, she continues to feel discomfort from her injuries.
Her friendly personality has not missed a beat.
Mieczkowski said her distress now lies with the lack of an arrest.
"I picked the girl out of 12 photos in a lineup two days after I was attacked, and a month ago I picked the same girl out of the video," Mieczkowski said.
She said surveillance video that was shown to her is black-and-white and captured the fight that took place inside the tavern. She said the video clearly shows the attacker getting knocked to the floor, getting up to fix her hair and charging at Mieczkowski.
"She came right at me," Mieczkowski said.
She did concede she had to watch the video twice before she identified the woman.
"When I saw her, I said that is definitely her. I had them rewind it two times because it's in black and white. Once I saw her, I knew," Mieczkowski said.
Sanguedolce said the video "was not clear" regarding what actually happened inside the tavern,
and raised questions among investigators.
"We're not going to file criminal charges based on the video," Sanguedolce said. "If we bring the charges and lose, we can't hope for more evidence. We only have one shot at this for trial."
Early-morning attack
Mieczkowski said she entered the tavern a little before 2 a.m. with her friend Ricky Wells to buy beer to take home. She ran into friends and decided to stay for a drink when a fight broke out, she said.
Mieczkowski said she did not realize she had been slashed until she stood up. She stayed inside
the tavern for a few minutes, was given a towel by a bar employee and walked outside to find two police officers talking to a bouncer.
Surveillance video shows the alleged attacker walking outside the tavern at 2:10 a.m., Mieczkowski said.
Mieczkowski said she told the two officers her attacker was inside the tavern but was told to get into an ambulance. Wells, who was also assaulted, was driven to a hospital by a relative.
Police interviewed many
Police said they interviewed a majority of the patrons who were in the tavern at the time of the fight. Mieczkowski estimated there were about 50 people, with some of them friends and relatives of her attacker.
She said there are other witnesses, including an employee at the tavern, who identified the same woman who attacked her.|
"If one step had gone differently that night, (police) would have had her," Mieczkowski said. "I'm back to work and don't want to put my face out there; at the same time nothing is being done."

3/1/2012
Police Blotter
Times Leader

Police said Richard Opalski, 50, of South Walnut Street, struck his wife, Loretta, broke her cellphone and threw it at her at their residence Tuesday night.
In arrest papers filed Wednesday, police said:
Loretta Opalski said her husband was intoxicated and yelled at her in an argument about him wanting her to leave the residence. When she refused, he broke her cellphone, threw it at her and hit her on the top of her head, possibly with his fist, causing a minor brush burn and swelling.
The broken phone was on the floor of the apartment and items were strewn about as if an altercation occurred. Richard Opalski was intoxicated and said he and his wife were talking and that nothing happened. He had scratches on his hands, consistent with a physical altercation.
Richard Opalski was charged with simple assault and harassment, arraigned by District Judge Donald Whittaker and released on $5,000 bail.

3/1/2012
Meth suspect accused of shoplifting at Turkey Hill
elewis@timesleader.com

A man accused of manufacturing methamphetamine inside a Mocanaqua house was arraigned Wednesday on charges he stole items from a store while under the influence of heroin.Police allege they spotted Brian Eugene Engle Jr., 26, and Nathan Wright, 20, staggering on West Main Street and entering the Turkey Hill just before 11 p.m. Tuesday.
Police kept watch on the two men inside the store, where they separated, with Engle pacing aisles and Wright distracting a clerk.After Engle and Wright left the store, police stopped them.
Police allege Engle removed items from his pockets that he had stolen from the store. Wright was found in possession of syringes wrapped in a bandanna, a spoon with heroin residue and two heroin packets, police allege.
Police said Engle later turned over a bag containing seven empty heroin packets and a syringe that was hidden in his underwear.
Engle is facing charges by the state Office of Attorney General that he manufactured methamphetamine inside a Mocanaqua house in January. The meth lab caught fire the night before Engle was arrested by state agents on Jan. 10, according to arrest records.
Engle was released from the Luzerne County Correctional Facility on Feb. 22, when his bail of $50,000 was modified to unsecured bail after he waived his right to a preliminary hearing on the methamphetamine related charges, court records say.
Engle, of Bilby Hill Road, Shickshinny, was arraigned in Wilkes-Barre Central Court on eight counts of possession of drug paraphernalia, and one count each of retail theft and public drunkenness. He was jailed at the county prison for lack of $5,000 bail.
Wright, address listed as homeless, was charged with four counts of possession of drug paraphernalia and a single count of public drunkenness. He was released on $5,000 unsecured bail.

2/16/2012
A Nanticoke man pleaded guilty Tuesday in Luzerne County Court to entering a neighbor’s home.
Times Leader

Jamie Rodd Lohman, 38, of South Prospect Street, admitted to two counts of criminal trespassing.
Lohman will be sentenced on April 16. Lohman will be required to pay over $9,700 in restitution costs.
Police said Lohman entered a neighbor’s home through a broken window on Feb. 24, 2011. When police arrived, Lohman was exiting the home, and arrested. Police said Lohman used a hammer to break the window and his cell phone was found on the front porch.

2/10/2012
Prosecutors drop ‘inspector’ charge
Donald Perkoski pleads guilty to the lesser charge of disorderly conduct.
sdelazio@timesleader.com

A man accused of impersonating a housing inspector pleaded guilty Friday to a lesser charge.
Donald Perkoski, 70, of Edwardsville, entered the plea to a charge of disorderly conduct before County Judge Lesa Gelb.
Perkoski was charged in December 2010 after police said he identified himself as a housing inspector for the Nanticoke Housing Authority and entered a woman’s apartment on a number of occasions conducting “inspections.”
An agreement with prosecutors and the housing authority led to a guilty plea of disorderly conduct for approaching the woman a number of times.
As part of the agreement, Perkoski previously moved out of his Nanticoke Housing Authority apartment, his attorney, Chris O’Donnell said Friday.
Gelb said Perkoski will be sentenced on April 3. O’Donnell said he will be asking for a probationary sentence for his client, due to health conditions. He faces a maximum of one year in jail on the charge.
Police allege Perkoski identified himself as a housing inspector to a woman when he entered her West Green Street, Nanticoke, apartment to verify a man was not residing with her in September 2009, according to the criminal complaint. The woman told investigators that Perkoski showed up at a summer cookout uninvited, saying he was there because he works for the housing authority.
Police said they met with Perkoski regarding the allegations, who said he was placed on the housing authority’s fireworks committee and that he never told anyone he was conducting housing inspections, nor did he inspect anyone’s home.
The woman told investigators she believed Perkoski was impersonating an inspector because he had feelings for her and was jealous of her boyfriend.
A charge of impersonating a public servant was withdrawn by prosecutors Friday.

2/9/2012
Cops seek Nanticoke man
Times Leader

Nanticoke police said they are searching for Joseph A. Klesmer, 25, who is wanted in a home burglary on Perry Street on Jan. 10.
Klesmer, of Mosier Street, Nanticoke, is also accused of possessing stolen credit cards at the Walmart store in Hazle Township and a Kmart store on Jan. 11, police said.
Anyone with information about Klesmer is asked to call Nanticoke police at 735-4000 or 911.

2/8/2012
City police reported the following on Tuesday
Times Leader

• Stan Sokolowski of East Ridge Street, Aaron Wright of East Union Street and John Beggs of South Hanover Street separately reported someone egged their vehicles.
• Jason Weston, of South Hanover Street, reported a global positioning system was stolen from his vehicle.
• James Kline Jr., of East Broad Street, reported four tires were slashed on his vehicle.

2/2/2012
Nanticoke Police Reports
Times Leader

Charges of simple assault, disorderly conduct and harassment were dismissed against John Wolfe, 42, of Willow Street, Plymouth, during a preliminary hearing on Wednesday.
Plymouth police had accused Wolfe after his wife, Dawn Wolfe, claimed he punched her and pushed her into a wall inside their residence at 159 Willow St. on Nov. 28, according to the criminal complaint.

Charges of simple assault and harassment were dismissed against Ashley Mooney, 24, of Wilkes-Barre, and Bradley Buchanan, 26, during a preliminary hearing on Wednesday.
Newport Township police accused Mooney and Buchanan of assaulting each other during an argument in his residence on Rock Street on Jan. 22, according to the criminal complaint.

1/28/2012
Nanticoke man faces charges of burglary
John Chernowski Jr. was captured after a foot chase, police say. Bail is set at $25,000.
elewis@timesleader.com

Newport Township police charged a man they allege was targeting unoccupied houses to burglarize.
John Chernowski Jr., 27, of East Union Street, Nanticoke, was arraigned Friday in Wilkes-Barre Central Court on charges of burglary, criminal trespass, criminal attempt to commit burglary, criminal attempt to trespass and criminal conspiracy. He was jailed at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility for lack of $25,000 bail.
Chernowski was apprehended by Nanticoke police after a foot chase on Thursday.
Township police allege Chernowski rang door bells to determine if anyone was home. If no one answered, Chernowski walked to a rear door and attempted to open it, according to charges filed.
When homeowners confronted Chernowski at the front door, he asked if they had lost a cat, police allege.
According to the criminal complaint:
Police responded to a burglary at a house on Vista Drive at about 2 p.m. Thursday when a woman claimed someone forced their way inside and stole items.
While investigating the burglary, police learned a man, identified by police as Chernowski, attempted to force open a rear door to another house on Vista Drive.
The woman claimed she opened the front door after hearing the door bell. After finding no one on the front porch, the woman checked the rear door finding Chernowski attempting to pry it open, the criminal complaint says.
Police learned from other homeowners on Vista Drive that Chernowski allegedly rang door bells asking if they lost a cat on Thursday.
Nanticoke police spotted Chernowski in the 300 block of East Union Street.
Police said in the criminal complaint Chernowski fled on foot, throwing a knife, jewelry and other items during the pursuit. He was apprehended after a brief foot chase, the criminal complaint says.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled on Feb. 1 before District Judge Donald Whittaker in Nanticoke.

1/26/2012
A man was arraigned Wednesday in Wilkes-Barre Central Court on charged he attempted to rob the Cocoa Hut convenience store on Middle Road on Nov. 21.

Daniel Joseph Olshefski, 24, of Burnett Street, Nanticoke, was charged with criminal attempt to commit robbery and criminal attempt to commit theft. He was jailed at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility for lack of $40,000 bail.
Police allege Olshefski concealed his face with a mask and demanded money from a clerk at the convenience store. The clerk refused to surrender money and chased Olshefski out of the store, according to the criminal complaint.
Olshefski was arrested Jan. 4 by Newport Township police on unrelated burglary charges.
Police said in the criminal complaint Olshefski on Jan. 5 admitted to attempting to rob the convenience store for money to support a drug addiction, the criminal complaint says.

1/25/2012
Father charged with leaving children unsupervised
elewis@timesleader.com

Police found three children under 8-years-old unsupervised in a residence after arresting the father on harassment and public drunkenness charges early Wednesday morning.
Julian Jay Johnson, 32, of Loomis Street, was arraigned in Wilkes-Barre Central Court on three counts of endangering the welfare of children, two counts of harassment and one count each of disorderly conduct and public drunkenness. He was jailed at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility for lack of $5,000 bail.
Police said the children were taken into protective custody by Luzerne County Children and Youth Services.
According to the criminal complaint:
Johnson was found intoxicated outside Tommyboys Bar and Grille on North Market Street just after 1 a.m. after he allegedly caused a disturbance inside the tavern.
Johnson was transported to police headquarters where he asked to go home because his children were there.
Police asked Johnson who was watching the children. Johnson replied, "Their with God, God is watching over them."
Police entered Johnson's house and found a toddler and a girl sleeping on a mattress, and an 8-year-old boy laying in a pile of clothes, the criminal complaint says.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled on Feb. 1 before District Judge Donald Whittaker in Nanticoke.

1/24/2012
Couple charged with stealing presents on Christmas Eve to buy drugs
Bob Kalinowski - Citizens Voice

Cara Asay, the woman charged last week with burglarizing a dead man's house looking for heroin money, has been charged with another cruel crime.
Asay and her boyfriend conspired to burglarize a woman's Hanover Township home on Christmas Eve, steal items and return them to stores for drug money, according to Hanover Township police.
Asay, 29, and her boyfriend, Bradley A. Everett, 27, both of Nanticoke, were charged this morning in connection with the burglary at a Lee Park Avenue home, police said.
Asay was charged with burglary, criminal trespass, theft and receiving stolen property. Everett was charged with conspiracy, theft and receiving stolen property.
Both were jailed in the Luzerne County Correctional Facility in lieu of $10,000 cash bail. Asay and Everett had already been jailed on previous criminal charges.
Last week, police charged Asay in connection with a break-in at a dead man's Glen Lyon home in November. She said she was coming to the home to offer him sex for money and didn't know the man died months earlier. Police said Asay broke into the Main Street home when no one answered.

1/24/2012
Second lawsuit filed against Nanticoke bar
Ricky Wells of Mountain Top says he was badly beaten in incident in which woman was slashed.
sdelazio@timesleader.com

A second lawsuit has been filed against a Nanticoke bar and its owner in which a Mountain Top man says he was injured in a New Year’s Eve incident that also resulted in the face of his friend being severely slashed.
Ricky Wells says Paul Halliday, owner of the Prospect Street Caf?, was negligent the night of the attacks in that a security guard was not properly trained and a list of barred patrons was not kept.
The suit, filed by Wells’ attorney, David Selingo, on Monday, seeks unspecified damages on two counts of negligence.
The suit mirrors that of Jennifer Mieczkowski, of Nanticoke, who claimed in a suit filed Jan. 13 that the bar and Halliday were negligent for allowing inside a person who Mieczkowski claims injured her, despite the fact the person was under the legal drinking age, and that employees did nothing to stop the attack.
Mieczkowski alleged a woman slashed her face after Mieczkowski went to the aid of a friend who fell off a bar stool.
Wells’ lawsuit says the tavern had been the site of nine incidents involving disturbances at or adjacent to the bar, and had received 16 citations over an unspecified period of time prior to the incident.
The suit says Halliday entered into an agreement with the state Liquor Control Board that called for him to employ a security guard, provide training and maintain a list of persons who were barred from the tavern.
Wells alleges in the suit that he and Mieczkowski were at the tavern to pick up beer to take out when they saw some friends and decided to sit down with them and order a drink.
Mieczkowski, the suit says, noticed a female friend get knocked off a bar stool, and went to her aid when she was assaulted by an attacker.
Wells says in the suit that he tried to intervene but was grabbed by a security guard and dragged outside, where he was beaten, causing several injuries.
A police report of the incident said Wells was beaten with a pool cue. The suit says Wells suffered a fractured jaw, pain, anxiety, loss of sleep and depression as a result of the attack.
The suit alleges negligence in that Halliday and the bar failed to have a security guard undergo proper training and wear proper clothing. The suit also alleges Halliday and the bar failed to enforce the barred patron list, allowed underage patrons into the bar, served those underage patrons and failed to keep the premises “under control.”
Nanticoke Detective Capt. William Shultz said Monday the police are continuing the investigation and there have been no new developments.
Halliday could not be reached for comment.
Michael Yelen, an attorney who has previously represented the bar regarding its liquor license, said Monday he had no comment on any personal injury action and was unaware of the newest lawsuit.

1/19/2012
Nanticoke men get 7 years each for drug trafficking
Times Leader

A federal judge on Wednesday sentenced two Nanticoke men to seven years in prison each for their guilty pleas to drug trafficking.
Marcus Holder, 24, and Michael F. Bruce, 23, conspired to distribute more than 400 grams of heroin and more than 112 grams of crack cocaine from 2009 through April 29, 2011, according to federal prosecutors.
The two men also allegedly carried guns while dealing drugs, according to federal prosecutors.
U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania Peter J. Smith said Holder and Bruce agreed to forfeit to the government $12,469 and five guns seized by investigators during a raid on April 29, 2011.
Senior U.S. Judge Edwin Kosik ordered the two men to serve four years probation after they complete their prison sentences.
The FBI and Plains Township police investigated the case.

1/19/2012
Nanticoke pressed to do something about bar
Friends and relatives of Jan. 1 bar slashing victim want pace of investigation quickened.
jlynott@timesleader.com

Angry about the lack of an arrest even though an alleged suspect in the brutal slashing at the Prospect Street Caf? has been identified, friends and family of the victim spoke out at Wednesday night’s council meeting.
Supporters of Jennifer Mieczkowski peppered council with questions and vented their frustrations with the pace of the investigation of the Jan. 1 attack.
“What more information does anyone need to know?” asked Ashlee Mieczkowski, 25, during the public comment period at the end of the regular monthly meeting.
“We want something done,” said the younger sister of the victim.
City police, the Luzerne County District Attorney’s Office and the state police Bureau of Liquor Enforcement are investigating the early-morning slashing inside the crowded bar. Mieczkowski, 30, identified her attacker from a photo lineup within 24 hours and in a civil suit filed against the bar and its owner named 20-year-old Melanie Figueroa as the person who cut her about the face and neck.
Figueroa admitted being inside the bar and said she voluntarily went to speak with police, but denied attacking Mieczkowski.
Several people called for closing down the bar they said has been a trouble spot, and a representative of the Guardian Angels offered to assist police to provide an “extra set of eyes and ears” to them to make the city a safe place.
City Solicitor William Finnegan tried to explain to the people calling for the closure there is a procedure in having a bar declared a nuisance in order to shut it down. He asked for their assistance and directed them to fill out complaint forms available in the back of the meeting room to provide to the D.A.
“If no information is provided, they’re going to be hard pressed to do anything,” said Finnegan.
With her face still bandaged, Mieczkowski spoke out, saying she willingly went into the bar to get a 12-pack of beer to take out.
The business owner said she knows she is responsible for what goes on inside her hair salon.
“It’s about how you run the business,” she said.
She said the issue was not about someone seeking vengeance against the bar. “It’s about the violence coming in,” she added.
Council president Steve Duda agreed with her.
“Jen, you hit the nail on the head. It starts with the business owner. They got to keep order,” he said.

1/18/2012
Police blotter
Times Leader

Thomas Michael Hischak III, 18, address listed as homeless, was arraigned Tuesday in Wilkes-Barre Central Court on a charge of criminal trespass.
Nanticoke police allege Hischak entered his grandparents’ house on West Noble Street without permission on Monday, according to the criminal complaint.
Hischak was jailed at the county prison for lack of $5,000 bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled on Jan. 25 before District Judge Donald Whittaker.

A woman was arraigned Tuesday in Wilkes-Barre Central Court on charges she entered a residence without permission.
Cara Lee Asay, 28, of State Street, Nanticoke, was charged with burglary, criminal trespass, theft, receiving stolen property and criminal attempt. She was jailed at the county prison for lack of $10,000 bail.
Township police allege Asay entered an unoccupied residence on West Main Street, stealing items on Nov. 20, according to the criminal complaint.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled on Jan. 25 before District Judge Donald Whittaker in Nanticoke.

1/16/2012
Woman denies being bar attacker
Melanie Figueroa, identified in lawsuit as alleged slasher, admits to being in Nanticoke bar on Jan. 1.
jlynott@timesleader.com

The woman identified in a lawsuit as the person who allegedly slashed another woman in the face inside a Nanticoke bar early New Year’s Day said she is not the attacker.
Melanie Figueroa, 20, of Nanticoke, said she was in the Prospect Street Caf? on Jan.1, but she would not discuss what happened inside it that morning. During a brief interview Sunday she limited her comments to what happened in the days after the attack on Jennifer Mieczkowski.
Mieczkowski named Figueroa as the assailant in the suit filed Friday in Luzerne County Court against the bar and its owner Paul Halliday, alleging employees served alcoholic beverages to the underage Figueroa and did not stop the attack.
“I did talk to police. I went on my own,” said Figueroa. “Because I heard people were saying I did it.”
She denied attacking Mieczkowski, 30, of Nanticoke.
“Why would I go to police the day after it happened if I did it?” she asked during a 15-minute meeting at a donut shop in Hanover Township.
No criminal charges have been filed. Nanticoke police Detective Capt. William Shultz said he was not going to get in the middle of what Figueroa and Mieczkowski were saying.
“We’re just going to continue our investigation, and we’re going to arrest the person responsible for the crime,” he said.
Figueroa said she does not know Mieczkowski and has no idea why she was singled out by her in the suit.
“I feel bad for what happened to Jen. I don’t feel like anything like this should happen to anybody,” said Figueroa.
Mieczkowski identified Figueroa from a photo lineup within 24 hours of the attack, said her attorney, David Selingo.
Mieczkowski declined the opportunity to comment.
Selingo said he and his client stand behind the allegations in the lawsuit and “look forward to litigating this matter to its successful conclusion.”
“Ms. Figueroa will have full opportunity to present her story under oath and under the penalty of perjury in the litigation forum,” Selingo added.
Figueroa indicated she plans to file a suit as a result of being named by Mieczkowski. The publicity has been harmful. and the mother of a 3-year-old child said she wanted to clear her name.
She was confident she would be vindicated by the video from the bar’s surveillance system. State police are conducting a forensic analysis of the video.
“When the video comes back from Harrisburg it will prove that I’m innocent,” said Figueroa.

1/14/2012
Slashing victim's lawsuit identifies alleged assailant
psweet@citizensvoice.com, 570-763-9704

The Prospect Street Cafe and its owner should have taken steps to protect a woman who was gruesomely slashed at the Nanticoke bar on New Year's Day, according to a lawsuit filed Friday in Luzerne County Court.
In the lawsuit, Jennifer Mieczkowski, 30, says the bar and its owner Paul Halliday were guilty of negligence that allowed another woman to slash Mieczkowski's face and neck with a box cutter.
Though a criminal investigation is still under way, the lawsuit also alleges 20-year-old Melanie Rosario Figueroa was the primary assailant.
Attempts to reach Figueroa via telephone Friday were unsuccessful.
Halliday said Friday that his employees did everything they could to help Mieczkowski and suggested video surveillance from the bar shows she wasn't as innocent in the fight as has been reported.
"Our bouncer, our bartender did everything they could to help her," Halliday said. "The bartender even went after the (other) girl with a Taser."
Insufficient security?
Mieczkowski's claims against the bar include: a bouncer and other employees were not appropriately trained on security techniques; the bouncer was dressed in plain clothes and not easily identifiable; and Halliday failed to maintain a barred-patrons list.
The lawsuit says the bar employed Jerome "Mugga" Mills as a bouncer/security guard, and he was dressed in street clothes.
"It is believed and, therefore, averred that 'Mugga' Mills did not have any training as a security person," the lawsuit said.
Halliday, though, says he has no idea who "Mugga" Mills is and that the bar employed a bouncer named Jamil Tucker who was not only wearing a shirt that said security, but he checked every patron's identification at the door and was easily recognizable.
The lawsuit also points to a conditional licensing agreement between the state Liquor Control Board and the bar that mandates the bar train employees, have a security guard on site on Friday and Saturday between 10 p.m. and 30 minutes after closing and maintain a barred-patrons list.
Halliday said the bar is still complying with that agreement.
"We did have some issues. We corrected them," he said. "That's why we are still in business today."
Avoidable incident?
Mieczkowski says in the lawsuit that Figueroa - the alleged assailant - was able to slash her because the bar failed to prevent Figueroa from entering in the first place.
Figueroa was underage and should have been on the barred-patrons list because of previous fights, the suit says.
Inside, bartenders served Figueroa alcohol, even when she was visibly intoxicated.
And, when the fight broke out, no one with the bar intervened.
"No one employed by defendant, Prospect Street Cafe, Inc., attempted to intervene, protect or assist plaintiff, Jennifer Mieczkowski," the lawsuit said.
According to online court records, Figueroa was charged with fighting and harassment on Sept. 13, 2010. She was found not guilty of fighting but guilty of harassment with physical contact and fined nearly $300.
Halliday questioned whether he should have to check every patron's background.
"If she was underage, she must have had a fake ID," he said, "because my bouncer carded everyone at the door."
Investigators also seized surveillance footage from the bar for the criminal investigation, and Halliday said it shows that the bartender and bouncer jumped to help.
More importantly, he said, the video shows that Mieczkowski might have instigated the fight.
"The video system that the cops subpoenaed shows it pretty well," he said.
Mieczkowski has said before - and the lawsuit repeats - that she was coming to a friend's aid after the friend was knocked off of her bar stool.
Halliday, though, said the lawsuit shows where Mieczkowski's priorities lie.
"I don't know how she could claim this before the criminal investigation's done," Halliday said. "She's just more interested in money than justice."
The lawsuit asks for a judgment against Halliday and the business "in an amount in excess of the mandatory arbitration limits," costs, interest and attorneys fees and any other relief.
When reached Friday, Mieczkowski said she was told by her attorney, David J. Selingo, not to discuss the lawsuit.
Selingo did not return a telephone message left Friday afternoon.
Nanticoke Police Detective William Schultz said Friday that the investigation was ongoing but arrests were imminent.
Schultz would not comment about details of the investigation, including whether Figueroa was a suspect.
When asked whether the lawsuit's naming of an individual as the assailant would affect the investigation, Schultz said he wasn't concerned at this point and would see how it will play out.
"I'm surprised by this," he said, "but that can't affect our criminal investigation."

1/14/2012
Slashing victim sues bar, owner
Jennifer Mieczkowski of Nanticoke was attacked inside the Prospect Street Cafe
tmorgan@timesleader.com

A woman whose face was severely slashed inside a Nanticoke bar has filed a lawsuit against the tavern and its owner, alleging employees served her underage attacker and did nothing to stop the brutal attack.
Jennifer Mieczkowski of Nanticoke says Paul Halliday, owner of the Prospect Street Caf?, was negligent for allowing into the bar the person who Mieczkowski claims injured her, despite the fact the woman was under the legal drinking age.
Police have not identified the woman who allegedly slashed Mieczkowski, but the lawsuit claims she is 20-year-old Melanie Rosario Figueroa of Nanticoke.
The suit, filed Friday in Luzerne County Court by attorney David Selingo, claims Figueroa was intoxicated when she and a male, who is not identified, attacked Mieczkowski after she came to the aid of a friend who had been knocked off a bar stool.
Nanticoke police have been investigating the Jan. 1 assault but have not filed charges.
Selingo said Friday he does not understand why Figueroa has not been charged because Mieczkowski identified Figueroa from a photo lineup within 24 hours after the assault.
“Jennifer is very frustrated. She identified the girl a long time ago and there’s been no charges yet,” Selingo said.
Detective Capt. William Shultz said Friday police are continuing the investigation. A video taken from the bar’s surveillance system is now undergoing a forensic analysis at the state police lab in Harrisburg.
“When we are ready to make an appropriate arrest, we will make it. These things take time,” Shultz said.
Figueroa could not be reached for comment Friday. Michael Yelen, attorney for Halliday, did not immediately return a phone message left at his office Friday evening. A phone number at the bar was not operational when a reporter called Friday.
According to the suit, the Prospect Street Caf? had been the site of nine incidents involving disturbances at or immediately adjacent to the premises and also had received 16 citations over an unspecified period of time prior to the incident.
In order to renew his liquor license, Halliday entered an agreement with the Liquor Control Board that called for him to employ a security guard, provide training and to maintain a list of persons who were barred from the tavern.
The lawsuit alleges the tavern failed to keep a barred patrons list. It further alleges employees permitted Figueroa to enter the bar, despite knowing that she was under the legal drinking age of 21, and that she previously had been charged with disorderly conduct for fighting and harassment.
Court records filed with District Judge Donald Whittaker show a Melanie Figueroa was cited with three counts of disorderly conduct in September 2010. She was found not guilty of the charges at a hearing held on Dec. 7, 2010.
The suit says Mieczkowski was in the bar for only a short time before she was attacked by Figueroa and the unidentified male, each of whom slashed her about the face and head.
Mieczkowski’s friend, David Wells, tried to stop the assault. Rather than help him, a bouncer at the club dragged Wells outside the bar. A police report of the incident said Wells was beaten with a pool cue. The lawsuit does not identify who committed the alleged assault against Wells.
The suit seeks damages for two counts of negligence against Halliday and the tavern.

1/7/2012
Probe into slashing at tavern continues
Times Leader Staff

Police said Friday they are continuing to investigate the vicious assault on a woman who suffered severe slash wounds to her face inside the Prospect Street Cafe on Jan. 1.
Jennifer Mieczkowski, 30, of Nanticoke, said she entered the tavern to buy beer to take home and started talking to friends around 2 a.m. She told police a woman lunged at her with a box cutter, slashing her face several times.
Ricky Wells, 31, of Mountain Top, suffered a broken jaw and facial injuries in the assault.
Mieczkowski said she entered the tavern with Wells, who was dragged outside and beaten with a pool stick.
Police said another man was injured in the assault.
Detective Capt. William Shultz said he has interviewed numerous witnesses who were inside the tavern. He said the investigation is ongoing.

1/4/2012
Nanticoke bar no stranger to Liquor Control Board
bkalinowski@citizensvoice.com, 570-821-2055

The embattled Prospect Street Cafe was already operating on borrowed time before Sunday's vicious slashing.
After a series of liquor law violations and police responses, the state Liquor Control Board gave the bar's owners an ultimatum in November: clean up or be closed down, according to documents obtained by The Citizens' Voice on Tuesday.
A conditional license agreement between the board and the bar's owners reveals the board agreed to halt its efforts to revoke the bar's liquor license if the bar complied with a series of sanctions, from enhanced training to beefed up security.
It remained unclear Tuesday how the latest controversy will affect its license status, but police and prosecutors say they now plan swift action to investigate whether the bar should immediately be shuttered as a nuisance to the community.
"Prospect Cafe has had its problems," said Sgt. Gary Severns, commanding officer of the state police Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement. "But it's too early for me to say if they had any responsibility in this. I plan on contacting the district attorney's office to explore the possibility of a nuisance bar action. We'll see what the investigation brings and will go from there."
Early Sunday, Jenn Mieczkowski, 30, of Nanticoke, was severely wounded at the Prospect Street Cafe when she was slashed all over her face with a box cutter during a melee that erupted. She said she was an innocent victim, brutalized when a fight between two woman spilled over to her. Her attacker, described as a female in her early 20s, remains at large, though police believe they know her identity.
The bar, at 23 Prospect St., has been cited 29 separate times for liquor law violations and fined $11,400 since 2003, according to an online database operated by the state Liquor Control Board. Citations range from bad checks and loud music to permitting lewd entertainment and not providing records to investigators.
There also have been multiple police dispatches for fights and assaults, including on Dec. 20 when a man was beaten with a pool stick and the suspect threw a beer mug at a bartender.
Luzerne County District Attorney Stefanie Salavantis said her office is working with Nanticoke police and liquor control enforcement officials to investigate a possible nuisance action.
"When the investigation is complete, we will meet and determine if, in light of the current incident, what action can be taken, if any, within the letter of the law," Salavantis said.
| Friends of Mieczkowski have organized a rally and candlelight vigil for Friday at 5 p.m. at Patriot Square in Nanticoke to draw attention to the case and problems at the bar.
Meanwhile, police continue to investigate the crime itself. In addition to Mieczkowski's injuries, her friend was badly beaten and another man was slashed.
Nanticoke police Detective Capt. William Shultz spent Tuesday interviewing multiple witnesses who were in the crowded bar. He previously noted people in the bar cleaned up the bloody crime scene before police arrived and others, possibly an employee, gave misleading information about the severity of the incident that hindered the initial investigation.
"We're still investigating," Shultz said. "We have a lot of people to interview."
Mieczkowski said she went to the bar to get beer to go, and decided to stay for a drink after spotting a friend who was there celebrating New Year's.
While chatting, she said she drew attention to a fight going on near her between two women. She knew the woman being beaten, and summoned that woman's boyfriend to help. As she did so, the suspect attacked her with a box cutter, violently slicing her all across the face, she said.
Mieczkowski suffered slashes above her left eye, across her left cheek, on her left temple and on her nose. There's also a deep slice on the right side of her face that runs from her ear to jaw. Her head and face are now wrapped in bandages.
LCB records list the officers of Prospect Street Cafe as Paul Halliday, president, and Sandra Kaminski, manager.
"We're going through a lot right now. We feel bad for the girl," Kaminski said Tuesday, declining further comment when she answered the door at Halliday's Nanticoke home.
The LCB documents obtained by The Citizens' Voice on Tuesday indicate the board's Bureau of Licensing had been fighting the renewal of the bar's liquor license since August 17, 2010, due to multiple citations and police responses.
"Prospect wishes to renew the license in question and proffers that many of the alleged problems with its operation will be alleviated if the conditions contained herein are imposed upon the license as well as the premises," the agreement, signed Nov. 28, says.
The owners agreed to revamp their policies, undergo intensive training, employ a security guard between the hours of 10 p.m. and closing on Fridays and Saturdays, and implement a banned patrons list, all within 90 days, according to the documents.
Failure to adhere to the agreement could lead to a revocation of the bar's liquor license, the sides agreed.
"I think the bar should be closed. I can't change what happened to my sister, but I don't want it to happen to anyone else," said Mieczkowski's sister, Ashlee Mieczkowski, 25, of Nanticoke. "I want them held responsible for what happened in their establishment."

1/3/2012
Nanticoke woman's face sliced in brutal bar brawl
bkalinowski@citizensvoice.com, 570-821-2055

Brutalized by a box cutter attack to the face, Jenn Mieczkowski says she was an innocent victim of a melee that erupted Sunday at a Nanticoke bar.
It happened in an instant. She didn't know her assailant. All she wanted to do was a grab a 12-pack of beer and go home. Now, she'll have mental and physical scars for life.
Mieczkowski suffered severe slash wounds all across her face early Sunday when she was attacked during a bar fight just before 2 a.m. at the Prospect Street Cafe at 23 Prospect St. in Nanticoke.
"It was really scary," Mieczkowski, 30, of Nanticoke, recalled Monday, at home recovering from her wounds. "It happened so fast. I didn't initiate this at all."
Police said another man was slashed in the face during the brawl and one of Mieczkowski's friends was badly beaten. But it's clear Mieczkowski got the worst of it.
"There was blood everywhere. There was a trail of blood everywhere," she recalled. "I couldn't see because there was so much blood in my eyes."
Mieczkowski said she went to the bar to get beer to go, and decided to stay for a drink after spotting a friend who was there celebrating New Year's. While chatting, she said she drew attention to a fight going on near her between two women. She knew the woman being beaten, and summoned that woman's boyfriend to help. As she did so, the suspect attacked her with a box cutter, violently slicing her all across the face, she said.
"It was in an instant," said Mieczkowski, who was adamant she had no involvement in the fight and didn't previously know her attacker. "I didn't jump in the middle of it, not at all. As far as I am concerned, it was totally random."
Nanticoke police are working on several leads and are trying to positively identify the suspect - believed to be a woman who is about 21 years old, said Detective Capt. William Shultz.
"We're definitely going to be making an arrest," Shultz said. "We will find out who did this."
The female will be charged with aggravated assault and related crimes, Shultz said.
Shultz said several people may also be arrested for their involvement or for giving police misleading information upon arrival that hindered the investigation.
"Any crime scene was washed away. They cleaned up the blood before the guys got there," Shultz said. Mieczkowski's friend, Ricky Wells, 31, of Mountain Top, said he was beaten by a male suspect and suffered a broken jaw.
The Prospect Street Cafe has been cited 29 separate times and fined $11,400 since 2003 by the Pennsylvania State Police, Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement, according to an online database operated by the state Liquor Control Board.
Mieczkowski suffered slashes above her left eye, across her left cheek, on her left temple and on her nose. There's also a deep slice on the right side of her face that runs from her ear to jaw. Her head and face are now wrapped in bandages.
Mieczkowski operates Shear Image beauty salon on Broadway Street in Nanticoke. While she recovers, she can't work because of the risk of infection.
Doctors already performed hours of plastic surgeries on Mieczkowski and she said several more are planned "for my face to look remotely normal."
Mieczkowski teared up in front of family on Monday, knowing her face will likely be scarred forever.
"I know what I look like," Mieczkowski lamented. "I'll never look the same."