A person entered the residence in the 100 block of East Union Street while the homeowner, an elderly woman, was sleeping, police said.
Police said the woman discovered jewelry, prescription medication and her vehicle stolen when she awoke.
Police said the stolen vehicle was a tan, four-door 2005 Chevrolet Malibu with Pennsylvania registration plate PD8024N.
Anyone with information about the burglary and thefts is asked to contact Nanticoke police at 735-2200.

12/22/2009
Times Leader
City police reported the following unrelated incidents:

Joseph Thompson reported someone entered his apartment through an unlocked window and stole a 42-inch flat-screen television.
Amanda King reported someone threw a concrete block through the window of her brother’s vehicle while he was not home.
Charles Dennis, 40, of Dallas, was cited with harassment after he had left multiple messages on an answering machine after being told not to have contact with the complainant.
Andrew Novack, of East Ridge Street, reported someone threw a piece of concrete through his living room window.
Robert Kozlowski, of South Market Street, reported someone entered his vehicle and stole change.
Tracy Zdziarski, of West Noble Street, reported someone entered her vehicle and stole her iPod.
Cindy Prestash, of South Market Street, reported someone entered her vehicle and stole change.
Joseph Golembeski, of East Union Street, reported someone entered his vehicle and stole change.

12/22/2009
Times Leader
A city woman was arrested on charges of retail theft Wednesday after police said she stole several items from Weis Market in Nanticoke.

Heather Lynn Tolodzieski, 20, of Apollo Circle, was charged after police said she stole items totaling $46 from the grocery store.
According to an affidavit of probable cause, Tolodzieski was observed by a loss prevention officer failing to scan several items at a self-checkout aisle in the store.
The loss prevention officer followed Tolodzieski to the exit where, he said, Tolodzieski was uncooperative in providing identification and denied not wanting to pay for merchandise.

12/17/2009
A man accused by police with providing false information on an application to purchase a firearm waived his right to a preliminary hearing before District Judge Donald Whittaker on Tuesday.
Times Leader

James Vonsavage, 56, of Kingston, waived charges of sale or transfer of firearms and unsworn falsification to authorities to Luzerne County court.
Police allege Vonsavage provided false information about not having felony convictions when he completed an application to purchase a gun at D&R Sporting Goods, Main Street, in June 2008, according to the criminal complaint.

12/8/2009
Police said Rhonda Ann Parry, 47, of West Grand Street, was cited with possession of drug paraphernalia after a box containing marijuana was allegedly found in her residence.
Times Leader

Police said they were investigating a dispute at the residence involving Parry and a boyfriend on Aug. 17. Police said a box containing marijuana and a pipe was hidden in a desk, according to the criminal complaint.
Police filed the charge with District Judge Donald Whittaker on Friday. A preliminary hearing is tentatively scheduled on Jan. 5 before Whittaker.

12/3/2009
Times Leader
City police on Tuesday reported the following:

A safe inside Eddie and Jacks Service Center, West Main Street, was damaged during a burglary.

Police said cash and alcohol were stolen in a burglary at The Quoit Club, Railroad Street.

Amanda Robaczewski, of West Washington Street, reported someone flattened two tires on her vehicle.

Theresa Goodrich, of South Walnut Street, reported a video game system and numerous DVDs were stolen during a burglary at his residence.

12/2/2009
Nanticoke man shot in standoff beat girlfriend unconscious, according to police
Bob Kalinowski - Citizens' Voice

A day before he engaged state police in an armed standoff in Conyngham Township, a Nanticoke man beat his live-in girlfriend, knocking her unconscious, according to Nanticoke police.
State police say they were forced to shoot Ralph C. Galicki, 37, on Friday when he refused to drop a handgun during a four-hour standoff at the St. Mary's picnic grounds on Moc-Lee Road.
On Thursday, police said Galicki arrived at his live-in girlfriend Nancy Giberson's 54 W. Grand St. home demanding money so he could "go score drugs." He became angered because she said she needed the money to buy her child Christmas gifts, police said.
During the dispute, Galicki smashed a telephone off the wall and punched Giberson directly in the face, knocking her to the ground. Giberson told police she "blacked out" for a short time and Galicki fled.
Police obtained an arrest warrant on charges of simple assault and harassment. Galicki was wanted on the warrant at the time he engaged police in the standoff.
According to state police at Wyoming and Shickshinny:
A trooper discovered Galicki around 12:30 p.m. Friday brandishing a handgun while sitting in a stolen vehicle at the picnic grounds. Galicki was shot and sustained a non-life-threatening wound while troopers attempted to take him into custody after Galicki refused to comply with commands to drop the firearm.
In that case, he faces charges of theft, receiving stolen property, burglary, aggravated assault, firearms not to be carried without a license, simple assault and recklessly endangering another person.
He is jailed in lieu of $50,000 cash bail.

12/2/2009
Cops: Man lies about robbery to get pills
John Chernowsky, of Nanticoke, allegedly makes up story in an attempt to get more Xanax.
elewis@timesleader.com

A man made up a robbery story to obtain a police report that he needed to get a new prescription from a physician, according to charges filed by Nanticoke police.
John Chernowsky, 25, of South Walnut Street, Nanticoke, reported that a man with a knife demanded everything in Chernowsky’s pockets near Patriot Square on Nov. 23, police said. Police said Chernowsky said he gave the bandit $180 and a pill bottle containing 87 Xanax tablets.
Chernowsky said he walked to the police department on East Ridge Street to report the robbery but was unable to contact an officer. But police said they learned from surveillance video that Chernowsky never appeared at the police department.
Chernowsky is further accused of attempting to burglarize an elderly neighbor’s residence for money to support a heroin addiction, police said.
He was charged with providing false reports to law enforcement, attempted burglary, attempted criminal trespass, criminal mischief and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was jailed at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility on Tuesday for lack of $10,000 bail.
According to the criminal complaints:
Chernowsky reported he was the victim of a knife-point robbery in which the thief stole money and his prescription bottle containing Xanax tablets.
Chernowsky said he could not contact an officer when he banged on the door at the police department. Police said surveillance video from the police department did not record Chernowsky at the door.
Chernowsky requested a police report on the robbery that he was going to provide to his physician for a new prescription. Police said Chernowsky later admitted he fabricated the robbery story to obtain more prescription tablets.
In a separate incident, police said Chernowsky climbed onto the rear roof of an elderly neighbor’s house on East Church Street claiming he was looking for a shirt his friend had thrown on the roof on Nov. 24. Police said in the criminal complaint that they did not find a shirt on the roof.
Chernowsky later admitted he wanted to get into the house to look for money. A section of the roof and rain gutter was damaged by Chernowsky, police said.
Police said Chernowsky admitted to them that he has an $840-to-$1,000-a-month heroin habit.
Chernowsky was in possession of a syringe and had a rubber band around his arm when he was arrested Monday night. Police said in the criminal complaint that rubber bands are used when injecting heroin.
Preliminary hearings are scheduled for Dec. 29 before District Judge Donald Whittaker in Nanticoke.

12/2/2009
City police on Tuesday said Edward Randy Eckrote, 48, of South Prospect Street, Nanticoke, and Justin Craig Eckrote, 26, of Mill Street, West Nanticoke, were charged with assaulting Robert Gogola, 42, on Nov. 21.
Times Leader

Gogola told police he arrived at Edward Eckrote’s residence with Kimberly Rittenhouse, and the two men argued about who was dating Rittenhouse, according to the criminal complaint.
Gogola said Edward Eckrote and Justin Eckrote assaulted him in the residence. Gogola told police he suffered broken ribs, a punctured lung and a broken shoulder, according to the criminal complaint.
Gogola has been charged with simple assault and harassment, according to arrest records.

12/1/2009
City police reported that they are investigating 13 incidents in which items were stolen from parked vehicles
Times Leader

Common to all of the incidents were that the vehicles were entered from the front driver- or passenger-side window, there was no forced entry and all were unlocked. All were parked, either in the street or in private driveways, on the 500 block of East Grand, South Market, South Chestnut, East Noble and South Hanover streets. Items taken have been money, wallets and credit cards.
Residents are asked to lock and secure their vehicles and call 911 if suspicious activity is observed. Anyone with information about the break-ins are asked to call police at 735-2200.

11/25/2009
Times Leader
Police reported the following:

Robert Gogola, 42, of Garfield Street, was charged with simple assault and harassment after he allegedly assaulted Edward Randy Eckrote in a South Prospect Street residence on Friday, police said.

Police said Christine Xander, 45, of East Ridge Street, was charged with theft and deceptive business practices for allegedly accepting money for five laptop computers that she did not deliver.
According to the criminal complaint:
Mark Cieciorka of Throop told police he purchased five laptop computers on eBay from Xander in August.
Cieciorka said he mailed two money orders to Xander for the computers.
Xander sent an email to Cieciorka on Sept. 3 stating she received the money orders and mailed three of the five computers to him.
Cieciorka said he did not receive the computers and Xander told him they were lost in the mail.
Police said Xander failed to reimburse Cieciorka for the computers.

11/22/2009
Nanticoke man arraigned on theft charges
jmarckini@timesleader.com

A man wanted by city police was arrested Saturday morning for allegedly breaking into a vehicle for the second time in one week.
Anthony S. Brozusky, 24, of West Union Street, Nanticoke, was arraigned and charged with theft from a motor vehicle, receiving stolen property, escape, resisting arrest and criminal trespass, arrest papers state.
Police allege Brozusky broke into a man’s vehicle and attempted to steal items at 277 Mountain View Drive around 6:22 a.m., according to arrest papers.
Brozusky fled and was not immediately located until police were called out to 1203 Gemini St. for a report of a trespasser who matched the same description of the suspect in the vehicle break-in, the criminal complaint states.
Arrest papers state that Brozusky was warned in court about trespassing onto the Gemini Street property following a Jan. 20 arrest in which he was charged with illegally entering the home.
During the trespassing complaint, Brozusky resisted arrest and failed to comply with the officers’ commands after he was told a warrant was issued for his arrest for breaking into a vehicle earlier this week, police said.
According to a separate criminal complaint, police responded to a Loomis Street address for a report of a vehicle break-in on Monday. The owner told police he recognized the suspect as Brozusky who used to live in a nearby apartment.
Officers at the time could not locate the defendant and issued a warrant for his arrest.
A Taser used on Brozusky in Saturday’s incident was ineffective, police said. He ran away, but was later spotted walking near Walnut and East Noble streets where he was taken into custody.
Brozusky was taken to Luzerne County Correctional Facility in lieu of $20,000 bail on both sets of charges.
A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for Dec. 1 before District Judge Donald Whittaker in Nanticoke.

11/22/2009
Times Leader
Two people were charged by police with assault when they got into a fight about marijuana early Friday morning, according to charges filed.

Gregory T. Falzone, 24, and Melanie Atkins, 23, both of East Chestnut Street, Nanticoke, were charged with simple assault and harassment. They were released on $5,000 bail each.
According to the criminal complaints:
Atkins told police she arrived home and Falzone asked her to obtain marijuana. When Atkins failed to get marijuana, she claimed Falzone became upset and struck her.
Falzone clamed Atkins scratched him, the criminal complaints say.
Preliminary hearings are tentatively scheduled on Tuesday before District Judge Donald Whittaker in Nanticoke.

11/21/2009
Nanticoke bowling alley raided in marijuana bust
eskrapits@citizensvoice.com, 570-821-2072

The L.S. Bowl-A-Rama complex at the intersection of Washington and Prospect streets is one of the sites raided by police and narcotics agents as part of an investigation into a large-scale, multi-state indoor marijuana growing operation, state police at Wyoming said.
According to police, search warrants executed Friday around 10 a.m. at several locations, including the L.S. Bowl-A-Rama, led to a seizure of 1,151 marijuana plants, three pounds of processed marijuana and about $100,000 in cash.
Police withheld the names of the people accused and the other locations searched, because the investigation is ongoing. Arrests will be forthcoming, and the case will be prosecuted through the U.S. Attorney's office, state police said.
Besides the state police vice and narcotics unit, investigating authorities include the federal Drug Enforcement Agency's Scranton office, Nanticoke City police, and the New Jersey State Police Marijuana Eradication Task Force.
"I'm glad they found it. I truly believe if that marijuana was being peddled on the streets of Nanticoke, our police would have found it â?¦ They do a great job," Councilman Joe Dougherty said. "DEA, New Jersey - this stuff had to be going all over."
L.S. Bowl-A-Rama owner George Ellis said he couldn't comment.
The once-popular bowling and skating venue was created by the Ellis family in 1974 out of a closed-down silk mill. L.S. Bowl-A-Rama was open until 2007. However, the adjacent L.S. Skate-A-Rama building, devastated by fire in 1991, has lain vacant ever since. For many years, Nanticoke officials have been calling the deteriorated Skate-A-Rama building an eyesore.
A private developer was looking to buy the L.S. Bowl-A-Rama site for Luzerne County Community College student housing. The developer planned to demolish the complex and construct a building with roughly 120 units. LCCC was not affiliated with the project.
Dougherty said city officials have not heard anything recently about the proposed project.

11/21/2009
Indoor pot-growing operation investigated
Pa. cops: Multi-state probe includes search warrant executed at bowling alley.
jmarckini@timesleader.com

A multi-state investigation is under way into a large-scale indoor marijuana-growing operation.
Search warrants were executed at several locations, including LS Bowl-A-Rama, 102 E. Washington St., Nanticoke, around 10 a.m. Friday, according to state police at Wyoming.
Attempts to reach the owner of the bowling alley were unsuccessful.
Authorities seized 1,151 marijuana plants, 3 pounds of processed marijuana and approximately $100,000 in cash, police said.
Police said the investigation is ongoing and will be prosecuted through the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Several indictments will be forthcoming, police said.
Police have withheld the names of suspects due to the ongoing probe.
The state police Vice and Narcotics Unit, Troop P, is investigating along with the Drug Enforcement Administration Scranton Office, Nanticoke City police and New Jersey state police.

11/17/2009
Times Leader
Police reported the following:

• A 15-year-old male from Plymouth was recently cited with retail theft for allegedly failing to pay for three beverages at Weis Markets.
• Julia Gladkikh, of Hanover Street, recently reported someone damaged her vehicle while it was parked near her residence, police said.
• John Zegarski Jr., of West Broad Street, recently reported someone stole a global positioning system from his vehicle that was parked near his residence.
• Louis Reese, of Coal Street, recently reported checks were stolen from his vehicle that was parked near his residence.
• Police said copper pipe was recently stolen from houses on West Ridge, West Union and East Noble streets.
• Tami Pearce, of South Hanover Street, recently reported an iron gate was stolen from her residence.
• Christine Xander, 45, of East Ridge Street, was charged on Nov. 10 with simple assault for allegedly stabbing her husband, Dennis Xander, with a screwdriver during a dispute at their residence. A preliminary hearing is tentatively scheduled today before District Judge Donald Whittaker in Nanticoke.
• Police said John Joseph Wojciechowski, 40, of West Washington Street, was charged with assaulting a man at a bar on Nov. 8.
Wojciechowski was charged with simple assault, disorderly conduct, harassment, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of marijuana. A preliminary hearing is tentatively scheduled on Dec. 15 before District Judge Donald Whittaker in Nanticoke.
Police said in the criminal complaint that Wojciechowski assaulted Huascar Castillo in Lacy’s Bar on Nov. 8 because Castillo was talking to Wojciechowski’s wife. Castillo suffered a broken nose, a broken tooth and a sprained ankle, police said.
Police said they found a small amount of marijuana and a pipe in Wojciechowski’s pockets, according to the criminal complaint.
• Police said Joseph F. Baynock III, 26, of East Washington Street, was charged on Nov. 9 with assaulting his girlfriend.
Baynock was charged with simple assault and harassment. A preliminary hearing is tentatively scheduled today before District Judge Donald Whittaker in Nanticoke.
According to the criminal complaint:
Amanda Yurksha told police Baynock struck her head with a coffee mug during an argument in their residence. Yurksha drove herself to Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center, Plains Township, where she initially told hospital employees that she was injured in a fall.
Police said in the criminal complaint that Yurksha suffered injuries to her face.
Baynock told police, according to the criminal complaint, that Yurksha swung the coffee mug at him and he accidentally struck her in the head with it.

11/12/2009
Convicted rapist pleads to stealing
Now serving a 14-to-28-year sentence, Joseph Eckrote admits to taking fuel.
sdelazio@timesleader.com

A Nanticoke man convicted of kidnapping and rape charges who entered a guilty plea to an unrelated theft case was sentenced Tuesday to one to two years in state prison.
Joseph Eckrote, 49, who was scheduled to stand trial on charges of theft by unlawful taking, instead entered a guilty plea. Luzerne County Judge David Lupas ordered that Eckrote’s one-to-two-year sentence run concurrently to his 14-to-28-year sentence on kidnapping and rape charges.
Eckrote originally pleaded guilty to the theft charge in July, but withdrew the plea in early September and asked to be scheduled for trial.
According to court papers, police said Eckrote stole approximately 300 gallons of fuel from a bulldozer on April 6, 2008.
Police said Eckrote told them he drove his truck to where heavy construction equipment was parked on Route 11 in Plymouth Township, pried off the fuel cap of a bulldozer, poked a hole in the fuel screen and siphoned off the diesel with a garden hose.
Eckrote was ordered to pay $1,330 in restitution costs to the Hanover Nursery, which owned the bulldozer, and more than $400 to state police.
Lupas ordered Eckrote to have no contact with the nursery, and then ordered he be returned to the State Correctional Institution at Camp Hill.
A summary count of criminal mischief was withdrawn by prosecutors.
In May, Eckrote was sentenced to 14 to 28 years in state prison in the kidnapping and rape of a woman who was left stranded in the woods.
A county jury found Eckrote guilty on Jan. 7 of kidnapping, rape, robbery, simple assault, two counts of terroristic threats and a summary count of harassment.
In March, Eckrote was determined to be a sexually violent predator by the state Sexual Offenders Assessment Board.

10/31/2009
A man was arrested by police on Thursday on charges he assaulted his mother and younger brother and huffed gasoline.

Aaron James Mulhern, 18, of Mountain View Drive, Nanticoke, was charged with two counts each of simple assault and harassment, and a single count of illegal use of certain solvents and noxious substances. He was arraigned by District Judge Michael Dotzel in Wilkes-Barre Township and jailed at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility for lack of $2,500 bail.
According to the criminal complaint: Police allege Mulhern assaulted his younger brother during a fight, and shoved his mother inside their residence on Thursday. Mulhern’s mother told police that her son had been huffing gasoline for most of the day.
A preliminary hearing is tentatively scheduled on Nov. 3 before District Judge Donald Whittaker in Nanticoke.

10/30/2009
Liquor enforcement officer charged with giving bar classified information about raid
elewis@timesleader.com

A state police liquor control enforcement officer was charged today with giving confidential information about an impending raid at a Plymouth Township tavern.
Michael Buckley, 44, of East Grand Street, Nanticoke, was charged with hindering apprehension or prosecution and obstructing administration of law. He was arraigned by District Judge Michael Dotzel Friday afternoon and released without bail.
According to the criminal complaint:
Buckley, as a LCE officer, overheard plans on Sept. 29 about other LCE officers going to Leo's Roadhouse in Plymouth Township and removing illegal gambling devices.
Investigators monitored Buckley and allegedly recorded him making numerous phone calls to Leo's Roadhouse from Sept. 29 to Oct. 16, the criminal complaint says.
During the recorded phone calls, Buckley asked a Leo Roadhouse employee if the owners "got the machines out yet?"
A preliminary hearing is tentatively scheduled on Nov. 3 before District Judge Joseph Halesey in Hanover Township.

10/17/2009
A man repeatedly threatened a city detective with violence, then spit on another cop while jailed at the police station Thursday in Nanticoke, according to two sets of charges filed Friday
Citizens' Voice

Police also filed a third set of charges against Jessie Kinney, 33, alleging he attacked and assaulted a witness in one of his other criminal cases.
Investigators said Kinney, of 636 S. Walnut St., recently moved to the area from South Carolina and now has been criminally arrested four times.
According to information from the three criminal complaints:
Kinney's trouble started Thursday when he was caught trespassing inside a commercial property on Prospect Street, utilized by Detective Kevin Grevera, while contractors were doing work around 8:30 p.m. A contractor unwittingly let them in.
Grevera, who was off-duty, confronted Kinney and another man. Kinney demanded to speak to one of the workers, Randy Eckrote, saying Eckrote owed him money. Grevera told them to leave and speak to Eckrote at another time.
After acknowledging he knew Grevera was a cop, Kinney threatened to "bust up" Grevera. Grevera warned him to leave or be arrested.
Witnesses say Kinney became hostile and approached Grevera in a threatening manner. Kinney continued to threaten Grevera and said he would set the building on fire.
Grevera, who has disabling injuries to both of his arms, summoned a worker to physically restrain Kinney and remove him.
Kinney walked a few feet down the road and entered the Prospect Cafe bar. Police arrived and apprehended an intoxicated Kinney in the bar.
At police headquarters, Kinney would not cooperate, before eventually being placed in a cell, police said. Around 10:40 p.m., Kinney inquired about the charges he was facing. He then spit on Officer Bryan Kata.
For the incident with Grevera, Kinney was charged with stalking, resisting arrest and harassment. He was charged with aggravated harassment by prisoner for spitting on Kata.
The other set of charges - simple assault, retaliation against a witness and harassment - stem from an altercation on March 29 when he allegedly attacked Richard Dunn, 24, on the 300 block of State Street while Dunn was walking to work. Dunn was a witness in another criminal case against Kinney.
After Dunn began to fight back, Kinney fled and threatened, "I'm going to get ya."
Kinney was arraigned Thursday in Wilkes-Barre Central Court and sent to the Luzerne County Correctional Facility in lieu of $20,000 bail.

9/30/2009
Times Leader
Police reported the following:

Police said they are investigating a residential burglary on West Church Street on Monday. A rear sliding glass door was forced open sometime between 2 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.
Police said a .380-caliber handgun and two jugs filled with coins were stolen.

Police said at least 10 vehicles parked on South Hanover, East Grand and West Church streets were entered and items stolen between Sunday night and early Monday morning.
Police remind residents to lock their homes and vehicles, and to call 911 to report suspicious activity.

9/29/2009
A Nanticoke man was sentenced Monday to six to 12 months of house arrest with an electronic monitor on charges of manufacturing methamphetamine
Times Leader

Ernest Higgins, 55, with a last known address of Apollo Circle, was sentenced on charges of criminal attempt to manufacture methamphetamine and criminal conspiracy to manufacture methamphetamine by county Judge Peter Paul Olszewski Jr.
Higgins pleaded guilty to the charges in January.
According to court records, on March 10, 2008, Newport Township police contacted the Walgreens Drug Store in Dallas in regards to a receipt found in a garbage bag. Police said the receipt showed the purchase of 48 tabs of pseudophedrine in December 2007, which is a main ingredient in manufacturing methamphetamine.
Police said it is state law for stores to keep a log on who purchases the drug, and learned that Higgins had purchased the tablets, as did his girlfriend, who purchased another 48 tabs just an hour before Higgins went to Walgreens.
Records indicated Higgins had purchased large quantities of the drug from the Kingston Walgreens, as much as three different trips in one day.
Higgins’ girlfriend, Cathern Elizabeth Erdman, was also sentenced Monday on similar charges for the crime to six to 12 month’s house arrest with electronic monitor by Olszewski.

9/28/2009
Three Nanticoke residents face numerous charges after a traffic stop Friday on Horton Street
Times Leader

Norman Mayewski, 50, was pulled over at 4:23 p.m., after police noticed his vehicle had an altered registration plate, police said.
Police patted down Mayewski and his passengers – Sandra Mayewski, 46, and Theodore Glowacki, 25 -- for officers’ safety, and found the Mayewskis to be in possession of drug paraphernalia, police said, adding that Glowacki became disorderly.
Police said that during a search of the vehicle they found two firearms, one of which was stolen, ammunition, knives and more drug paraphernalia.
Glowacki was cited with disorderly conduct. Norman Mayewski was charged with weapons violations and possession of drug paraphernalia. Sandra Mayewski was charged with weapons violations, receiving stolen property and possession of drug paraphernalia.
The Mayewskis were arraigned before District Judge Andrew Barilla and lodged at the county prison for lack of $5,000 bail each. Their preliminary hearing dates were unavailable on Sunday.
City police could not confirm whether the stolen gun belonged to a Hanover Township man. Township police reported on Friday that city police recovered a stolen handgun in a traffic stop in the city and called the township man to inform him they had his handgun.

9/24/2009
Man sentenced to state prison on sex charge
elewis@timesleader.com

A man was sentenced to state prison by a Luzerne County judge on Thursday for sexually assaulting an ex-girlfriend.
President Judge Chester Muroski sentenced David M. Vishnefski, 23, of Nanticoke, to 38 months to 76 months on the charge of aggravated indecent assault. Vishnefski pleaded guilty to the charge on June 25.
Vishnefski must register his address and employment's address with state police under the state's Megan's Law upon release from prison.
Nanticoke police said Vishnefski assaulted the woman on Feb. 6, according to arrest records.

9/17/2009
Drug-making charge is lodged
Robert Jacob Muntz’s lawyer denies his client is a member of a motorcycle club.
elewis@timesleader.com

A man associated with the Outlaws Motorcycle Club in Ashley was charged Wednesday with manufacturing methamphetamine.
Robert Jacob Muntz, 42, of Wapwallopen, surrendered at the office of District Judge Donald Whittaker in Nanticoke, where he was charged with three counts of manufacturing a controlled substance with intent to deliver, two counts of causing or risking a catastrophe and one count of illegal possession of a firearm. He was released on $100,000 unsecured bail.
State authorities allege several members of the motorcycle club were involved in a $3.6 million cocaine trafficking ring.
Muntz was among 22 people charged on March 18 by the state Office of Attorney General’s Bureau of Narcotics Investigation in Operation Avalanche, an investigation that targeted cocaine trafficking by several members of Outlaws that had its clubhouse in Ashley. The clubhouse has since been condemned by Ashley officials.
Muntz is not a member of the Outlaws, his attorney, Ferris Webby, said on Wednesday.
Authorities allegedly discovered chemicals and contraband used to manufacture methamphetamines inside 195 W. Green St., Nanticoke, where Muntz formerly resided, on March 18.
A state police clandestine drug team, wearing protective suits, searched the home and allegedly seized chemicals used to manufacture methamphetamine.
Nanticoke police Detective Capt. William Shultz said the additional charges were filed against Muntz after a state police crime lab in Harrisburg finished testing the chemicals allegedly found in the home.
Shultz also said 10 firearms were removed from the West Green Street residence. Arrest records state Muntz, who was convicted of a felony, was not permitted to own or possess firearms.
Muntz’s then-residence in Nanticoke was one of four locations that were raided by undercover agents in March as a result of the investigation.
According to a 237 page criminal complaint that was filed in March:
Agents made about 30 controlled cocaine purchases from Outlaws members from July 2008 to March. Thousands of intercepted phone calls led agents to identify Anthony Manchio, of Wapwallopen, as the Outlaws’ main cocaine supplier.
John Gonda, a Luzerne County correctional officer, was among those charged in March. He was suspended with pay after he was charged, according to The Times Leader archives.
Twenty-one people charged in March are facing drug-related charges in county court.
Muntz is tentatively scheduled for a preliminary hearing on Sept. 22 on drug-related charges that were filed in March, and on the latest charges, before Whittaker.

9/15/2009
Chiropractor charged with insurance fraud
elewis@timesleader.com

A chiropractor was charged by the state Office of Attorney General's Insurance Fraud Division for allegedly filing false insurance claims with an insurance provider.
Gary Peter McGee, 41, of Nanticoke, was charged with a single count of insurance fraud. He was arraigned by District Judge David Barilla in Swoyersville and released on $25,000 unsecured bail.
McGee leased his office from another chiropractor, Dr. Paul Mahler, in which he submitted false claims to Blue Cross of Northeastern Pennsylvania using Mahler's rubber stamp signature from 2004 to 2007, according to the criminal complaint.
Authorities said in the criminal complaint that McGee allegedly submitted 74 false claims and received $83,980 from Blue Cross.

9/15/2009
A New York man was sentenced Monday to two to four years in state prison after pleading guilty to drug-related charges.
Times Leader

Mikal Ameen, 30, with a last known address of Utica, N.Y., was sentenced by Luzerne County Judge Michael Toole on an illegal gun charge and charges of receiving stolen property, possession with intent to deliver; resisting arrest, providing false identification to law enforcement and criminal mischief.
According to court records, on Jan. 26 police responded to a Nanticoke residence for the report of a burglary. The homeowner told police someone kicked in the front door and stole a 50-inch television and Ruger 9mm handgun.
The gun was sold to Ameen in exchange for heroin. Police saw Ameen’s vehicle at his residence and searched it, finding a backpack in the truck, with the gun, a loaded magazine, $1,890 and 130 bags of heroin.
The TV was given to another man, who also turned it over to police.
When Ameen arrived home, police attempted to place him under arrest, but he ran away. Ameen went into his residence and locked the door.
When taken into custody, Ameen told police his name was Daniel Gibson before he was taken to jail.

9/12/2009
A Nanticoke man was charged by township police in connection with his alleged involvement in two residential burglaries in Huntington Mills on Thursday.
Times Leader

Leo J. Jarmusik, 50, of 55 W. Field St., was arraigned Friday on two counts each of burglary, theft, receiving stolen property and criminal mischief and four counts of criminal conspiracy. He was jailed at Luzerne County Correctional Facility for lack of $25,000 bail.
Township police allege that Jarmusik conspired with three men, including his son, Dakota, to steal several items at 108 and 46 Brittney Lane around 2:30 p.m. Both homes were vandalized.
Charges also have been filed against Christopher Jarmusik, 48, of Nanticoke, and Theodore J. Maciejczak, 28, of Glen Lyon. Police said they broke into 108 Brittney Lane and took a pellet gun, court records show.
Police said the four men drove together in a Jeep to 48 Brittney Lane where they gained entry and stole several items that were later taken to Christopher Jarmusik’s home.
A preliminary hearing has been tentatively scheduled for Sept. 16.

9/10/2009
Homeless pair charged in thefts
Man and woman are hit with theft- and conspiracy-related charges in purse snatchings.
elewis@timesleader.com

Police in Kingston Township and Wyoming filed theft- and conspiracy-related charges against two homeless persons who allegedly went on a purse snatching spree near shopping centers last week.
Nanticoke police arrested Jason Raymond Edwards, 27, and Tanya Lynn Karasinski, 23, last Thursday when they were spotted leaving Weis Markets in Nanticoke after they allegedly attempted to steal a purse from a vehicle in front of Fetch’s Market in Plymouth.
Police said the pair were driving a vehicle that was reported stolen to the Plains Township Police Department on Sept. 2.
After their arrests, Edwards and Karasinski confessed they stole purses from vehicles near shopping centers on the same day in Edwardsville, Shavertown and Wyoming, according to the criminal complaints.
Wyoming police allege the pair are responsible for stealing a purse from a woman while she was loading groceries into her vehicle in front of Gerrity’s Supermarket on Wyoming Avenue. Kingston Township police claim the duo conspired to steal a woman’s purse near Thomas’ Market on the Dallas Memorial Highway.
Edwards and Karasinski stole the purses to get money to support heroin addictions, police said.
Nanticoke police said in the criminal complaints that they found purses, wax paper used to package heroin, metal spoons and syringes in the stolen vehicle.
Nanticoke police charged the pair with receiving stolen property, unauthorized use of a vehicle and possession of drug paraphernalia. Edwards and Karasinski remained jailed at the county prison for lack of $20,000 and $10,000 bail, respectively, on the charges filed by Nanticoke police.
On Wednesday, Wyoming police filed charges of theft against Karasinski who, along with Edwards, is also facing criminal conspiracy to commit theft. Kingston Township police filed charges of theft and criminal conspiracy to commit theft against the pair on Tuesday.
They haven’t been arraigned on the latest charges filed against them.
According to court records, Edwards was sentenced to two years probation in October 2003 after he pleaded guilty to robbery for stealing a woman’s purse in the parking lot of Gerrity’s Supermarket in Luzerne.
Court records indicate Edwards violated probation several times by testing positive for heroin and marijuana after his sentence in October 2003.

9/5/2009
Jury indicts pair on gun heist charges
Hanover Twp. men face federal prosecution in connection with smash-and-grab robbery.
elewis@timesleader.com

A federal grand jury has indicted two Hanover Township men in the theft of 33 handguns from a sporting goods store last month.
Michael Graboske, 46, and Raymond Rittenhouse, 22, were charged in a four-count indictment with illegal possession of a firearm, unlawful sale of a stolen firearm, theft of a firearm from a licensed firearm dealer’s inventory and conspiracy.
They were initially charged by police in Hanover Township and Nanticoke on burglary and theft related charges that will soon be withdrawn because of the federal indictment, Luzerne County District Attorney Jacqueline Musto Carroll said.
The federal grand jury indicted the pair on Wednesday, with the charges being made public on Friday.
Police arrested the pair in Nanticoke on Aug. 21 after they allegedly sold two handguns stolen from Nimrod Haven Firearms on the Sans Souci Parkway, Hanover Township, on Aug. 19.
According to arrest records and the indictment:
Graboske and Rittenhouse rammed a stolen car through the front doors at Nimrod Haven at about 4:50 a.m. Police said they used a metal pipe to smash glass gun cases, loaded a duffel bag with handguns and sped away in a dark-colored truck.
About 25 hours after the burglary, authorities learned the men wanted to sell some of the stolen guns, according to arrest records.
Rittenhouse and Graboske were kept under surveillance after Nanticoke police learned at about 5:30 p.m. Aug. 20 that the pair arranged to sell two handguns, a 9 mm and a .45-caliber. Police said the men had told others that they had burglarized the store and were selling the stolen guns, according to arrest records.
After their arrests, authorities searched their residence on South Main Street in the Askam section of Hanover Township, where they recovered 29 of the 33 stolen guns. Authorities suspect, according to arrest records, that two handguns were traded for crack in Wilkes-Barre.

9/5/2009
Nanticoke man pleads in punching death
William Bentley died in March after being punched outside Wilkes-Barre supermarket during a confrontation.
sdelazio@timesleader.com

A Nanticoke man scheduled to stand trial next month on involuntary manslaughter charges pleaded guilty Friday to causing the death of a Wilkes-Barre man by punching him in the head.
Zireek Gardner, 18, of East Main Street, pleaded guilty to charges of involuntary manslaughter, reckless endangerment of another person, two counts of simple assault and unrelated possession with intent to deliver charges before Luzerne County Court Judge Thomas Burke.
Gardner will be sentenced on Nov. 17, when he will face a maximum of 20 years in prison.
Assistant District Attorney Michael Vough said Friday that Gardner and William Bentley got into a fight on March 26
outside Schiel’s Family Market on Hanover Street in Wilkes-Barre.
Gardner punched Bentley in the back of the head. Bentley never regained consciousness, and he died the next day after doctors said he was brain-dead.
Police said the fight was the end result of an earlier incident in which Gardner, also known as “Zock,” claimed he was robbed of drugs and money.
The two met by chance outside the grocery store later that day, Vough said.
“Is that correct?” Burke asked Gardner.
“Yes, your honor,” Gardner replied.
Gardner was scheduled to stand trial on Oct. 5 after he pleaded not guilty to the charges at an arraignment in recent months.
Bentley’s girlfriend, Stacey Kammer, testified at the preliminary hearing that she was with Bentley and a friend when they stopped at the store to buy food.
“I heard (Bentley) say ‘I’m sorry’ to Mr. Gardner. I got out of the car to defend (Bentley). That’s when Mr. Gardner punched (Bentley) in the head,” Kammer testified.
Kammer said she had been dating Bentley for nearly a year. County Coroner John Corcoran said Bentley died from blunt head trauma caused by a fist.
Gardner, who is currently jailed at the county prison, also pleaded guilty to a charge of possession with intent to deliver heroin Friday. That charge stems from an Oct. 10 incident in Nanticoke.
Police said Gardner and a few other men were pushing a disabled car in Nanticoke. Vough said a small bag of heroin was found at Gardner’s feet, and when police approached, they found four more bags in his hand.
Gardner will be required to pay restitution to Bentley’s family as well as prosecution costs when he is sentenced.

9/5/2009
Cops: Pair admit to stealing purses
Nanticoke police say homeless couple took items from cars parked near grocery stores.
jmarckini@timesleader.com

A homeless pair confessed to police they stole purses from cars parked near grocery stores to support their heroin addiction.
Jason R. Edwards, 27, and Tanya Karasinski, 23, were captured Thursday in Nanticoke by city police after allegedly attempting to snatch a purse from a vehicle in front of Fetch’s Market in Plymouth.
The duo confessed to three other purse snatchings near shopping centers on the same day in Edwardsville, Wyoming and Shavertown.
Edwards and Karasinski were stopped about one block away from Weis Markets in Nanticoke, where they were spotted leaving in a stolen Pontiac Grand Am, police said.
Police said they found purses, wax paper used to package heroin, metal spoons and hypodermic needles in the vehicle.
Karasinski, who initially gave officers a false name, was a fugitive wanted by the U.S. Marshals Service for allegedly fleeing after previously being arrested by the U.S. Secret Service.
Edwards told police he took the car so he could get around and have a place to sleep, according to arrest papers. He also confessed to snatching purses near Edwardsville West Side Mall, Gerrity’s Market, Wyoming, and Thomas’ Market in Shavertown, according to police.
Police said Karasinski corroborated the purse thefts but maintained she had no idea that the vehicle was stolen.
They were arraigned and charged with unauthorized use of a vehicle, receiving stolen property and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Edwards and Karasinski were jailed at Luzerne County Correctional Facility for lack of $20,000 and $10,000 bail, respectively.
Preliminary hearings have been scheduled for Sept. 8.

9/4/2009
Police: Man injures pregnant girlfriend
Floyd Powell, 25, of Nanticoke, also facing unrelated burglary charges.
elewis@timesleader.com

Police accused a man of assaulting his pregnant girlfriend Monday night and receiving more than $3,000 in stolen property in July.
Police allege Floyd Powell, 25, kicked and punched Shaqkita Welch during an argument in their apartment on East Washington Street. Welch is four months pregnant and was treated at Wilkes-Barre General Hospital because of her pregnancy, police said.
Police Capt. William Shultz said Welch had informed police that the alleged assault didn’t harm her unborn child.
Police further allege Powell took part with Jesse James Hartman, 23, in stealing items during burglaries from several apartments on East Union Street, where they then resided, on July 14. Several items were found in a vehicle commonly driven by Powell, police allege.
Hartman is facing several counts of burglary, criminal trespass and conspiracy, according to the office of District Judge Donald Whittaker in Nanticoke.
Powell was arraigned on Thursday on two counts of simple assault, and one count each of aggravated assault of an unborn child, recklessly endangering another person and harassment. He was separately arraigned on a single count of receiving stolen property.
Powell was jailed at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility for lack of $20,000 total bail.
According to the criminal complaints:
Welch told police she was arguing with Powell inside their apartment when he destroyed a television and her cell phone. She claimed Powell kicked and punched her in the stomach two or three times and struck her in the face.
Welch left the apartment and Powell followed her outside, where he continued to yell at her. She reentered the apartment and locked the door, which Powell kicked in, the criminal complaint says.
Powell then took off in Welch’s Jeep, police alleged.
Welch told police she wanted her vehicle returned and didn’t want Powell arrested. Shultz said police pursued the charges because of Welch’s pregnancy.
Police allege in the criminal complaints that they found various tools and other items stolen from apartments on East Union Street on July 14 in a Chevrolet Blazer that Powell commonly drives.
Powell denied he took part in the burglaries and claimed the SUV was stolen, according to the criminal complaint.
Preliminary hearings on the separate charges are tentatively scheduled on Sept. 29 before Whittaker.

9/4/2009
A Nanticoke man was sentenced Thursday to two to four years in prison on several drug-related charges for the sale of heroin throughout the greater Nanticoke area.
Times Leader

Joshua Flaherty, 33, of East Grand Street, was sentenced on six counts of delivery of a controlled substance by county Judge Hugh Mundy. Flaherty pleaded guilty to the charges in June, and was ordered to pay nearly $700 in restitution costs.
According to court records, on Feb. 12, Flaherty sold suspected heroin to a police informant. One day later, Flaherty sold more heroin to a police informant, as well as on Feb. 14 and 15.
Police searched Flaherty’s Grand Street home on a warrant on Feb. 16, and found $350 and 39 packets of heroin, totaling 9.8 grams, under the bathroom sink.
On that day, Flaherty told police he participated in selling heroin on each occasion it was sold to a police informant and that he gave most of the proceeds of sales to a man named “Junior.” Flaherty told police he sold drugs to satisfy his heroin addiction, to pay for rent and to support his family.

9/2/2009
ATV-riding vandals hit Earth Conservancy land
Spokeswoman says it was worst damage ever at an agency reclamation site.
rsweeney@timesleader.com

Over the weekend, vandals created the worst damage that has ever occurred at an Earth Conservancy reclamation project, setting the site straddling Hanover Township and Nanticoke back perhaps a month and costing thousands of dollars to repair.
People riding on all-terrain vehicles broke into what is called the silt-pond reclamation site off Middle Road on the edge of Nanticoke by cutting through a chain-link fence, said Jacqueline Dickman, the conservancy’s director of public affairs and development.
A stretch of 150 feet of the fence was then torn down, and ATVs were driven through the property, creating deep ruts. Bales of hay also were cut open and strewn about and burned, she said.
“We probably had about $300,000 into the reclamation site to date,” she said, but now the fence must be replaced, the ground re-leveled, the grass reseeded and the protective layer of hay scattered over it again.
“The damage this time really surpasses anything we’ve seen in the past,” Dickman said. “You might think that tearing up the grass isn’t a big deal, but considering the amount of work that went into the site … it’s really disheartening.”
The Nanticoke and Hanover Township police departments responded to calls about the damage, and at least one fire department was dispatched, though firefighters ended up allowing the fire to burn out on its own.
The conservancy is considering offering a reward for information about the vandals. Anyone with such information should call the office at 823-3445.
Dickman said the conservancy is well aware of the potential for damage at its sites since they’re usually rural, but she hoped that bringing publicity to this incident might help people be more vigilant.
“There’s always a concern that our reclamation projects are going to have damage. It’s becoming a chronic problem,” she said. “It’s definitely something that happens with regularity, and I think our hope is by bringing this to people’s attention, people keep their eyes open for problems at this site and others.”
The site, which had been a repository for mine waste, is being cleaned and turned into an open green space through a federal brownfields grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

9/2/2009
Theft trial next for jailed rapist
Currently serving 14-28 years, area man withdraws guilty plea in alleged theft of fuel.
sdelazio@timesleader.com

A Nanticoke man, currently serving 14 to 28 years in state prison on kidnapping and rape charges, withdrew a guilty plea to an unrelated theft case and will now stand trial.
Citing he wanted to retain new counsel, Joseph Eckrote, 49, asked Luzerne County Judge Chester Muroski on Tuesday to allow him to withdraw his guilty plea in a case in which police said he stole approximately 300 gallons of diesel fuel from a bulldozer.
Eckrote will now be put on the next trial list in October while he waits to hire a private attorney. Muroski said Eckrote, if convicted, could face a substantial sentence because of his lengthy criminal record.
Eckrote is currently represented by attorney John Sobota.
According to court records, police claim Eckrote stole approximately 300 gallons of fuel from a bulldozer on April 6, 2008.
Police said Eckrote told them he drove his truck to the piece of heavy equipment, which was parked along Route 11 in Plymouth Township, pried off the fuel cap, poked a hole in the fuel screen and siphoned off the diesel with a garden hose.
Eckrote, who entered his guilty plea in July, was then ordered to pay $1,330 in restitution costs to Hanover Nursery for the damage and fuel.
In May, Eckrote was sentenced to 14 to 28 years in state prison in the kidnapping and rape of a woman who was left stranded in the woods.
A county jury found Eckrote guilty on Jan. 7 of kidnapping, rape, robbery, simple assault, two counts of terroristic threats and a summary count of harassment.
In March, Eckrote was determined to be a sexually violent predator by the state Sexual Offenders Assessment Board.

8/29/2009
A West Nanticoke man was arraigned Friday on burglary and other related charges after police said he broke into a man’s home Thursday.
Times Leader

Nathan Ryan Norcross, 18, of East Poplar Street, was arraigned on charges of burglary and two counts of criminal trespassing. He was tentatively scheduled for a preliminary hearing on Sept. 1 at 10 a.m. in Nanticoke.
According to police, they were called to 412 East Ridge Street for the report of a break-in. Police said they saw a ladder against a garage and a person on the ladder. People said they heard someone in the garage and tried to get in, and startled the person inside, later identified as Norcross.
Police said Norcross tried to break out a window on the second floor to escape, but was apprehended.

8/29/2009
A city man was charged with assaulting his girlfriend after she would not let him have a night out with his friends, police said.
Times Leader

Joshua I. Ruminski, 23, of 202 W. Noble St., was arraigned Thursday morning on single counts of simple assault, harassment and disorderly conduct, court records show. He was released on $5,000 unsecured bail.
Nanticoke police alleged in arrest papers that Ruminski grabbed Ashley Cyron’s neck, tore her shirt during an argument and then kneed her in the ribs in a parking lot near Lincoln Avenue.
Officers spoke with Ruminski who told them he wanted to go out with his friends but Cyron wouldn’t let him, the criminal complaint states. Cyron told police that she wanted Ruminski to spend time with her and their toddler.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Sept. 1.

8/28/2009
A city woman was arrested for allegedly throwing a picture frame at her daughter’s head and pushing another relative in a bathtub during a domestic dispute on Wednesday night.
Times Leader

Anja Dunaj, 31, of 257 Apollo Circle, was arraigned Thursday on two counts each of simple assault and harassment, court records show. She was released on $5,000 unsecured bail.
Police allege Dunaj hit her daughter, Natalie Shaffer, before throwing the frame at her head, and when Shaffer’s great-grandmother, Jadwij Kosienski, tried to intervene she was pushed by Dunaj in the bathtub at their home around 7 p.m.
Kosienski told police Dunaj also grabbed her by her throat and poked her in her left eye, arrest papers state.
A preliminary hearing has been tentatively scheduled for Sept. 1.

8/28/2009
District Judge Donald Whittaker dismissed charges
Times Leader

District Judge Donald Whittaker dismissed charges of burglary, criminal trespass, intimidation of witnesses or victims and retaliation against witnesses or victims against Shallon Gallmon, 31, of Plymouth, during a preliminary hearing on Tuesday.
Plymouth police accused Gallmon of forcing her way into an Orchard Street residence and threatening Jennifer Ridall with a chain on June 12, according to the criminal complaint.

8/25/2009
Nanticoke police arrested a drunken man early Monday morning for breaking into a vehicle at Rear 214 E. Main St., police said.

Officers responding to the call spotted Anthony S. Brozusky, 24, hiding between two vehicles at the intersection of Railroad and North Chestnut streets. Brozusky, of 1 Loomis St., is charged with receiving stolen property and public drunkenness. When police encountered Brozusky, he was in possession of an electric razor and loose change. Asked why he was carrying an electric razor at 2:15 a.m., Brozusky said he "wants to look good for the girls," according to the charges filed by officers Richard Vietz and Lee Makowski.
The owner of the vehicle outside Rear 214 E. Main St. said the razor was stolen from his car.

8/25/2009
Gun-theft suspects in trouble previously
Hanover Twp. men allegedly took 33 handguns from sporting goods store.
elewis@timesleader.com

Two Hanover Township men charged with stealing handguns from a sporting goods store last Wednesday have previous criminal records.
Raymond Rittenhouse, 22, and Michael Graboske, 46, were captured Friday night and charged with taking 33 handguns from Nimrod Haven on the Sans Souci Parkway in Hanover Township
They were captured after they arrived at a South Market Street residence in Nanticoke to sell two of the stolen guns, police allege.
After their arrests, a district judge approved a rare night-time search warrant for Graboske’s trailer on South Main Street, Hanover Township, where authorities allegedly recovered 29 of the 33 stolen handguns. Police suspect two other handguns were traded for crack in Wilkes-Barre.
It was the second time Graboske’s residence has been searched, according to court records.
Authorities with the state Office of Attorney General’s Luzerne County Drug Task Force executed a search warrant at Graboske’s residence on Aug. 7, 1997, after Graboske sold cocaine and heroin to informants in July 1997. Graboske was convicted on various drug-related offenses in March 1998 and was sentenced to five to 10 years in state prison, according to court records.
Rittenhouse is serving a probation sentence, which was imposed on Oct. 31 on charges he took part in stealing two purses, according to court records.
Hanover Township police said Rittenhouse and another man stole a woman’s purse in the parking lot of the Hanover Mall, Sans Souci Parkway, and Nanticoke police said he stole a purse from an elderly woman on South Prospect Street. Both thefts happened on Oct. 15, 2007, according to arrest records.
Last Wednesday, police allege, Rittenhouse and Graboske rammed a stolen car through the front doors of Nimrod Haven at about 4:50 a.m. Police said they used a metal pipe to smash glass gun cases, loaded a duffel bag with handguns and sped away in a dark-colored truck.
About 25 hours after the burglary, authorities learned the men wanted to sell some of the stolen guns, according to arrest records.
Rittenhouse and Graboske were kept under surveillance after Nanticoke police learned at about 5:30 p.m. Thursday that the pair arranged to sell two handguns, a 9mm and a .45-caliber.
Police said the men had told others that they had burglarized the store and were selling the stolen guns.
Graboske and Rittenhouse were charged with burglary, criminal trespass, theft, receiving stolen property, criminal mischief and criminal conspiracy. Graboske was further charged with persons not to possess firearms.
They are jailed at the county prison for lack of $30,000 bail each.
Preliminary hearings are tentatively scheduled on Sept. 1 before District Judge Joseph Halesey in Hanover Township.

8/23/2009
Police arrest two in Nimrod burglary
They are accused of stealing 33 guns from Hanover Twp. sporting goods store.
jmarckini@timesleader.com

HANOVER TWP. – Two township men were arrested Friday night and charged with stealing handguns from a sporting goods store earlier this week.
Raymond T. Rittenhouse, 22, and Michael S. Graboske, 46, are accused of stealing 33 guns in connection with the break-in at Nimrod Haven Sporting Goods, 1757 Sans Souci Parkway, on Wednesday, police said.
Police Friday night arrested the pair on South Market Street in Nanticoke, where they allegedly sold two of the stolen firearms to another individual, arrest papers state.
A search of their home later that evening at 3144 S. Main St. resulted in the recovery of 29 handguns stolen from the sporting good store, according to the criminal complaint filed by Nanticoke and Hanover Township police departments.
According to arrest papers: On Wednesday township police responded around 4:50 a.m. to Nimrod Haven for a report of a burglary in progress.
Police were informed that a vehicle had been driven through the front doors and two men dressed in dark clothing were leaving the store. Another vehicle fled the area, possibly heading north.
Surveillance video revealed one man entered with a pipe and proceeded to smash the glass cabinets while the another suspect removed several handguns and placed them into a bag.
The two men were arrested after Graboske sold two handguns to a confidential informant for $700 at an apartment in Nanticoke Friday night, police said.
Rittenhouse and Graboske were both charged with burglary, criminal mischief and criminal conspiracy. Graboske also was charged with illegal sale of a firearm.
Federal agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms also participated in the arrests.
The defendants were jailed at Luzerne County Correctional Facility for lack of $30,000 straight bail each.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Sept. 1 before District Judge Joseph A. Halesey of Hanover Township.

8/18/2009
Cops: Woman uses chain in sock in threat
Latest charges vs. Plymouth resident include retaliation and intimidation of a witness.
elewis@timesleader.com

A woman was charged by Plymouth police on Monday with threatening a neighbor who allegedly witnessed an assault in June.
Police in arrest records accused Shallon Gallmon, 31, of Orchard Street, of forcing her way into a residence on Orchard Street and threatening Jennifer Ridall with a chain wrapped in a sock on June 12.
A day earlier, on June 11, Gallmon had a dispute with Ridall and Stephanie Velders outside her residence where Velders was allegedly struck by a vehicle driven by Gallmon.
Gallmon was arraigned by District Judge Donald Whittaker in Nanticoke on Monday on charges of burglary, criminal trespass, intimidation of witness or victim and retaliation against witness or victim. She was released without bail.
According to the criminal complaint and court records:
Ridall told police on June 12 that she was in her apartment when she heard loud banging and Gallmon screaming to be let inside.
Ridall alleged Gallmon forced her way in and begun yelling at her for a prior incident. Gallmon swung an object at her that police said was a chain inside a sock.
Gallmon was arrested without incident at Ridall’s apartment on a warrant for the June 11 alleged assault with the vehicle.
In that case, Ridall and Velders said Gallmon was blaming them and other neighbors because Luzerne County Children and Youth caseworkers were at her home on June 11.
Velders claimed, according to arrest records, she saw Gallmon place two children in a vehicle and fail to secure them in a safety seat.
Gallmon yelled to Velders and Ridall, “I’m taking my kids out of state; I’ll deal with this later,” arrest records say.
Police alleged in arrest records that Gallmon threatened to run over Velders and Ridall and reversed her vehicle at a high rate of speed. Ridall jumped out of the way but Velders was struck, according to arrest records. Velders suffered arm and shoulder injuries, police said.
Police said Gallmon sped away with her two children and was arrested after she forced her way into Ridall’s residence on June 12.
Gallmon is facing two counts of endangering the welfare of children, simple assault and terroristic threats, and one count each of accidents involving injury, disorderly conduct and driving while operating privilege is suspended in Luzerne County Court for the June 11 incident.
A preliminary hearing on the latest charges is tentatively scheduled on Aug. 25 before Whittaker.

8/16/2009
Times Leader - Court Notes

District Judge Donald Whittaker dismissed charges of endangering the welfare of children, simple assault and reckless endangerment against Joshua James Watkins, 22, of Nanticoke, during a preliminary hearing on Wednesday.
Nanticoke police had accused Watkins of assaulting his girlfriend and her parents during a dispute at a home on Coal Street and speeding away with her child on July 24, according to the criminal complaint.

8/15/2009
Times Leader
A Nanticoke man was charged with selling a bundle of heroin to undercover officers on Thursday night.

John Chernowski Jr., 24, of 377 S. Walnut St., was arraigned Friday on 14 counts of felony possession with intent to deliver heroin, seven counts of possession of the drug and three counts of criminal use of a communication facility.
He was jailed at Luzerne County Correctional Facility for lack of $20,000 bail.
Borough police allege in arrest papers that Chernowski sold the bundle, equivalent to seven packets of heroin, to undercover officers on East Main Street around 8 p.m. Thursday.

8/8/2009
Times Leader
A Jamaican man was arrested on drug charges and alleged firearm violations after a crash on Thursday night.

Mario M. Whyne, 20, who has an address at 240 Park Lane, Hamilton, N.J., was arraigned Friday on charges of possession with intent to deliver, possession of a controlled substance, firearms not to be carried without a license and possession of a weapon.
Whyne told police he was not a resident of the United States but has applied for citizenship. He was jailed at county prison for lack of $20,000 straight bail.
According to the criminal complaint:
Nanticoke police responded around 9 p.m. to a two-vehicle crash at the intersection of Main and Market streets. Several witnesses and the driver of the second vehicle told police that two or three men with dreadlocks ran east on East Main Street from a 1996 Chevrolet Monte Carlo.
One of the men, later identified as Whyne, was stopped near South Walnut Street.
Whyne told police he was a 17-year-old from Trenton, N.J., who moved to the United States about a year ago. A fully loaded revolver and suspected marijuana was found in his shoulder pack.
A preliminary hearing has been tentatively scheduled for Aug. 11.

8/7/2009
State prison for man who issued nearly $21,000 in bad checks
elewis@timesleader.com

A man who issued nearly $21,000 in bad checks at various businesses was sentenced to state prison.
Erik Masaitis, 25, of South Franklin Street, Wilkes-Barre, was sentenced to 2 years and 7 months to five years and five months on seven counts of bad checks, six counts of theft, and one count each of robbery, possessing instruments of crime, false identification to law enforcement, resisting arrest and criminal attempt.
Police in several departments, including a few businesses that filed private criminal complaints, charged Masaitis with purchasing items with checks that had insufficient funds from December to April, according to court records.
Masaitis was also accused by Nanticoke police with robbing a service station on North Market Street on April 5, and by Swoyersville police with possessing a knife while they were investigating a robbery at a beer distributor on Main Street, Luzerne on May 3.
Masaitis told police, according to arrest records, that he was purchasing items from businesses knowing he had insufficient funds in his checking account. He then sold the items for money to support a heroin addiction, according to arrest records.

8/5/2009
Store owner pleads to federal gun violations
Nanticoke businessman and co-defendant in Russia charged with gun smuggling
Times Leader

The owner of a Nanticoke sporting goods store pleaded guilty Tuesday to federal charges of conspiring to illegally export military equipment to Russia.
Mark Komoroski, owner of D & R Sports Center, entered a plea to five counts of conspiracy before Senior U.S. District Judge Edwin Kosik.
Komoroski and a co-defendant, Sergey Korznikov of Moskow, Russia, were charged in January 2008 with conspiring to smuggle various equipment, including rifle scopes, firearm magazines and face shields to be sold to unknown persons in Russia.
Komoroski pleaded guilty to conspiracy to export defense articles without State Department approval.
He also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering, mail fraud, smuggling and to conspiring to make false entries into records kept by a gun store.
Korznikov has not entered a plea. The case against him is pending.

7/29/2009
A 49-year-old Nanticoke man who is serving a 14-to-28-year sentence on kidnapping and rape charges pleaded guilty Tuesday to an unrelated theft charge.
Times Leader

Joseph Eckrote pleaded guilty to a charge of theft by unlawful taking before Luzerne County Court Judge Chester Muroski. Eckrote will be sentenced on Sept. 1.
According to court records, on April 6, 2008, police said, Eckrote stole approximately 300 gallons of diesel fuel from a bulldozer.
Eckrote was ordered to pay $1,330 in restitution costs to Hanover Nursery for the damage and fuel.
Eckrote was found guilty recently by a Luzerne County jury in the kidnap and rape of a woman who was left stranded in the woods.

7/27/2009
Man arrested on charges he assaulted woman while holding infant
elewis@timesleader.com

Police arrested a man on charges he assaulted a woman while holding a 6-month old infant on Sunday.
Joshua James Watkins, 22, of Coal Street, was charged with three counts each of simple assault and harassment, two counts of reckless endangerment, and one count each of endangering the welfare of children, accidents involving damage to vehicle and driving an unregistered vehicle. He was jailed at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility for lack of $7,500 bail.
According to the criminal complaint:
Brittany Murtha told police her boyfriend, Watkins, was arguing with her for much of Sunday, and wanted to use their rent month to buy prescription drugs. Murtha claimed Watkins shoved her into a wall, and she locked herself in a bathroom. He forced open the door, the criminal complaint says.
Murtha alleged, according to the criminal complaint, Watkins was holding their infant when he assaulted her.
Watkins fled the home with the infant that he placed inside a vehicle. Murtha attempted to remove the infant as Watkins sped away forcing Murtha to fall to the ground, the criminal complaint says.
Watkins struck a fence on Coal Street, and was captured by Kingston police.
Watkins claimed he fled the home with the infant because Murtha's family arrived carrying bats and pipes, according to the criminal complaint.
A preliminary hearing is tentatively scheduled on Aug. 4.

7/24/2009
A man was charged by police on Thursday with stealing metal beams from a business and tools from a vehicle.
Times Leader

Ralph C. Galicki, 37, of West Grand Street, was charged with three counts of theft, two counts of receiving stolen property, and one count each of accidents involving damage to vehicle, trespass by vehicle and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was jailed at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility for lack of $10,000 bail.
According to the criminal complaints:
Galicki stole approximately 24 metal beams valued at $100 a piece from Eclipse Fleet Service on West Union Street on July 2. Galicki transported the beams that varied from 10 feet to 15 feet in his vehicle to his home, the criminal complaint says.
Police said they traced Galicki’s travels from the business to his home by wet tire prints and broken glass.
In an unrelated case, police allege Galicki stole tools from a construction vehicle parked across from his residence on Wednesday.
Police obtained a search warrant for Galicki’s residence and recovered various hand tools and accessories, according to the search warrant inventory sheet.
The criminal complaints alleged police found a syringe and a spoon in Galicki’s pocket.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for July 28.

7/23/2009
Wing case charges dropped
elewis@timesleader.com

Linda Plews said she only wanted to speak to the manager at Weis/Mr. Z’s grocery store in Nanticoke about the price of lobsters.
The next thing she knew, Plews claimed, she was being confronted by a Nanticoke police officer and charged with stealing a chicken wing from the store’s deli.
“I don’t steal,” Plews, 53, said after charges of retail theft, defiant trespass and resisting arrest were dismissed Wednesday during a preliminary hearing in Central Court.
A district judge dismissed the charges, including disorderly conduct and public drunkenness, when the investigating officer, Amos Vanderhoff, failed to appear at the hearing.
Detective Capt. William Shultz said Vanderhoff has been on medical leave since injuring his foot arresting a suspect in an unrelated case several weeks ago.
Plews, of West Nanticoke, was charged by Vanderhoff on April 26 with allegedly stealing the chicken wing and causing a disturbance in the store.
She called the charges a “vendetta” against her because, she claimed, she was cleared of drunken driving charges filed against her by Nanticoke police.
According to Luzerne County Court records, state police at Wyoming and Kingston Township police filed separate drunken driving charges against Plews in June 2007 and October 2006, respectively.
She was sentenced in April 2008 to 60 days to one year, including a two-year license suspension, on the two DUI cases, court records say.
Plews said she was in the store because it was having a special on lobsters. When she got into a dispute with a store clerk about the price, she asked to speak to the manager. She said the clerk called police instead.
That’s when trouble began, Plews said.
“I put the chicken wing on my purse and walked over to the salad bar where I always put the chicken wing in the container,” Plews said. “Then Vanderhoff comes up and tells me to leave the store.”
Plews claimed she was walking out of the store when Vanderhoff approached her from behind and grabbed her purse.
“When you’re walking and someone comes up from behind you and grabs your purse, you’re going to react,” Plews said. “I didn’t know who grabbed my purse. I did say, ‘You’re a (expletives)’ to (Vanderhoff).”
Shultz said that when Vanderhoff returns to work, they’ll meet with the District Attorney’s Office to determine if the charges against Plews are to be re-filed.

7/22/2009
Hanover Township woman charged with driving stolen vehicle
elewis@timesleader.com

A Hanover Township woman was charged by city police with driving a stolen vehicle on Tuesday.
Dawn Linette Browski, 31, of Shawnee Avenue, was charged with receiving stolen property and possession of drug paraphernalia. She was arraigned Wednesday morning and released on $5,000 bail.
Police said they spotted a stolen 2005 Saturn Vue traveling north on South River Street at about 3:30 p.m. The vehicle, owned by David Lewis, of Nanticoke, was reported stolen to the Nanticoke Police Department on Monday.
Police stopped the driver, identified as Browski, in the area of North River and West Jackson streets.
Browski told police, according to the criminal complaint, that she was returning the vehicle. Police said Browski was traveling in the opposite direction of Nanticoke when she was stopped.
Police said they allegedly found syringes in Browski's purse.
A preliminary hearing is tentatively scheduled on July 29.

7/15/2009
Times Leader
A Nanticoke woman was sentenced Monday to two to four years in county prison on charges she sold and delivered heroin.

Erica Neyhard, 25, of West Main Street, was sentenced on two counts of possession with intent to deliver by county Judge Joseph Augello. Neyhard pleaded guilty in June.
According to court records, on Aug. 10 Nanticoke police observed Neyhard in the process of selling heroin to a man living on East Noble Street. When Neyhard was searched, police said, they found .3 grams of heroin, needles and a plastic spoon with residue on it. Neyhard’s home was also searched, police said, and bricks of heroin, money and used and unused needles were also found.
Later that month, on Aug. 28, Neyhard was put under surveillance and police said they observed her selling heroin several times throughout the day.

7/15/2009
Police arrest man for Nanticoke home invasion
Bob Kalinowski - Citizens' Voice

Nanticoke police have nabbed the man they say committed a home invasion this weekend on Agostina Drive in Lexington Village.
Police say Robert Joel Ohrwashel, 41, cut open a neighbor’s screen window with a knife and entered her home around 1 a.m. Sunday looking to steal money.
Ohrwashel is charged with burglary, simple assault, trespassing, possessing instruments of a crime, and criminal mischief. He was jailed this morning in the Luzerne County Correctional Facility in lieu of $30,000 cash bail.
According to arrest papers:
Ohrwashel, of 23 Agostina Drive, broke into the home at 13 Agostina Drive wearing mostly black clothing — a hooded sweatshirt, cargo pants, a hat and gloves — along with a red bandana over his face. He was armed with a knife.
The victim said she was awakened by the noise and then heard her dogs growling. She got out of bed and saw Ohrwashel in her bedroom. She confronted him and they fell to the ground while fighting.
The woman told police she bit him and he bit her. She repeatedly screamed “get out.” He then crawled toward a bedroom window and exited, injuring himself.
When police arrived, they interviewed the victim. Police found a knife in the room. The woman became distraught, saying she didn’t know the man was armed and didn’t see the knife.
State police were called to obtain a DNA sample from the woman’s bite wound.
On Tuesday, Ohrwashel admitted the crime to counselors while at Community Counseling Services at Wilkes-Barre General Hospital, police say. He said he was drinking alcohol heavily and decided to go looking for “petty cash.” He said he brought a knife, to use as a tool, not a weapon.
Police then interviewed Ohrwashel. He said he cut a hole in a bedroom window with a knife to forcibly enter the victim’s home. He said the woman attacked him and he fled the home, scraping his legs on the window sill.
Investigators said Ohrwashel had a bite mark on his finger and injuries to his legs. Forensic evidence was also consistent with the interviews with the woman and Ohrwashel, police said.
Ohrwashel told police he is a registered nurse who has been on disability since March.
He is bipolar with a history of mental illness, police said.

7/13/2009
Nanticoke police investigate early morning home invasion
Erin Moody - Citizens' Voice

Police in Nanticoke are investigating an early morning break-in Sunday in Lexington Village on Agostino Street.
The unnamed victim told police someone entered the residence through a bedroom window while everyone was sleeping.
According to police, the victim reported they were asleep when their dogs began barking. The victim looked out the window and saw nothing, but when they turned around to check the rest of the home, they were confronted by a person in a mask.
The victim and the suspect struggled before the suspect fled through a spare bedroom window. Police believe the suspect forced entry through the same window he exited and fled on foot. Police arrived on the scene at about 1:05 a.m.
The suspect is described as a young, white male, about 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighing about 170 pounds. He was wearing a dark-colored shirt, blue jeans and a dark-colored stocking mask. The suspect was armed with a knife, which was left at the scene.
Pennsylvania State Police at Wyoming's Forensic Unit assisted at the scene. Investigators are asking anyone who sees anything suspicious to call 911. Anyone with information should call Nanticoke police at 735-2200.

7/12/2009
Cops say teen shot, injured 3
Police allege Ryan Garvey fired shotgun at two other teens and adult in Nanticoke confrontation.
jmarckini@timesleader.com

City police arrested an 18-year-old at his home in Hunlock Creek early Saturday in connection with a late-night shooting on Friday.
Ryan J. Garvey, of 374 Misdale Road, was charged with three counts each of aggravated assault, simple assault, reckless endangerment, terroristic threats and stalking and one count of possessing instruments of crime, according to arrest papers.
A fight over a girl at a bazaar in Sugar Notch led to alleged threats and gunfire, police said.
Police allege Garvey fired a shot from a shotgun at two teenage boys, both 16, and a mother of one of the teens in the area of South and South Prospect streets around 11 p.m.
The three sustained minor injuries when they were sprayed by pellets from the shotgun.
“Because of the distance between all of them, they walked away with superficial injuries,” said Detective Capt. William Shultz of Nanticoke police.
Police spent several hours searching for Garvey, who at one point fled into the woods in Newport Township. Garvey was later located by global positioning on his cell phone, the detective said.
According to the criminal complaint:
Police responded around 10:55 p.m. to the area of 1108 S. Prospect St. for a report of a 1997 Jeep circling a home of one of the teens in Nanticoke.
Robert Cook told police that he was at the Sugar Notch bazaar with several friends when Garvey called the cell phone of Kayla Tarnowski, Garvey’s girlfriend, and asked her if she was with one of his friends. He had her give the phone to Cook, and Garvey then threatened Cook. Garvey made several threatening phone calls and was observed several hours later circling Cook’s home six times.
A short time later, Garvey fired a shot, hitting Robert, his mother, Kirsten Cook, 44, and Dominick Rogo and then drove off.
Police collected evidence, including one shell casing, from the roadway at the 1100 block of South Prospect Street. After fleeing, Garvey made numerous phone calls threatening to harm the teens and himself.
Garvey was arraigned Saturday before District Judge Joseph Carmody in West Pittston and remanded to Luzerne County Correctional Facility in lieu of $25,000 straight bail.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for July 21 in Central Court.

7/7/2009
Times Leader
City police reported the following:

Mailee Stone, of West Union Street, recently reported someone threw a rock that smashed the rear window on her vehicle.

Police said they arrested Michael A. Foschini Jr., 19, of West Main Street, on charges he assaulted his father and mother on Thursday.
Foschini was charged with six counts of disorderly conduct, two counts each of simple assault, harassment and criminal mischief and a single count of resisting arrest. He was jailed at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility for lack of $1,500 bail.
According to the criminal complaint:
Police said Foschini was upset that his brother removed a radio from his vehicle. He denied commands to stop yelling profanities and jumped on a Ford Mustang owned by his mother, Carol Raush.
Police allege in the criminal complaint Foschini jumped off the vehicle and charged at his parents, grabbing Raush and his stepfather, David Raush Jr..
A preliminary hearing is tentatively scheduled on July 9 in Central Court.

Police said they arrested Duane Krommes, 29, of East Broad Street, on charges he assaulted his wife on Sunday.
Krommes was charged with simple assault, stalking and harassment. He was jailed at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility for lack of $7,500 bail.
According to the criminal complaint:
Police said Krommes was arguing with his wife, Clarice Krommes, when he allegedly pushed her into a wall and threw a telephone at her.
Police said Clarice Krommes suffered injuries to her chest.
Krommes claimed he tripped over his shoes and fell into his wife, the criminal complaint says.
A preliminary hearing is tentatively scheduled on July 13 in Central Court.

Gwen Brown, of Garfield Street, recently reported a flat screen televison, a video game system, video games and accessories, and a music player were stolen during a burglary at her residence.

Police said William Thomas, 50, of Coal Street, Nanticoke, was charged with public drunkenness after he was found intoxicated in the 500 block of South Market Street.

Catherine Holminski, of West Main Street, recently reported Carol Shotwell, 37, of East Grand Street, Nanticoke, jumped into her swimming pool without permission, police said.

Michael Stankiewicz, of State Street, recently reported a wheel was stolen from his vehicle.

Police said a 15-year-old boy and a 15-year old girl were recently cited for violating the city’s curfew ordinance when they were observed on East Union Street at night.

Arthur Owens, of East Union Street, recently reported someone stole his lawnmower.

Police said two 14-year-old girls and a 15-year-old girl were recently cited for violating the city’s curfew ordinance when they were found at night at Arch and Walnut streets.

William Larson, of West Grand Street, recently reported someone slashed the rear tires on his vehicle.

Jason Chamberlain, of East Ridge Street, recently reported someone smashed a window at his residence.

7/2/2009
Times Leader
City police reported the following:

Eric Shaw, of West Church Street, recently reported someone smashed the window on her vehicle with a rock.

Daniel Edwards, 26, of West Main Street, Nanticoke, was cited with public drunkenness after he was recently found lying on the sidewalk near Burger King, police said.

Dennis Ardoline, 44, of East Union Street, Nanticoke, was cited with public drunkenness after he walked into a utility pole on South Walnut Street.

Ronald Novakoski, of East Green Street, reported someone threw fireworks at his residence, damaging a carpet and exterior siding.

6/24/2009
Times Leader
City police reported the following:

Police arrested Michael Anthony Rosario, 19, of Glen Lyon, after he was allegedly found with pill tablets without a prescription on Monday.
Rosario was charged with possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia and loitering and prowling at night. He was jailed at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility for lack of $10,000 bail.
According to the criminal complaint:
Police were watching a known drug house when they observed Rosario walking in the area at about 11:40 p.m. Rosario noticed police in the area and attempted to escape by running behind homes.
Police found Rosario hiding behind an apartment building. He claimed he was walking to Glen Lyon, the criminal complaint says.
Police allege in the criminal complaint they found approximately $400 and 10 Vicodin tablets in his pockets.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled on July 1 in Central Court.

Barbara Robaczewski, of Park Street, recently reported items were stolen from her vehicle when it was parked near her home.

Sherry Karvaski, of West South Street, recently reported a digital camera and a DVD movie was stolen from her home, police said.

Nathan Zannetti, of East Union Street, recently reported a stereo was stolen from his vehicle when it was parked near his home, police said.

John Jackolski, of West Union Street, recently reported three tires were stolen from the rear of his home.

Brian Moore, of Loomis Street, recently reported someone attempted to force open the doors on his vehicle when it was parked near his home, police said.

6/23/2009
A man was arrested by police on Sunday for allegedly assaulting his wife.

Stephen Minsavage, 46, of South Market Street, Nanticoke, was charged with simple assault and harassment. He was arraigned by District Judge Fred Pierantoni in Pittston and released on $5,000 unsecured bail.
Police alleged Minsavage assaulted his wife during an argument at their home on June 20. Police said the woman suffered facial injuries, according to the criminal complaint.
A preliminary hearing is tentatively scheduled on June 30 in Central Court.

6/16/2009
Times Leader
City police reported the following:

William J. Thomas, 50, of Bear Creek Boulevard, Wilkes-Barre, was arrested on Saturday for allegedly assaulting a police officer and attempting to break into an ex-girlfriend’s residence.
Thomas was charged with two counts of criminal mischief, and one count each of aggravated assault, simple assault, criminal trespass, disorderly conduct and public drunkenness. He remained jailed at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility on Monday for lack of $25,000 bail.
According to the criminal complaint:
Police said Thomas attempted to break into the residence of Tammy Maslowski, of Enterprise Street, at about 1:12 a.m. Saturday. Police said Thomas damaged a lock on a screen door and yelled obscenities at Maslowski.
Thomas allegedly struggled with officers when he was handcuffed and threatened to bite officers. Police also allege that Thomas kicked an officer’s leg.
A preliminary hearing is tentatively scheduled on June 22 in Central Court.

Kelci Pamela Jones, 20, of South Market Street, Nanticoke, is facing burglary and theft-related charges in connection with the theft of a video game system from a residence on South Market Street in April, police said.
Police allege in the criminal complaint that Jones entered the residence on April 9 and stole a video game system that she sold to a pawn shop in Hanover Township. Jones is further charged with criminal trespass and receiving stolen property.
The charges were filed with District Judge Donald Whittaker in Nanticoke on Monday. A preliminary hearing will be scheduled at a later date.

Christopher M. Benson, 19, of Nuangola, is facing charges of driving while under the influence of a controlled substance after a crash on South Prospect Street in April, police said.
Police allege in the criminal complaint that Benson, driving a Chevrolet Malibu, crashed into three parked vehicles at about 12:53 p.m. on April 30. Benson claimed he lost control of his vehicle when he struck a manhole cover.
Police allege in the criminal complaint that a chemical blood test revealed Benson was under the influence of several controlled substances, including hallucinogens, immediately after the crash.
The charges were filed on Monday with District Judge Donald Whittaker in Nanticoke. A preliminary hearing is tentatively scheduled on July 21 in Central Court.

Police said Richard Conrad Gimbi, 52, of West Green Street, Nanticoke, was charged with drunken driving on Monday after a traffic stop in May.
Gimbi was stopped for passing through a red traffic signal at Kosciuszko and East Main streets, and driving in opposing traffic on South Market Street on May 23, according to the criminal complaint.
Police allege that a blood alcohol test revealed Gimbi had a BAC of 0.266 percent, more than three times the limit at which an adult driver in Pennsylvania is considered legally intoxicated.
Drunken driving and several vehicle offenses were filed on Monday with District Judge Donald Whittaker in Nanticoke. A preliminary hearing is tentatively scheduled on July 21 in Central Court.

Police said Jeffrey D. Jones, 24, of West Poplar Street, Nanticoke, was recently cited with public drunkenness when he was found lying face down alongside of a road.

Police said Lee David Antonik, 33, of East Ridge Street, Nanticoke, was recently cited with harassment after Manfred Uding claimed he slapped him inside a bar.

Two stained glass windows were stolen recently from a residence in the 100 block of East Church Street.

Chad Fullerton, 23, of Apollo Circle, Nanticoke, was recently arrested for allegedly violating a protection from abuse order, police said.

A couple were charged on Saturday for allegedly assaulting one another, police said.
Eric Jason Roman, 34, and his girlfriend, Laura Ann Shulla, 29, both from East Green Street, Nanticoke, were charged with simple assault and harassment. They were jailed at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility for lack of $10,000 bail.
According to the criminal complaints:
Shulla claimed Roman assaulted her during an argument Friday night. Roman claimed he was taking a shower when Shulla assaulted him because he wouldn’t give her money. Police said Shulla had a minor facial injury.
Preliminary hearings are tentatively scheduled on June 22 in Central Court.

6/12/2009
Times Leader
City police reported the following:

A 14-year-old girl was recently cited with harassment after allegedly throwing a bottle at another female juvenile.

Two girls, ages 14 and 15, were recently cited with harassment after allegedly assaulting another female juvenile.

Stanley Bralczyk, 19, of Lee Mine Street, Nanticoke, was recently cited with operating an all-terrain vehicle without insurance on East Field Street.

Frank Isaac, of Nanticoke, recently reported his cell phone missing from a friend’s residence in the Apollo Circle apartment complex.

Anthony Stanley Brozusky, 23, of Loomis Street, Nanticoke, was charged Monday with allegedly assaulting a woman. Brozusky was charged with simple assault and harassment. He was released on $5,000 unsecured bail.
Anna Lipperini claimed Brozusky struck her in the face during an argument at his residence, according to the criminal complaint.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled on June 18 in Central Court.

6/11/2009
Times Leader
City police reported the following:

Joseph Antonik, of East Field Street; Brandy Hower, of West Union Street; Edward Glazenski, of East Field Street; Pamela Mulaski, of East Field Street; Juan Hartman, of East Field Street; Lauren Pockevich, of East Field Street; Carol Keber, of East Field Street; and Allison Knuczon, of South Chestnut Street, recently reported someone damaged their vehicles while they were parked near their homes.

Nancie Giberson, of State Street, Nanticoke, was recently cited with harassment and criminal trespass after she allegedly slapped a neighbor, police said.

Megan Richmond, of West South Street, recently reported her wallet was stolen from her residence.

Vince Balint, of West Noble Street, recently reported a global positioning system, a satellite radio, headphones and an iPod were stolen from his vehicle while it was parked near his home, police said.

6/6/2009
A city man has been arrested and charged in connection with a strong-arm robbery in mid-October
Times Leader

Jeffrey W. Arnott, 21, last known address 60 W. Green St., was arraigned Friday morning on counts of robbery, simple assault and recklessly endangering another person, according to court records.
He was released on $1,000 unsecured bail.
Arnott was arrested on an outstanding warrant, police said.
He was an occupant in a vehicle during a traffic stop by Jackson Township police.
Nanticoke police alleged in arrest papers that Arnott held up a neighbor, Dwight Cole, by knife point and ordered Cole to give him all of his money at a West Green Street apartment on Oct. 14, 2008.
Cole handed over six $20 bills, police said.
A preliminary hearing has been tentatively scheduled for June 15 in Central Court.

6/4/2009
Times Leader
City police reported the following:

Arcangela Savallisch, of West Noble Street, recently reported someone stole a bicycle from her residence, police said.

Rose Swick, of South Chestnut Street, recently reported someone placed rocks on the steps to her front porch and dumped glass clippings and charcoal through the front door’s mail slot.

Anita Switzer, of East Union Street, recently reported her purse was missing from her residence, police said.

D’Andra Rasmus, of Gemini Street, recently reported her purse was stolen from her vehicle when it was parked near the Uni-Mart on East Main Street, police said.

Police said a 16-year-old boy and a 14-year-old boy were recently cited for violating the city’s curfew ordinance and underage drinking when they were seen standing near the Burger King, Main Street, early in the morning. Police said the 16-year-old was also cited for harassment.

Police said a 16-year-old girl was recently charged with disorderly conduct for throwing items at two people on East Main Street.

Police said Susan Price, 48, of East Green Street, is facing a harassment charge after Stephanie Danko, of Nanticoke, claimed she had left derogatory messages on her answering machine.

Joshua Ruminski, of West Noble Street, recently reported a key and money were stolen from his vehicle when it was parked near his home.

Police said James Hakim, of Wilkes-Barre, recently reported a donation jar for missing children was stolen from Pizza Bella. The jar was recovered on East Noble Street, police said.

A man and a woman were charged by police on Tuesday with assaulting one another.
Richard John Morris, 57, and Theresa Marie Chesney, 48, both from Nanticoke, were charged with simple assault and harassment. They were released on $5,000 unsecured bail.
According to the criminal complaints:
Morris and Chesney were involved in an argument at Morris’ residence on Monday. Morris claimed Chesney bit his arm and Chesney claimed Morris shoved her head against a wall, the criminal complaint says.
Preliminary hearings are scheduled on June 10 in Central Court.

5/31/2009
Citizens' Voice
City police reported the following incidents:

Edward Babetski, 63, of 104 N. Main St., Ashley, was picked up on a warrant for his arrest after he was observed by officers outside of a bar on South Prospect Street on Friday.

Catrina Calarco, of South Main Street, reported on Friday that someone attempted to enter her home by breaking a window, police said. Access was not granted.

Times Leader

William Hughes, of East Union Street, reported on Friday that someone stole the fog lights off of his vehicle while it was parked near his home.

A 13-year-old boy had his blue 20-inch Next bicycle stolen from in front of a neighbor’s home while he was visiting on Friday.

Amber Amos, of West Union Street, reported on Friday that two boys, ages 14 and 16, alleged she owes someone they know money and threatened her and her son. They will be issued harassment citations.

Jose Rivera, of West Ridge Street, said someone stole his cell phone from his residence Friday.

Melissa Dillon, of Apollo Circle, someone entered her home through a window and stole a PlayStation 3, approximately 20 assorted games and a DVD player on Friday.

5/30/2009
City police reported the following incidents:
Times Leader

Todd Grohowski, 43, of West Church Street, was cited with harassment. He allegedly pushed his ex-girlfriend to the ground and striking her in the chest on Tuesday.

Paul Lasecki, of South Hanover Street, reported on Tuesday that someone smashed his vehicle’s rear window.

Charges of simple assault and harassment were filed on May 22 against 23-year-old William M. Conway, of 309 W. Main St. He allegedly hit his girlfriend, who is eight months pregnant, during an argument at 6:08 p.m. on May 21, police said.

5/30/2009
A city woman was arrested and charged with assaulting her boyfriend during an argument on Friday
Times Leader

Danielle N. Sangemino, 29, of 508 E. Main St., Apt. 2, was arraigned Friday on counts of simple assault and harassment, court records show. She remains jailed at the county prison for lack of $5,000 bail.
Nanticoke police allege Sangemino attacked William Park at 204 Apollo Circle at 3:26 p.m. Park had scratches on his face, neck and chest, police said.
A preliminary hearing has been tentatively scheduled for June 2 in Central Court.

5/30/2009
Motorist in high-speed chase was drunk, police say
Bob Kalinowski - Citizens Voice

A Nanticoke woman accused of leading police on a high-speed chase April 26 before crashing into a railroad crossing sign in Nescopeck Township was driving while intoxicated, police said.
Debra Ann Dykins, 49, of Nanticoke, faces charges of driving under the influence of alcohol, fleeing police and 10 traffic violations.
Police said Dykins was ejected from the car when she crashed and was airlifted to Geisinger Medical Center in Danville with serious internal injuries.
According to police:
Dykins fled when Newport Township police tried to stop her car, a 1990 Buick Century. The chase proceeded through Newport Township, Conyngham Township and eventually to River Road in Nescopeck Township, where the crash occurred around 10:20 p.m.
She was apprehended Friday on an arrest warrant and sent to the Luzerne County Correctional Facility.

5/28/2009
Times Leader
City police reported the following incidents:

Erin Olshefski, of East Green Street, reported on Tuesday that someone stole an iPod and a cell phone with charger from her vehicle.

One 16-year-old and two 17-year-olds were cited with trespassing after officers’ observed the juveniles skateboarding at the Kanjorski Center, East Main Street, on Tuesday.

David Sullivan, of West Main Street, reported on Tuesday that someone keyed the rear door of his vehicle.

Thomas Atchue, 36, of 61 Academy St., Plymouth, was arrested on outstanding warrants after he allegedly was seen by Sgt. Brian Williams and Officer Bryan Kata parked in a vehicle on East Noble Street on Tuesday, police said.

Fred David, of West Main Street, reported Tuesday that someone took a Husky knife, cash and medication from his vehicle.

A criminal mischief citation was filed Tuesday against Rafael Munoz-Castro, 36, of 407 W. Main St., after he was allegedly seen on video surveillance pulling flowers out of a flower bed in front of Jerry’s Market, West Main Street, police said.
Munoz-Castro was also cited with disorderly conduct and trespassing after being given notice of trespassing at the same market, police said.

Lynn Brown, of West Grand Street, reported Tuesday that someone stole two cushions from her lawn chairs, which were on her front porch.

Frederick Sivulich, of Glen Lyon, reported on Tuesday that someone threw eggs at a vehicle while it was parked on East Church and South Market streets.

Patricia A. Decker, 39, of 426 S. Walnut St., was cited with public drunkenness after police alleged that she was involved in a domestic dispute outside her home on Tuesday.

A Virginia man was arrested for allegedly assaulting his estranged wife outside of a home on Friday night.
Ravi D. Perry, 38, of 327 36th St., Newport News, Va., was arraigned Saturday on charges of simple assault, harassment and disorderly conduct, court records show. He was released on recognizance.
Police allege Perry approached Daveina Perry, placed her in a headlock and tried to take her car keys outside her sister’s home at 210 College St. at 7:03 p.m., arrest papers state.
Two witness told police they saw Ravi Perry attack the woman and place her in a chokehold, the criminal complaint states. .
A preliminary hearing has been tentatively scheduled for June 1 in Central Court.

5/28/2009
Nanticoke man faces assault charges in alleged beating of his pregnant girlfriend
Citizens' voice

Police have charged a Nanticoke man for beating his pregnant girlfriend, according to charges filed.
William M. Conway, 23, repeatedly punched his girlfriend, who is eight-months pregnant, in front of her other child last Thursday at 309 W. Main St., police said.
The woman, Erin Shea, told police Conway punched her in the face and head several times and she dropped to the floor to protect herself.
Conway faces charges of simple assault and harassment.
According to charges filed:
The assault occurred around 6 p.m. when the two began arguing about the way Shea disciplined her 5-year-old son. After the assault, Conway grabbed her keys and cell phone and left the home. Shea stood in front of his truck and he continued to inch his vehicle forward, hitting her stomach with the bumper.
Conway had been out on bail and awaiting trial on accusations he stabbed a man in the abdomen at the Hanover Village Apartments in November.
He faces charges of aggravated assault, simple assault and recklessly endangering another person in that case.

5/21/2009
Eckrote sentenced to 14 to 28 years in prison
Sheena Delazio - Times Leader

Joseph Craig Eckrote, 48, of Nanticoke, was sentenced today to 14 to 28 years in prison followed by 36 months of probation on charges stemming from the kidnapping and raping of his ex-girlfriend. Eckrote was also ordered to register with Megan's Law for the remainder of his life.
A county jury found Eckrote guilty of kidnapping, rape, robbery, simple assault, two counts of terroristic threats and a summary count of harassment in January.
According to state police at Wyoming, Eckrote's ex-girlfriend told investigators Eckrote forced her into her car outside a Plymouth Township home on May 17, 2008.
The woman said she had returned home from work that day, when Eckrote emerged from the deck area of the house. The woman said he charged at her, grabbed her with both hands and forced her into the car.
The woman said she began screaming "no" to create a disturbance and get some attention, and honked the car's horn. She told police she reached into the console and removed a knife and tried to stab Eckrote in an effort to get away, but the knife got bent and Eckrote began driving away.
Eckrote told her that he was going to kill himself if she didn't drop the protection from abuse order against him and drove to the area of the Plymouth Flats near the Susquehanna River.
The woman said Eckrote told her to remove her shirt, pants and under garments and that he "wanted to have sex with her one more time before he killed himself."
The woman said she believed Eckrote was under the influence of some type of drug at the time. He then raped her.
Eckrote then tried to drive away with the woman, police said, but realized the vehicle was stuck in the mud. The woman said Eckrote then told her to start walking and make a right turn. She complied, she said, because she was afraid Eckrote would attack her again. She took her cell phone from her pocket and called 911. Police said they searched the area for Eckrote but were unable to find him.
He surrendered last May at the office of District Judge Donald Whittaker in Nanticoke.

5/19/2009
Times Leader
City police reported the following:

Erica Neyhard, of West Main Street, was recently captured on an arrest warrant for alleged failure to appear at a court hearing in Luzerne County, police said.

Mindy Bayne, of Pine Street, recently reported someone stole lawn ornaments from her yard.

Graffiti recently was found on a road sign on Industrial Park Road and on a utility building at the West Side playground.

Lee Warren, of West Noble Street, recently reported someone stole 12 solar lights from his front yard.

Modern Gas, West Main Street, recently reported a window was smashed at the business.

5/15/2009
Times Leader
City police reported the following:

Eclipse Collision Center, West Union Street, reported May 6 that someone cut a chain-link fence and hacked apart several van bodies and stole aluminum from the business.

Mark Tarnowski reported Friday someone stole a stereo from his vehicle while it was parked near his residence on East Union Street.

Chad Fullerton, 23, of Apollo Circle, was arrested on Saturday on allegations he violated a protection from abuse order when he forced his way into his ex-girlfriend’s apartment.

Paula Pucci reported Saturday someone stole numerous hanging flower baskets and potted plants from a Flower Tent set up on Lower Broadway.

Desmond McCarthy, of Glen Lyon, reported Saturday someone stole an i-phone from his vehicle while it was parked at the Uni-Mart.

Melissa McGovern reported on Sunday someone stole landscape lighting from her yard on Pine Street.

Brittnee Jeckell, of Mountain Top, reported Monday someone damaged her vehicle while it was parked on Christian Street.

Gregory John Winslow, 33, of East Spring Street, Nanticoke, is facing charges of simple assault and harassment for allegedly punching a woman on Thursday.
Mary Tesar told police Winslow punched her several times in the head because he was upset that he missed playing darts, according to the criminal complaint.
Police said Tesar suffered facial injuries.
A preliminary hearing will be scheduled at a later date.

5/14/2009
Times Leader
City police reported the following:

Police said Kenneth Lange, 19, of South Market Street, Nanticoke, was cited with disorderly conduct after a fight involving several juveniles in the Hanover Section on Saturday.

A 14-year-old girl was cited with violating curfew; a 14-year-old boy was cited with disorderly conduct, public drunkenness, underage drinking and violating curfew; a 17-year-old boy was cited with underage drinking and violating curfew; and a 17-year-old boy was cited with violating curfew.

Kenneth Gill, caretaker at Quality Hill Playground, reported on Saturday someone damaged the field house with graffiti, police said.

Sharon Colatosti, of Loomis Street, reported someone stole a pressure washer from her garage on Monday, police said.

Ann Marie O’Donnell, of Nanticoke, reported items were stolen from her vehicle while it was parked on West Main Street on Sunday, police said.

Alise Kyznewski, of West Grand Street, reported on Wednesday a cooler containing beer and liquor was stolen from her rear porch, police said.

5/13/2009
Police: Man rams vehicle into ex-girlfriend's vehicle
elewis@timesleader.com

A West Nanticoke man was charged by police on Wednesday for allegedly ramming his vehicle into his ex-girlfriend's vehicle.
John Joseph Purvin Jr., 48, address listed as the Flamingo Motel, state Route 11, was charged with four counts each of stalking and criminal mischief, and one count each of possessing instruments of crime, terroristic threats, trespass by vehicle, accidents involving damage to parked vehicle and reckless driving. He was jailed at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility for lack of $25,000 bail.
According to the criminal complaint:
Police said Erin Fletcher and Leon Becker heard a loud crash outside her residence on West Broad Street at about 8:35 p.m. Tuesday. When they went outside, they observed Purvin speeding away in his vehicle and Fletcher's vehicle damaged.
Residents on West Broad Street told police they observed Purvin, Fletcher's ex-boyfriend, twice ramming Fletcher's vehicle, the criminal complaint says.
Another resident observed Purvin, according to the criminal complaint, knocking on Fletcher's door and returning to his vehicle to ram Fletcher's vehicle.
A preliminary hearing is tentatively scheduled on May 20 in Central Court.

5/8/2009
Knife-wielding robbery suspect feeding heroin addiction
Citizens' Voice

A desperate heroin addict with a violent criminal history robbed a Nanticoke gas station at knife-point last month to get money to feed his drug addiction, police said in arrest papers.
Erik Masaitis, 24, pulled a knife on a clerk at Swither’s Gas Station, 77 N. Market St., and got away with about $200 on April 5, police said.
In a two-page written confession, Masaitis told detectives he used the money to purchase heroin. According to arrest papers, he said he has a 20-bag-a-day heroin habit, which police said would cost between $320 to $400 per day.
Masaitis was arraigned by Magisterial District Judge Donald Whittaker in Nanticoke on charges of robbery and theft.
He has been in custody since Saturday night when he allegedly attempted to rob the Convenient Food Mart on Main Street in Luzerne at knife-point.
Police said Masaitis peddled away on a bicycle when his plot to rob the store was thwarted and was soon apprehended. He struggled with officers, who located a knife up his sleeve, police said.
Masaitis was out on bail on a host of charges when he committed the two alleged robberies, court records show. He has been arrested at least 20 times on various charges in 2009, most notably for writing thousands of dollars in bad checks, court records show.
Masaitis is jailed in the Luzerne County Correctional Facility in lieu of a combined bail of $112,000 cash, plus capias warrants and parole violations, prison officials said.
Masaitis served jailed time for shooting another man in the thigh in South Wilkes-Barre in 2003 during a botched drug deal and is pending trial in the alleged knife-point robbery of a Posten Taxi driver in 2008.

5/7/2009
Times Leader - City police reported the following incidents:

Denise Salzo-Kelly, of East Ridge Street, reported Saturday that someone knocked the driver side mirror off her vehicle, police said.

Robert Broski, of East Washington Street, reported Sunday that he had video surveillance of someone squirting ketchup on his vehicle.

Police said Robin Jones, of Loomis Street, reported on Sunday that someone stole two red plastic gas cans from her porch.

Joseph Tencza, of Walnut Street, reported on Friday that after being alerted by his dog he observed a male on a skateboard taking a 5-by-7 sheet of stainless steel from his yard.

Robert Steinruck, 38, of 901 Mark Drive, Hanover Township, will be cited with disorderly conduct and criminal mischief after police were called to a disturbance between him and his ex-girlfriend on West Grand Street, police said. Police said he jumped onto the hood of her vehicle and kicked out the windshield.

5/7/2009
Accused of forged prescription, area man faces hearing
Alexander Oko, charged in forgery, criminal contempt case, has court date today.
jmarckini@timesleader.com

A Nanticoke man accused of forging a prescription in March is scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing today in Central Court.
Alexander Oko, 23, of 419 E. Church St., was arraigned last Monday on charges of criminal contempt and forgery, court records show. He was jailed but released the same day on 10 percent $50,000 bail.
Nanticoke police alleged Oko forged a prescription for 120 Percocet pills by using a doctor’s name at CVS Pharmacy, 555 E. Main St., on March 26. A pharmacist who thought the prescription was suspicious notified police the next day.
According to the criminal complaint:
On March 27, police spoke with Christine Kropiewnicki, a pharmacist at the Nanticoke pharmacy, who questioned the prescription dropped off by Oko the night before.
The handwriting on the prescription did not match the doctor’s handwriting, Kropiewnicki and another pharmacist, Karen Briggs, told investigators. Kropiewnicki called the doctor’s office in Huntington Mills and determined the prescription had been forged.
Oko continued to call the pharmacy asking whether the prescription was going to be filled.
He was later identified in a photo lineup. Surveillance from the store was also obtained.
On April 7, police spoke with Dr. Donald Stone, who recalled speaking with the CVS pharmacist on March 27. He also verified he did not write a prescription for Oko, a former patient of his.
Oko’s hearing is scheduled for 10 a.m. this morning in Central Court.

5/7/2009
Edwardsville man charged with robbing friend
Police allege man took cell phone, cash from a man after threatening him.
jmarckini@timesleader.com

An Edwardsville man was arrested and charged with allegedly robbing a friend of his cell phone and cash in March.
John J. Ricko Jr., 24, of 92 Atlantic Ave., was arraigned Monday on charges of robbery and theft by unlawful taking, court records show. He was jailed at Luzerne County Correctional Facility on 10 percent of $75,000 bail.
City police said Ricko robbed his friend, Richard Dunn, of his money and Motorola Razor cell phone on Shea Street, near East Main Street, around 12:30 a.m. March 30.
According to the criminal complaint:
Dunn came into police headquarters later that morning to report Ricko had robbed him. Dunn said that on March 29 he met with Ricko on his way home from work in the area of East Main Street near JP Mascaros Inc. and hung out with him most of the day at his house.
Later that night, he and Ricko walked to Citizens Bank, 75 N. Market St., so Dunn would be able to get money from the ATM using his state Access Card. Dunn told police he took out $100.
The pair then walked to the Uni-Mart, 61 E. Main St., and purchased $15 worth of items. After they left and once they approached Shea Street, Dunn alleged, Ricko robbed him.
Dunn said Ricko demanded his cell phone and money and threatened him, stating, “he would be lying on the pavement.”
Dunn told police he knew that Ricko carries a knife, so he gave him the money and phone.
A preliminary hearing has been tentatively scheduled for next Tuesday in Central Court.

4/28/2009
Woman charged in chicken wing theft
elewis@timesleader.com

A woman was charged by police on Monday for allegedly stealing one chicken wing from a grocery store.
Linda Plews, 53, address listed as the Flamingo Motel, state Route 11, Plymouth Township, was charged with retail theft, disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, criminal trespass and public drunkenness. She was released on $5,000 unsecured bail.
According to the criminal complaint:
Police said Plews was inside Mr. Z's at about 5:30 p.m. Sunday and ordered a specific size lobster tail for a specific price. When a store employee said there are only certain size lobster tails available at a fixed price, police alleged Plews became upset and started yelling obscenities at store employees.
Plews refused to leave the store. When officers advised her she was under arrest, Plews picked up her purse and a partially eaten chicken wing fell out, the criminal complaint says.
A store employee told police the chicken wing came from the store's deli bar.
Police said Plews refused to place her hands behind her back when officers attempted to handcuff her, according to the criminal complaint.

4/18/2009
Times Leader

• Joseph Sauers, of Hill Street, reported on April 2 that off-road lights were stolen from his vehicle.

• A wedding ring and money were stolen during a burglary at a home in the 1100 block of South Market Street on April 3.

• Three firearms were reported stolen from D&R Sporting Goods, Fairchild Street, on April 3.

• A music player, a video game system and money were stolen during a burglary at a home on West Broad Street on April 3.

• A homeowner in the 1000 block of South Market Street reported on April 5 that someone entered her residence through a basement door. No items were reported missing.

• Maureen Mangino, of Birch Street, Nanticoke, reported on April 10 that her purse and a global positioning system were stolen from her vehicle while it was parked in the area of Sarny’s Fitness Center, Middle Road.

• A video game system, video games and video game accessories were stolen from a home in the 1000 block of South Market Street on April 10.

• Phillip Rismiller, of Hill Street, reported on April 10 that money and other items were stolen from his vehicle while it was parked near his residence.

• Oreste Ruotolo Jr., 32, of Spring Street, Glen Lyon, was charged with possessing marijuana and public drunkenness after he passed out on a porch of a home on April 3. He was charged with possession of a small amount of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia and public drunkenness. He is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on May 11 in Central Court.

• Heather Ann Szymaszek, 34, of Apollo Circle, was charged with endangering the welfare of children for allegedly leaving her 5-year-old at home alone while she went to a bar on April 4.

According to the criminal complaint:

A man told police he left his apartment at about 10:50 p.m. April 4 and noticed a boy in a window at the Apollo Circle apartment complex crying and screaming for his mother. The man returned home several minutes later and continued to hear the boy crying and screaming.

The man talked to the boy through the window and learned that Szymaszek was at a bar and left the boy home alone. Police entered the apartment that they described as being in disarray and with an unsanitary refrigerator that did not have ample food for the child.

A phone bill found in the residence listed Szymaszek as the tenant of the apartment. A neighbor told police that the child has been left home alone previously. The child was then taken into protective custody by Luzerne County Children and Youth Services, police said.

Police said they were notified at 1:14 a.m. April 5 to call Szymaszek in connection with the child being missing. Szymaszek told police, according to the criminal complaint, that she left the apartment when the child was sleeping to give her father a ride home from the Prospect Street Caf?. She admitted to police, the criminal complaint says, that she consumed a drink at the caf..

4/6/2009
Police look for suspect who robbed Nanticoke gas station
Erin Moody - Citizens' Voice

Nanticoke City Police are searching for a man who held up Swithers Gas Station at knifepoint Sunday afternoon.
At about 2:11 p.m., police were dispatched to the gas station at 77 N. Market St. The clerk working in the station said a man entered the building from the east side and demanded money.
Police said the clerk handed over cash that he was holding and he had intended to put in the drop safe. The suspect directed him to open the cash register, and the clerk took out money and gave it to him, according to authorities.
The amount of money taken was not immediately known, police said. The suspect had an 8-inch fixed blade hunting knife with him and police said he fled in the direction he came, behind the Wyoming Valley Transmission building.
The suspect, who is described as a white male in his 20s, between 5 feet 5 inches and 6 feet tall, 135 to 150 pounds, clean shaven, with blue eyes and brown hair that was longer than his ears. He was wearing a brown coat, light blue shorts that went past his knees and a light-colored fishing hat.
Anyone with information is asked to call Nanticoke police at 735-2200, ext. 205 or 207.

3/31/2009
Nanticoke police investigate rash of vehicle fires
Citizens' Voice

Someone deliberately set vehicles on fire in the area of Loomis and Dewey streets in Nanticoke on Sunday, city police said.
The first incident occurred around 10:47 p.m., when residents of 109 Loomis St. noticed a small trash container had been set on fire inside their 2008 Isuzu truck. The truck’s owner put the fire out and, upon checking the area, noticed a burning vehicle console on the front porch of 25 Dewey St. The resident called 911 and kicked the console to the sidewalk.
The Nanticoke fire department arrived to extinguish the fire and found ownership papers for a vehicle belonging to the resident of 37 Loomis St. A firefighter sent to that address noticed the back seat of a 1994 Chevrolet pickup truck was ablaze. Nanticoke police discovered the truck’s console was the one that had been set on fire at 25 Dewey St.
On Monday morning, state police Fire Marshal Ronald Jarocha determined the three fires were intentionally set. Nanticoke police are continuing to investigate the vehicle fires, as well as several incidents on Loomis Street involving the ransacking of unlocked vehicles.
Anyone with information or who may have observed anything suspicious is asked to call Nanticoke City Police at 735-2200 ext. 205 or 207.

3/31/2009
Nanticoke teen charged in man’s beating death at Wilkes-Barre supermarket
cjones@citizensvoice.com, 570-821-211

An 18-year-old Nanticoke man was arrested Monday on charges related to the beating death of a Wilkes-Barre man, who died Friday at Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center, Plains Township, after he was assaulted outside a South Wilkes-Barre grocery store Thursday night.
Zireek Rahim Gardner, of 810 E. Main St., was arraigned before Magisterial District Judge William Amesbury on involuntary manslaughter, recklessly endangering another person, and simple assault charges in 25-year-old William Bentley’s homicide. Gardner could serve up to nine years in prison and have to pay a $20,000 fine for the three misdemeanor offenses. He was in custody at Luzerne County Correctional Facility on Monday for lack of $75,000 straight bail.
Gardner punched Bentley once Thursday night outside Schiel’s Market on Hanover Street, according to arrest papers. Bentely and Gardner had “an encounter” earlier, Luzerne County District Attorney Jackie Musto Carroll said, but would not elaborate on the disagreement, saying law enforcement is “looking into it more thoroughly.”
The incident was recorded on one of Schiel’s security cameras Thursday night and shows Gardner hitting Bentley, police said. Bentley died Friday from “blunt trauma to the head,” and it was ruled a homicide by Dr. Gary Ross, who performed the autopsy Saturday. Bentley was not conscience when police arrived. He suffered cardiac arrest Thursday and was revived by hospital personnel, but he had no brain activity and was placed on life support until Friday night. Because doctors determined Bentley would not recover from the injuries, his family decided to pull him off life support and he was pronounced dead around 6 p.m. Friday, according to the police report.
Bentley’s death was directly related to the assault, Musto Carroll said, but given the nature of his death prosecutors deemed “it was not an intentional killing but an involuntary manslaughter.”
There has been “virtually no crime” in the last 15 months at Schiel’s, Wilkes-Barre police Chief Gerard Dessoye said after reviewing crime reports. Off-duty police officers sometimes provide security for the store, but Dessoye wasn’t sure if an officer was on scene at the time of the incident.
“People should not feel that this reflects on Schiel’s market in anyway,” Dessoye said. “It was a random meeting of two individuals who had a previous dispute with each other. It could’ve happened anywhere.”
Gardner’s preliminary hearing will be April 8 at Central Court.

3/27/2009
Police: Son arrested for dispute with mother
Times Leader

A man was charged Friday morning on allegations he prevented his 70-year old mother from leaving a bedroom during a dispute.
John Joseph Everhart, 31, of Honey Pot Street, Nanticoke, was charged with stalking and unlawful restraint. He was jailed at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility for lack of $5,000 bail.
Police said Everhart's mother locked herself in a bedroom during an argument Thursday night. Everhart kicked the door open and refused to let her mother leave, according to the criminal complaint.
A preliminary hearing is tentatively scheduled on April 6 in Central Court.

3/27/2009
A Nanticoke man was sentenced Thursday to two to four years in state prison on burglary charges
Times Leader

Edward Bath, III, 25, of East Ridge Street, was sentenced by Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas Judge Peter Paul Olszewski, Jr. Bath pleaded guilty to the charges in January.
According to court records, on June 29, Bath stole numerous lottery tickets and packs of cigarettes from Ruminski’s Market on Market Street. Police said the items amounted to $521.29.
Bath was ordered to pay more than $1,000 in restitution.

3/20/2009
A city man was arrested on charges he broke into a garage on West Ridge Street on Tuesday.

Damon J. Millan, 18, of 139 Park St., was arraigned Wednesday morning on counts of burglary and criminal trespass, according to court records. He was jailed at Luzerne County Correctional Facility for lack of $10,000 straight bail.
Millan is accused of breaking into Zachary Hallas’ garage at 49 W. Ridge St., the criminal complaint states. Police arrived to the burglary in-progress around 5:30 p.m.
A preliminary hearing has been tentatively scheduled for March 25 in Central Court.

3/20/2009
Meth-making materials taken from suspected lab
bkalinowski@citizensvoice.com, 570-821-2055

Authorities seized more than 40 pieces of evidence and 10 guns from a Nanticoke home that authorities suspect was being used as a methamphetamine lab, according to an inventory list filed after a search warrant was executed on the residence.
Investigators obtained a search warrant on the 195 W. Green St. home Wednesday morning after going there to arrest occupant Robert Muntz, 42, one of 22 charged in connection with a drug ring allegedly operated by the Outlaws Motorcycle Club.
Authorities said they seized cold medicine packets, gallons of hydrochloric acid and drain cleaner, antifreeze, iodine tincture, peroxide and camping fuel, all products typically used to operate methamphetamine labs. In addition, the inventory list says police took funnels, aluminum foil, glass jars, metal screens, a digital scale, a turkey baster, glass dishes, electrical cooking plates and a camping stove, much of which was tarnished with red residue, a common remnant of meth production. The items are commonly used to produce meth, police say.
“Everything will be tested from here,” said Luzerne County District Attorney Jackie Musto Carroll. “In the meantime, we’ll evaluate the case while awaiting test results.”
The weapons seized from Muntz’s home include seven rifles, two shotguns and a pistol, according to the search warrant inventory list filed in the office of Magisterial District Judge Donald Whitaker in Nanticoke.
Muntz was charged with delivery of methamphetamine, manufacturing methamphetamine and criminal use of a communication facility in connection with the probe into the Ashley-based Outlaws Motorcycle Club, the local affiliate of a dangerous nationwide biker gang.
Muntz’s name is referenced several times in the 237-page affidavit filed in support of charges against the 22 people arrested Wednesday.
Authorities wiretapped phone calls that Joseph John “Skidmark” Janick, 44, placed to Muntz to order methamphetamine in February, the affidavit says. Officers then conducted a surveillance operation in Nanticoke and witnessed Janick meet with Muntz, police said.
Janick is identified by authorities as the president of the local chapter of the Outlaws Motorcycle Club.
Muntz is jailed in the Luzerne County Correctional Facility in lieu of $250,000 cash bail. Authorities have not said if he will face additional charges for the suspected meth lab.

3/19/2009
Police converge on suspected meth lab
Elizabeth Skrapits - Citizens Voice

The white multi-family home with children’s toys on the front porch and St. Patrick’s Day decorations in the window was the last place neighbors expected to house a possible meth lab.
Officials from the state Attorney General’s Office, Nanticoke police, state police and Luzerne County District Attorney Jackie Musto Carroll’s office swarmed 195 W. Green St. in Nanticoke on Wednesday night, investigating what Musto Carroll said appeared to be the components of a methamphetamine lab.
Earlier, Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett announced the break-up of a $3.6 million cocaine ring allegedly run by the Outlaw Motorcycle Club. One of the people arrested was 42-year-old Robert Muntz, who lived in the home.
Because the area around it is densely populated, Musto Carroll said authorities were “taking all precautions to ensure everything is safe.” She believed the people who lived in the other unit in the house were evacuated.
Residents said the neighborhood is quiet.
“It’s unbelievable. I’m really blown away,” said Kathy King as she walked past the house with her 8-year-old daughter. “I’m surprised it didn’t blow up.”
Muntz is charged with one count of delivering methamphetamine, one count of manufacturing methamphetamine and one count of criminal use of a communications facility. Musto Carroll said it is too early to determine what other charges he could face.

3/15/2009
Times Leader
City police said they arrested a Wilkes-Barre man in connection with an illegal drug purchase operation at Apollo Circle Housing Complex on Wednesday.

Jaladel C. Fishley, 24, of 157 Welles St., was arraigned Thursday morning on counts of possession of a controlled substance, possession with intent to deliver, criminal use of communication facility and possession of drug paraphernalia, according to jail records.
Fishley posted $10,000 bail and was released from jail.
Police alleged Fishley, known to authorities as “L,” sold two bricks, or 100 bags, of heroin to a confidential informant during Wednesday’s drug investigation.
A cell phone used to set up the heroin deal and a bag of marijuana was found on Fishley, police said.
A preliminary hearing has been tentatively scheduled for March 19 at Central Court.

3/15/2009
Times Leader
City police are looking for 24-year-old Justin Eckrote, who is wanted on drug possession and delivery charges stemming from a foot pursuit last week.

Officers Amos Vanderhoff and Sgt. Joe Guydosh observed two suspicious people, a man and woman, entering a known location for drug activity at a home on West Main Street on March 8, according to police.
The man, later identified as Eckrote, was observed to have something in his hand when police approached him. Eckrote fled when officers called to him, police said.
Police were unable to locate Eckrote but said they found five bundles of heroin in the area he fled.
A warrant for Eckrote’s arrest has been issued, police said.

3/8/2009
Nanticoke police arrest man after stealing car
Citizens' Voice

Nanticoke police arrested a man Friday night after he allegedly stole a friend’s mother’s vehicle.
On Friday morning, Kathleen Levandowski, 221 Apollo Circle, Nanticoke, reported her car keys for a 1996 Dodge Stratus and around $180 were stolen from her house.
She said she allowed Anthony John Dupak Jr., 18, an acquaintance of her daughter’s, to stay at her house Thursday night because he did not have a place to sleep.
According to a police affidavit, around 10 p.m. Friday, Wilkes-Barre police found the stolen vehicle near the Anthracite Newsstand on Public Square, with Dupak behind the wheel.
Officers took Dupak into custody. He is charged with theft, receiving stolen property and driving without a license.
Dupak remains jailed at Luzerne County Correctional Facility in lieu of $3,000 bail, prison officials said.

3/8/2009
Man driving stolen car arrested by authorities
Citizens' Voice

Nanticoke police arrested a man Friday for allegedly stealing a vehicle and driving with a suspended license. Police said they stopped Joshua George Hallas, 26, of 49 W. Ridge St., Nanticoke, after he drove through a stop sign on South Market Street, Nanticoke on Friday night.
He was operating a green 1995 Oldsmobile that had been reported stolen by Patricia Medura and Timothy Caruthers of South Hanover Street. A records check showed Hallas’ drivers license was suspended.
Hallas was free on $5,000 unsecured bail on Saturday.

3/3/2009
A 24-year-old Nanticoke man pleaded guilty last week to several drug-related offenses, including an incident in which police say he kidnapped a 15-year-old girl.

Norman Mayewski, of East Main Street, entered the plea before Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas Judge Michael Toole. Mayewski faces a 20-year maximum sentence on the kidnapping charges alone.
Toole said Mayewski will be sentenced on April 17 at 9 a.m. on two counts of manufacturing a controlled substance, five counts of delivery of a controlled substance, one count each of possession with intent to deliver, kidnapping and intent to possess a controlled substance.
Police said Mayewski sold suspected crack and heroin to a police informant and was found in possession of anabolic steroids during a search of his home in 2007.
When police stopped his car to arrest him on Oct. 22, 2007, Mayewski gave the 15-year-old girl – a passenger in the car – an altered soda can that contained crack. While out on bail on the drug charges, police arrested Mayewski on Nov. 23, 2007, in connection with the girls’ kidnapping and assault.
The girl testified at a previous preliminary hearing that she was forced into a car by Mayewski and assaulted. Toole ordered Mayewski to have no contact with the girl and pay more than $800 in restitution and other costs.

2/27/2009
Nanticoke man arrested on rape charges
Police allege David Vishnefski attacked ex-girlfriend after she broke off relationship.
jmarckini@timesleader.com

A man was arrested Thursday on allegations he raped a 22-year-old woman he knew at a city home.
David M. Vishnefski, 23, of Nanticoke, was arraigned on charges of first-degree rape, a felony, along with multiple counts of aggravated indecent assault, indecent assault and unlawful restraint, according to court records. He is jailed on $75,000 straight bail.
A warrant was issued for his arrest on Tuesday, police said.
Vishnefski is accused of forcing the victim to have sexual intercourse at his West Green Street home during the early-morning hours of Feb. 16, the criminal complaint states.
The Times Leader does not identify victims of alleged sexual assault.
According to the criminal complaint:
The victim appeared at Nanticoke police headquarters to report she had been raped by Vishnefski earlier that morning. The victim said she broke off the relationship of approximately three years with Vishnefski, but the two agreed to reside together to raise their 18-month-old child.
Police said there is an extensive history of domestic violence involving the two at the Nanticoke home starting in August 2008.
The victim told police Vishnefski wanted to talk to her about the recent break-up.Vishnefski became enraged, according to the criminal complaint, and punched several holes in the wall before punching his own face.
The victim told police she tried to leave a bedroom, but Vishnefski would not allow her to. After several minutes of arguing, the victim alleged, she was held down and forced to have sex against her will.
A preliminary hearing has been tentatively scheduled for March 5 at Central Court.

2/24/2009
More stained-glass windows stolen in Nanticoke
Bob Kalinowski - Citizens' Voice

Nanticoke’s stained-glass burglars have struck again.
In the last week, thieves stole a stained-glass window from the dining room of a home that was previously targeted at 344 E. Church St., according to the real estate agent trying to sell the home.
At least 10 vacant properties in Nanticoke and Newport Township that are for sale had stained-glass windows stolen from them in the last several weeks. Several windows were taken from 344 E. Church St. in the initial wave of thefts.
However, one piece remained. After the initial theft, the rear door was secured with new locks, said Nikki Callahan, a Realtor from Classic Properties in Kingston.
The burglars gained entry to steal the remaining stained glass, Callahan said.
“Unbelievable,” Callahan said Monday. “I went there yesterday to show the house, and I realized the dining room window was no longer there.”
Callahan has been trying to rent the home for the owner until a buyer could be found. She previously had a lease agreement signed for the home, then the prospective tenants backed out after the burglary was discovered. She said the people who looked at the home Sunday agreed to rent it anyway.
Police continue to investigate the thefts. No arrests have been made.

2/18/2009
A city man who was the subject of an ongoing heroin trafficking investigation was arrested after authorities raided his home on Monday
Times Leader

Joshua Flaherty, 33, of 126 E. Grand St., Apt. 2, was charged with multiple counts of manufacturing, delivering or possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance and criminal use of communication facility, according to court and jail records.
Flaherty is jailed at Luzerne County Correctional Facility for lack of $30,000 bail.
Nanticoke police alleged Flaherty sold heroin to an undercover officer four times – twice on Friday, and once on Saturday and Sunday, according to arrest papers.
Authorities raided Flaherty’s home on Monday as a result of the undercover purchases, the criminal complaint states.
According to the complaint:
On Monday, a search warrant was executed at the Nanticoke home where city police and members of the county Drug Task Force say they seized 39 packets of heroin under a bathroom sink and $350 cash in Flaherty’s front pants pocket.
Each packet was identical to the ones Flaherty sold to the undercover officer, according to the criminal complaint.
Police allege Flaherty told them his involvement in selling the drug was to satisfy his own heroin addiction, along with securing funds to pay for the rent and to support his family.
A preliminary hearing has been tentatively scheduled for Feb. 25 at Central Court.

2/11/2009
Nanticoke man faces drug, DUI charges
Times Leader

A man whom police said they saw vomiting outside an idling vehicle was arrested when officers allegedly found heroin packets in his coat and on the ground.
Jamie Fernandez-Maldonado, 24, of West Union Street, Nanticoke, was charged with possession of a controlled substance, possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia and two counts of driving under the influence. He was released on $3,000 bail.
According to the criminal complaint:
Police observed Fernandez-Maldonado leaning outside of a vehicle and vomiting in the 300 block of Maple Street at about 2:45 a.m. Saturday. Police said the vomit had an odor of alcohol.
Fernandez-Maldonado got out of the vehicle and dropped 10 heroin packets on the ground.
Police also said they found 19 heroin packets in Fernandez-Maldonado’s coat pocket.
A preliminary hearing is tentatively scheduled on Feb. 17 in Central Court.

2/10/2009
Thieves target valuable stained-glass windows
bkalinowski@citizensvoice.com, 570-821-2055

Homes for sale in Nanticoke City and Newport Township have been targeted in the last week by burglars who are stealing high-priced stained-glass windows, police in the two municipalities say.
At least 10 properties, nearly all of them vacant and awaiting a buyer, have been hit, police say.
The thefts are harming potential sales of the homes because buyers are reluctant to purchase a house that was burglarized, a local real estate agent said.
Realtor Nikki Callahan, of Classic Properties in Kingston, said she had a lease agreement completed for a $150,000 home at 344 E. Church St. in Nanticoke while the home was being marketed for sale, but the renter backed out after he discovered the theft.
“He was going to move in. He went there to do some work and found it. His children are now afraid to live there,” Callahan said.
Homes targeted in Nanticoke were on East Church, South Prospect and East Green streets. Properties burglarized in Newport Township were on Coal, East Main and West Main streets in the Glen Lyon section, as well as Old Newport Street in Sheatown.
In most cases, burglars forced entry into the home and broke the window frames to take the stained-glass. Police say they are searching for leads and are asking the public for help in solving the crimes.
“They’re making money out there somehow. They’re worth big bucks,” said Newport Township police Chief Rob Impaglia.
Pieces of stained-glass could be worth hundreds of dollars, or more, depending on the quality and design, according to various news reports of stained-glass thefts around the country.
“This has been going on for quite a while in Reading and Philadelphia. It’s starting to hit up here,” Impaglia said.
Impaglia suggests sellers either remove the stained-glass, or hide it from view, to avoid being victimized. Those with vacant homes are being asked to check their properties.
Nanticoke police Detective Capt. William Shultz said he suspects desperate drug addicts are behind the thefts.
“As the heroin addicts were stealing copper tubing, they’re now switching to stained-glass windows,” Shultz said. “Evidentially, there is a market for them and they have a place to get rid of or sell them.”
Police are asking anyone with information to call Nanticoke police at 735-2200 or Newport Township police at 735-2000.

2/8/2009
Nanticoke man faces charges of stealing video games from store

Police arrested a man on allegations he walked into a Blockbuster Video store and walked out with eight video games.
Edward Lee Ruzanski, 24, of Lincoln Avenue, Nanticoke, was charged with a misdemeanor count of retail theft and false identification to law enforcement officers, according to West Pittston police.
He was jailed for lack of $10,000 bail, police said.
Police alleged Ruzanski stole $508.72 worth of Playstation 3 games without paying from the video store at 801 Wyoming Ave., on Feb. 1.
An officer observed a suspicious vehicle to the rear of Insalaco’s Shopping Center, police said.
A check of registration and owners information revealed that the driver had a suspended license, according to police. The vehicle was pulled over. A passenger, later identified as Ruzanski, provided a false birth date, police said.
Shortly after the traffic stop, police said Blockbuster Video called 911 to report the theft.
Ruzanski fit the description of the alleged suspect and was taken into custody, police said. The video games were recovered.
Police are investigating if he is responsible for several other thefts from the video store.

2/6/2009
Nanticoke woman refused to proceed with criminal charges against her husband, who was accused of allegedly throwing a dart at her.

John Wojciechowski, 40, of North Washington Street, waived his right to a preliminary hearing in Central Court on Thursday, sending a single count of resisting arrest to Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas.
Prosecutors withdrew charges of simple assault, reckless endangerment and possessing instruments of crime against Wojciechowski when his wife, Kimberly Wojciechowski, refused to testify against him.
Nanticoke police alleged in arrest records that John threw a dart that stuck the leg of his wife during an argument at their residence on Jan. 28.
Police alleged Wojciechowski struggled with officers and kicked a police cruiser.

2/5/2009
A Nanticoke woman pleaded guilty in Luzerne County Court to raping a child.

Tracy Vasholz, 34, of Minor Avenue, pleaded guilty before President Judge Chester Muroski on Monday to rape of a child.
She is scheduled to be sentenced in May.
Hanover Township police alleged Vasholz raped and sexually assaulted a now 18-year-old male from January 1995 to August 2006 at various locations, according to the criminal complaint.

2/3/2009
Edward Lee Ruzanski, 24, of Lincoln Avenue, Nanticoke, was charged on Monday after he allegedly was observed throwing heroin packets out of a vehicle during a traffic stop
Times Leader

He is charged with possession of a controlled substance and tampering with physical evidence and was jailed at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility for lack of $10,000 bail.
According to the criminal complaint: Edwardsville police spotted a vehicle suspected to be involved in a series of retail thefts leaving the Mark Plaza parking lot on Jan. 23. Kingston police stopped the vehicle, driven by Jason Chamberlain, on Wyoming Avenue. Police alleged they found marijuana in Chamberlain’s pockets.
Ruzanski, a passenger in the vehicle, was observed allegedly throwing heroin packets out a window, police said. Police further alleged a second passenger, Kyle Garbett, 23, of Nanticoke, was wanted by Hanover Township police on a retail theft charge.
Chamberlain was charged with possession of a small amount of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia. He is tentatively scheduled for a preliminary hearing on Feb. 26 in Central Court. Ruzanski is tentatively scheduled for a preliminary hearing on Feb. 10. Garbett is tentatively scheduled for a preliminary hearing on Feb. 12.

1/31/2009
Burglary arrest leads to capture of drug dealer
hruckno@citizensvoice.com, 570-821-2109

A Nanticoke man arrested in connection with a burglary in the city led to the apprehension of an accused drug dealer, according to documents filed in Luzerne County Central Court.
Eric Keefe, 27, who last resided at 243 rear E. Green St., was arrested just before 1 a.m. Friday at a home on West Main Street, Nanticoke police said. He was wanted on outstanding burglary charges.
Keefe was charged with burglary and firearms violations, as well as theft and receiving stolen property, arrest papers indicated.
He was committed to Luzerne County Correctional Facility in lieu of $10,000 cash bail, police said.
According to arrest papers:
The burglary occurred Jan. 26 at a home in Nanticoke. The resident, whose name was withheld by police, told authorities someone stole a handgun and a 50-inch television.
The resident told police Keefe sold the handgun to a drug dealer named, “Danny,” in exchange for heroin.
Through the resident, police learned “Danny” had the gun in a backpack in the trunk of his car with $1,890 in cash and 130 bags of heroin. He and the resident had planned to take those items to New York, police said.
Police took the bag from the trunk and replaced the money and drugs with other items before they staged an arrest of the resident.
After police took the resident into custody, “Danny” left the house to go to the car. He was taken into custody after a brief standoff with police.
Once in custody, “Danny” identified himself as Daniel Gibson, but Daniel Gibson had no prior record. A fingerprint analysis positively identified him as Mikal Ameen.
Ameen was taken to Luzerne County Correctional Facility to await arraignment. He remained incarcerated Friday night in lieu of $10,000 cash bail, prison officials said.
The resident was released from custody.

1/29/2009
Breaking News: Nanticoke man assaults wife with dart 2:49 p.m. - Citizens' Voice

Police say John Wojciechowski threw a dart at his wife, Kimberly, from less than 10 feet away and the dart lodged in her right thigh.
Wojciechowski was charged with simple assault, recklessly endangering another person, possessing instruments of a crime, and resisting arrest.
According to police:
The incident occurred around 10:30 p.m. after Wojciechowski’s wife repeatedly asked him to turn down the loud music he was blaring at their 126 W. Washington St. home. She was playing darts at the time with the couple’s teenage daughter. When he refused, she turned it down herself. He turned it back up, and she turned it down again.
Wojciechowski became “enraged,” took a dart and flung it at his wife.
The woman told police her husband was highly intoxicated and had been drinking since 10 a.m.
When police arrived, Wojciechowski had already left the residence. Police later located him at the residence around 1:10 a.m. Officers say he struggled with police while being placed in the police car.

1/28/2009
Nanticoke men charged in vehicle break-in
Times Leader

Two city men were charged in connection to a vehicle break-in just after midnight on Monday, police said.
James M. Bramich, 19, and Robert J. Albertson, 22, both of 209 Apollo Circle, were arraigned Monday on counts of theft by unlawful taking and receiving stolen property, according to court records. Both are jailed for not being able to produce $5,000 bail.
Bramich was also charged with scattering rubbish, police said. Albertson was also charged with possession of drug paraphernalia, police said.
Preliminary hearings are tentatively scheduled for Feb. 4 at Central Court.
According to the criminal complaint:
Nanticoke police were dispatched to 810 S. Hanover St. for a report of two men attempting to break into a vehicle. The victim, Dan Osko, told police his vehicle was entered and his girlfriend’s purse had been stolen.
Osko told police he heard something outside a residence and observed two men inside the vehicle with the interior light on, police said. He then began yelling and both suspects fled.
The purse’s contents – a Playboy belt buckle lighter, Sharpie markers and a Brittany Spears body spray – were found on a sidewalk near the corner of West Grand and Maple streets. Officers found both males, Bramich and Albertson, near South Prospect and East Noble streets.
Albertson was in possession of a red glass object with residue producing an odor of suspected burnt marijuana, the criminal complaint states.

1/27/2009
New York man arrested on firearm charges
Times Leader

Police said they arrested a New York man and seized 130 heroin packets and recovered a handgun stolen during a burglary on West Main Street on Tuesday.
Mikal Ameen, 30, of Utica, was arrested after he attempted to run away from police. Police said Ameen stole a handgun from a home that he intended to sell in New York City, according to arrest records.
Ameen was charged with persons not to possess firearms, firearms not to be carried without a license, receiving stolen property, possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance, escape, resisting arrest, false identification to law enforcement and criminal mischief. He was jailed at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility for lack of $10,000 bail.
According to arrest records:
Police were investigating a burglary at the West Main Street home where a television and a .9-mm caliber handgun was stolen. Police recovered the television, and later found the handgun in the trunk of a vehicle.
Police also found, according to arrest records, heroin inside the trunk.
Police said they replaced the handgun and heroin with other items in the vehicle. Police kept an eye on the vehicle and allegedly observed, according to arrest records, a man enter the vehicle.
When police moved in, the man, identified as Ameen, fled into a residence where he was captured, police said in arrest records.

1/21/2009
Western Pa. man returned to area to face charges in Luzerne County
eskrapits@citizensvoice.com, 570-821-2072

An Erie County man’s 15 months on the run from Luzerne County authorities came to an end Tuesday.
Jared Samuel Amoroso, 28, faces a variety of charges from Wilkes-Barre and Wilkes-Barre Township police, including 14 counts of recklessly endangering another person, resisting arrest, giving false information to law enforcement officers, and a slew of traffic offenses ranging from careless driving to DUI.
“I’ve never had anybody go to these lengths to escape traffic charges,” said township police Sgt. Thomas Wardle.
Jackson Township police arrested Amoroso for drunk driving on Dec. 12, 2005. Luzerne County Judge Patrick Toole issued a warrant for Amoroso’s arrest when he failed to appear in court on Aug. 15, 2006.
Wardle was doing traffic detail on East Northampton Street the evening of Sept. 27, 2007, when he clocked Amoroso doing 57 miles per hour in a 25-mph zone, arrest papers state.
When Wardle pulled the car over, he noticed a strong odor of alcohol on Amoroso’s breath and saw an open can of beer in the cup holder and a 12-pack of beer behind the passenger seat. Amoroso ran into the woods during field sobriety testing. An officer spotted him in the area of Watson Court, but Amoroso fled on foot on Interstate 81.
Police discovered it would be Amoroso’s fourth DUI offense and that his license was suspended.
Law enforcement officials found Amoroso living in an apartment at 363 N. Washington St. in Wilkes-Barre, and shortly before noon on Oct. 2, 2007, Luzerne County sheriff’s deputies came to arrest him.
Amoroso, who was only wearing black mesh shorts, leapt from a third-story window to a neighboring roof, then jumped 40 feet to the ground and ran to a waiting vehicle, arrest papers state.
Amoroso eluded authorities all day, leading them on a chase through several municipalities in his ex-girlfriend’s 2005 Hyundai, which he abandoned when police closed in on him on Spencer Street in Hanover Township. Amoroso disappeared into the woods.
His landlord, retired Greater Nanticoke Area high school principal Thomas Kubasek, had been in phone contact with Amoroso and arranged to bring him his clothing and dog and some money.
Kubasek was put in the Accelerated Rehabilitation Program for 12 months on three charges of hindering apprehension or providing aid to a fugitive, court records show.
Luzerne County Sheriff’s Deputy Jennifer Roberts said authorities got court orders for Amoroso’s cell phone and MySpace records. The Fugitive Task Force of the U.S. Marshal’s office located Amoroso in Erie County, where he was originally from.
“He was on our ‘Top 25 Most Wanted’ list for a while,” Roberts said.
Court records show Amoroso was brought to Luzerne County from the Erie County prison. He is also wanted in Venango and Warren counties. Roberts said he would be extradited to face charges.
Magisterial District Judge Martin Kane arraigned Amoroso on Tuesday. Amoroso is lodged in the Luzerne County Correctional Facility in lieu of $20,000 straight cash bail on the Wilkes-Barre charges and 10 percent of $10,000 bail on the Wilkes-Barre Township charges. He faces preliminary hearings on Jan. 27 and 28, both at 10 a.m. in Central Court.

1/10/2009
A man was charged Wednesday on allegations he passed a fraudulent prescription at a pharmacy in October, police said.

Edward G. Bath III, 25, of 57 Old Newport St., Nanticoke, was arraigned Friday on a felony charge of criminal attempt, according to court records. He is jailed for lack of producing $5,000 straight bail.
Bath is accused of fraudulently obtaining 60 tablets of Vicodin ES by portraying to be a doctor and faxing in a prescription to Weiss Pharmacy in Nanticoke, police said.
According to an affidavit:
On Oct. 20, authorities went to Aspen Dental Office in Wilkes-Barre Township and spoke to an office manager who alleged Bath had passed a fraudulent prescription.
Authorities received a copy of the prescription receipt at the Weiss Pharmacy on Oct. 22.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Jan. 15 at Central Court.

1/9/2009
Man convicted of rape, kidnapping
Nanticoke’s Joseph Craig Eckrote found guilty of crimes against former girlfriend.
sdelazio@timesleader.com

A Nanticoke man accused of kidnapping and raping his ex-girlfriend was found guilty of the charges Wednesday by a Luzerne County jury.
Joseph Craig Eckrote, 48, was charged with kidnapping, rape, robbery of a motor vehicle, simple assault, two counts of terroristic threats and one count of summary harassment.
A jury deliberated for two and a half hours after testimony was completed.
Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas Judge Peter Paul Olszewski Jr. said Eckrote will be sentenced on the charges on April 1 at 9:30 a.m.
Eckrote was originally scheduled to enter a plea Monday but opted to stand trial instead. He was represented by public defender Mark Singer, who asked that the charges against Eckrote be dismissed. But Olszewski denied the motion.
Luzerne County Assistant District Attorney Jenny Roberts prosecuted the case.
According to state police at Wyoming, the woman told investigators Eckrote forced her into her car outside a Plymouth Township home on May 17.
The woman said she had returned home from work that day, when Eckrote emerged from the deck area of the house. The woman said he charged at her, grabbed her with both hands and forced her into the car.
The woman said she began screaming “no” to create a disturbance and get some attention, and honked the car’s horn. She told police she reached into the console and removed a knife and tried to stab Eckrote in an effort to get away, but the knife got bent and Eckrote began driving away.
Eckrote told her that he was going to kill himself if she didn’t drop the protection from abuse order against him and drove to the area of the Plymouth Flats near the Susquehanna River.
The woman said Eckrote told her to remove her shirt, pants and under garments and that he “wanted to have sex with her one more time before he killed himself.”
The woman said she believed Eckrote was under the influence of some type of drug at the time. He then raped her.
Eckrote then tried to drive away with the woman, police said, but realized the vehicle was stuck in the mud. The woman said Eckrote then told her to start walking and make a right turn. She complied, she said, because she was afraid Eckrote would attack her again. She took her cell phone from her pocket and called 911.
Police said they searched the area for Eckrote but were unable to find him.
He surrendered in May at the office of District Judge Donald Whittaker in Nanticoke. Recently, a Luzerne County judge signed an order lowering Eckrote’s bail from $100,000 to $30,000.

1/6/2009
Two people threatened, money and cell phones taken in Nanticoke armed robbery
emoody@citizensvoice.com, 570-821-2051

Nanticoke police are looking for a man they believe used a gun to threaten two people and steal money and cell phones before locking them inside a garage at Mike’s Service Center.
According to police, about 7:45 p.m. Monday, the suspect entered the service center at 277 Lower Broadway St., near the Nanticoke Bridge. A male attendant and female friend were the only people in the center.
The suspect, who was armed with a blue semi-automatic hand gun, ordered the attendant to hand over money, police said. The attendant handed over about $150 in cash. The suspect told the victims they would not be hurt if they cooperated.
The suspect then stole their cell phones and ripped out the pay phone in front of the service area and the phone in the back room of the center before locking the two victims inside the garage, according to police.
He then fled on foot. The attendant said they did not see his feet pass in front of the garage when the suspect left, leading them to believe he headed toward Nanticoke and not toward the bridge, police said, but the actual direction was unknown.
The victims were able to open the garage from inside and went next door to Mac’s Auto Co. to call police. No one was injured during the robbery, police said.
The suspect is described as a white male in his early 20s, about 6 feet tall or slightly shorter, with a thin build. He was wearing a white ski mask with a large eye opening, a black sweatshirt with the hood pulled up and black, baggy jeans.
Anyone with information is asked to call Nanticoke police at 735-2200 or 911.

1/3/2009
City police are probing a burglary that occurred at Uni-Mart, 18 N. Market St., Friday morning, police said.

The suspect forced a rear door open and disabled the alarm and phone system, according to Nanticoke police. Once inside, the suspect forced open the ATM.
Police said an undetermined amount of cash was stolen from the ATM and elsewhere in the story. Also stolen were 45 cartons of cigarettes.
Video surveillance revealed the suspect entered the store around 3 a.m., police said.
Anyone with information about the burglary is urged to contact Nanticoke Police Department at 735-2200

2009

12/30/2008
Hunlock Creek man charged
Denise Allabaugh - Citizens'Voice

Nanticoke police arrested a Hunlock Creek man Sunday night for striking a woman at the Uni-Mart at 18 N. Market St.
Talcott Ian Phillips, 26, was arraigned Monday before Magisterial District Judge Donald Whittaker on simple assault and harassment charges.
According to the police criminal complaint, Phillips’ girlfriend Lauren Brennan told police she argued with Phillips earlier at her home and she left as he became enraged. Brennan said she was going to Phillips’ mother’s home when she stopped at the Uni-Mart to put gasoline in her vehicle.
Phillips approached Brennan, argued with her and asked for help with his drug addiction. Brennan denied him any help and Phillips grabbed her by the arm, pulled her hair, struck her in her eye and scratched her hand.
A preliminary hearing for Phillips is scheduled for Jan. 7 at 10 a.m. in Luzerne County Central Court.

12/24/2008
A former Greater Nanticoke Area High School teacher accused of buying alcohol for five students over the summer is expected to plead guilty.
Bob Kalinowski - Citizens' Voice

A former Greater Nanticoke Area High School teacher accused of buying alcohol for five students over the summer is expected to plead guilty or enter the accelerated rehabilitation disposition program that would erase the conviction after a probationary period, prosecutors said.
Edward Alessandrini, 35, who resigned his science teaching position while under investigation, was in Luzerne County Central Court to forward a charge of furnishing alcohol to minors to Luzerne County Court.
Prosecutors agreed to drop a charge of corruption of minors if the Swoyersville man would plead or enter the ARD program, which erases the criminal record of first-time offenders who stay out of trouble.
The case against Alessandrini was recently sent back to the magisterial level. He had forwarded his charges to county court in September. However, he learned the corruption charge was not eligible for ARD. Alessandrini will still be barred from teaching in the future, police said.

12/3/2008
Illegal hunting charges levied against man convicted of beating cop
bkalinowski@citizensvoice.com, 570-821-2055

A convicted cop-beater who is barred from possessing guns was arrested Monday in Nanticoke on firearms violations after the Pennsylvania Game Commission caught him illegally hunting, according to Nanticoke police.
James J. Stone, 49, was taken into custody around 4 p.m. in a wooded area near the Nanticoke bridge after he illegally baited and shot an 8-point buck, officials said.
When Nanticoke police arrived to assist Pennsylvania Game Commission officials, they discovered Stone was using a stolen rifle and determined he is not allowed to possess guns because of a felony conviction for severely assaulting a Plymouth cop in 1993.
During a drunken rage, he beat and slashed veteran officer George Gocek Sr. in the face with a beer bottle, leaving Gocek with permanent debilitating injuries.
Nanticoke police on Monday charged Stone with illegally carrying a firearm as a convicted felon and receiving stolen property.
After his arrest, he was arraigned by Magisterial District Judge Diana Malast of Plains Township, the on-duty magistrate.
Malast released Stone on $5,000 unsecured bail, meaning he didn’t go to jail and didn’t have to post money.
Authorities were led to Stone of 218 Honey Pot St., Nanticoke, after receiving an anonymous letter he would be illegally baiting deer around the Nanticoke bridge, according to Daniel Figured, a law enforcement supervisor for the regional game commission office.
According to arrest papers, Stone claimed he didn’t know the gun was stolen. He said he bought it from a stranger in the parking lot of a Plymouth convenience store.
He also said he didn’t know he was prohibited from possessing a gun because of his convicted felon status.
Figured said it is illegal to use a food source to attract deer during hunting season, and Stone was using a food block of grain and molasses. In addition to the Nanticoke charges, the game commission charged Stone with unlawful taking of a deer and hunting with the use of bait, Figured said.
Stone’s past case that prohibits him from possessing guns made headlines for years. He was convicted of aggravated assault and related charges for the vicious attack on Gocek, who was trying to arrest him for public drunkenness. Stone was later sentenced to four to eight years in state prison. After four years in jail, the state approved him for early release despite vehement objections from prosecutors.
When the state Board of Probation and Parole approved early release, then-District Attorney Peter Paul Olszewski Jr. called Stone “a menace to society” and warned he would “hold the board personally and professionally responsible” if the early release leads to any more acts of violence.
Stone has been free since Aug. 10, 1998. Since then, he has not been arrested criminally in Pennsylvania.
In 2003, the game commission charged Stone with unlawful hunting. Magisterial District Judge Donald Whittaker of Nanticoke found him guilty and he was fined $547, court records show.

12/2/2008
A Wilkes-Barre man wanted since October on allegations he fled from police while driving a stolen vehicle was arraigned on Monday.

Jerome James Sharr, 18, of Rees Street, was charged with receiving stolen property, fleeing or attempting to elude police, flight to avoid apprehension, reckless endangerment, accidents involving damage to attended vehicle, accidents involving damage to unattended vehicle and six traffic offenses. He was jailed at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility for lack of $10,000 bail.
Police allege Sharr was driving a 2004 Cadillac Deville when he was pursued through several municipalities on Oct. 21. Police said the Cadillac was reported stolen to Larksville police on Oct. 20.
According to the criminal complaint:
Police attempted to stop Sharr when he was observed exiting a parking lot on Main Street. Sharr sped onto the Sans Souci Parkway in Hanover Township and state Route 29 into Sugar Notch before entering Interstate 81 in Ashley.
Sharr continued onto Business Route 309 in Wilkes-Barre Township and turned onto Coal Street in Wilkes-Barre.
Police pursued Sharr onto South Hancock Street until he abandoned the vehicle when he struck a curb at East Market Street. Sharr ran away from the vehicle and eluded capture, the complaint says.
A 16-year-old female inside the vehicle was unharmed, police said.
Police said during the pursuit, Sharr struck a guide rail and a Wilkes-Barre police cruiser and passed numerous vehicles and failed to stop at red traffic signals and stop signs.
A preliminary hearing is tentatively scheduled for Dec. 10 in Central Court.

12/2/2008
A Hanover Township man recently sentenced to five to 12 years in state prison on attempted burglary charges asked a judge Monday to reduce his sentence and hold a new trial.
Citizens' Voice

Gary S. Myers, 47, was sentenced on Nov. 21 on charges of criminal conspiracy to commit burglary and resisting arrest.
Myers’ attorney, Michael Senape, said in court papers filed Monday that Myers’ sentence should be reduced to 2 ? to 4 years in prison because Myers has five minor children to care for and “has not been arrested and/or charged with any crimes for several years prior to the charges involved in this matter.”
Senape also asked that a new trial be held for Myers, stating that the court “erred in denying (Myers’) request for continuance which was made via an oral motion by (Senape) prior to the empanelling and swearing in of the jury in this matter.” The filing also asks the court to address issues and arguments Senape might have had during the swearing in of the jury.
According to arrest records, Myers planned to rob Reilly Finishing Technologies, Nanticoke, because he was “in need of money for past-due child support and legal problems, as well as to finance a move to somewhere in Noxen,” court papers say. Police said Myers conspired with three others to steal raw nickel from the business.

11/26/2008
Woman free for 8 hours back in jail
elewis@timesleader.com

Less than eight hours after being released from the Luzerne County Correctional Facility, an 18-year-old woman was arrested for allegedly stealing a vehicle on Monday night.
Sarah Elizabeth Wargo, of South Hanover Street, Nanticoke, was charged Tuesday morning with receiving stolen property, theft and driving without a license.
Police allege in arrest records that Wargo drove away in a 1997 Ford Escort that was idling in the Weis Market parking lot around 7:45 p.m. and crashed into a tree in Hanover Township.
She was jailed at the county correctional facility for lack of $50,000 bail.
Earlier Monday, Wargo appeared for a preliminary hearing in Central Court on allegations she threatened a clerk at the Turkey Hill, Hazle Avenue, Wilkes-Barre, with a box cutter during a robbery on Nov. 15, according to arrest and court records.
Wilkes-Barre police charged Wargo with robbery, aggravated harassment by prisoner, possession of a weapon, terroristic threats and criminal mischief. She was held at the county correctional facility for lack of $50,000 bail in connection with the robbery, but a district judge modified her bail, allowing her to be released from jail at about noon Monday, court records say.
After her arrest by Nanticoke police, according to court records, Wargo’s bail that was modified Monday morning was re-established at $500,000.
According to the criminal complaint filed by Nanticoke police:
Martin Buczek, 41, told police he drove his girlfriend, Wargo, to Weis Markets. Buczek left his car idling in the parking lot as he entered the store.
When Buczek exited the store, he told police, Wargo drove away in his vehicle, according to the criminal complaint.
Buczek walked to Wargo’s mother’s house on East Broad Street, Nanticoke, where he called 911.
While he was at the house, Wargo called her mother to say she crashed into a tree, the criminal complaint says.
A preliminary hearing on the charges filed by Nanticoke police is tentatively scheduled for Dec. 4 in Central Court.
Wilkes-Barre police allege Wargo entered the Turkey Hill with a plastic bag concealing her face and threatened a clerk with a box cutter while demanding money on Nov. 15, according to arrest records.
Wargo ran out of the store and attempted to ride away on a bicycle.
After she was captured, police said in arrest records, Wargo screamed profanities and threatened to harm officers.
A preliminary hearing on the charges filed by Wilkes-Barre police was postponed from Monday to Dec. 22.

11/26/2008
A Nanticoke man charged by Hanover Township police with stabbing a man waived his right to a preliminary hearing in Central Court on Tuesday.

William M. Conway, 23, of Railroad Street, waived two counts of simple assault, and one count each of aggravated assault and recklessly endangering another person to Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas.
Prosecutors withdrew a second count of aggravated assault against Conway.
Township police charged Conway with stabbing Muadhdhin Sharif, 25, during a party at an apartment in Hanover Village on Nov. 9, according to the criminal complaint.

11/26/2008
A man charged by Nanticoke police with assaulting his brother with a knife waived his right to a preliminary hearing in Central Court on Tuesday.

Mark Ulatowski, 40, of East Church Street, Nanticoke, waived a single count of simple assault to Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas.
Prosecutors withdrew charges of terroristic threats, harassment and a second count of simple assault against Ulatowski.
Nanticoke police claim Ulatowski threatened his brother, Robert Shuma Jr., 48, with a knife during a dispute on Nov. 16, according to the criminal complaint.

11/22/2008
W. Wyoming man gets 5-12 years
jmarckini@timesleader.com

A West Wyoming man was sentenced Friday to five to 12 years in state prison for his role in a Nanticoke burglary in April 2007.
Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas Judge Peter Paul Olszewski Jr. sentenced Gary S. Myers, 47, of 718 W. Eighth St., on criminal conspiracy to commit burglary and resisting arrest, according to court records.
A jury found Myers guilty last month for the burglary at Reilly Finishing Technologies on April 26, 2007.
Police said Myers conspired to burglarize the nickel coating business with two others, his girlfriend, Laurie Kautter, 38, of 718 W. Eighth St., West Wyoming, and Christopher Hamlett, 20, of 159 Sugar Hollow Road, Tunkhannock.
An employee of the business told Nanticoke police he was contacted by Myers who asked him to help burglarize the place, a criminal complaint states. Police were waiting inside the building during the break-in attempt.
Myers told the worker he wanted to steel raw nickel because he needed money for a new home, past due child support and legal problems.
Kautter and Hamlett were both sentenced in April, court records show.
Judge Mark A. Ciavarella sentenced Kautter to 12 months probation on two counts of criminal conspiracy to commit theft by unlawful taking. Two other felony charges were withdrawn during her guilty plea on April 9.
Hamlett was sentenced by Judge Patrick J. Toole to six to 18 months to the county correctional facility on charges of criminal conspiracy and criminal trespassing charges on April 21.

11/20/2008
Nanticoke police seek fraud suspects
Times Leader

Police are searching for two men suspected of credit-card fraud at CVS Pharmacy and Weis Market on Wednesday.
Police described one of the suspects as a light-skinned black or Hispanic man between 25 and 35 years old, approximately 6 feet tall and weighing about 180 pounds. The other is described as a black male, 30 to 40 years old, approximately 6 feet tall, weighing about 250 pounds.
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact Nanticoke police at 735-2200.

11/19/2008
Third person charged with torturing 15-year-old in Wilkes-Barre 12:07 p.m.
By Bob Kalinowski - Citizens' Voice


A third person has been charged in connection with the beating and torture of a 15-year-old boy in August at 131 N. Meade St. in Wilkes-Barre.
Daniel "Max" Davenport was arraigned this morning on charges of aggravated assault, false imprisonment, and simple assault.
Police say Davenport, 24, of 924 Essex Court, West Hempstead, N.Y., was a member of the Long Island Boys, a notoriously dangerous street gang that was operating out of Sherman Hills Apartments and linked to a murder, murder plots, and the torture of the teenager.
Other gang members Edward Enriquez, 21, and Rufus Evans, 21, were charged shortly after the boy was found beaten, cut, burned and imprisoned in the bathroom of an apartment on Aug. 9.
Details of the torture case came to light when Attorney General Tom Corbett announced the arrest of 27 suspects in Operation Heavyweight last month.
Investigators said the gang was competing for the illegal drug trade at Sherman Hills and were looking to recruit dealers to grow their business
Arrest papers say the gang leaders wanted minors to be part of the group because they could force them to commit crimes and because juveniles face less consequences if caught.
The victim told police he just moved to the area from North Carolina, and "admired" the Sherman Hills drug dealers because they "walked around like celebrities." Soon, the teen would experience the gang’s wrath.
According to police:
For his initiation, the teenager was told he "had to be jumped, prove loyalty to the gang, and kill someone." He was given a gun and told of the target to kill. But then, he made the gang mad over missing money and several members tortured him. They sliced him with hot butcher knives and scissors while he was tied to a chair. They punched and kicked him, and then poured cleaning solvents on the wounds to make him suffer.
Davenport had already been jailed on charges of participating in a corrupt organization, criminal conspiracy to deliver heroin, and criminal use of a communications facility.
Police said locally he had lived on East Noble Street in Nanticoke.

11/18/2008
A man was charged by police on Monday on allegations he threatened his brother with a knife.

Mark Ulatowski, 40, of East Church Street, Nanticoke, was charged with two counts of simple assault and one count each of terroristic threats and harassment. He was released on $5,000 unsecured bail.
Robert Shuma Jr., 48, told police Ulatowski threatened him with a knife during an argument on Sunday, according to the criminal complaint. Police said the brothers were cooking chicken wings and argued about cleaning up.
A preliminary hearing is tentatively scheduled for Nov. 25 in Central Court.

11/18/2008
A Nanticoke man was arrested by police on allegations he smashed a large window at the Salvation Army Adult Rehabilitation Center on Hazle Avenue early Monday morning.

Michael A Graham, 46, of North Mill Street, was charged with criminal trespass and criminal mischief and jailed at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility for lack of $2,500 bail.
According to the criminal complaint:
Police investigated a loud noise complaint in the area of Hazle Avenue and Wilkes-Barre Boulevard and located Graham in the middle of the intersection at about 2 a.m. Monday.
Police said Graham was bleeding from his hand.
Witnesses told police they observed Graham walking away from the Salvation Army, where an 8-by-8-foot window was smashed, the complaint says.
Police said they found blood inside the building, the criminal complaint says.
A preliminary hearing is tentatively scheduled for Nov. 25 in Central Court.

11/18/2008
Man jailed on charges he assaulted girlfriend
Citizens' Voice

A man was arrested and jailed Sunday night for beating his girlfriend at the Apollo Circle apartments in Nanticoke, city police say.
Jason M. Henicheck, 30, is charged with simple assault and harassment.
According to police, Henicheck and his girlfriend were arguing and he wanted to take their 2-year-old daughter with him from the residence, 242 Apollo Circle.
The girlfriend said an intoxicated Henicheck pushed her into a fan, a banister and a wall and left the home with the daughter.
By the time police arrived, he returned to the home, where he was arrested, police said.
Henicheck was jailed in the Luzerne County Correctional Facility, where he remained Monday night in lieu of $2,500 bail.

11/16/2008
A woman who tried to rob a convenience store left with only a candy bar.
Times Leader

Sarah Wargo, 18, of Nanticoke, is accused of walking into the Turkey Hill and robbing the place on Wilkes-Barre Boulevard and Hazle Avenue around 2 p.m. Saturday, according to Wilkes-Barre police Lt. Steve Olshefski.
Wargo allegedly waived around a box cutter while inside the store and announced she was going to rob the place, Olshefski said.
After knocking several items off shelves, police said Wargo fled with a candy bar.
Police were able to locate Wargo within minutes, Olshefski said.
Wargo will be charged with robbery, possessing instruments of crime, terroristic threats and criminal mischief, Olshefski said. She also will be charged with aggravated harassment by a prisoner for allegedly spitting on an officer while in a holding cell at police headquarters.
There were no injuries in the robbery, but Wargo had to be taken to Wilkes-Barre General Hospital for treatment of a medical condition, Olshefski said.
Wargo was taken to Luzerne County Correctional Facility for an overnight arraignment, Olshefski said.
A preliminary hearing has not yet been scheduled pending an arraignment.

11/12/2008
A 21-year-old Nanticoke man was recently sentenced to at least six months in county jail for his role in a robbery spree last year.

Raymond Thomas Rittenhouse, of West Ridge Street, was sentenced to six to 12 months in county prison, followed by one-year probation. In May, Rittenhouse pleaded guilty to criminal attempt to commit robbery; criminal conspiracy to commit robbery, theft by unlawful taking and another theft charge before Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas Judge Peter Paul Olszewski Jr. Rittenhouse was sentenced by Olszewski on Oct. 31.
According to court records, on Oct. 15, 2007, James Franco and Rittenhouse were arrested on robbery charges for an attempted purse snatching from an elderly woman in Nanticoke. Later that same day, police said, Franco and Rittenhouse attempted to steal a purse from a woman in the parking lot of Gerrity’s Supermarket on the Sans Souci Parkway.
Olszewski ordered Rittenhouse to pay more than $300 in restitution.

11/11/2008
Nanticoke man jailed over stabbing
William Michael Conway faces 5 charges. Muadhdhin Sharif treated for abdomen injury.
elewis@timesleader.com

Township police allege a spilled drink among uninvited guests at a party led to a stabbing at Hanover Village early Sunday morning.
Police said William Michael Conway, 23, of Railroad Street, Nanticoke, got in a fight and stabbed Muadhdhin Sharif, 25, in the abdomen with a knife.
Conway and his friends sped away in a vehicle that was later observed by police driving in the area, according to police. Police followed the vehicle until it stopped in Ashley, where Conway was captured.
A folding knife was found inside the vehicle, police said.
Conway was charged with two counts each of aggravated assault and simple assault, and a single count of recklessly endangering another person. He was arraigned before District Judge Joseph Halesey in Hanover Township and jailed at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility for lack of $25,000 bail.
Sharif was transported to Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center, Plains Township, where he was treated for his injury, police said.
According to the criminal complaint filed by Sgt. Dean Stair:
Police were summoned to an apartment in the 1000 block of Hanover Village at about 1:40 a.m. Sunday for a report of a stabbing. There, police found Sharif holding a rag to his abdomen. Sharif told police Conway stabbed him during a fight, according to the criminal complaint.
Sharif told police he was in a rear bedroom and heard a loud dispute in the living room. He approached Conway and told Conway and his friends to leave.
Sharif claimed he escorted Conway outside the apartment when Conway smashed a liquor bottle on the ground. When Sharif confronted Conway about the smashed bottle, he claimed Conway pulled out a knife and stabbed him, the criminal complaint says.
Witnesses told police Conway and his friends sped away in a blue, four-door vehicle. Police were unsuccessful in locating the vehicle, but after a few minutes, it was spotted in the area. Police followed the vehicle until it stopped on Manhattan Street in Ashley, where Conway was arrested.
A passenger in Conway’s vehicle, Daniel Wildes, told police a woman invited them to the party. An argument erupted when Conway spilled a drink and was accused of talking to Sharif’s girlfriend, according to the criminal complaint. A preliminary hearing is tentatively scheduled for Nov. 18 in Central Court.

11/6/2008
Times Leader
A woman was charged by police on Wednesday on allegations she assaulted a man with a cooking pot.

Allyshia Buckingham, 22, of Apollo Circle, was charged with simple assault and harassment. She was released on $2,500 unsecured bail.
According to the criminal complaint:
Nicholas Suydam told police he went to a residence in Apollo Circle to gather clothing for a child he was babysitting when Buckingham struck him in the face with a cooking pot at about 12:15 a.m. Wednesday.
Buckingham told police she believed Suydam was attempting to break into the apartment, according to the criminal complaint.
A preliminary hearing is tentatively scheduled for Nov. 13 in Central Court.

11/6/2008
Cause of greenhouse fire undetermined
Times Leader

The cause of an early morning blaze that broke out at Varsity Greenhouses could not be determined, a fire marshal ruled Wednesday.
Firefighters responded around 2:30 a.m. to a reported structure fire at 695 E. Main St., according to Nanticoke Fire Chief Mike Bohan. The building was fully involved upon firefighters’ arrival, he said.
A passerby in the area called 911 to report the fire, Bohan said. Firefighters were able to contain the fire shortly after. The building was destroyed.
There were no injuries and no one was inside the building, Bohan said

10/28/2008
A woman was charged by police on Monday with assaulting her boyfriend with glass and threatening to stab him with a knife.

Danielle Sangemino, 28, of East Main Street, Nanticoke, was charged with simple assault and harassment. She was jailed at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility for lack of $10,000 bail.
According to the criminal complaint:
Police were dispatched to the couple’s residence at about 3:30 a.m. Monday for a dispute. William Park told police he was arguing with Sangemino at a tavern and that the argument continued after they arrived home. He said Sangemino threw glass from a picture frame that caused a minor injury to his abdomen, the criminal complaint says.
Park further claimed, the criminal complaint says, Sangemino threatened to stab him with a butter knife.
Sangemino told police Park refused to allow her to enter the residence, and that Park grabbed her hair, according to the criminal complaint.
A preliminary hearing is tentatively scheduled for Nov. 5 in Central Court.

10/22/2008
A chase that started in Nanticoke came to an abrupt end after police say a driver of a stolen vehicle crashed into a city police cruiser in Wilkes-Barre on Tuesday night.

The driver took off on foot, but the passenger in the vehicle was arrested at the scene, said Wilkes-Barre police Lt. Steve Olshefski.
Police in Wilkes-Barre first spotted the stolen vehicle on Coal Street and a pursuit ensued, he said.
The chase went on for a short time, but ended after the vehicle struck the cruiser , and then crashed into a curb on South Hancock and East Market streets, where the driver fled on foot, Olshefski said.
Police set up a perimeter in the area, but could not locate the driver.
Officer Erika Oswald, who was driving the police car, was not injured, Oshefski said. The police cruiser sustained minor damage.
The passenger, a 16-year-old girl from Nanticoke, was taken into custody at the crash scene, according to Nanticoke Capt. Detective William Shultz. The driver, an 18-year-old man from Wilkes-Barre, fled. Police have not arrested the driver as of late Tuesday night, Shultz said.
The vehicle, a 2004 Cadillac, was stolen in Larksville.
The chase started in Nanticoke, Shultz said. Nanticoke police first located the vehicle at Lacey’s Catering parking lot, 444 E. Main St., and pursued the vehicle down Main Street to South Walnut Street to East Broad Street to a one-way street, Christian Street.
The vehicle went back onto Main Street, and then headed on San Souci Parkway to Route 29 and then on Interstate 81, getting off at the Route 309 exit in Wilkes-Barre Township.

10/15/2008
Breaking News: Nanticoke police seek information on armed robbery suspect 12:32 p.m.
By Bob Kalinowski - Citizens' Voice

Nanticoke police are investigating an armed robbery that occurred early this morning at the Uni-Mart store at 61 E. Main St., and say the suspect may have been driving an older Ford Taurus with a cracked windshield.
The suspect walked in the store around 12:15 p.m., told the clerk he had a gun and ordered her to give him cash, police say.
A witness observed the suspect flee and get into a Ford Taurus, which was parked in an alley behind Nardozzo's Pizza. The vehicle eventually turned left onto South Walnut Street, the witness said.
The suspect has a thin build, is about 5'8" to 6", and has a tattoo on his right wrist. He was wearing a baseball hat, a jacket, a collared shirt, and a bag over his shoulder.
A similar robbery occurred later at a Wilkes-Barre Turkey Hill, and investigators are trying to determine if there is a connection.
Anyone with information should contact Nanticoke police at 735-2200.

10/8/2008
Man injured in fight outside Nanticoke bar
Published: Wednesday, October 8, 2008 9:03 AM EDT

Nanticoke police are seeking information regarding a fight that occurred outside the Prospect Cafe in Nanticoke on Monday night.
Police were called to a report of several people, male and female, fighting around 9:45 p.m. at the 23 S. Prospect St. bar.
Officers learned a white van fled the area.
A 49-year-old man was hospitalized for injuries sustained in the brawl.
Those with information should call Nanticoke police at 735-2200, ext. 205.

10/8/2008
Man, jealous of brother’s incarceration, heads to prison
Bob Kalinowski - Citizens' Voice

Nanticoke police arrested a man Monday night for assaulting his brother — apparently because he was jealous his brother had been in prison and he had not, according to city police.
Dessie R. Kinney got his wish and was jailed in the Luzerne County Correctional Facility on charges of simple assault, harassment and illegal possession and misbranding of a prescription pill, police say.
Police were called to 636 S. Walnut St. around 9:45 p.m. for a report of Kinney fighting with his brother, Jessie.
The victim said Kinney starting fighting with him while they were watching a movie about prison. The victim had been in prison before and told police his brother was jealous.
Kinney caused injuries to his brother’s forehead, head and arm, police said.
During the investigation, police say they found Kinney illegally in possession of an Oxycodone tablet wrapped in a cellophane cigarette wrapper.
He was jailed in lieu of $2,000 cash bail.

10/3/2008
Serial robber sentenced to 2 to 4 years
msisak@citizensvoice.com, 570-821-2061

James Franco mugged an elderly woman in Nanticoke and attempted to steal a purse from another woman in Hanover Township on the same day last October. He held a knife to a clerk’s back as he robbed a convenience store in Nanticoke in May and broke into a home in Hanover Township to steal video games and DVDs in June.
Franco, 30, of Hanover Township, said he committed the crimes to finance an addiction to heroin. The addiction, Franco’s attorney Nicole Bednarek said, developed while he served a 10-year term in a New Jersey state prison on similar charges.
Franco pleaded guilty Thursday to the convenience store robbery and the home invasion, following a March 6 guilty plea on the mugging and purse snatching.
Luzerne County Court President Judge Mark A. Ciavarella Jr. sentenced Franco to a combined two years to four years in state prison for all four crimes and requested Franco be placed in a facility where he can receive treatment for his drug addiction and related psychological condition.
“He’s definitely going to get some help,” Bednarek said. “He’s never had any treatment before while he was in state prison. He’s hoping to get his life straightened out.”
Franco still faces charges in another Hanover Township break-in and charges including felony robbery and robbery of a motor vehicle in an alleged knife-point attack on a taxi cab driver on June 25. Franco is awaiting trial on both incidents, Bednarek said.
Franco mugged a woman outside the Prospect Cafe in Nanticoke on Oct. 15, 2007, prosecutors said. The same day, Franco participated in a purse-snatching at Gerrity’s Market in Hanover Township.
On May 14, Franco robbed a Uni-Mart in Nanticoke and held a knife to the clerk’s back. A month later, Franco broke into a home on Stanley Street in Hanover Township and stole video games and DVDs. Franco was free on bail when he allegedly attacked the taxi cab driver, prosecutors said.
“Hopefully now he is realizing the consequences of his actions,” Bednarek said.
Bob Kalinowski, staff writer, contributed to this report.

10/1/2008
Charges against Nanticoke man in theft, arson go to court
Citizens' Voice

Charges against a 24-year-old Nanticoke native who allegedly stole $43,000 from Rolling Pines Golf Course in Berwick and set a fire to cover the theft were forwarded to Columbia County Court after a preliminary hearing Tuesday morning.
Jamie Danko, of Lattimer, appeared before Magisterial District Judge Richard Cashman in Berwick on charges of theft, receiving stolen property, tampering with records, arson and criminal trespass.
Danko, a former standout golfer for Greater Nanticoke Area High School, worked at Rolling Pines as the course’s golf pro/general manager. Danko allegedly stole money from membership fees, tournaments and rentals while employed at the golf course, according to reports. He is also accused of using company funds, rather than his own, to stock the pro-shop, reports said.
Danko was arrested in August.

9/19/2008
LCCC dean charged with stealing school funds
msisak@citizensvoice.com, 570-821-2061

Peter Paul Moses, the dean in charge of several departments at Luzerne County Community College, including the cafeteria, is accused of stealing more than $17,000 in cash deposits and two laptop computers from the institution.
Moses, 57, of Wilkes-Barre, was arrested Thursday and charged with felony counts of theft by unlawful taking and theft by failure to make required disposition of funds; and four misdemeanors: two counts of theft by unlawful taking and two counts of receiving stolen property. If convicted, he could face up to 34 years in prison and a maximum $70,000 fine.
According to prosecutors, Moses stole more than a dozen cash deposits between September 2005 and April 2007 and kept two laptop computers, worth $1,598, for personal use after they had been purchased for the college’s Educational Conference Center.
“I am outraged and dismayed that this occurred at our college,” Luzerne County Community College President Thomas P. Leary said in a statement.
Moses, who is on a leave of absence from the college, was arraigned Thursday morning before Magisterial District Judge Donald Whittaker and released on $20,000 unsecured bail.
Whittaker scheduled Moses to appear at a preliminary hearing at Central Court in Wilkes-Barre on Sept. 25, but Moses’ attorney, William Ruzzo, said that proceeding could be postponed due to a scheduling conflict.
Ruzzo, a close friend of Moses’ for more than 30 years, said the charges were hard to fathom.
“It would be a great surprise to me if Peter stole anything,” Ruzzo said after the arraignment.
Robert Linskey, who has served as the college’s director of accounts and finance since April 2006, began questioning missing cafeteria funds shortly after he was hired, prosecutors said.
Linskey noticed cafeteria deposits for April 18, 2006 and April 19, 2006 were not received by his office and no “cash out” receipts had been turned in, arousing his suspicion that the money was stolen. Moses was unable to provide an explanation for the missing money, prosecutors said.
Cash register receipts from the cafeteria were backed up on a computer system located in an office adjacent to the cafeteria that Moses often used as a smoking room. Shortly after Linskey asked Moses about the missing April 2006 funds, Linskey discovered the computer missing from the office.
“There were only two cords left of that computer,” Linskey told investigators.
Cafeteria manager Sheldon Owens used a calendar to note each day’s cash deposits and noticed money disappeared only when Moses personally handled it, prosecutors said.
College officials handled the investigation internally for nearly two years, waiting until after Moses returned $1,200 of the missing funds last February to contact police, Luzerne County District Attorney Jackie Musto Carroll said.
“The delay in reporting to law enforcement did hamper the investigation, but despite that we were able to end up with the same result that undoubtedly we believe Mr. Moses stole the money from the college,” Detective Kevin Grevera of the Nanticoke City Police said.
The college has instituted new safeguards to prevent a future theft, Leary said.
All deposits are now directed to Linskey’s office, recorded, picked up by Brinks security and deposited at Wachovia Bank and reconciled. Bank statements are reviewed later for accuracy, Linskey told investigators.
“It’s becoming increasingly clear the people of Luzerne County are not going to tolerate white-collar crimes,” Musto Carroll said. “It’s not enough to pay back this money. These are crimes and these individuals must be punished.”

9/19/2008
A former Greater Nanticoke Area School District teacher accused by state police at Wyoming of supplying alcohol to several teens waived his right to a preliminary hearing in Central Court on Wednesday, according to court records.

Edward Alessandrini, 35, of Chapel Street, waived five counts each of corruption of minors and furnishing alcohol to minors to Luzerne County Court of Common PleasState police charged Alessandrini with furnishing beer to five teen girls at a Lehman Township residence on July 16, according to the criminal complaint. Alessandrini resigned from the school district in July.

9/19/2008
A Luzerne County jury recently acquitted a Nanticoke woman of harassing two minority juveniles at a bus stop in March.

Mary Louise Warner, 47, of Apollo Circle, was charged by Nanticoke police after a mother complained Warner was harassing her two daughters.
After a trial before Court of Common Pleas Judge Chester Muroski on Sept. 5, a jury acquitted Warner of ethnic intimidation.
Warner was found guilty of a summary charge of harassment, and fined $100. Attorney Mark Singer represented Warner. Assistant District Attorney Ed Olexa prosecuted.

9/13/2008
A woman faces drug sale charges after authorities found several bags of heroin inside of a motel room around 5:30 p.m. Thursday, state police said.

Erica Neyhard, 24, of Nanticoke, was charged with drug sale and manufacturing, according to state police at Wyoming. She was observed making several drug transactions from her vehicle in the Nanticoke and Hanover Township areas, police said.
Neyhard was found to be in possession of several bags of suspected heroin during a traffic stop on Route 11, police said. Through the investigation it was learned that Neyhard was staying at Room 2 in Casino Motel in Bear Creek Township.
A search of the motel room was conducted by the state police Vice/Narcotic Unit and resulted in the seizure of 940 bags of suspected heroin and $2,450 cash, police said.
Neyhard was arraigned before District Judge Donald Whittaker, Nanticoke, and remanded to Luzerne County Correctional Facility in lieu of bail.

9/12/2008
Two people charged by Nanticoke police with allegedly performing lewd acts inside the police department’s jail cell waived their right to a preliminary hearing in Central Court on Monday.
Times Leader

Deborah Kelber, 44, of Hazleton, and James Edward Gordon, 27, of Nanticoke, separately waived three counts each of indecent exposure and open lewdness to Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas.
Nanticoke police charged the two with performing lewd acts on each other while they were jailed in separate cells at the police department on Aug. 9, according to the criminal complaint.
Police said Kelber and Gordon were placed in separate cells on public drunkenness charges, according to arrest and court records.

9/9/2008
Three men pleaded guilty Monday to breaking into a Nanticoke home and threatening two women with pellet guns.
Times Leader

Jerome Tucker, 21, Michael Ewell, 20, with last known addresses of Apollo Circle, Nanticoke, and Jamil Tucker, 22, of Kingston, pleaded guilty to reckless endangerment, terroristic threats and possession of instruments of crime.
Jerome Tucker and Ewell were both sentenced to 12 months probation on the charges by Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas Judge Peter Paul Olszewski Jr.
Olszewski said he will sentence Jamil Tucker on the charges on Oct. 14 after a pre-sentence investigation is conducted.
The judge said that each man could have faced a minimum of six years in jail if sentences were run consecutively.
Charges of burglary, stalking and criminal trespassing were dropped.
According to arrest records, police charged the three men, and Eric Tucker, 20, with a last known address in Kingston, after they forced their way into a Church Street home on April 15 and threatened two women with pellet guns.
Police said Jerome Tucker wanted to fight a man who resided at the home, and began yelling, “You’re going to get it,” when he entered the residence.
Eric Tucker was sentenced in July to six months probation on criminal conspiracy charges for his role in the break-in.

8/19/2008
Cops: Ex-teacher gave teens beer
Former Greater Nanticoke teacher allegedly bought beer for girls mourning death of recent grad.
elewis@timesleader.com

A former science teacher at Greater Nanticoke Area gave beer to five teen girls during a gathering of people who were mourning the loss of a recent high school graduate, state police at Wyoming said.
Edward Alessandrini, 35, of Swoyersville, is charged with five counts each of corruption of minors and furnishing alcohol to minors. The charges were filed by state police at Wyoming Trooper Lisa Brogan with District Judge James E. Tupper in Trucksville on Monday.
Alessandrini taught environmental science at the high school and was an assistant wrestling coach. His name has been omitted from the school district’s Web site.
Superintendent Anthony Perrone and school board President Jeff Kozlofski didn’t return messages seeking comment on Monday.
Police said Alessandrini supplied beer to three 18-year-old and two 16-year-old girls. The teens have not been charged, according to court records.
According to the criminal complaint:
Perrone told police on July 28 that he received complaints from parents who viewed on the Internet a picture showing Alessandrini posing with five teen girls. Perrone said he was given the picture by Kozlofski and was concerned that Alessandrini supplied the teens with alcohol.
Police learned that Alessandrini and the girls gathered to mourn the loss of Paul Drozdowski, a 2008 Greater Nanticoke Area graduate, at a Lake Silkworth cottage on July 16.
Alessandrini was at the cottage but left to buy beer at the Outpost Bar in Lake Silkworth, the criminal complaint says.
Police said Alessandrini returned to the cottage and provided the beer to the girls.
The cottage’s owner, Jason Bienkowski, told police he invited eight people to his cottage and didn’t know Alessandrini or the girls. After he saw a young girl holding a beer, he asked everyone to leave.
Bienkowski told police he witnessed several girls, according to the criminal complaint, get into Alessandrini’s vehicle before driving away.
One of the 18-year-old women told police she went with Alessandrini when he purchased beer at the bar. She admitted to drinking beer with Alessandrini at the cottage, and that the two 16-year-olds drove away with Alessandrini when they left the cottage, the criminal complaint says.
She claimed they met again at a residence in the Honey Pot section of Nanticoke, the criminal complaint says, where a party was being held.
A preliminary hearing will be scheduled in Central Court.

8/16/2008
A Nanticoke man was sentenced Thursday to two to four years in county prison on charges he sold drugs to police informant in March of 2007.

Christopher A. Klesmer, 20, of Mosier Street, was sentenced by Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas Judge Chester Muroski on charges of possession with intent to deliver. Klesmer pleaded guilty to the charges in June.
According to arrest papers, Klesmer sold suspected marijuana to a police informant on several different occasions. Muroski ordered Klesmer to pay more than $2,200 in restitution and costs. Klesmer will receive five days credit for time already served in prison.
Muroski said Klesmer is eligible for work and school release.

8/16/2008
A woman was charged Thursday after police said she assaulted her mother at their West Broad Street home.

Sherry Christine Turner, 31, was charged with simple assault and harassment. She was released on her own recognizance.
According to the criminal complaint:
Police were called to the home just after midnight Thursday for a physical dispute involving Turner and her mother, Theresa Chesney.
Chesney told police, the criminal complaint says, that Turner choked her.
A preliminary hearing is tentatively scheduled for Aug. 21 in Central Court.

8/13/2008
A 33-year-old Nanticoke man was charged by township police with setting his 2004 Ford Mustang on fire on Monday, according to arrest records.
Times Leader

William Ertz, of East Grant Street, was charged with three counts of arson. He was arraigned by District Judge Joseph Halesey in Hanover Township and released on $5,000 unsecured bail.
According to the criminal complaint, township firefighters responded to a vehicle fire on Hanover Street at about 7:30 a.m.
Assistant Fire Chief Jeffrey Tudgay contacted state police deputy fire marshal Ron Jarocha to conduct an investigation to determine how the fire started.
Jarocha determined that the fire was intentionally set on the driver’s seat, the criminal complaint says.
Police questioned Ertz who admitted, the criminal complaint says, that he poured paint thinner on the driver’s seat and then ignited it with a lighter.

8/13/2008
LCCC probe continuing
Law enforcement report on $1,200 missing in January to be ready in four weeks.
slong@timesleader.com

A report regarding the investigation of missing money earlier this year from Luzerne County Community College is being compiled by local law enforcement agencies, LCCC President Tom Leary said Tuesday.
Officials expect the report to be completed in about four weeks.
Luzerne County Community College Board of Trustees were updated about the case during an executive session meeting held before just prior to Tuesday’s board meeting at the campus’ Educational Conference Center.
In January it was discovered that $1,200 was missing from LCCC’s cafeteria. At the time college officials said the money was misplaced. The money was later recovered.
College officials spent a month conducting their own internal investigation to make sure they had the correct facts before contacting the Nanticoke Police Department.
In February Leary said there was a change in administrative policy to ensure this type of incident would not occur again.
Nanticoke Police Detective Kevin Grevera began investigating the incident in February when college officials revealed there were potential financial improprieties.
“We can’t comment on that while it’s being investigated,” Grevera said.
Luzerne County District Attorney Jackie Musto Carroll confirmed the case was still active, but she could not say how much longer the investigation will continue.
Dr. Agapito Lopez, one of the newest board members, was not too familiar with the case until receiving Tuesday’s update.
But as a board member, he said he wants to do ensure that whoever is responsible for taking or misplacing of the money is punished appropriately.
“When someone is accused we need to make sure they are not part of the college any longer,” Lopez said.
Law enforcement authorities investigating the case have not released the names of any suspects. No one has been arrested in conjunction with the case.
Lopez also wants to review the college’s administrative policies to see if additional precautions can be utilized to prevent money from being mishandled.
The board also unanimously approved a code of conduct policy Tuesday night that board member Mahmoud Fahmy developed and presented.

7/31/2008
Michael Zagora, 36, of West Green Street, was charged Wednesday with assaulting his girlfriend, according to the criminal complaint. He faces charges of simple assault and harassment.
Times Leader

According to the criminal complaint:
Police were investigating a dispute involving Zagora and Linda Spence at their shared residence at about 11 p.m. Tuesday. Police said Spence claimed Zagora struck her in the face, the criminal complaint says.
Police said Spence suffered facial injuries. A preliminary hearing is tentatively scheduled for Aug. 7 in Central Court.

7/30/2008
Charges against alleged serial robber sent to court
bkalinowski@citizensvoice.com, 570-821-2055

A former Posten Taxi driver took the witness stand Tuesday to describe the terrifying night when alleged serial robber James Franco hopped in his cab and pulled a knife.
“He stuck the knife to my throat and said, ‘Put the car in drive and let’s go,’” recalled former cabbie Patrick Sharp. “He said he was going to puncture my windpipe if I didn’t do everything he said.”
Sharp detailed the wild and scary chain of events that included Franco ruffling through his pockets for money and Sharp’s dramatic escape from Franco on South Franklin Street in Wilkes-Barre. He also highlighted the hair-raising moments when Franco commandeered his vehicle and tried to mow him down with the taxi on South Main Street.
The taxi robbery was just one of three cases Franco had scheduled in Central Court on Tuesday — the others included the burglary of a Stanley Street, Hanover Township, residence and the subsequent burglary of his accomplice’s house.
All cases were forwarded to Luzerne County court after two minor charges were dropped.
Prosecutors called Franco a “clear and present danger to the citizens of Luzerne County” after the arrest in the taxi heist case on June 25. It was the ex-con’s sixth local arrest on serious charges since October when the 30-year-old moved here after spending a decade in New Jersey prisons for multiple burglaries and robberies.
After each arrest, local magisterial district judges gave Franco minimal or no bail, allowing him to be released from prison by posting little or no money.
After being bailed out in connection with the mugging of a senior citizen in Nanticoke on a public street, a purse snatching at a Hanover Township grocery store parking lot and an armed robbery of a Nanticoke convenience store, Franco allegedly helped commit a burglary of 38 Stanley St. in Hanover Township.
Police alleged Franco and accomplice Mark DeLong stole various electronics, a weight-lifting set and a shotgun totaling $13,600 from the home, whose occupants Neil Splendido and Dejah Vaughn were out of town at a hospital following complications after the birth of their child.
“What wasn’t stolen was broken,” Splendido testified Tuesday. “We were just devastated.”
DeLong and his girlfriend, Danielle Bergamino, live in the other side of the double-block. Bergamino was supposed to take care of Splendido’s dogs on an enclosed porch, but did not have a key to get inside the rest of the home, Splendido said. Police say the suspects kicked open the door.
Days after Franco burglarized Splendido’s home, police say he was caught trying to burglarize DeLong’s home.
Franco’s next court date was scheduled for Oct. 3 at 9:30 a.m. He remains jailed in lieu of $150,000 cash bail.

7/24/2008
Three violated Megan’s Law, police say
By jmarckini@timesleader.com

Two convicted sex offenders found living in Nanticoke were arraigned Tuesday for failure to register their current addresses to comply with Megan’s Law, according to court records.
A third man also was charged recently with failing to register as a sex offender.
Ronald Avery, 50, of 289 E. Union St., and Michael Robert Backley, 53, of 125 E. Grand St., were required to register their new addresses with the state police but failed to do so.
Avery was convicted of rape in 1989, according to data obtained on the state police Megan’s Law Web site. Backley was convicted of indecent assault in 1985.
Avery was charged with six counts of failure to comply with registration requirements and verify his current address with state police. Those charges are second-degree felonies.
Court records show Avery last registered his address of 31 E. Main St., Glen Lyon, Newport Township, with state police in January 2003. Police said he has not been in compliance since November 2003.
The Megan’s Law Unit continued to send correspondence to Avery’s last address until June 7.
The state police Fugitive Unit found Avery was living at the Nanticoke address for the past month, according to the complaint. He was residing with his daughter and her boyfriend, police said.
Backley was charged with two counts of failure to comply with registration requirements, court records show. He last registered his address of Blue Jay Trailer Park at Harveys Lake on Sept. 25, 2006.
On Dec. 6, 2006, Backley pleaded guilty to a violation of Megan’s Law after he was arrested by Wilkes-Barre police for not changing his address. He was sentenced to nine months.
In 2007, the Megan’s Law Unit sent correspondence to Backley’s last address, but it was returned. State police discovered he was living in Nanticoke with his sister-in law for about one year.
Avery and Backley, who are both in Luzerne County Correctional Facility on $50,000 and $25,000 bail, respectively, have preliminary hearings scheduled for July 29 at Central Court.

7/24/2008
A Nanticoke man was sentenced to six months probation after pleading guilty to exposing himself to a woman in Nanticoke.
Times Leader

Leo A. Wojewodzki, 46, of East Main Street, pleaded guilty to open lewdness during a preliminary hearing in Central Court on Thursday. Prosecutors withdrew charges of indecent exposure, disorderly conduct and criminal trespass.
A woman told police she was parking her car at the rear of the Kanjorski Center, 40 E. Main St., on June 9 and noticed a man reading a newspaper and drinking coffee on a bench. When she parked her car, she saw a man, identified as Wojewodzki, standing outside her driver’s-side door exposing himself, according to the criminal complaint.
Wojewodzki was also fined $293, according to court records.

7/24/2008
A man was charged Wednesday after he allegedly assaulted his live-in girlfriend because he locked himself out of their residence, police said.
Times Leader

William James Cupp, 50, of West Green Street, Nanticoke, was charged with simple assault, criminal mischief and harassment. He was jailed at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility for lack of $5,000 bail.
According to the criminal complaint:
Loretta Fenner, 48, told police she arrived home and found Cupp passed out on their front porch Tuesday night. Cupp told Fenner he was upset because he locked himself out of their residence, and struck her in the face.
Fenner drove Cupp to the police department where he assaulted her again and damaged her vehicle, the criminal complaint says.
A preliminary hearing is tentatively scheduled for July 31 in Central Court.

7/19/2008
State police Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement filed charges against four men stemming from a June 27 incident at Holy Child Grove, 141 Old Newport St., according to a news release.
Times Leader

Christopher Klesmer, 20, and Lee Wysocki, 19, both of Nanticoke, were observed to be consuming beer and were detained, state police said. Klesmer refused to comply and was place under arrest. He resisted and eventually escaped from the arresting officer, police said.
Wysocki fled and was apprehended after a brief foot chase, police said. Police said he was observed to have been furnishing alcohol to Klesmer.
Klesmer was charged with one count each of escape, resisting arrest, underage drinking and disorderly conduct, police said. Wysocki was charged with two counts of furnishing alcohol to minors, one count of disorderly conduct and underage drinking.
Christopher Wylie, 26, of Newport Township, and Zachary Hallas, 25, of Nanticoke, were charged with one count of disorderly conduct for their disruptive actions during the June incident.
The charges were filed before Luzerne County District Judge Donald Whittaker, Nanticoke.

7/18/2008
A Nanticoke man was sentenced to 48 hours to one year, six months in county prison on charges of theft and driving under the influence stemming from a January 2007 incident.

Matthew Zaremba, 20, pleaded guilty to the charges in June. He was sentenced Tuesday by Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas Judge Peter Paul Olszewski, Jr.
According to arrest papers, an East Broad Street woman reported to police that a blue 1997 Chevy Lumina was stolen from her home. While searching the area, police observed a vehicle matching the description at a traffic light near Kosciusko Street.
Police followed the vehicle for a short time to better identify the vehicle and stopped Zaremba on the Sans Souci Parkway.
Police said Zaremba told them “I will not lie to you … I just stole it.”
When police arrived at headquarters with Zaremba, they found Zaremba to be under the influence of an alcoholic beverage. Police said Zaremba had a blood-alcohol content of .155 percent.
Olszewski also required Zaremba to acquire a full-time job upon release from prison, attend a driving safety school and pay a $500 fine. He also will have his license suspended for 12 months.

7/16/2008
Man accused of fleeing prison’s work release program
Citizens Voice

County prosecutors have charged a former Nanticoke man with failing to return to the Luzerne County Correctional Facility’s work release program last month.
Jason Demski, 25, faces a single count of escape.
The prison granted Demski temporary leave for a court-approved drug rehabilitation meeting at a Wilkes-Barre church on June 27. Police say he never returned to the facility, and a warrant was issued for his arrest until he was apprehended this past weekend.
Demski, who was arrested seven times since 2002 on various drug, burglary and robbery charges, was jailed for previously failing to appear for a court hearing. He was arrested in April in connection with a burglary at 715 Hartman Road in Plymouth Township and didn’t show up for his preliminary hearing a week later, police said.

7/15/2008
Woman charged with assaulting boyfriend
Citizens Voice

Police arrested a woman Sunday night in Nanticoke for slashing her boyfriend several times with a box cutter, according to charges filed.
Mary Catherine Geiger, 29, faces charges of simple assault, recklessly endangering another person and harassment in connection with the alleged attack on William Childs.
Investigators said the two were arguing because Childs took Geiger’s coffeemaker and can opener to his other girlfriend’s house in Wilkes-Barre and Geiger wanted her stuff back.
Childs sustained several lacerations on the left side of his neck, and a 6- to 8-inch laceration down his back, according to arrest papers.
The incident unfolded at 275 E. Main St. just before 10 p.m.
Police said they located Childs near Burger King, and he told officers Geiger had slashed him and chased after him.
Geiger told police Childs was wearing a shirt she bought him and she tried to “cut it off,” police said.
Police said Geiger was highly intoxicated when she was arrested.

7/15/2008
Charges unlikely in death
Official sees no action being taken in accident that killed skateboarder.
boboyle@timesleader.com

No charges will be filed at this time in the death of skateboarder Paul Drozdowski.
According to Michael Vough, a Luzerne County assistant district attorney, the investigation is ongoing, but there doesn’t appear to be any evidence of gross negligence on the driver’s part.
“State police are conducting tests and taking measurements, but it doesn’t appear that we will be filing any charges,” Vough said. “The car was traveling well under the speed limit and the victim voluntarily attached himself to the vehicle and fell off.”
Drozdowski, 19, was pronounced dead at 10 a.m. Saturday at Community Medical Center in Scranton, where he was flown on Friday after the accident, said Lackawanna County Deputy Coroner Tim Rowland.
Rowland said Drozdowski died of traumatic brain injury and the manner of death was ruled accidental. No autopsy was performed because Drozdowski was an organ donor, he said.
Nanticoke police said the accident occurred in the Greater Nanticoke Area High School parking lot.
Drozdowski lived on Loomis Street in Nanticoke and was employed as a landscaping assistant by Walter’s Landscaping. He was a 2008 graduate of Greater Nanticoke Area High School.

7/14/2008
Nanticoke teen who died in skateboarding accident identified
eskrapits@citizenvsoice.com, 570-821-2072

When Paul Drozdowski — “Pauly D” to his crew in Nanticoke — was around, his sense of humor cracked everyone up.
“He was the jokester of the crowd. He made you laugh,” said Drozdowski’s friend Dan Olshefski, 20. “If he was there, you knew you were having a good time.”
Olshefski and the rest of Drozdowski’s many friends can’t believe they’ll never again get to hang out with the 19-year-old who was always so full of life. Drozdowski died from a traumatic brain injury received in an accident in the Greater Nanticoke Area high school parking lot on Friday.
Drozdowski had been riding a skateboard while hanging on between the front and back doors of a car when he fell and fractured his skull, Lackawanna County Deputy Coroner Tim Rowland said. Drozdowski was pronounced dead at 10 a.m. Saturday in Community Medical Center, Scranton.
Ironically, Drozdowski wasn’t even a skateboarder — instead, he rode BMX bikes, Olshefski said.
Drozdowski and a bunch of friends saw some skateboarders in the high school parking lot Friday just before 7 p.m., and Drozdowski decided to borrow a board for a stunt, according to Olshefski. He said Drozdowski was being towed along by the car at about 10 miles per hour when he had his fatal fall.
“He just grabbed a skateboard off a kid and said, ‘watch this,’” Olshefski said. “He’s done it before. It might be stupid to grab on to a car and get pulled behind it, but who thinks you’re going to fall and split your skull?”
Nanticoke police are investigating the incident.
The night before, Thursday, Drozdowski was joking around, hanging out with the crew he had known for years. They had all attended Greater Nanticoke Area — Paul just graduated this year and was looking forward to getting his diploma after finishing one final class in summer school, Olshefski said.
On Saturday, Olshefski said he was at the four-wheel-drive jamboree in Bloomsburg with friends when he got the news Drozdowski had died.
“None of us thought he would end up passing away in CMC,” Olshefski said.
Drozdowski was an only child, and his mother, Lisa Drozdowski, is heartbroken over his death, Olshefski said.
So are his friends.
“He’s missed and loved by all the boys from Nanticoke,” Olshefski said.
Drozdowski’s friends would like to hold a benefit concert for his family on Aug. 26, at a location to be determined.

7/12/2008
Times Leader
A Nanticoke man charged with stealing lottery tickets from a market waived his right to a preliminary hearing in Central Court on Wednesday, according to court records.

Edward George Bath III, 24, of East Ridge Street, waived a single count of burglary to Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas.
Prosecutors withdrew charges of theft, criminal trespass, criminal mischief and receiving stolen property against Bath.
Nanticoke police charged Bath with smashing a window at Ruminski’s Market, South Market Street, and stealing cigarettes and lottery tickets on June 29.
Police said Bath was identified as the suspect by a surveillance camera that recorded the burglary, according to the criminal complaint.

7/11/2008
A Nanticoke man was sentenced to up to five years in state prison, followed by 16 months house arrest and 60 days probation on drug-related charges.
Times Leader

Raymond Paul Rittenhouse, 47, was sentenced Wednesday by Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas Judge Peter Paul Olszewski. The judge ordered Rittenhouse to pay more than $1,200 in restitution costs.
Rittenhouse was sentenced on three counts of delivery of a controlled substance, one count of possession with intent to deliver; possession of drug paraphernalia; and two counts of driving under the influence. He pleaded guilty to the charges in June.

7/10/2008
A man was charged Wednesday after police said he assaulted his girlfriend in front of her 8-year-old child.
Times Leader

Segundo Felix Villanueva-Santos, 48, of South Hanover Street, Nanticoke, was charged with simple assault, disorderly conduct, harassment and public drunkenness. He was released on $1,000 unsecured bail.
According to the criminal complaint: Police were stopped at South Hanover and West Church streets by a woman who claimed Villanueva-Santos struck her in the face. Police said the woman was crying and had injuries to her face.
Villanueva-Santos approached the woman and began screaming, police said. Police said the woman’s son witnessed the assault.
A preliminary hearing is tentatively scheduled for July 17 in Central Court.

7/4/2008
Plymouth Twp. man charged with inciting bar brawl
Citizens Voice

Nanticoke police have filed charges against a Plymouth Township man in connection with a February brawl at a city bar.
Richard Matthews, 29, of Sickler Hill Road, is charged with inciting a riot, simple assault, disorderly conduct, recklessly endangering another person and harassment.
Police say Matthews participated in the beating of Jason Carl Souder on Feb. 29 at the Prospect Cafe, 23 S. Prospect St.
Souder told police he was jumped by about nine people in the bar. He said he was trying to prevent several men from picking on another patron when Matthews approached and assaulted him, prompting the others to do the same.

6/28/2008
Russian national arraigned in gun shop investigation
eskrapits@citizensvoice.com, 570-821-2072

Federal officials say a Russian national and a Nanticoke sporting goods store co-owner used fake invoices to evade U.S. export laws when shipping paramilitary equipment such as rifle scopes and night-vision optics.
Martin C. Carlson, acting United States Attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, alleges Sergey Korznikov and his Moscow, Russia-based hunting supply shop, Tactica Ltd., conspired with Mark Komoroski and his family-owned store, D&R Sports Center, to violate U.S. export laws.
Korznikov was arraigned Friday before U.S. District Judge Malachy E. Mannion at the Max Rosenn U.S. Courthouse. Komoroski had his arraignment before Mannion on June 16. Both men have pleaded not guilty to charges against them.
Korznikov, Komoroski and their respective businesses are each are charged with a single count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud, money laundering, exporting defense articles without a Department of State license and exporting “merchandise, articles and objects contrary to law.”
The charges carry a maximum penalty of five years imprisonment, a fine of $150,000 and loss of federal benefits, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Christy H. Fawcett, who is prosecuting the case.
The federal benefits issue would not apply to Korznikov, but he could face deportation, Fawcett said.
According to the indictment, Korznikov and Komoroski allegedly generated false invoices to ship rifle scopes and other defense-related items. For example, the document states that on June 6, 2006, an invoice was generated for Tactica for $12,181.26 worth of items ordered from D&R. On that same date, June 6, 2006, “D&R Sports Center generated a second fake invoice with a false total value of goods ordered by Tactica. … of $94.00,” the document states. The ship-to address was a man in Moscow, Russia.
“There are two sets of invoices, one of which is more accurate than the others,” Carlson said during a telephone interview Friday. “They falsely describe the value and nature of the goods being shipped.”
Carlson said the two sets of invoices were “part of the scheme to conceal from U.S. Customs officials and violate export laws.”
As payment for five transactions, D&R Sports Center received a total of $295,000 to a commercial account at M&T Bank via wire transfers from Langport Solutions, which England’s Daily Mail newspaper identifies as being located in London. D&R’s account also received a transfer of $25,000 on July 15, 2005, from another London-based company, Verrex Associates.
Korznikov’s attorney, Robert M. Simels of New York, believes U.S. officials “jumped to assumptions that don’t necessarily bear out” regarding the invoices.
“We’re confident he’s going to be found not guilty,” Simels said of his client.
Simels has 20 days to file pre-trial motions with U.S. District Judge Edwin M. Kosik, who will then set a trial date.
Federal officials are permitting Korznikov to extend his stay in the U.S., since he is not allowed to leave until the case is settled. He and Komoroski were arrested in January. Both men are free on bail, but they are not allowed to communicate with each other.
Carlson said the investigation is ongoing.

6/27/2008
Breaking News: Alleged taxi robber charged with burglary 11:15 a.m.
By Bob Kalinowski - Citizens Voice

The New Jersey man accused of robbing a taxi driver Wednesday in Wilkes-Barre and committing four similar crimes since October has been charged with another burglary, Hanover Township police say.
James Franco, 30, was charged Thursday with a burglary on Stanley Street in the Upper Askam section of Hanover Township, police said.
He was arraigned by District Judge Joseph Halesey and remanded to the Luzerne County Correctional Facility in lieu of $50,000 bail.
He's now locked up on a total of $150,000 on six cases in Luzerne County.
On Thursday, prosecutors beefed up that bail during a bail revocation hearing in response to his arrest on Wednesday for allegedly robbing a Posten taxi driver at knife-point and stealing the cab.
He had been out on bail on four separate cases at the time.
Luzerne County Assistant District Attorney Tim Doherty called Franco "a clear and present danger to the residents of Luzerne County."
Since Oct. 15, Franco allegedly mugged a woman outside the Prospect Cafe in Nanticoke, participated in a purse-snatching at Gerrity's Market in Hanover Township, committed a knife-point robbery of a Uni-Mart in Nanticoke, robbed the taxi driver and burglarized two homes in Hanover Township.
Franco is a career criminal from Hudson County, N.J. He served more than 10 years in New Jersey prisons for multiple robbery and burglary arrests, according to court records. He moved to the area in July 2007.

6/26/2008
A 29-year-old Plymouth woman will spend up to one year and nine months in county prison after being sentenced on a slew of charges Wednesday afternoon.

Jodee Marie Hattan pleaded guilty in April to six counts of criminal conspiracy to commit burglary, one count of entering a false insurance claim and one count of making false reports stemming from seven different incidents.
Hattan was arrested on the charges stemming from numerous offenses last year, including: fleeing police in July after the robbery of copper pipes in Plymouth; a copper pipe robbery in Nanticoke; stealing a woman’s purse outside Oplinger Towers in Nanticoke; and stealing items from Peter’s Deli, Wilkes-Barre, among other offenses.
Hattan must pay more than $35,000 in restitution for her crimes.

6/25/2008
Man steals taxi, robs driver while out on bail
By Bob Kalinowski , Staff Writer - Citizens Voice

A man out on bail for a Nanticoke robbery and a Hanover burglary robbed a cab driver at knifepoint early Wednesday morning and then stole the cab, police said.
James Franco, 30, is charged with robbery, robbery of a motor vehicle, unlawful restraint, and simple assault.
Police said Franco entered the Posten taxi outside the Prospect Cafe in Nanticoke and directed the driver, Patrick Sharp, to Center Street in Hanover Township.
According to arrest papers:
Franco exited the cab, returned a short time later to the waiting cab, and put a knife to Sharp's neck, police said. Sharp gave him $75 in fare money and $13 of his own money.
Franco then ordered the driver to the 400 block of Franklin Street.
Sharp fled from the taxi and ran to the South Main Plaza. Franco then hopped in the taxi and tried to run Sharp over. Franco was later spotted ditching the vehicle and was apprehended on Sobieski Street in Hanover Township.
Franco was jailed in the Luzerne County Correctional Facility in lieu of $50,000 bail.
Franco has been released on bail twice in the last 23 days, and police say he committed crimes both times.
He was arrested on May 19 for the May 14 armed robbery of a Uni-Mart in Nanticoke and jailed until June 2 when he was released on $5,000 bail.
He was arrested last week in connection with a home burglary on Stanley Street in Hanover Township. He was released on $2,500 unsecured bail.
Hanover police said that after being released on bail he committed another home burglary on Stanley Street. Those charges will be filed at Franco's preliminary hearing on the recent case, said Acting Hanover Township Police Chief Al Walker.

6/21/2008
A Shickshinny woman was charged Friday after police said she was in possession of marijuana and pills without a prescription.

Shannon L. Lewis, 31, of Bilby Hill Road, was charged with two counts of possession of a controlled substance, possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, possession of a small amount of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia and public drunkenness. She was released on $5,000 unsecured bail.
According to the criminal complaint:
Police were investigating a dispute between several people, including Lewis, on South Prospect Street just before 8 p.m. Thursday. Police said they found several tablets of oxycodone, oblong and clonazepam in a pill bottle and marijuana in Lewis’ purse, the criminal complaint says.
A preliminary hearing is tentatively scheduled for June 30 in Central Court.

6/20/2008
Nanticoke woman waives right to hearing

A woman who Nanticoke police said stole a friend’s purse, using the money to purchase heroin, waived her right to a preliminary hearing in Central Court on Thursday.
Marissa Tencza, 20, of West Washington Street, waived 16 counts of forgery, six counts of theft and five counts of identity theft to Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas.
According to the criminal complaint, Tencza stole a purse from a friend in June 2007, and cashed five checks forging her friend’s name at a grocery store. Police said Tencza obtained $275 from the checks and admitted to using the money to buy heroin, the criminal complaint says.

6/19/2008
Vandals hit 5 Nanticoke cemeteries
Headstones toppled, American flag sticks broken and other damage reported at sites.
elewis@timesleader.com

Paul Kankiewicz and his friend Dan Kotsko noticed broken wooden American-flag sticks at St. Francis Cemetery earlier this week.
Thinking the damage was caused by recent thunderstorms and high winds, they continued with their summer job of updating cemetery burial records.
But, when they arrived at the cemetery Wednesday morning, they noticed 16 headstones had been toppled.
Police said the damage is widespread and involved four other city cemeteries -- Nanticoke City, St. Stanislaus, St. Joseph’s and St. Mary’s -- that are adjacent to each other in the area of Washington and Prospect streets.
Capt. Detective William Shultz said more than 100 tombstones were knocked over at the five locations. Most of the damage was found in Nanticoke City Cemetery on top of the hill.
A few reports of toppled headstones were reported to police earlier in the week, he said, noting the vandalism became more widespread. Flower pots, religious statues and solar lights were also vandalized, Shultz said.
A toppled headstone was reported on Monday by people who left the cemetery to buy topsoil, only to return to find additional vandalism at the site, Shultz said.
“Based on that report, we can’t say for sure all this vandalism took place at night,” Shultz said.
Shultz believes more than one person is responsible.
Tom Roman, who was cleaning his parents’ burial site in the Nanticoke City Cemetery, said he didn’t notice any veterans’ grave markers missing from other plots.
Contact police
Anyone with information about the vandalism is asked to contact Nanticoke police at 735-2200.

6/17/2008
D&R Sports Center co-owner pleads not guilty to conspiracy charges
ELIZABETH SKRAPITS AND HEATH WILLIAMS

Mark Komoroski pleaded not guilty to conspiracy charges against him and his family business, D&R Sports Center, in federal court Monday.
He and the Nanticoke-based hunting-supply store were charged with conspiracy to commit mail fraud and money laundering in front of U.S. District Judge Malachy E. Mannion at the Max Rosenn U.S. Courthouse.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Todd K. Hinkley stood in for Assistant U.S. Attorney Christy H. Fawcett, who is prosecuting the case.
Komoroski declined comment through his attorney, Philip Gelso.
Federal prosecutors claim Komoroski and his alleged co-conspirator, Sergey Korznikov of Moscow, Russia, violated U.S. export laws by allegedly smuggling military equipment — including rifles and related items such as scopes and night-vision optics — into Russia, Kuwait, Germany and Japan. Korznikov’s shop, Russia-based Tactica Ltd., sells hunting and military equipment but no firearms.
Komoroski and Korznikov were arrested in January and are free on bail. Both men maintain they are innocent of the charges.
Korznikov’s arraignment will be at a later date.
Komoroski has 20 days — until July 6 — to file pre-trial motions. U.S. District Judge Edwin M. Kosik, who is hearing the case, will then set a trial date.
If found guilty, Komoroski could face up to five years in prison and three years supervised release and a $250,000 fine. D&R Sports Center could face a corporate fine of up to $500,000.
“Obviously, a corporation can’t go to jail,” Mannion said.

11:36 AM
6/11/2008
Nanticoke police searching for missing man

Police are searching for 35-year old Thomas Seesoltz III, who was reported missing by his family on May 23.
Police said Seesoltz called his wife, Holly, on May 9 saying he was going fishing. He hasn't contacted any family members since he last spoke to his wife, police said.
Seesoltz may be operating a red, four door 2000 Mitsubishi Lancer with Pennsylvania registration plate GXG-6321. He is described as a white male, 5 feet 11 inches tall, approximately 210 pounds, blue eyes, red hair, fair complexion with a beard.
Anyone with information about Seesoltz is asked to contact Nanticoke police at 735-2200 or 911.

6/3/2008
Man sentenced to 10 years for attempting to have sex with a minor
Heidi Ruckno - Citizens' Voice

A Nanticoke man was sentenced on Monday to 10 years in federal prison for attempting to persuade a minor to engage in illegal sexual conduct, the United States Attorney’s Office announced Monday.
Branden Holena, 21, admitted to having online chats with a 14-year-old in Luzerne County in order to entice the juvenile to meet him for a sexual encounter, U.S. Attorney Martin C. Carlson said.
Holena arranged to meet the 14-year-old on April 25, 2007, and was arrested at that meeting. He was indicted May 1, 2007.
After he is released, Holena will be on parole for life. He must also pay a $100 special assessment.

5/21/2008

On Sunday, May 18, 2008 at 0200 hours, Nanticoke City Police received a tip that a large under age drinking party was taking place in the area of Concrete City, in the City's Hanover Section of Nanticoke.
Several Nanticoke City Officers went and located several juveniles ranging in age from 15-18 years old. City Police cited for (4) juveniles for underage consumption of alcohol and (8) with violating the City's Curfew Ordinance. According to the juveniles many more kids were participating earlier and had left.
Officers are conducting an investigation as to whom supplied the teens with the beer. Police say, supplying alcohol to minors is a crime Police look very serious at. Offenders could look at fines not less than $1000.00 and/or the possibility of facing jail time.

5/21/2008

On Sunday, May 18, 2008 at 0200 hours, Nanticoke City Police received a tip that a large under age drinking party was taking place in the area of Concrete City, in the City's Hanover Section of Nanticoke.
Several Nanticoke City Officers went and located several juveniles ranging in age from 15-18 years old. City Police cited for (4) juveniles for underage consumption of alcohol and (8) with violating the City's Curfew Ordinance. According to the juveniles many more kids were participating earlier and had left.
Officers are conducting an investigation as to whom supplied the teens with the beer. Police say, supplying alcohol to minors is a crime Police look very serious at. Offenders could look at fines not less than $1000.00 and/or the possibility of facing jail time.
Concrete City Overview
The Concrete City was built as company housing in 1911 for select employees of the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad's coal division in Nanticoke, Pennsylvania. It was eventually taken over by the Glen Alden Coal Company who, uninterested in paying for required improvements and unable to demolish it due to its robust construction, abandoned the property in 1924. It stands to this day, albeit in extreme disrepair.
Jn 1998, the Pennsylvania. Historical and Museum Commission declared Concrete City an historic site.

5/21/2008
Cops: Man serves time, then holds up same store again
elewis@timesleader.com

A man who served prison time for robbing the Uni-Mart on Blackman Street in 2004 is facing charges that he held up the same store at knifepoint in March, according to arrest records.
Police said Peter E. Naperkowski Jr., 30, whose last known address is Wyoming Street, Hanover Township, is facing three counts each of robbery and theft in connection to the holdups at the Uni-Mart and the East End Sunoco Service Station on Kidder Street.
Naperkowski also is facing robbery charges stemming from a holdup at the Rite Aid Pharmacy on East Main Street in Nanticoke and separate retail theft charges that were filed by Plains Township police, according to arrest records.
Naperkowski was released on parole on Oct. 24 after serving more than two years in state prison for robbing the Blackman Street Uni-Mart in July 2004, according to the state Department of Corrections and court records.
The robbery and theft charges stemming from the recent Uni-Mart and the East End Sunoco incidents were filed by city police detectives Robert Zavada and George Hudock. He hadn’t been arraigned on the charges as of Tuesday.
According to arrest and court records:
• March 12: Wilkes-Barre police said Naperkowski entered the Uni-Mart at about 3:30 p.m. and threatened a clerk with a kitchen knife before getting away with money.
• March 13: Nanticoke police said Naperkowski entered the Rite Aid Pharmacy at about 8:42 p.m. and placed a candy bar on the counter. When a clerk opened the register, Naperkowski displayed a pocket knife and demanded cash. The clerk closed the register, and Naperkowski walked behind the counter, where he stole two cartons of cigarettes.
• March 20: Wilkes-Barre police said Naperkowski entered the Sunoco Service Station at about 12:30 p.m. and told a clerk he wanted to purchase shampoo. During the sale, Naperkowski displayed a knife and threatened a clerk before getting away with money.
• March 25: Plains Township police said Naperkowski entered Team Supply Inc., Route 315, at about 11:42 a.m. and inquired about saw blades. He ran out of the store with a chainsaw valued at $1,100, and sped away in a maroon Oldsmobile.
• March 31: Wilkes-Barre police said Naperkowski entered the Sunoco Service Station at about 4:45 p.m., walked behind the counter and threatened a clerk with a knife. He ran out of the store with money.
• April 5: Plains Township police charged Naperkowski with stealing five cartons of cigarettes from the Rite Aid Pharmacy on South River Street.
• April 6: Plains Township police found the maroon Oldsmobile parked at the Fox Ridge Inn on Route 315, according to arrest records. Police said the vehicle matched the description of several thefts in the area. Police inquired at the motel’s front desk and learned Naperkowski was staying in a room. When police were in the motel room, they say they observed empty heroin packets and paraphernalia.
Police said store clerks at the Uni-Mart in Wilkes-Barre and the Rite Aid Pharmacy in Nanticoke identified Naperkowski from a photo array, arrest records say.
Naperkowski confessed to Zavada and Hudock, according to arrest records, that he robbed the Sunoco. He is jailed at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility for lack of $28,000 total bail in connection to the charges filed by police in Nanticoke and Plains Township, according to court records.

5/21/2008
Nanticoke man gets federal prison sentence for false statements made to gun dealers
Citizens Voice

U.S. District Judge James M. Munley on Tuesday sentenced a Nanticoke man to 35 months in federal prison for making false statements to a gun dealer in connection with the purchase of 12 firearms, some of which he provided to a known drug trafficker, the U.S. attorney’s office said.
David John Searfoss, 57, of East Main Street, was a drug addict who was a “straw-purchaser” for a crack dealer who provided him crack in exchange for the guns, authorities said.
Several of the guns registered to him were recovered at the scene of a shooting in Philadelphia, along with 134 pounds of cocaine and $176,365, prosecutors said.
Investigators said Searfoss purchased the guns over four months in 2006 at guns stores throughout Luzerne County.
He lied to the gun shop owners when they asked him questions about the transactions, investigators said.

5/19/2008
Nanticoke robbery suspect in jail
James R. Franco, of Hanover Twp., is robber who offered clerk $20 of take, cops say.
By smocarsky@timesleader.com

Township and Nanticoke police on Sunday arrested a man in the Wednesday robbery of a Nanticoke convenience store in which the robber offered the store clerk part of his take.
James R. Franco, 30, of 44 Center St., Hanover Township, was arrested at his home at about 10:40 a.m. and charged with robbery and theft by unlawful taking, police said.
According to court records:
A robber walked into the Uni-Mart at 61 E. Main St. just before 2 a.m. and approached from behind the store clerk, who was making coffee. He stuck an object in her side and ordered her to the cash register.
The clerk gave the robber the money from the register, and the robber tried to hand the clerk a $20 bill. Police said the clerk refused, saying, “I don’t want it. Take it and get out of here.” The robber fled the store.
The clerk ran outside and alerted two patrons who were pumping gas, and one of the patrons chased the robber. The patron told police he fell during the chase and lost sight of the robber after the robber ran into an alley off Shea Street.
The store owner recognized the robber on a video surveillance tape and told police the robber was a customer in the store the previous day.
Nanticoke Detective Capts. William Shultz and Kevin Grevera reviewed the previous day’s surveillance tapes and recognized the suspect as Franco, whom they had arrested on a strong-arm robbery charge last year, police said.
The store clerk and the customer who gave chase identified Franco as the robbery suspect from a photo, according to police. Police also received several phone calls from the public identifying Franco as the suspect after the media published and broadcast his photo from the surveillance tapes, police said.
Franco was arraigned before District Judge Donald Whittaker and lodged at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility for lack of $75,000 cash bail. His preliminary hearing is set for 9 a.m. May 28.
Steve Mocarsky, a Times Leader staff writer, may be reached at 459-2005.

5/15/2008
Hanover Twp., Nanticoke authorities seek suspect in robberies
Bob Kalinowski - Citizens Voice

Authorities in two towns are working together to determine whether the theft of a restaurant’s cash register in Hanover Township and robbery of a Nanticoke convenience store early Wednesday were related.
Around 2 a.m., a male confronted the clerk of the Nanticoke Uni-Mart while she was making coffee, grabbed her by the shoulder and indicated he had a weapon by sticking an object into her side, police said.
She complied with his demands to empty the register and handed him cash. Police said he then tried to hand her a $20 bill before fleeing, but she declined.
Two male patrons, who were pumping gas, chased the suspect, but they lost sight of him.
About two hours later, a male swiped the cash register from Austies Family Restaurant on the Sans Souci Parkway in Hanover Township. In that incident, witnesses told police the male first walked into the bathroom. On the way out, he grabbed a hold of the cash register and fled out the door and across the Sans Souci Parkway, Hanover police Acting Chief Al Walker said.
He hopped in a vehicle and fled down Dundee Road. Several customers tried to give chase and follow, but were unsuccessful, he said.
The suspect in the Uni-Mart robbery was described as a white male, between 20 and 30 years of age, approximately 5’3” and 170 pounds. He was wearing a blue and white hooded jacket with the hood over his head, blue jean shorts and sneakers. Hanover’s suspect was similar in description, Walker said.
Anyone with information on the incidents are asked to call Hanover police at 825-1254, Nanticoke police at 735-2200, or 911.

5/8/2008
Four Hundred Club cited

The Four Hundred Club of Nanticoke, 1211 S. Prospect St., was cited for a violation of the state liquor code for insufficient funds of issued checks or drafts, according to a news release from the state police Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement.
The violation occurred on Feb. 13, according to the bureau. Penalties could range from $50 to $1,000 for minor offenses and up to $5,000 for more serious offenses.

5/2/2008
Man charged twice with domestic assaults in single day, arrest records say
elewis@timesleader.com

Police said they arrested a man twice within a day on charges he assaulted his live-in girlfriend.
Police said the woman claimed she was assaulted with a knife during the second incident Thursday night, hours after she was initially struck in the face.
Michael Mikolaitis, 32, of West Union Street, is facing three counts of simple assault and two counts of harassment. He is jailed at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility for lack of $50,000 bail, according to court records.
Mikolaitis was initially charged Thursday morning after his girlfriend claimed he struck her in the face during an argument, police said.
He was arrested at his home at about 1 a.m. and released without bail.
Police were summoned to his home at about 7 p.m. Thursday after the woman claimed he cut her arm with a knife, arrest records say.
Police said the woman returned home after shopping with friends. Mikolaitis was home with a friend and playing loud music.
The woman claimed, police said, Mikolaitis had a steak knife in his hand and slashed her arm.
Mikolaitis denied assaulting the woman with the knife, telling police he had been sleeping, arrest records say.
Police said Mikolaitis was not permitted in the home on Thursday after he was initially charged in the morning.
A preliminary hearing is tentatively scheduled for May 8 in Central Court.

4/25/2008
A Nanticoke man was charged Wednesday with stealing items from a home on Church Street in March, police said.

James M. Hughes, 19, of State Street, was charged with theft and receiving stolen property, police said. He was jailed at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility for lack of $20,000 bail.
According to the criminal complaint:
A woman who was house sitting the Church Street residence invited Hughes and other people to the home on March 8. The woman noticed a television missing and found it in a vehicle that was linked to Hughes.
Hughes was asked to leave the home and was given a ride to his residence. He removed a bag filled with items from the vehicle’s trunk.
The woman noticed numerous DVDs and jewelry missing from the home. When she inquired about the missing items, Hughes returned the DVDs and jewelry the next day, the criminal complaint says.
A preliminary hearing is tentatively scheduled for May 1 in Central Court.

4/22/2008
A man was charged Monday with allegedly assaulting his girlfriend in her West Union Street home.

Rey Rivera, 41, was charged with simple assault and harassment after his girlfriend, Luz Lopez, alleged he choked her in her residence early Monday morning, police said.
A preliminary hearing is tentatively scheduled for April 30 in Central Court.

4/19/2008
Armed robber sentenced to more than seven years in prison

A Kingston man convicted in the armed robbery of a Nanticoke Uni-Mart convenience store was sentenced Friday to more than seven years in a federal prison.
Michael Johnson, 28, formerly of Philadelphia, walked up to the store counter on May 10, 2007, with a 30-cent pack of gum. He drew a .22-caliber pistol, demanded money from the clerk and made off with more than $130.
Johnson was arrested in July in a traffic stop in Hanover Township. Police found the loaded gun in the car and Johnson later admitted to the robbery.
U.S. District Court Judge William J. Nealon ordered Johnson serve three years of probation after his 87 months in jail. He must also pay the stolen money back to the store.

4/17/2008
Three jailed in home invasion
Men allegedly threatened two women with pellet guns.
elewis@timesleader.com

Three men were charged Wednesday with forcing their way into a city home armed with what turned out to be pellet guns, police said.
Police said Michael A. Ewell, 19, Jerome A. Tucker, 20, both from Apollo Circle, Nanticoke, and Jamil D. Tucker, 21, of South Atherton Avenue, Kingston, forced their way into a home on West Church Street at about 10:30 Tuesday night. They used the pellet guns to threaten two women who believed the guns were real, police said.
Police said they recovered the pellet guns from a Chevrolet Malibu the men allegedly used to drive to the home. They were arrested at the Apollo Circle apartment shared by Ewell and Jerome Tucker, police said.
The three men were charged with two counts each of burglary and stalking, and one count each of criminal trespass, possession instruments of crime, terroristic threats and reckless endangerment. They were jailed at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility for lack of $25,000 bail each.
According to the criminal complaints:
Bonnie and Amanda Lorah told police several armed men forced their way inside their West Church Street residence as they attempted to lock the front door. The women claimed Jerome and his brother, Jamil, threatened them while waving what they thought were real handguns.
Amanda claimed Jerome and Jamil were saying, “You’re going to get it,” and “Let’s pop off what’s good,” the criminal complaints say.
The suspects fled the residence before police arrived.
The Tuckers’ brother, Eric Tucker, told police Jerome drove to the West Church Street residence because he wanted to fight Scott Lorah following an earlier dispute. Eric Tucker, who wasn’t charged, waited in the vehicle and watched Jerome, Jamil and Ewell force their way inside while armed with the pellet guns, the criminal complaint says.
No injuries were reported.
Preliminary hearings are tentatively scheduled for April 24 in Central Court.

4/11/2008
Court clears magistrate
hruckno@citizensvoice.com

Magisterial District Judge Donald Whittaker of Nanticoke was cleared of all misconduct allegations Thursday after the Pennsylvania Court of Judicial Discipline dismissed complaints against him.
The majority opinion, written by Judge William D. Bucci, was handed down late Thursday afternoon. The court ruled there was insufficient evidence that Whittaker was unprofessional and discourteous, and that his employment with the Newport Township Fire Department did not violate a provision preventing him from holding other public positions.
“I’m elated,” said Whittaker, who declined to elaborate on the decision.
Whittaker’s former colleague, Maryann Kearney, filed a complaint against the judge in April 2007. She claimed he repeatedly used embarrassing, inappropriate and offensive language in her presence, and that he hurt her already injured shoulder in 2005 during one of those exchanges.
Whittaker faced two counts of misconduct — engaging in conduct which brings the judicial office into disrepute and holding another office or position of profit in government. He was also accused of failing to be patient, dignified and courteous to litigants, witnesses, lawyers and others with whom he dealt, but the conduct board dropped that charge.
“We find that the Board did not sustain its burden of establishing by clear and convincing evidence the allegations made by Maryann Kearney,” the opinion said.
According to the decision, the court did not find Kearney a credible witness because she waited a year to report the alleged misconduct. Furthermore, the judges were not entirely convinced she was offended by Whittaker’s alleged remarks.
The work environment at the Nanticoke City Municipal Building, where Whittaker and Kearney both worked, was very relaxed, according to the decision. Employees frequently told dirty jokes and used off-color language, the court indicated.
Kearney was in charge of the “Birthday Club,” in which all the employees would pool their money to buy cards and gifts for their co-workers. The birthday club gave Whittaker four sexually explicit birthday cards, which Kearney picked out and signed. The court concluded she would not have picked out the cards if the two did not have a friendly relationship.
The opinion also addressed Whittaker’s employment with the Newport Township Fire Department. The judge did not know his employment violated the Rule of Governing Standards of Conduct of Magisterial District Judges, the Court ruled.
According to the opinion, Whittaker held that job from 2001 until 2006, and reported his income every year to the appropriate agencies. He resigned immediately after learning his employment might be a violation of the standards of conduct.
The Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts never notified Whittaker of the possible violation. He assumed they would have if there had been a problem. Kearney has 10 days to appeal the decision. If she does not, the court will issue an order dismissing the complaint.

4/11/2008
Breaking News: Police nab Plains Township bank robber 9:30 a.m.
Bob Kalinowski - Citizens Voice

Police have apprehended the man they say robbed a Plains Township bank on Thursday.
Ivory D. Jarmon, 42, of Plymouth, was nabbed around 4:30 a.m. this morning at a friend's home on Enterprise Street in Nanticoke.
Investigators say Jarmon's girlfriend, Megan Zywotek, identified Jarmon as the robber after she saw his picture on the 11 p.m. television news.
Jarmon is charged with robbery and theft. He got away with $870 from the M&T Bank on River Street after demanding cash and threatening to have a gun, police said.
Police say Jarmon admitted to the crime, saying he needed money to buy crack cocaine.
Jarmon is jailed at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility in lieu of $250,000 cash bail.

4/7/2008
Hanover Township man charged with armed robbery
elewis@timesleader.com

A person of interest in a robbery at a Wilkes-Barre convenient store was charged Monday with an armed robbery at a pharmacy in Nanticoke last month.
Peter E. Naperkowski Jr., 30, of Wyoming Street, Hanover Township, was charged with two counts of robbery and a single count of theft. He was jailed at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility for lack of $25,000 bail.
According to the criminal complaint:
Nanticoke police were summoned to the Rite Aid Pharmacy on East Main Street on March 13 when a man threatened a clerk with a knife while demanding money.
Police learned that Wilkes-Barre police were investigating a robbery at a convenient store on Hazle Street on March 19. The same photo array used by Wilkes-Barre police was shown to a clerk at the Rite Aid Pharmacy, who identified Naperkowski at the suspect, according to the criminal complaint.
Naperkowski hasn't been charged in connection to the robbery in Wilkes-Barre.
A preliminary hearing is tentatively scheduled for April 16 in Central Court.

4/6/2008
A Nanticoke man was charged Thursday with assaulting his girlfriend and fighting with police.

John Purvin, 47, of West Broad Street, was charged with simple assault, resisting arrest and harassment. He was released on $3,000 unsecured bail.
According to the criminal complaint:
Police were summoned to the West Broad Street residence at about 10 p.m. Wednesday after Purvin’s girlfriend, Erin Fletcher, claimed he punched her in the head.
Fletcher told police they were arguing after Purvin arrived home after drinking at a bar.
Purvin left but returned to the residence where he fought with police.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for April 10 in Central Court.

3/26/2008
Newport Twp. man arrested for role in robbery, burglary
By Bob Kalinowski - CV

A Newport Township man is facing charges for his role in a robbery plot and burglary at the Getty gas station at 77 N. Market St. in Nanticoke.
Police say Alberto Rios, 20, of 28 John St., Sheatown, and two men conspired to rob the station at gunpoint, but instead burglarized it Monday night after it was closed and stealing the cash register.
The register was taken to Rios’ home and pried open. It was empty, police said.
Police said Rios and two accomplices, who have yet to be located, then decided to return to the business in an attempt to open or steal the safe. The trio attempted to open the safe by throwing cinder blocks at it, but their effort failed, according to arrest papers filed with Magisterial District Judge Donald Whittaker in Nanticoke.
A passerby spotted the men and called police. Investigators say Rios admitted to his role in the crime. Rios said the robbery/burglary plot was hatched to help an acquaintance pay off a drug debt.
Rios was charged with attempted robbery, conspiracy, burglary, theft and criminal mischief. He was jailed in lieu of $25,000 cash bail.

3/22/2008
Plea talks delay hearing in gun shop probe
By enissley@timesshamrock.com

Talk of possible plea deals for two men accused of shipping restricted paramilitary items from a Nanticoke gun shop to a company tied to Russia’s intelligence agency have delayed a preliminary hearing on the charges.
Sergey Korznikov, a native of Moscow, Russia, and Mark Komoroski, co-owner of D&R Sports Center in Nanticoke, face charges related to alleged smuggling of military equipment — including telescopic rifle scopes, binoculars and night-vision optics — into Russia, Kuwait, Germany and Japan in violation of U.S. export laws.
Investigators say that in 2005, D&R sold some of the items to Moscow-based Tactica Ltd., which has been identified as having an affiliation with an elite counterterrorism unit controlled by the Russian Federal Security Service, formerly the KGB, according to reports by The Associated Press.
Korznikov is the owner of Tactica, which he has said was a hunting and military equipment shop in Moscow.
A hearing scheduled for Friday may have shed more light on the allegations made by federal investigators. The proceeding was canceled after lawyers for Korznikov and Komoroski indicated they were in discussions with prosecutors about a possible plea deal.
Neither man’s attorney, nor Assistant U.S. Attorney William Houser were available for comment Friday. The preliminary hearing was rescheduled for April 18, but prosecutors could file an indictment before then.
D&R Sports was searched in November 2006 as part of an investigation by U.S. Treasury officials into a global arms transport network controlled by Russian businessman Victor Bout, according to Associated Press reports.
In January, investigators arrested Korznikov as he vacationed at the Great Wolf Lodge in the Poconos.
He was jailed for three days before posting $150,000 bail. He had to surrender his passport and cannot leave the country.
Komoroski was arrested in January as well after a raid at the gun shop. He remains free on bail. Both men deny they’ve broken any laws.

3/15/2008
City police looking for armed robber

City police are looking for an armed robber who threatened a clerk at knife point at a Rite-Aid store on East Main Street on Thursday night.
Around 8:40 p.m., a white male wearing a maroon hooded sweatshirt and baseball cap walked into the store and purchased a candy bar, Nanticoke police Detective Capt. William Shultz said.
The robberis described as thin build, about 6-feet tall and in his late teens to early 20s. Anyone with information is asked to contact Nanticoke City police at 735-2200.

2/27/2008
Man charged with sexual assault
elewis@timesleader.com

A man from West Nanticoke was charged with sexually assaulting a woman in Nanticoke on Feb. 9.
James Robert Davis Jr., 30, of Houseman Street, was charged with two counts of aggravated indecent assault and criminal trespass, and a single count of simple assault. He is jailed at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility for lack of $25,000 bail.
According to the criminal complaint filed by Nanticoke police:
A woman claimed Davis knocked on her rear door on Feb. 9. She looked out and didn't see anyone. When she opened the door, Davis forced his way inside and assaulted the woman, the criminal complaint says.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for March 4 in Central Court.

2/26/2008
Nanticoke police asked to investigate possible thefts at Luzerne County Community College
eskrapits@citizensvoice.com

Nanticoke police were called in Monday to investigate possible thefts at Luzerne County Community College.
“The college has requested us to do an extensive investigation on missing money and missing property from the school,” Nanticoke Detective Captain William Shultz said.
LCCC President Thomas Leary said college officials contacted police after receiving a report on some missing items belonging to the school.
“We have turned it over to the police, so I am going to allow them to make their investigation, draw their conclusions, and the college will proceed from that point,” Leary said.
He did not want to comment on specifics, such as what kind of property was missing and from which department.
“I’ve asked them (Nanticoke police) to thoroughly investigate the matter and I don’t want to impede their investigation in any way by commenting on it. I don’t think it’s fair to them,” Leary said.
Previously, college officials staged an internal investigation into $1,200 missing from the auxiliary fund, which is basically the proceeds from the cafeteria.
It was determined bank deposits had been misplaced. The money was recovered and tighter controls were put in place, according to a statement from college officials.

2/20/2008
William J. Thomas, 48, of East Main Street, Nanticoke, was charged Tuesday with assaulting his girlfriend during an argument.

Thomas was charged with simple assault and harassment. He was released on $5,000 unsecured bail.
According to the criminal complaint: Police were summoned at about 8:20 p.m. Monday to a home on Shea Street, where Tammy Maslowski claimed Thomas assaulted her. Maslowski told police Thomas grabbed her neck and started choking her. She claimed Thomas pushed her and caused her to strike her head against a bathtub, the criminal complaint says.
Thomas claimed Maslowski assaulted him causing a head injury.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Feb. 28 in Central Court.

1/29/2008

Marion Williams, of East Main Street, reported someone stole her purse from her home on Saturday.

Five male juveniles were cited with underage drinking offenses after police said they encountered them inside a parked vehicle on West Main Street on Saturday.

Two 15-year-old males and a 13-year-old female were cited with disorderly conduct after police said they were throwing food at passing vehicles on East Church Street on Sunday.

Michael Viggiano, of East Church Street, reported five fishing poles were stolen from his truck while it was parked near his home on Thursday.

Cindy Gulvas, of West South Street, reported jewelry was stolen from her home on Thursday.

Robert Sabol, of East Union Street, reported Friday that someone stole a stroller, 20 compact discs and a wallet from his car while it was parked near his home.

Michelle Faux, of Enterprise Street, reported someone stole a GPS unit from her husband’s car while it was parked near their home on Friday.

Shirley Levandowski, of West Union Street, reported someone stole a money bag with coupons, a hand tool and money from her car while it was parked near her home on Saturday.

Frank Marshallick, of West Washington Street, reported someone damaged his car with a paint gun on Sunday.

1/12/2008
Nanticoke man gets 10 years for attempting to lure minor
Nicholas Sohr

A Nanticoke man was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison on Friday for attempting to use the Internet to contact a minor for sex.
The online contact between Jamie Myers, 32, and the minor occurred between May 2007 and July 12, 2007. The conviction followed an investigation by the FBI, Scranton Police Department and the Nanticoke Police Department, according to a statement issued by U.S. Attorney Martin C. Carlson.

1/11/2008
Russian national arrested in gun shop investigation
By eskrapits@citizensvoice.com

Federal authorities broke their silence Thursday about a Nanticoke sporting goods dealer facing conspiracy charges, including the revelation his Russian trade partner was also arrested.
The office of Acting U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania Martin C. Carlson gave official word that Mark Komoroski, co-owner of D&R Sports Center on Fairchild Street, and Sergey Korznikov, a Russian national and principal of Tactica Ltd. in Moscow, were arrested Monday.
The men are charged with conspiring to export military equipment, including rifle scopes, magazines for guns, and face shields from the U.S. to Russia “to be resold to unknown persons,” according to a press release.
There were no firearms involved. Komoroski said he has shipped guns to other places in Russia, but never to Korznikov’s business, Tactica Ltd., which does not have an import license for firearms.
The release incorrectly identifies Komoroski as a Russian national.
“I was born and raised in Nanticoke. I’ve been to Russia one time to visit. That was it,” Komoroski said.
Heidi Havens, spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District, confirmed the two men were arrested but not indicted.
Komoroski was freed on $50,000 bail Monday. Korznikov was released from prison on $150,000 bail Thursday, Komoroski said.
Federal agencies, including the U.S. Department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the U.S. Attorney’s office, have been tight-lipped about the ongoing investigation, refusing to comment.
Other agencies participating in the investigation are the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigations Unit; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the U.S. Department of Commerce.
All papers pertaining to the case are sealed, Havens said.
Komoroski maintains he and Korznikov are innocent.
“They jumped the gun because Sergey was staying in the United States,” Komoroski said.
Korznikov is vacationing in the U.S. with his family, Komoroski said. He said the Korznikovs stayed in New York City over Christmas, then came to spend a day with the Komoroski family after the holiday. The Korznikovs were finishing their vacation at a Poconos resort, the Great Wolf Lodge in Monroe County, at the time of his arrest.
“It was just not fair, coming in from a family vacation,” Komoroski said. “They took a good person — an innocent person — a good human being with a good family, and turned him into nothing more than a villain.”
Tactica Ltd. sells brand-name hunting equipment, such as range finders, night vision equipment, binoculars and clothing.
Komoroski said he has obtained required licenses for everything he ships. A sampling of his export licenses from the U.S. Department of Commerce show he was cleared to send items, including ballistic face shields, helmets and optical scopes for rifles to Tactica Ltd.
All manufacturers of defense articles, as well as exporters of the items, have to register with the Department of State, said Pat Peterson, spokeswoman for the U.S. Bureau of Political and Military Affairs. Once registered, they can get permanent or temporary export licenses.
To obtain a license, there are five different types of forms to fill out, Department of State spokeswoman Nicole Thompson said. These are submitted to the State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls.
The forms are reviewed, and, “either you are granted a license or not, and from there you are able to export weapons under the parameters of the license you are granted,” Thompson said.
The Department of Commerce Bureau of Industry and Security issues export licenses for items not designed for military use, such as certain kinds of hunting equipment.
But anything listed under Category One of the United States Munitions List must go through the U.S. Department of State Political-Military Affairs bureau of the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls, Peterson said.
The list includes non-automatic, semi-automatic and automatic firearms to .50 caliber inclusive, combat shotguns, rifle scopes manufactured to military specifications and silencers.

1/10/2008
Jason Anthony Bovee, 23, of East State Street, Nanticoke, was arrested early Tuesday morning in connection to breaking into his ex-girlfriend’s residence and assaulting her boyfriend.

Bovee was charged with three counts of simple assault, and one count each of resisting arrest and criminal trespass.
According to the criminal complaint, Jessica Luke told police Bovee forced his way inside her residence on East Noble Street and assaulted her boyfriend, Michael Malast, at about 5:35 a.m.
Malast and Bovee fought until they were separated by police.
Bovee also struggled with police, pushing an officer into a closet door, the criminal complaint says.
Two officers sustained minor injuries.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Jan. 16 in Central Court, Wilkes-Barre.

1/10/2008
Gun shop owner says overseas gun sales were legit
By eskrapits@citizensvoice.com

A Nanticoke sporting goods dealer maintains his innocence on federal charges relating to overseas sales of firearms and accessories.
D&R Sports Center on Fairchild Street, which Mark Komoroski co-owns with two family members, has been under investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement since November 2006.
The federal agency alleges D&R illegally sold and shipped restricted items — rifles and accessories such as optics — to countries including Russia, without required export licenses.
Komoroski said the allegations are false. He said he always complies with federal regulations.
“I have every documentation and every license,” he said. “Our government gave me full authorization to send everything out of this country, and I have the full documentation to prove it.”
Agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested Komoroski Monday and charged him with one count of conspiracy relating to exporting materials outside the country. He is free on $50,000 bail. If convicted, he could serve a maximum of five years in prison.
“Mr. Komoroski has denied the allegations,” his attorney Frank Nocito would only say when contacted Wednesday.
The conspiracy charge is related to Komoroski’s customer Sergey Korznikov, the principal of Tactica Ltd. The Moscow-based company sells rifle optics, binoculars, boots, backpacks and other hunting and paramilitary equipment — but no firearms.
Komoroski questioned why federal authorities would grant him permission to do business with the Russian company if there was something illegal going on.
“The licenses are 100 percent legit. I received one today for (Korznikov),” Komoroski said Tuesday. “That’s what’s sort of amazing. They keep sending me licenses to send stuff to this person, then they arrest me for sending it to him.”
Komoroski has not been indicted. His next scheduled court date is a preliminary examination Jan. 23 in Scranton. The federal government could request a continuance at that time for the purpose of seeking an indictment.
Komoroski doesn’t know what will happen next, but said D&R is staying open and will continue sending items overseas.
“We’ve got a lot of licenses in the system. We might have 40 pending licenses to ship merchandise all over the world,” he said.
James Conmy, staff writer, contributed to this report.

1/9/2008
Gun shop owner arrested by feds
By eskrapits@citizensvoice.com

A handwritten sign on the front door of D&R Sports Center on Monday stated the business would be closed for the day.
It was an emergency situation: one of the store’s owners, Mark Komoroski, was arrested on conspiracy charges stemming from a federal investigation ongoing since 2006.
The U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agency, a branch of the Department of Homeland Security, is trying to determine whether D&R was involved in illegal sales of paramilitary items overseas, or was conducting business with people and companies linked to illegal arms sales.
Komoroski, who co-owns D&R Sports Center at 620 Fairchild St. in Nanticoke and at 2989 Columbia Blvd. in Bloomsburg with his brother and father, handles international orders. He called his arrest “very surprising.”
“They questioned me, and when they told me the charges, I said, ‘You’re arresting me for something that didn’t happen,’” he said. “They said everything would be straightened out.”
Komoroski said he willingly went to state police barracks in Wyoming to talk with Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agents.
“It wasn’t a real big deal. I cooperated fully with them for about an hour,” he said.
He was freed on bail after conspiracy charges were filed with a federal judge in Scranton. Komoroski’s attorney, Frank Nocito, was present.
“It happened so fast, and I was out of there almost in 20 minutes,” Komoroski said.
D&R has been under federal investigation since November 2006, when agents from the Immigrations and Customs Enforcement and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives applied for a search warrant in U.S. District Court in Scranton.
Federal agents collected wire transfer, shipping records and other documents from D&R on Nov. 8, 2006. Agents returned to the store Monday for further documentation, Komoroski said.
In the application for the search warrant, agents allege Komoroski used D&R to “illegally transfer sensitive, national-security controlled items to the Russian Federation (Russia). Kuwait, Germany and Japan without the required export licenses.” The items included night-vision optics, firearms and accessories.
D&R is properly licensed by the U.S. government to send firearms and accessories to Pakistan, Norway, Japan, Kuwait — anywhere except prohibited Middle Eastern countries, Komoroski said.
“We never wanted to get involved with the Middle East countries. Never have, never will,” he said.
The application also alleged Komoroski conducted business with individuals with whom the government does not allow transactions due to risk of involvement with narcotics, crimes against humanity, war crimes or terrorism.
These included sales to companies tied to Russian arms trafficker Victor Bout, who the government identified as providing weapons to the Taliban, Liberian dictator Charles Taylor and rebel groups in Rwanda, and sales to heroin trafficker Ibrahim Haji.
Komoroski called them “fictional characters” whose names the federal agencies pulled off the Internet.
Komoroski believes the federal conspiracy charges pertain to his longtime business involvement with Sergey Korznikov, the principal of Moscow-based Tactica Ltd.
Only there was no conspiracy, Komoroski stressed.
Tactica is a legitimate company that sells optics and other firearm and hunting supplies, but no guns. D&R is licensed to send helmets, rifle optics, scopes, face shields and other military items to Russia — in fact, he just got clearance to send bulletproof vests for the Moscow police department, Komoroski said.

1/8/2008
Nanticoke police looking for man who robbed store
Bob Kalinowski -Citizens Voice

Nanticoke police are investigating an armed robbery that occurred Sunday at the Uni-Mart store at 18 N. Market St.
Police said the suspect walked in the store just before 6 p.m., pointed a semi-automatic pistol at a female clerk and demanded money.
The suspect obtained an unknown amount of cash, including a hand full of quarters, and ordered the clerk to the ground, the employee told police.
He then allegedly tucked the gun in his waistband and fled on foot.
The suspect is described as a white male about 5-feet, 8-inches tall. He was wearing a dark blue hooded sweatshirt or jacket with a hood over his head and a multi-colored handkerchief around his face. He was wearing dark blue jeans, tan work boots and black gloves.
Anyone with information is asked to call Nanticoke police at 735-2200.

1/5/2008
2 views of Whittaker’s behavior emerge
State reviews allegations that district judge made sexually offensive remarks.
By Terrie Morgan-Beseckertmorgan@timesleader.com
Law & Order Reporter

HARRISBURG – To Maryann Kearney, District Judge Donald Whittaker was a foul-mouth sexist who humiliated her with vulgar language and crude sexual remarks.
But other workers at the Nanticoke municipal building say Whittaker was merely a jokester who joined fellow employees in engaging in light-hearted, sexually tinged banter that was common within the office.
The widely differing portraits of the Nanticoke magistrate emerged Thursday during a hearing before a state disciplinary board that will decide whether the longtime jurist should be sanctioned for behavior he allegedly exhibited outside the courtroom.
The Judicial Conduct Board in May charged Whittaker, 48, of Newport Township, with violating the code of judicial conduct by bringing disrepute to his office.
The complaint was based on allegations made by Kearney, who claimed Whittaker made several sexually explicit comments to her and other females in 2005. Kearney, an employee of the Wyoming Valley Sanitary Authority, had an office in the municipal building.
The board’s attorney, Chief Counsel Joseph Massa Jr., called four witnesses before a three-judge panel of the state’s Court of Judicial Discipline.
At times, the four-hour hearing focused more on Kearney’s behavior than Whittaker’s as Al Flora Jr., one of Whittaker’s attorneys, attacked Kearney’s credibility.
Several witnesses for Whittaker, who has been in office since 1994, testified Kearney was known to have a foul mouth herself. They also claimed she gave Whittaker sexually explicit birthday cards she had purchased as part of the “Birthday Club,” a group of employees who chipped in money to buy cards and birthday cakes for co-workers.
It was all part of a light-hearted, friendly atmosphere the employees said permeated the various offices within the municipal building. That changed drastically after Kearney filed her complaint in August 2005, they said.

The board’s complaint was based on three incidents:
• Jan. 24, 2005 – Kearney claimed Whittaker approached her after she used the restroom and asked her in front of several people if she “had a hard time getting it out” and if she “needed a pencil to work it out.”
• Jan. 26, 2005 – Kearney was speaking with Patricia Zendarski, a records clerk for the city, when she claimed Whittaker put his hands on her shoulders and forcibly twisted her neck. Kearney, who had just had shoulder surgery, claims she said told Whittaker to stop because he was hurting her.
Zendarski, the board’s other key witness, testified Whittaker, using a vulgar term, then asked Kearney how she performed oral sex on her husband. Kearney conceded during her testimony that she did not hear that comment, however.
• May 6, 2005 – Kearney said Whittaker was standing near the lunch room when she heard several women comment that Whittaker looked nice. He then allegedly referred to the women by a vulgar slang term for female genitalia.
Questioned by Flora, Kearney acknowledged she did not physically see Whittaker or any of the women. She said she recognized Whittaker by his voice, and is certain he made the comment.
That testimony was rebutted by Whittaker and five current or former female employees he called to testify. All five women said they never heard Whittaker use the term in question.
In his testimony Thursday, Whittaker also denied ever making the “pencil” comment to Kearney, or that he made the comment regarding oral sex. Whittaker did admit he put his hand on Kearney’s shoulder in the Jan.26 incident, but insisted it was a light touch that lasted “three seconds.”
Flora also questioned if the complaint was politically motivated because Whittaker was seeking re-election that year. Kearney, whose daughter is married to state Rep. John Yudichak, D-Nanticoke, denied politics played a role.
Whittaker is also accused of violating a separate rule that bars judges from having outside employment within their districts. Whittaker admitted he was employed as a fire truck driver for Newport Township, but maintains he was unaware he was violating the rule.
The panel, which consisted of judges William Lamb, William Bucci and John Musmano, took the case under advisement and will issue a decision after the submission of legal briefs by attorneys for both sides.
If the panel determines Whittaker violated conduct rules, a second hearing to determine the punishment will be held. The severity of the punishment can range from a reprimand to removal from office.

2008

12/27/2007
Man charged with witness harassment
Brother of suspect is accused of calling 15-year-old girl a ‘snitch.’
elewis@timesleader.com

A Glen Lyon man was charged with harassing a witness in a drug and kidnapping case as the witness was leaving a hearing.
Kevin Mayewski, 18, was charged Monday with two counts of stalking and a single count of retaliation against a witness. He was arraigned by District Judge Joseph Zola in Hazleton and remained jailed Wednesday at the county correctional facility for lack of $20,000 bail.
Nanticoke Police Capt. William Shultz said Mayewski harassed the witness, a 15-year old girl, as she was leaving Central Court with Assistant District Attorney Tim Doherty. The girl also claimed Mayewski harassed her while she was in school at Greater Nanticoke Area, Shultz said.
“When the witness was leaving Central Court with Tim Doherty … the witness was confronted by the defendant who made various comments to her,” Shultz said.
The girl was allegedly harassed at Central Court on Dec. 18 after she testified during the preliminary hearing for Mayewski’s brother, Norman Mayewski.
Doherty prosecuted Norman Mayewski at the hearing that was attended by his family, including Kevin Mayewski.
“Right after the hearing, we were walking out when (Kevin) called her a snitch; he repeatedly called her a snitch,” Doherty said. “He knew who I was since I had prosecuted the brother.”
Shultz and county Det. Lt. Deborah Parker investigated the alleged harassment against the girl.
Norman Mayewski, 23, of East Main Street, Nanticoke, and Kevin Mayewski were charged by Nanticoke police in October as a result of an undercover drug investigation.
According to the criminal complaints:
Norman Mayewski sold crack and heroin to an informant and was found in possession of anabolic steroids during a search at his home. When police stopped his car to arrest him on Oct. 22, Norman Mayewski gave the girl – a passenger in his car – an altered soda can that contained crack, the criminal complaints state.
Kevin Mayewski was charged with possession of a controlled substance and prohibited offensive weapons. Police said Kevin had a bag of marijuana and a sawed-off shotgun inside the East Main Street home. He waived charges to county court during a preliminary hearing in Central Court on Dec. 18.
While Norman Mayewski was out on bail, police arrested him on Nov. 23 in connection to kidnapping and assaulting the girl.
The girl testified that she was forced into a car by Norman Mayewski and assaulted.
A preliminary hearing for Kevin Mayewski on charges he harassed the girl is scheduled for Jan. 2 at Central Court.

12/19/2007
Lawyers clash over testimony from teen
Preliminary hearing for man facing kidnap and drug charges includes flare-up.
elewis@timesleader.com

Opposing attorneys got into a heated exchange during Tuesday’s preliminary hearing for a Nanticoke man charged with kidnapping a teen girl and selling illicit drugs to a police informant.
Attorney Joseph Sklarosky Sr. challenged the credibility of the 15-year-old after she admitted to lying to police about concerns her boyfriend, Norman W. Mayewski, would kill her.
The hearing for Mayewski, 23, of East Main Street, was held in Central Court before District Judge Andrew Barilla Jr.
Sklarosky introduced statements the girl made while seeking a protection-from-abuse order against Mayewski, rasing a protest from Luzerne County Assistant District Attorney Tim Doherty.
Doherty objected to using the PFA. That’s when the two attorneys began arguing, with Sklarosky asking Doherty from which law school he graduated.
Barilla settled the dispute between the lawyers by asking the girl if she ever felt threatened by Mayewski.
When she said no, Barilla dismissed a single count of terroristic threats against Mayewski.
But, Mayewski is still headed for county court. Barilla ordered him to court on charges of kidnapping, retaliation against a witness, simple assault, stalking, three counts of possession of a controlled substance and two counts of possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance.
Nanticoke police Sgt. Joseph Guydosh testified he used an informant to buy crack from Mayewski on April 13, and three bags of heroin and crack from Mayewski on June 6.
When police stopped Mayewski’s car on Oct. 22 on East Broad Street, Mayewski gave his 15-year-old girlfriend a soda can containing crack. The girl testified she knew crack was inside the can when police stopped the car.
“He told me to take the can and I put it in my book bag. I didn’t want him to get in trouble,” the girl testified.
After Mayewski was arrested, Guydosh said authorities searched his home, where they allegedly found steroids in a lock box, a video surveillance system and drug paraphernalia used to package illicit drugs.
The girl testified Mayewski called her and she agreed to meet him outside her home on Nov. 23. When the teen went outside, Mayewski assaulted her and forced her into his car, she claimed.
According to her testimony, Mayewski drove her to an area beneath the West Nanticoke-Nanticoke Bridge where he assaulted her a second time. He then drove to Interstate 81 where he threatened to harm himself, then drove to a relative’s home in Nanticoke, where the girl said she escaped.
The girl said she suffered injuries to her head, eyes and upper body.
Mayewski remains jailed at the county correctional facility for lack of $250,000 bail.

12/6/2007
Two men charged in Nanticoke home invasion waive hearing
Edward Lewis - Times Leader

Two men from New York City waived their right to a preliminary hearing in Central Court Thursday in connection to an armed home invasion in Nanticoke two months ago.
Nanticoke police alleged Ronald Braxton, 26, Reuben O'Neal, 23, both from Brooklyn, and Levi Howard, 34, of Upper Darby, forced their way inside a home on West Main Street on Oct. 17.
Police said in arrest papers that the three men planned the robbery while in Brooklyn when they were told by another person that the home was a drug house, and that there was $200,000 hidden in a floor.
Police allege the three men forced their way inside the home armed with guns, and held several people against their will. O'Neal fled when he saw police approach the home. He was arrested after a short foot chase.
Braxton and Howard drove back to Brooklyn only to return later that night to pick up O'Neal, who they didn't know was in police custody.
Braxton and Howard were arrested when police saw them driving in Nanticoke.
Braxton waived three counts each of criminal attempt to commit theft, criminal conspiracy to commit theft, criminal conspiracy and two counts of robbery to Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas.
O'Neal waived two counts each of robbery and criminal conspiracy, and one count each of burglary and criminal trespass to the court of common pleas.
A preliminary hearing for Howard on charges of robbery, theft and criminal conspiracy was continued when his attorney, Shelley Centini, said she had a conflict representing him.
Centini, a conflict lawyer, said she had previously represented one of the victims in the case.
Howard's preliminary hearing was continued to Jan. 7.

11/27/2007
Nanticoke man faces kidnapping, other charges

A Nanticoke man faces charges of kidnapping, stalking, simple assault, retaliation against a witness and terroristic threats after an incident on Friday, police said.
Norman Mayewski, 23, allegedly committed the acts against his teenage ex-girlfriend, who is a witness against him in a court case, police said.
According to arrest papers, police arrived at the girl’s house to find her swollen and bruised. The girl, who is under 18, told police she got a call from Mayewski at approximately 5 p.m. She told him she was going to get in trouble for talking to him, then ended the call.
Mayewski called her back, telling her, “Come for a walk with me or I am going to kill you.”
The girl said she was scared Mayewski would make good on his threat, so she met him in an alley behind her house. He asked her to go for a ride, and when she said she wouldn’t, Mayewski pulled her hair, shoved her to the ground and kicked her in the stomach, police said.
The girl yelled for help, and Mayewski forced her to go with him in a Chevrolet Blazer he had parked nearby. While driving off-road beneath the West Nanticoke bridge, Mayewski hit the girl in her upper left cheek and eye area, saying, “You snitched on me,” police said.
Mayewski drove on Interstate 81 and stopped at the Sugar Notch exit, threatening to jump off the bridge into traffic. He drove to his house. Mayewski’s uncle was home, and when the girl, crying, asked him for a ride, Mayewski said no.
The girl ran from the house when Mayewski was in the kitchen. She went to a friend’s relative’s house, and they drove her home where she told her mother what had happened.
Mayewski was arraigned in front of Magisterial District Judge Diana Malast of Plains Township. He is in the Luzerne County Correctional Facility in lieu of $5,000 and $250,000 bail.
A hearing is scheduled for Dec. 5 at central court in Wilkes-Barre.

11/16/2007
Nanticoke police release description of alleged LCCC assailant
By Bob Kalinowski CV

Nanticoke police have released a description of the man who reportedly tried to abduct a female student Tuesday at Luzerne County Community College.
The assailant was described as a white male, approximately 6-feet tall and 200 pounds. He had brown hair and was wearing a red and orange checkered jacket.
The student said the unidentified man approached her while she was walking behind the campus center to her car and made a comment. He then grabbed her from behind and tried to pull her toward him, according to a college advisory.
College officials have increased security on campus and are telling students to walk to their cars in groups. Anyone with information should call Det. Kevin Grevera at 735-2200.

10/24/2007
Two men are arrested on drug charges in Nanticoke
jgrad@timesleader.com

City police said they were on the way to search a home for illegal drugs Monday when they encountered one of the suspects driving down East Broad Street.
The police pounced and arrested Norman Mayewski, 23, on the scene. Police alleged that Mayewski, who had $1,273 in cash on him, gave a girl in the vehicle with him his cell phone and a large quantity of crack cocaine when he was being stopped by officers. The crack cocaine was in a large single piece with a few broken-off pieces. The bag was in a false soda can that also contained pills that have not yet been identified, according to arrest papers.
At 9:30 p.m. Monday, detectives and officers searched Mayewski’s home at 670 E. Main St. The search, according to arrest papers, turned up illegal steroids, a digital scale with white powder residue, a Dell computer linked to video cameras on the exterior of the residence, a cell phone, a scanner tuned to the Nanticoke police frequency and a sandwich bag containing an unidentified white liquid.
Mayewski was charged with four felony drug violations.
Nanticoke police already had arrest warrants for Mayewski for trafficking cocaine.
In another bedroom in the house, police said they found Kevin Mayewski, 18, who admitted that he was in possession of a bag of marijuana and a loaded sawed-off shotgun. The shotgun was found in a dresser drawer, according to arrest papers.
Kevin Mayewski was charged with possession of a prohibited offensive weapon without being authorized by law and a drug offense.
Both men are being held at the county prison. Norman Mayewski was arraigned before District Judge James Tupper. He has two separate bail amounts – one for $15,000 and one for $10,000. His preliminary hearing is set for 9 a.m. Oct. 31 at Central Court.
Kevin Mayewski was arraigned before District Judge Donald Whittaker, who set bail at $2,000 and scheduled his preliminary hearing for Oct. 31 at Central Court.

10/24/2007
Nanticoke man leads police on multi-town chase
By jgrad@timesleader.com

A man accused of stealing an Xbox 360 and four video games led police on a high-speed pursuit Tuesday that began at Harveys Lake and ended in a chase on foot after a crash in Plains Township.
Timothy Shaw, 24, of 163 E. Broad St., Nanticoke, who was wanted by the Luzerne County Sheriff’s Department for failing to return from work release, was identified by police officers. Shaw was driving a teal Chevrolet Blazer on state Route 415. When police attempted a traffic stop, Shaw accelerated the vehicle and merged onto state Route 309 at a rate of 90 mph, according to arrest papers.
Topping out at 100 mph, Shaw then made his way to Interstate 81 northbound, passing a vehicle on the shoulder and risking the lives of multiple motorists, police said. Shaw got off I-81 at the Jenkins Township exit, driving over the median of state Route 315 and headed south on the roadway.
Shaw was then being chased by state police from the Wyoming and Dunmore barracks as well as police from Harveys Lake, Dallas borough, Jenkins Township, Laflin and Plains Township.
Shaw then turned off Route 315, crashing into an embankment in a wooded area of Ridgewood Road, police said. Shaw fled on foot after the crash into the woods, police said. He was apprehended by a state trooper from the Dunmore barracks.
Shaw faces multiple charges of recklessly endangering another person; theft by unlawful taking; resisting arrest or other law enforcement; driving on roadways laned for traffic; driving a vehicle at an unsafe speed; failing to yield to a vehicle from the opposite direction; failing to yield for stop signs; careless driving; fleeing or attempting to elude police officers.
Shaw was arraigned before District Judge James Tupper.

10/22/2007
Breaking News: Nanticoke police seek information on drive-by shooting 5:39 p.m.
By Bob Kalinowski - CV

Nanticoke police are investigating a drive-by shooting that wounded a 22-year-old Wilkes-Barre man Sunday night on the 1300 block of Prospect Street.
Investigators say they are looking for a blue Ford Focus that fled the shooting.
About five or six gunshots were fired from the vehicle that a witness said was occupied by three males and one female, according to police.
A bullet clipped the victim in the shoulder.
"That area is very populated. Everybody in that area is a victim, too," said Nanticoke police Detective Capt. William Shultz. "We're going to do everything we can to identify the perpetrators and bring them to justice."
Police said the victim was in the passenger seat of a vehicle parked near the 400 Club. He and the driver were waiting for a female when the Ford Focus pulled alongside around 8:30 p.m. and began firing.
Three bullets hit the vehicle. One passed through the windshield, and struck the victim in the shoulder. If the victim had not ducked, the injuries would have been worse, Shultz said. The driver was uninjured.
Shultz said the victim and driver of the targeted vehicle have not been cooperative. After the shooting, they did not call police and later showed up at Geisinger South Wilkes-Barre Hospital.
Neither the victim's names, nor the driver's, were released. Police didn't say if they had any suspects.
Those with information about the shooting should call Nanticoke police at 735-2200.

10/18/2007
Three charged in Nanticoke home invasion robbery 4 p.m.
By Bob Kalinowski - Citizens' Voice

Three men have been arrested in connection with a Wednesday morning home invasion robbery at 417 W. Main St., Nanticoke police said.
The suspects, arrest papers say, were lured to the home because there purportedly was "hundreds of thousands of dollars" hidden in the floor.
Police charged Ruben O'Neal, 23, and Ronald Braxton, 26, both of Brooklyn, and Levi Howard, 34, of Upper Darby with the robbery.
According to police:
Investigators say the trio stormed into the home of Jesse Edwards and family with guns around 11:30 a.m. and threatened to kill everyone if they didn't get money. A family friend, Louis Graziano, then stopped by with his young children and they were forced into the home at gunpoint.
Unbeknownst to the suspects, a family member managed to call police. Instead of the hordes of cash they expected, the men fled with $200 and a video game system.
O'Neal jumped off a porch roof as cops arrived, and was caught a short time later.
Braxton and Howard fled in a silver car back to Brooklyn, but returned to Nanticoke later in the day to find O'Neal. They were eventually caught Wednesday night after being involved in a disturbance at the 508 E. Main St. home of Bethany Simpson. Police say Simpson told the men of the vast amounts of money allegedly stashed in the Main Street home.
The three are jailed in the Luzerne County Correctional Facility.

10/18/2007
Cops: Drugs the motive behind purse snatching
Two men charged with taking senior’s purse as she crossed the street in Nanticoke.
elewis@timesleader.com

Money to buy heroin appears to be the reason why two men allegedly attempted to steal a purse from a senior citizen in Nanticoke on Tuesday, police said.
Police said Raymond Thomas Rittenhouse, 20, grabbed the woman’s purse as she crossed South Prospect Street on her way home in Oplinger Towers around 2 p.m.
The woman fell to the ground as Rittenhouse struggled to get the purse strap off her shoulder.
Two men standing nearby, Duane Potoeski and Steven Prenties, heard the woman scream and chased after Rittenhouse, who jumped in a Chevrolet Cavalier driven by James R. Franco.
Police said Rittenhouse and Franco, 29, planned to rob the woman of her purse for money to buy heroin. After they were arrested, police said they learned the two men had stolen a purse from a supermarket and used money to buy heroin.
Rittenhouse, whose last known address was Orchard Street, Nanticoke, was charged with two counts of criminal attempt to commit robbery, and one count each of conspiracy to commit robbery, conspiracy to commit theft, criminal attempt to commit theft and simple assault.
Franco, of Center Street, Hanover Township, was charged with two counts of conspiracy to commit robbery and a single count of conspiracy to commit theft.
Both men were jailed at Luzerne County Correctional Facility for lack of $10,000 bail each.
According to the criminal complaints filed by detectives William Shultz and Kevin Grevera, and patrolman Brian Kivler:
Rittenhouse told police he was with Franco earlier on Tuesday, and both were “dope sick” from heroin withdrawal. They needed money to buy heroin and planned to steal a purse.
As they drove around Nanticoke, they saw the elderly woman carrying a purse. Rittenhouse got out of the car, approached the woman and grabbed the purse, causing the woman to fall to the ground.
Potoeski and Prenties told police that Rittenhouse “tackled” the woman.
Police didn’t say if the woman suffered any injuries. She returned home after the robbery attempt.
After the failed attempt in Nanticoke, Rittenhouse admitted to police that he stole a purse from a woman outside a Hanover Township supermarket as Franco drove around the parking lot. They used the money to buy heroin in Wilkes-Barre, the criminal complaints say.
A preliminary hearing for both men is scheduled for Oct. 24 in Central Court.

10/12/2007
Two charges dropped
By James Comnay - CV

A former Greater Nanticoke Area School District principal is expected to enter a Luzerne County probation program for first-time offenders after allegedly helping a fugitive elude capture by deputy sheriffs.
Thomas J. Kubasek, the 55-year-old retired high school administrator and educator, had a preliminary hearing Thursday in Luzerne County central court. Charges of hindering apprehension of a fugitive and giving false statements to law enforcement were dropped. A disorderly conduct charge remains against the Newport Township resident.

10/9/2007
Driver narrowly misses death
By bkalinowski@citizensvoice.com

A train rammed a vehicle Monday morning in Nanticoke when the unsuspecting driver mistakenly entered at the railroad crossing on Lower Broadway Street.
Police said 66-year-old Arden Kessler was lucky to escape with just some bruises.
The train smashed into the rear of his Toyota Highlander, missing a direct blow to the front driver's side by mere feet.
"I'm one of the lucky ones," Kessler said in a phone interview Monday afternoon from his Hunlock Creek home. "I didn't break anything, but I'm awful sore."
Other factors working in Kessler's favor. The train was traveling slower than usual, around 15 to 20 miles per hour, and the engine was only pulling three cars and a caboose, said Nanticoke police Sgt. Mike Roke.
Witnesses told police Kessler failed to notice the flashing safety gates being drawn down on each side of the road, and didn't stop until he passed underneath. That placed him in the train's path.
"He realized he was too far forward and he gunned it. The train just clipped the back of his vehicle," said Joe McGuire, owner of nearby Mac's Auto Co.
Kessler was driving into Nanticoke after traveling over the Nanticoke/West Nanticoke Bridge from Plymouth Township. The train, pulling equipment to service some parts of the track, was traveling west.
"I guess he wasn't paying attention. By the time he realized where he was, it was too late," Roke said.
Kessler was groggy, but conscious and alert when medical crews arrived. He was taken to Wilkes-Barre General Hospital, where he was treated and released.
When contacted at his house, Kessler blamed the sun for the crash.
"I could not see. It was blinding. I couldn't see the gate until it was coming down on my windshield," Kessler said.

10/5/2007
Nanticoke police investigate home burglary

Nanticoke police are investigating a burglary that occurred Wednesday in the 600 block of Mack Street.
The homeowners returned at approximately 8:07 p.m. to find the suspect still in their home, police said.
He fled through a laundry room door and ran into a wooded area near the John S. Fine High School and East Main Street.
The suspect entered the house by breaking a double-pane window, then forced open the laundry room door.
The victims are determining whether anything was stolen from their home, police said.
Anyone with information is asked to call Nanticoke police at 735-2200.

10/3/2007
Ex high school principal arrested
By bkalinowski@citizensvoice.com and eskrapits@citizensvoice.com

A former area high school principal was arrested Tuesday for helping a wanted fugitive elude sheriff's deputies during a daylong manhunt, authorities said.
Investigators said former Greater Nanticoke Area High School Principal Thomas J. Kubasek played a big role in the suspect, Jared S. Amoroso, being able to avoid capture.
Kubasek is Amoroso's landlord.
Amoroso is wanted by police in three counties. Luzerne County sheriff's deputies came to his 363 N. Washington St., Wilkes-Barre, apartment at 11:17 a.m. Tuesday to arrest him. The 27-year-old, dressed only in shorts, subsequently jumped out a third-story window to a neighboring roof, then jumped down 40 feet to the ground, where he fled and got into a waiting vehicle.
He managed to elude authorities throughout several municipalities all day, and was not in custody by nightfall. Police say Kubasek was the reason.
"He was playing dumb with us," said sheriff's deputy Jennifer Roberts, who made the arrest with deputy Brian Szumski. "He said he didn't know where (Amoroso) was, but he was on the phone with him the whole time.
"He said he cared about this individual and didn't want to see him get hurt. Now, he's going to end up in jail over this," Roberts added.
Kubasek, 55, of Hemlock Street, Newport Township, faces charges of hindering apprehension of a fugitive, giving false statements to law enforcement, and disorderly conduct.
According to the police report, Amoroso was in the shower when the deputies came to arrest him. Other tenants in the building supplied Kubasek's phone number to the deputies, so, as landlord, Kubasek could open the door.
Kubasek allegedly called Amoroso to tell him he was going to be arrested, which led to Kubasek's disorderly conduct charge. He kept in phone contact with Amoroso, and deputies learned he planned to bring the fugitive money, clothes, and Amoroso's dog.
Deputies arrested Kubasek on Young Street in Hanover Township, directly next to a wooded area where Amoroso was last seen. Kubasek had Amoroso's clothing, dog, and dog food in the front seat of his car, deputies said.
He was arraigned in front of Magisterial District Judge Michael Dotzel, who imposed $2,500 cash bail and forbade contact with Amoroso.
Kubasek was lodged in Luzerne County Correctional Facility in lieu of bail. He has a hearing in Central Court Oct. 11 at 11 a.m.
He was the principal at Greater Nanticoke Area High School for several years. In June 2005, he was reassigned to K.M. Smith Elementary School, retiring at the end of the 2005-06 school year.
Amoroso is wanted by the sheriff's department for driving under the influence, and by Wilkes-Barre Township on other charges. He's also wanted on a parole violation out of Warren County and in Erie County on a warrant for DUI, fleeing and eluding police, reckless endangerment, and traffic violations.
Police said they had talked to Amoroso on his cell phone, and had him close to surrendering several times.
"He's basically a scared kid," Roberts said.
Kubasek initially helped police by calling Amoroso while in custody, but then refused to cooperate.
Anyone with information about Amoroso's whereabouts is asked to call 911.

10/3/2007
Convicted sex offender pleads not guilty
By bkalinowski@citizensvoice.com

A convicted sexual offender from Nanticoke indicted in September for trying to entice a minor to perform sexual acts pleaded not guilty Tuesday in federal court.
Robert W. Davis, 48, entered his plea during his initial appearance and arraignment at the Max Rosenn Federal Courthouse in Wilkes-Barre.
Davis, of Phillips Street in the Hanover section of Nanticoke, allegedly used a computer and telephone to "persuade, induce and entice" a minor to travel from Colorado to Pennsylvania "to engage in prostitution and sexual acts." He also had pictures on his computer of minors performing sex acts, authorities said.
Davis was convicted of a similar charge in 2002 in Albany County, N.Y., court records show. He is listed as a sexual offender on the Pennsylvania State Police Megan's Law Web site, which is a database of convicted sexual offenders accessible to the public.

10/2/2007 - CV
Sex offender faces federal indictment for enticing minor, pornography possession
By bkalinowski@citizensvoice.com

A man already classified as a sexual offender in Pennsylvania is facing a federal indictment for trying to entice a minor to perform sexual acts and for possessing pornography involving minors, according to court records.
Robert W. Davis, 48, is scheduled to be arraigned this afternoon in front of U.S. District Judge Malachy Mannion in the Max Rosenn Federal Courthouse in Wilkes-Barre.
Davis, of Phillips Street in the Hanover section of Nanticoke, was indicted federally on Sept. 18.
According to the indictment, Davis used a computer and telephone to "persuade, induce and entice" a minor to travel from Colorado to Pennsylvania "to engage in prostitution and sexual acts." He also had pictures on his computer of minors performing sex acts, authorities said.
The alleged crimes occurred between July 4 and Sept. 12 in Luzerne County, investigators said.
Davis was convicted of a similar charge in 2002 in Albany County, N.Y., court records show.
He is listed as a sexual offender on the Pennsylvania State Police Megan's Law Web site, which is a database of convicted sexual offenders accessible to the public.
Davis remains jailed in the Lackawanna County Prison.

9/21/2007 - TL
Two men were arrested Wednesday in connection with the theft of copper pipe from a house on Park Street.

Scott George Eddy, 35, of Summit Street, Edwardsville, and Thomas Patrick Atchue, 35, of Larksville, were each charged with burglary, criminal trespass, criminal conspiracy, criminal mischief, possessing instruments of crime and two counts of criminal attempt. They were arraigned on the charges by District Judge Donald Whittaker in Nanticoke and remained jailed Thursday at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility for lack of $50,000 bail each.
According to the criminal complaint:
Eddy and Atchue told police that they had permission to be inside renovating the residence. When police spoke with the owner, police learned that the two men were stealing copper pipe.
A preliminary hearing for both men is scheduled for Sept. 27 in Central Court.

9/21/2007 - TL
A 21-year-old man was arrested early Thursday morning on charges of breaking into an apartment and on unrelated charges in connection with hiding a fugitive.

David Allen Banks, of East Green Street, was charged with burglary, criminal conspiracy and theft, and two counts of hindering apprehension or prosecution. He was jailed at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility for lack of $7,500 bail.
According to the criminal complaints:
Witnesses told police that two men had kicked in the door and entered an apartment on South Market Street just before 1 a.m.
A boyfriend, Daniel Miller, to the female tenant arrived at the apartment and encountered Banks and the other suspect outside carrying DVDs and other items that were stolen from the residence.
Miller fought the two men who both ran away, the criminal complaints say.
Police said Banks was identified as one of the two men who burglarized the apartment. The other man hasn’t been charged.
Banks is also accused of giving false information to police about the whereabouts of a fugitive who was hiding inside a residence on East Green Street on Aug. 30.
A preliminary hearing on the separate set of charges is scheduled for Sept. 27 in Central Court.

9/13/2007
A Luzerne County jury recently found Ronald M. Supkowski, 60, of East Union Street in Nanticoke guilty of pointing a gun at police.

The jury convicted Supkowski of reckless endangerment. The jury also deadlocked on charges of aggravated and simple assault, leading to Court of Common Pleas Judge Michael Toole declaring a mistrial on those charges.
Toole will sentence Supkowski on the reckless endangerment charge on Oct. 23.
Nanticoke police said they responded to Supkowski’s home in November 2006 for a domestic dispute. There, Supkowski pointed a revolver at officers, police said. A struggled ensued before police disarmed Supkowski.

9/13/2007
Police: Man stole rings for his dealer
Mark Donovan of Nanticoke is charged with stealing six rings from Rainbow Jewelers.
elewis@timesleader.com

Police said Mark William Donovan wanted to help out his drug dealer by giving another person a ride to Rainbow Jewelers to buy an engagement ring.
The plan changed with Donovan, 34, fleeing the Wyoming Avenue store with six rings valued at $10,000 and speeding away in his sister’s car driven by an unknown person, police said.
Security cameras at Rainbow Jewelers cameras recorded the theft and getaway.
Minutes after police released the video to the public, Donovan was identified as the suspect, police said.
Kingston and Nanticoke police captured Donovan when he was found hiding under steps inside his sister’s home on Phillips Street in Nanticoke. He was charged with theft, receiving stolen property and criminal conspiracy in connection with the daylight jewelry heist.
Nanticoke police charged Donovan with four counts of possession of a controlled substance, two counts of possession of drug paraphernalia, and a single count of the manufacture of a controlled substance. He was jailed at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility for lack of $30,000 bail.
According to arrest papers, Donovan was given nine packets of heroin in exchange for the six stolen rings.
Nanticoke police also arrested Jerome D. Trzesniowski, 35, of Teds Lane, Hunlock Township, on unrelated charges when he was found inside the Phillips Street home soon after injecting himself with heroin.
Trzesniowski was charged with three counts of possession of drug paraphernalia and was jailed at the correctional facility for lack of $3,000 bail.
According to the criminal complaint filed by Kingston police Capt. John Jorda:
Donovan told police he purchased heroin from “his dealer” in Wilkes-Barre on Tuesday morning. His dealer, whose name remains unknown, asked Donovan if he could get a car and drive the dealer’s “boy” to Rainbow Jewelers to pick up a ring for the dealer’s girlfriend.
Donovan said his dealer promised to take care of him if he did the dealer the favor. Donovan got his sister’s Dodge Stratus and returned to Wilkes-Barre to pick up his dealer’s “boy.”
The dealer’s “boy” drove the car to Kingston.
A witness reported seeing the car parked in a driveway on East Bennett Street near Rainbow Jewelers.
Donovan was told to pick out a ring for $800 and run out of the store.
After Donovan entered the store, he was shown six rings. The clerk bent over to retrieve more rings when Donovan ran out of the store just before 11:30 a.m. and got into the back seat of the car.
Donovan told police he had shaved his head after the theft so he wouldn’t be recognized.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Sept. 20 in Central Court

9/12/2007
Nanticoke man arrested in jewel theft

A Nanticoke man was arrested Tuesday after police said he robbed a tray of diamond engagement rings from a borough jewlery store in broad daylight.
Mark Donovan, 34, was being processed at Kingston Police Deparment late Tuesday night and was expected to be arraigned afterward.
Kingston Police Capt. John Jorda said Donovan stole six diamond engagement rings from Rainbow Jewelers on Wyoming Avenue. The ringsare worth $10,000, according to a televised report. The rings were not recovered, police said.
It was unclear why Donovan stole the rings, Jorda said.
Wearing a Marines T-shirt and jeans, Donovan entered the business and asked to see engagement rings. He fled the store with six rings and sped away in a four-door car, police said.
The theft was captured by the store’s surveillance system.

8/29/2007
Jeanette Marie Gilchrist, 37, of East Spring Street, was arrested Saturday after police said they found cocaine in her purse.
Times Leader

Gilchrist was charged with possession of a controlled substance, possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, public drunkenness and disorderly conduct. She remained jailed Tuesday at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility for lack of $10,000 bail.
According to the criminal complaint:
John Dieter told police Gilchrist pulled a knife on him while they were arguing inside her home.
Police found Gilchrist nearby, where she was arrested for public drunkenness and disorderly conduct.
Police said they found 37 packaged bags of cocaine inside her purse. Gilchrist told police she sells drugs because she needs money to pay bills, the criminal complaint says.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Sept. 4 in Central Court.

8/29/2007
Richard Allen Park, 20, of West Union Street, was arrested on charges he had stolen his mother's wedding ring.
Times Leader
Park was charged with theft and receiving stolen property. He was jailed at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility on a parole violation, according to court records.
Police said in arrest papers that Park admitted to stealing his mother's wedding ring in early August.

8/21/2007
Police arrest man on drug offenses
Times Leader

A Nanticoke man was arrested Monday night on charges he fled police after selling heroin to a man on Parrish Street, Wilkes-Barre.
Fernando Febles, 20, of Shea Street, was charged with possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance and criminal attempt to sell a controlled substance. He was jailed at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility for lack of $50,000 bail.
According to the criminal complaint:
Police were patrolling in the area of Parrish Street when they encountered a drug sale involving Febles and another man.
Febles fled dropping a paper towel containing 13 packages bags of heroin, police said.
Febles was able to elude police, but was seen walking a pit bull on Parrish Street looking for the paper towel that he had earlier dropped. Febles fled again and was seen running into a back door at 384 Parrish St.
Police encountered the pit bull running freely inside the home.
After the dog was secured, police found Febles hiding in a second floor bathroom.

8/11/2007
Cops say man stole copper pipes
Nanticoke police had filed burglary and related charges against Powell on July 30.
elewis@timesleader.com

A homeless man facing theft charges in connection with the theft of copper piping from vacant homes in Nanticoke faces similar charges in Plymouth.
Kristopher Alan Powell, 22, admitted to police he was stealing copper pipe from homes to support a “bundle a day” heroin addiction,” according to arrest papers.
Plymouth police accused Powell of stealing copper pipe from a double-block home, under construction on Davenport Street, and a home at West Main and Blair streets. The thefts occurred July 19 to 21.
Police said each of the homes sustained water damage. The home under construction on Davenport Street sustained approximately $10,000 in damage.
Nanticoke police had filed burglary and related charges against Powell on July 30 in connection with a break-in at a West Ridge Street home that is being renovated; and a home that is for sale on East Grand Street. Those incidents occurred in mid-July.
Powell admitted that he sold the copper pipes at Valenti Scrapyard in Edwardsville for money to buy heroin, according to arrest papers.
His girlfriend, Jodee Marie Hattan, 28, also homeless, was charged with giving Powell a ride to the homes in Nanticoke and Plymouth in exchange for heroin.
When Plymouth police allegedly captured them in the act of stealing pipes on July 21, Powell fled on foot and ran into a home on West Main Street. As officers waited outside, Powell removed a window air conditioner and escaped custody. He was captured a short time later.
Nanticoke and Plymouth police charged Powell with 13 counts of criminal conspiracy, five counts each of burglary, criminal trespass, criminal mischief and theft, and one count each of escape and resisting arrest. He was arraigned before District Judge Donald Whittaker in Nanticoke and jailed at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility for lack of $125,000 bail.
Hattan was charged with criminal conspiracy, escape and resisting arrest. She is jailed at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility for lack of $5,000 bail.
A preliminary hearing for Powell is scheduled in Central Court on Aug. 16.
Hattan is scheduled for a preliminary hearing in Central Court on Aug. 13.

8/7/2007
Times Leader
Eric Brain Legins, 21, of Mountain View Drive, was arrested on indecent exposure charges after he was arrested for public drunkenness on West Noble Street and exposed himself to a woman while urinating on the floor at police headquarters at 11:55 p.m. Friday.

According to court papers:
When police were dispatched to West Noble Street for reports of a fight, they observed an intoxicated Legins yelling profanities. Legins then resisted arrest, police said. When Legins arrived at police headquarters, he kicked his sneakers off, projecting them across the room at officers, police said.
After he was placed in a cellblock, he began calling out to a female jailer, exposing himself and making lewd comments toward her, police said. Legins began urinating on the floor, saying “here cleaning lady, how do ya like that,” police said.
He also threatened to defecate on the floor if police refused to release him, police said.
Police said Legins then faked an asthma attack, and struggled with police.
Legins was charged with indecent exposure, open lewdness, public drunkenness, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.

7/31/2007
Kingston man charged with kidnap, assault
By rlieback@timesleader.com

A Kingston man who told a 22-year-old woman that he wanted to “rearrange and mangle her face so no one will ever love her” was arrested on felony kidnapping and assault charges at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, police said.
Edwin Thomas Ourso III, 25, of Chester Street, Kingston, was arrested at an unreported Plymouth residence after the woman reported the following incident to authorities:
According to Nanticoke City Police:
After arriving at an unreported location in Nanticoke for work at 6:55 a.m., Ourso forced the woman into the passenger side of her vehicle. Ourso then entered the driver’s side and drove at dangerous speeds, continually punching the woman in the face.
Ourso drove the woman to a dirt road near a cemetery and continued to beat her on the face, head, arms and legs, causing her lips to swell and bleed. After a security guard in the area noticed the incident, Ourso reversed the car from the location and forced the woman to drive.
The woman reported Ourso continued to hit her while she drove through different towns. Her vehicle broke down on Pringle Street in Kingston, and Ourso pushed the car into a parking lot off the street.
Ourso kept the woman in a headlock as they walked to Chester Street in Kingston. When they arrived at his house, Ourso kept grabbing her by the hair, hitting her on the face and head, choking her at one point.
Ourso told the woman that if she presses charges he would kill her, no matter how long it took him to get out of jail; he told her she better report that in her statement to police.
The woman said Ourso, who had been drinking heavily, then calmed down. But when she attempted to leave, he grabbed her by her hair, pushed her head into a chair and forced her upstairs. When upstairs, he pinned her down with his knees and head-butted and struck her a few times.
The woman told police that Ourso’s roommate threatened to call police if he touched her again. Kingston police found the woman at the Chester Street residence, but who called police was not reported.
Plymouth police later arrested Ourso at an unknown location.
Ourso was arraigned before District Judge Joseph Carmody in West Pittston on charges of kidnapping, unlawful restraint, simple assault and terroristic threats. He was taken to the Luzerne County Correctional Facility for lack of $5,000 straight bail for the alleged assault incidents in Kingston, and $10,000 straight bail for the alleged kidnapping and assault incidents in Nanticoke.
Ourso was also wanted on a parole violation from the Luzerne County Adult Probation and Parole Department.
A hearing is scheduled for 9 a.m. Monday in Central Court.

7/29/2007
Homeless pair are charged in copper thefts
Nanticoke police say the pipes were stolen from vacant homes and sold at a scrapyard.
elewis@timesleader.com

A homeless man confessed to police that he had stolen copper pipes from two vacant homes to support his $200 to $250 a day heroin addiction, according to arrest papers.
Police on Friday filed burglary and related charges against Kristopher Alan Powell, 22, in connection to breaking into a home for sale on East Grand Street and a home under renovations on West Ridge Street. The burglaries happened sometime in the middle of July, police said.
Powell, who is jailed at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility on allegations he violated parole stemming from a September 2004 robbery in Nanticoke, confessed that he forced his way inside both homes and stole copper pipes, police said.
Police said charges were filed against Jodee Marie Hattan, 28, for her role in the thefts.
Hattan, a homeless woman who sleeps inside her car, told police she gave Powell a ride to both homes.
Police said Powell and Hattan confessed that they sold the copper pipes at a scrapyard in Edwardsville and used the money for heroin.
Powell was charged with four counts of criminal conspiracy, two counts each of burglary and criminal mischief, and a single count of theft. Hattan was charged with six counts of criminal conspiracy. She is jailed at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility for lack of $5,000 bail.
Both were arraigned by District Judge Donald Whittaker in Nanticoke on Friday. They were arrested July 21 by Plymouth police while investigating a rash of burglaries of vacant buildings involving copper pipe thefts in the borough.
According to the criminal complaints filed by investigating officer Robert Lehman:
Hattan told police that she and Powell drove to East Grand Street and West Ridge Street in the middle of the night, thinking Powell was a plumber because he had pipe cutters. He left leaving Hattan alone inside her car.
Powell returned to the car carrying copper pipes that were sold at the Edwardsville scrap yard for $150. He estimated he sold 75 pounds of pipe using the money to buy heroin, the criminal complaint says.
Police said both homes sustained water damage.
Powell is currently facing charges in court related to stealing an elderly woman’s purse on West Main Street, Plymouth, on Feb. 8.

A 46-year-old woman was arrested on indecent exposure, drug and evidence of drunken-driving charges after police stopped her vehicle on North Walnut Street at 10 p.m. Saturday.
While being arrested, Mary Katherine Kurovsky, of 1 Harris St., Wilkes-Barre, exposed her breasts on the street, showing herself to pedestrians and motorists, police said. Also, while in the holding cell at the police station, Kurovsky took off her pants and underwear, spread her legs in a sexual fashion exposing her genitals and made obscene comments to officers, police said.
According to court papers:
While on another call, police observed a Ford minivan operated by Kurovsky squeal the tires through a red light at the intersection of Kosciuszko and East Main streets.
Kurovsky proceeded westbound on East Main Street, illegally passing a motorcycle in an area of blind curves. Kurovsky was then stopped on North Walnut Street, where she became combative and belligerent.
Kurovsky agreed to a breath test, but would not blow into the device as directed, making an obscene reference to a sex act at one point. Kurovsky continued to use profanities and be disorderly.
When police advised her she was under arrest, she exposed her breasts in public, and resisted arrest. Upon a search of her van, police discovered a partially consumed bottle of vodka on the driver’s side floor and a cigarette pack that contained a crack-cocaine smoking pipe. Police impounded the vehicle.
While traveling to headquarters, Kurovsky began to act violently, so police advised her she was being videotaped. While in a holding cell, she removed her pants and underwear, throwing them at police. She then exposed herself and made obscene comments.
After she calmed down, she submitted to a breath test, which showed a blood alcohol content of .057 percent. An adult driver in Pennsylvania is considered intoxicated with a blood-alcohol level of 0.08 percent.
Kurovsky also freely stated that she had been using drugs. While blood tests were being performed on her at Wilkes-Barre General Hospital, Kurovsky acted violently, and kicked over a metal table.
Kurovsky was arraigned before District Judge Donald Whitaker. She was charged with five counts of driving under the influence, one count of indecent exposure, one count of open lewdness, three counts of aggravated assault, three counts of simple assault, two counts of resisting arrest, and one count each of recklessly endangering another person, drug paraphernalia, disorderly conduct, careless driving and reckless driving.

7/13/2007
Murder plot charges go to trial
Cellmate testifies that man charged with rape offered him $5,000 to kill girl involved.
elewis@timesleader.com

Handcuffed and wearing green clothing marked LCCF, inmate Joshua Vanderhoff testified that his former cellmate, Victor Keller Jr., offered him $5,000 to kill a young girl.
Keller, 38, is facing child rape charges in Luzerne County Court on allegations he sexually assaulted a girl, now 13, in Hanover Township and Nanticoke between January 2005 and December 2006.
Vanderhoff testified that Keller wanted the girl dead so the child rape charges would “go away.”
“He wanted me to kill the girl,” Vanderhoff testified.
Prosecutors relied heavily upon Vanderhoff’s testimony during Keller’s preliminary hearing before District Judge Paul Hadzick in Central Court. After nearly 40 minutes of testimony, Hadzick forwarded a single count of solicitation to commit criminal homicide against Keller to court.
Keller remains jailed at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility for lack of $200,000 bail.
His attorney, Paul Galante, questioned the credibility of Vanderhoff, who admitted being a recovering heroin addict and facing his own set of burglary and retail-theft charges.
Shortly after Vanderhoff was released on bail from the county prison in March, he fled to Florida, where he was arrested in June for missing a court hearing in Luzerne County.
Assistant District Attorney Jenny Roberts said she is confident Vanderhoff will continue to cooperate with authorities.
During his testimony, Vanderhoff said he was a cellmate with Keller for about two weeks in January and February. During that time, Keller said he was being “screwed over and that he is innocent of all the (rape) charges,” Vanderhoff testified.
Vanderhoff said Keller approached him with an offer to get someone to post $1,300 bail in order for Vanderhoff to get released from jail in February, and a promise of $5,000 after the girl was dead.
Vanderhoff, who said he had never seen the girl, testified Keller told him the girl’s name, described her appearance, where she lived, and gave instructions to “kill” the girl, making it look like an accidental drug overdose.
Keller approached Vanderhoff several times inside county prison in February to see if he was interested in acting out his plan, Vanderhoff testified.
Vanderhoff said he told another inmate and a correctional officer.
Nanticoke police Detective Capt. Bill Shultz, who arrested Keller on the rape charges, was told about Keller’s plot and asked that the state police Organized Crime Unit assist in the investigation.
Keller is scheduled to be formally arraigned on the solicitation to commit criminal homicide on Oct. 19.

7/11/2007 01:42 PM
Kingston man arrested in connection to Nanticoke armed robbery

Nanticoke police arrested a man in connection to an armed robbery at the Uni Mart on Middle Road in May.
Michael D. Johnson, 27, of South Gates Avenue, Kingston, was charged with two counts of robbery, and one count each of theft and receiving stolen property. He was arraigned by District Judge Donald Whittaker in Nanticoke and jailed at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility for lack of $10,000 bail.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for July 19.
According to the criminal complaints:
Johnson admitted that he used a stolen .22 caliber handgun to rob the Uni Mart on May 30.
Police arrested Johnson on Tuesday after seeing him drive a car on Middle Road.
Johnson was stopped near the Hanover Industrial Estates. Police recovered a handgun from a passenger in the car.
Johnson told police that he used the handgun during the robbery.
Police said the handgun was reported stolen to Wyoming police on April 12.

7/10/2007
Man gets 14 to 28 years in rape of pre-teen girl
By David Weissdweiss@timesleader.com

Saying Christopher John Peters had “little redeeming factors,” a judge on Monday sentenced the Wilkes-Barre man to 14 to 28 years in state prison for repeatedly raping a 12-year-old girl.
Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas Judge Peter Paul Olszewski Jr. sentenced Peters on one count of rape of a child and one count of another sexual offense.
Nanticoke police said Peters, 39, repeatedly assaulted the girl, who was known to him, inside an Apollo Circle residence. The assaults began when the girl was 11 and occurred between December 2005 and December 2006, according to police. Peters had intercourse with the girl at least five times, police said.
Peters pleaded guilty in February.
On Monday, Assistant District Attorney Jenny Roberts asked Olszewski to level a heavy sentence because Peters was unremorseful and downplayed the offense by claiming the contact was consensual, not a case of rape.
Peters on Monday apologized and said he realized his actions hurt many people.
Olszewski deemed Peters a sexually violent predator under Megan’s Law.
The judge, at the prosecution’s request, ordered Peters to register his address with police for the rest of his life, to have no contact with the victim or any minors, stay out of public parks and pools, playgrounds, school zones, or anywhere else children congregate.
Peters was taken back to prison after court Monday.

6/28/2007
Man sought after high-speed chase
Times Leader

Police are searching for Zachary George Hallas, 24, of West Ridge Street, in connection with an early Wednesday morning, high-speed pursuit.
The pursuit, which reached speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour, began at about 12:35 a.m. when Sgt. Joseph Guydosh was in the area of Alden Manor on Middle Road when a motorcycle passed him at a high rate of speed. There was a passenger aboard the motorcycle.
Guydosh recognized the motorcycle and the driver as Hallas, who police said has a suspended license and is not permitted to operate a vehicle.
Guydosh pursued Hallas on Middle Road with the vehicles reaching speeds of more than 100 mph. The motorcycle passed through two intersections controlled by steady yellow flashing signals.
Hallas refused to stop and turned onto Kosciuszko Street, police said.
Officer Brian Kivler joined in the pursuit, following Hallas, who turned onto East Washington Street.
Police lost sight of Hallas in the area of South Walnut Street.
Video cameras mounted inside both police cruisers recorded the pursuit, police said.
Police filed an arrest warrant for Hallas with District Judge Donald Whittaker in Nanticoke on Wednesday.
Charges of recklessly endangering another person, fleeing or attempting to elude police and four traffic offenses were filed against Hallas.

6/27/2007
Cops: Man assaulted an officer in Nanticoke
Police say Thomas Seesoltz III was going to sniff gas and he tried to disarm them.
Times Leader

Thomas Thurston Seesoltz III, 34, of West South Street, was arrested on charges he fought with officers who stopped him from sniffing gasoline early Sunday morning.
Seesoltz was charged with aggravated assault, criminal attempt, disarming law enforcement officer, resisting arrest, illegal use of solvents and public drunkenness. He remained jailed Tuesday at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility for lack of $5,000 bail.
According to the criminal complaint filed by Sgt. Joseph Guydosh:
Police saw Seesoltz walking with a gasoline container into the woods near the Turkey Hill on West Main Street at about 1:40 a.m. Sunday.
Seesoltz told police he was going into the woods to start a fire. He appeared intoxicated and had no wood for a fire.
Police said Seesoltz had planned to inhale the gasoline, a process called huffing.
Seesoltz fought with the officers after he refused to keep his hands on the police cruiser. He attempted to grab an officer’s baton and flashlight and managed to get a can of pepper spray from an officer during a struggle.
Police from Newport Township assisted Nanticoke police in apprehending Seesoltz.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for July 2 in Central Court.

6/14/2007
Nanticoke man arrested on charges linked to ‘club drug’
He was previously convicted of distributing anabolic steroids.
Terrie Morgan-Besecker - Times Leader

A Nanticoke man who was previously convicted of distributing anabolic steroids and Ecstasy was arrested Wednesday by federal agents on a charge of conspiracy to distribute a tranquilizer that’s a popular “club drug.”
Peter Sepling, 36, was among two people arraigned Wednesday afternoon on a criminal complaint filed by the U.S. Attorney’s office. The complaint alleges Sepling and the other man, Dean Williamson, no age or address available, conspired with unnamed others to distribute Ketamine.
Sepling’s arrest comes six years after he pleaded guilty in Luzerne County Court in connection with a large-scale drug ring that sold Ecstasy, another popular club drug, throughout Luzerne County. He was sentenced in November 2001 to one to two years in prison.
Sepling also pleaded guilty in Lackawanna County Court to distributing anabolic steroids. He was sentenced in January 2001 to six to 23 months in prison for that case, court records show.
Ketamine, known by the street name “Special K,” is a tranquilizer most commonly used on animals, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency Web site. The drug, popular among teens and adults and at dance clubs and “raves,” can be injected or consumed orally, most commonly by mixing it in drinks.
Assistant U.S. Attorney William Houser said he could not provide any details regarding the investigation that led to the arrests of Sepling and Williamson. The charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine.
Sepling and Williamson were each released under conditions following their arraignment before U.S. District Magistrate Judge Malachy Mannion. Both were ordered not to speak to any co-defendants in the case and to remain under the supervision of the federal probation office.

6/8/2007
Drug suspect still faces charges
Victor Ortiz, 34, is serving time in Lehigh County and awaits trial on other charges.
dweiss@timesleader.com

The suspected large-scale drug dealer who avoided prosecution in Luzerne County still faces a slew of drug charges in Allentown, a Lehigh County Prison official said.
Victor Ortiz, 34, is serving an 11- to 23-month sentence on drug charges in the prison and is awaiting trial on a list of other charges, the official said.
A Luzerne County judge on Monday ordered Ortiz to be taken back to the Lehigh County Prison after local prosecutors said they would not be prosecuting Ortiz on any of his drug charges because they failed to take him to trial on time.
Luzerne County prosecutors dropped a total of 20 charges – including 17 felonies – that were filed against Ortiz in connection with a Nanticoke-based drug ring. Several of the charges carried mandatory minimum jail sentences.
Police said Ortiz and Marcus Suarez were transporting large amounts of heroin and crack cocaine from Allentown to Nanticoke to sell. Suarez was sentenced in March to 14 to 28 years in state prison for his role in the ring.
But court papers filed by Ortiz, acting as his own attorney, indicate he believed his charges should be dismissed because he was not tried within 365 days of the filing of the charges, as state law requires.
Prosecutors at a hearing on Monday dismissed the charges.
District Attorney David Lupas has not returned repeated calls for comment on the case this week.
Nanticoke Sgt. Joe Guydosh, one of the key officers in the investigation, said he’s not sure who’s at fault in the case. He said it seemed like confusion developed between officials in Luzerne and Lehigh counties.
Guydosh said Ortiz was initially picked up in Lehigh County. Nanticoke police went there to pick him up and have him arraigned on the local charges. But Lehigh County officials wanted Ortiz back in their prison. Guydosh said local police took Ortiz back and that’s where he remained.
Last week, an official with the District Attorney’s Office called Nanticoke police and told them about throwing out Ortiz’s charges because of the speedy-trial issue, Guydosh said.
“It’s not like we’re mad at anybody,” he said. “It just seems like it slipped through the cracks.”
Ortiz’s case is the latest in a series of cases in Lupas’ office to encounter problems with the speedy-trial law.
Some of Ortiz’s Lehigh County charges are identical to the charges he had faced in Luzerne County.

6/7/2007
Nanticoke police seek robbery suspect
Times Leader staff

Image shows the alleged robber of the Middle Road Uni-Mart.
SUBMITTED PHOTO

City police released a surveillance picture on Wednesday of a man who they believe robbed the Middle Road Uni-Mart at gunpoint on May 30.
According to police, a man entered the store at about 10:30 p.m. with a black or dark gray revolver within his waistband. He demanded money from the store clerk and fled in a dark-colored vehicle.
The suspect is described as a black male with a thin beard, 6 feet tall with a thin build, weighing about 200 pounds.
Anyone with information is asked to call police at 735-2200.

6/7/2007
Authorities allege girls, 8 and 9, were threatened and neglected in Nanticoke home
Dad and girlfriend charged with abuse
elewis@timesleader.com

A veteran detective called it one of the most horrific cases he’s ever investigated.
A father and his girlfriend were arrested Wednesday on charges they threatened to kill his two daughters for having spilled cereal and failing to clean up after their dog. The girls, ages 9 and 8, told police the two adults had stapled their hair to a wall, boarded up their bedroom windows and placed a lock on the refrigerator forcing them to feed themselves, according to arrest papers.
“It’s quite disturbing what we learned,” Detective William Shultz said.
Brian Edward Strait, 32, and Allison N. Birt, 28, of Deer Lake Drive, Hunlock Township, were arrested Wednesday after a hearing in Luzerne County Court.
Strait and Birt were charged with two counts each of endangering the welfare of children. Strait was also charged with a single count of simple assault in connection with an allegation that he punched one of his daughters causing two broken ribs.
They were arraigned before District Judge Donald Whittaker in Nanticoke and jailed at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility for lack of $75,000 bail each.
Shultz said the investigation is continuing with the possibility of more charges being filed against the pair.
Police allege the abuse and neglect occurred when the family lived on East Grand Street in Nanticoke in 2006. Strait and Birt have two children of their own, Shultz said.
According to the criminal complaints filed by Shultz and Luzerne County Detective Lt. Debbie Parker:
A child caseworker with the county’s Children and Youth Services investigated a complaint on Sept. 20 that Strait punched his 9-year-old daughter because she didn’t take the family’s dog outside. Strait told the caseworker that his daughter has a “wild imagination,” and that he doesn’t physically discipline his children. He promised the caseworker he would take his daughter to see a doctor.
A few days later on Sept. 27, the caseworker made an unannounced visit to the home and learned Strait never took his daughter to the doctor because he doesn’t have insurance. The caseworker took the child to a doctor on Oct. 13, according to the complaints.
An X-ray showed the child had two broken ribs that were in the healing process. The doctor told the caseworker that the injury was likely caused by an adult, the criminal complaint says.
Police learned that the child and her 8-year-old sister had to wake up to change and feed their infant sister because Strait and Birt refused to get out of bed in the morning.
Children and Youth Services said Strait and Birt failed to provide for their children’s needs such as medical care, dental care and nutrition.
A preliminary hearing for Strait and Birt is scheduled for June 13 at Central Court.

5/31/2007
Armed robbery suspect sought in Nanticoke

City police are investigating an armed robbery that occurred Wednesday night at the Uni-Mart on Middle Road.
According to police, a black man who had a black or dark gray revolver within his waistband demanded cash from the store clerk. The suspect got into a dark-colored vehicle, which fled east on Middle Road into the Hanover Township area, police said. The vehicle did not have headlights turned on.
The suspect is described as a black man with a thin beard. He is 6 feet tall with a thin build, weighing about 200 pounds. The suspect was wearing a bright-colored striped polo shirt and dark blue or black jeans.
Anyone with any information is asked to call police at 735-2200

5/26/2007
William Haughwout, 41, of Prospect Street in Nanticoke, was sentenced Friday to 18 to 84 months in state prison plus eight years of probation for fondling a young girl.

Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas Judge Joseph Augello sentenced Haughwout on charges of indecent assault.
Police said Haughwout from September 2004 to December 2005 repeatedly fondled a 10-year-old girl in Nanticoke and Plymouth.
Haughwout was deemed a sexually violent predator and, upon his release, must register his address with police.

4/11/2007
DA: Inmate plotted to kill girl
Victor Keller charged in child’s rape
elewis@timesleader.com

A Hanover Township man facing trial on child rape charges allegedly offered an inmate $5,000 to kill the young girl so his case would go away, Luzerne County District Attorney David Lupas said.
Victor Keller, 38, last known address as the Sans Souci Trailer Court, attempted to carry out his plan by soliciting help from two inmates at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility, the district attorney said. He offered one of the inmates $5,000 to kill the girl, Lupas said.
Keller denied he tried to have the girl killed as he was led to his arraignment before District Judge Martin Kane in Wilkes-Barre on Tuesday.
Keller was charged with criminal solicitation to commit criminal homicide and sent back to the county correctional facility for lack of $100,000 bail.
Lupas said the girl and her mother were told about Keller’s plot. The girl and her mother were not harmed, Lupas said.
“(Keller) was looking for a way to get these (rape) charges dismissed,” Lupas said. “Protecting the victim is our utmost concern.”
The investigation was handled by the state police Bureau of Criminal Investigation Organized Crime Unit.
Keller has been in jail since his Jan. 19 arrest by Nanticoke and Hanover Township police on allegations he raped the girl multiple times, arrest papers say.
According to the criminal complaint filed Tuesday:
After his arrest in January, Keller told inmate Charles Handlin, 42, that he was worried about the rape charges against him. He told Handlin that he wanted to scare the girl and her mother so they wouldn’t testify, and offered Handlin a 1963 Chevrolet Corvette to “beat them up” if Handlin got released from jail.
Handlin, of Hazleton, was jailed on charges he stole copper pipe from a Hazleton building in early January, according to court records.
A preliminary hearing on the rape charges against Keller was held Feb. 21 in Central Court. The 12-year-old girl testified at the hearing.
In her testimony, the girl said she was afraid to tell anyone that Keller was sexually assaulting her because Keller was abusive when drunk.
Rape and related charges against Keller were forwarded to trial in Luzerne County Court.
Several days after the preliminary hearing, Keller told inmate Joshua Vanderhoff, 20, that he didn’t want to go to state prison.
Keller offered to get someone to post $1,300 bail in order for Vanderhoff to get released from jail. Vanderhoff, of Benton, was charged by Nanticoke police in December on charges he burglarized a home and endangered a police officer.
Keller told Vanderhoff the girl’s name, described her appearance, where she lived, and gave instructions to “kill” the girl and to make it look like an accidental drug overdose, the criminal complaint says.
Police said Keller offered to pay Vanderhoff $5,000 after the girl was dead, and said the money could be picked up from a residence at the Sans Souci Trailer Park.
Keller approached Vanderhoff several times at the end of February and early March to see if Vanderhoff was still interested in acting out his plan, police said.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for April 19 in Central Court.

4/3/2007
County official warns of scam offers to rewrite old wills

Luzerne County Register of Wills Dorothy Stankovic issued a warning Monday about potential scam artists.
An 83-year-old Nanticoke woman contacted the Register of Wills office last week saying that an undisclosed company had requested a meeting to discuss her will, Stankovic said. The company told the woman that her will must be updated because it had expired.
The woman wanted to know if there had been any changes in laws governing wills.
Stankovic said there are no changes governing wills, and she advised anyone who receives this type of call to contact police or to call 911.
“There could be scam artists working in the area looking to get into homes under the false pretense of rewriting an old will,” Stankovic said.

4/2/2007
Police are searching for a man who robbed the Uni-Mart, 14 N. Market St., at 3:48 p.m. Sunday.

Police said the man entered the store and told the clerk he had a gun. The suspect told the clerk to put the money from the register in a plastic-type bag he had. The clerk complied but took too long, police said.
The suspect then reached over the counter and assisted the clerk in removing the money from the register. He fled with an unknown amount of money in a northwest direction and crossed Access Road into a wooded area, police said.
The suspect is described as a white man in his late teens or early 20s, about 6 feet tall and weighing between 150 and 160 pounds. He was wearing a dark-gray hooded sweatshirt with red lettering across the front and red stripes down both arms, dark colored cargo pants, dark shoes or sneakers and a gray or tan colored full stocking mask.
Anyone with information is urged to call police at 735-2200.

3/27/2007
Nanticoke principal assaulted

A 16-year-old Greater Nanticoke Area High School student assaulted Principal Mary Ann Jarolen last week, city police said.
The student was suspended from school for 10 days, and police say he now faces juvenile court charges of aggravated assault, simple assault, terroristic threats, harassment and disorderly conduct.
Nanticoke police said the male student had been kicked out of class for throwing spitballs. School officials told officers he was trying to return to the class to verbally harass the teacher when the confrontation with Jarolen occurred, police said.
Jarolen told investigators the boy grabbed her right arm, twisted it up and backward, before pushing her out of the way, police said.
The incident occurred around 1:30 p.m. on March 20.

3/27/2007

Angela Rose Chapman, 27, of Pine Street, was arrested on evidence of drunken driving charges after police said they found her in her automobile that was stuck in a snow bank on Orchard Street at 1:10 p.m. March 19.
When police approached the vehicle, Chapman locked the doors and acted as if she was not in the vehicle, police said. Chapman then shut the engine off and threw the keys on the passenger seat, police said.
After a few minutes, Chapman opened the door and exited the vehicle and became uncooperative. Police said she appeared intoxicated and on the verge of passing out. Police also said the car was not inspected.
Chapmen was charged with driving under the influence, operating an vehicle without inspection and without a registration card to be signed and exhibited on demand.

3/27/2007
School bus stop incident results in charges
rlieback@timesleader.com

A 45-year-old woman was charged with ethnic intimidation after she allegedly told a woman and her two sons “all you blacks look alike” and flicked a lit cigarette at one of the boys at their bus stop at West Main and Slope streets on Thursday, according to an affidavit filed Monday at District Judge Donald Whitaker’s office.
Mary Louise Warner, of 212 Apollo Circle, on Monday denied making any racial comments, stating that she only said the two boys look like twins because they are hard to tell apart, court papers said.
According to court papers:
Tawana Simpson reported to police that her two sons were being harassed at their bus stop because they are black. Simpson and her husband, John, went to the stop Thursday and confronted Warner, who became angry.
Warner then made multiple derogatory slurs and flicked a lit cigarette at one of Simpson’s sons, just missing his head.
Warner stuck her middle finger in Simpson’s sons’ faces, called them a racial epithet and said “all you (explicative) should die.”
Police spoke with Simpson’s two children, whose stories matched up with their mother’s. Police also spoke with two other parents at the bus stop, and both told police that they observed Warner yelling that the “black people should all die” and shouting out racial epithets to black people on street.
When questioned, Warner said she was harassed by Simpson.
Warner was charged with ethnic intimidation and harassment. She could not be reached for comment Monday.

3/22/2007
Woman gets jail time in burglary

Jessica Renee Caudill, 25, of Apollo Circle in Nanticoke, was sentenced Tuesday to two to four years in state prison for breaking into a home.
Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas Judge Hugh Mundy sentenced Caudill on charges of burglary, access device fraud, and unsworn falsifications in three cases.
In one case, Nanticoke police said Caudill in June broke into a South Hanover Street home and stole a video-game system, video games, a purse, and bonds.

3/16/2007
Police said someone armed with a BB gun targeted windows on cars and a home on Wednesday and Thursday.

Barbara Stanski, of Lincoln Avenue, said a window on her Dodge Caravan was smashed on Thursday.
Paul Seery, of Mountain View Drive, said a window on his Oldsmobile was smashed on Thursday.
Matthew Molski, of Stewart Drive, said door window at his home was smashed on Wednesday.
Robert Bray, of South Hanover Street, said a window on his Hyundai Elantra was smashed on Wednesday.
Joseph Kowalski, of South Hanover Street, reported that a window on his Chevrolet Tahoe was smashed on Wednesday.
David Gabel, of South Hanover Street, reported that a window on his Chevy Cavalier was smashed on Wednesday.

3/7/2007
Man blames whiskey-flavored tobacco in DUI arrest
Nanticoke man says Red Man Select caused alcohol odor on breath.
By elewis@timesleader.com

A man charged by police on evidence of drunken driving blamed a brand of chewing tobacco for leaving an alcohol odor on his breath.
Police said John Daniel Drury Sr., 42, of Pine Street, was involved in a two-car crash at Bliss and Pine streets in the city’s Hanover section on Feb. 22.
Drury, driving a Dodge Ram pickup, turned onto Bliss Street and struck the front of a Chevrolet Cavalier that was stopped at a stop sign, police said.
According to the criminal complaint filed by officers Brian Kivler and Brian Williams:
Police said Drury was visibly intoxicated and had an alcohol odor on his breath.
“Drury insisted that he did not consume any alcoholic beverages and that the Red Man Select chewing tobacco that he was chewing contained an unspecified amount of Tennessee whiskey,” police said in the criminal complaint.
Police said Drury failed several field sobriety tests at the crash scene. He was given a preliminary breath test that showed a level of 0.130 percent, police said.
Drury was arrested on evidence of drunken driving, and was taken to the Nanticoke Police Department, where another breath test showed a level of 0.144 percent, police said.
An adult driver in Pennsylvania is considered legally intoxicated with a blood alcohol level of 0.08 percent.
Drury told police he would challenge his DUI arrest and wanted police to determine his chewing tobacco’s alcohol content.
Drury could not be reached for comment on Tuesday.
A message to Swedish Match, the Stockholm, Sweden-based manufacturer of Red Man Select, was not returned.
But, an e-mail from the company referred questions about its ingredients in its products to its Web site.
According to the Swedish Match’s Web site, the 14 different types of ingredients in Red Man Select do not contain Tennessee whiskey or any other alcohol-based substance.

3/6/2007
Marcus Suarez, 33, of Allentown, was sentenced recently to 14 to 28 years in state prison on a host of drug charges.

Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas Judge Peter Paul Olszewski Jr. sentenced Suarez on charges of criminal conspiracy, possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, criminal use of a communication facility and delivery of a controlled substance in six separate criminal cases.
Police from several agencies said Suarez and another man in 2005 and 2006 were bringing large amounts of heroin and crack cocaine from the Allentown area to Nanticoke and selling it.
Police said the men sold the drugs to confidential informants outside an apartment building near the intersection of Chestnut and Noble streets in Nanticoke and at numerous hotels in the Wilkes-Barre area, police said.

2/22/2007
Girl testifies she feared reporting sex assaults
By elewis@timesleader.com

A young girl said she was afraid to tell anyone that Victor Keller Jr. was sexually assaulting her because he was abusive when he drank.
She didn’t talk to authorities until Keller stopped drinking.
“He stopped drinking and I wasn’t afraid of him anymore,” the 12-year-old girl testified during a preliminary hearing before District Judge Donald Whittaker in Central Court on Wednesday. She was the only witness.
Whittaker ruled there is enough evidence for Keller to stand trial on two counts of rape of a child, three counts of corruption of minors, and one count each of endangering the welfare of children and indecent exposure.
Luzerne County Assistant District Attorney Jenny Roberts said Keller, if convicted, faces a mandatory sentence of five years in state prison.
The girl told Whittaker that Keller began sexually assaulting her when he lived in the Apollo Circle Housing Complex in Nanticoke about two years ago. At least twice he took her into his residence, where he forced her to perform lewd acts and raped her, she said.
The girl said she couldn’t remember the exact dates of the assaults when asked by Keller’s defense lawyer, Charles Ross.
“I told him to stop once,” the girl said. “He used to drink a lot and he became aggressive when he drinks.”
The girl said she was also sexually assaulted in December after Keller moved to the Sans Souci Trailer Park in Hanover Township. She said she was sleeping over at a friend’s house when Keller entered the bedroom and assaulted her, she said.
Keller was arrested after a joint investigation by Hanover Township and Nanticoke police, and the district attorney’s office. He remains jailed at the county correctional facility. Whittaker refused to lower Keller’s bail of $100,000.

2/09/2007
Nanticoke woman faces charges for allegedly stealing lottery tickets

A Nanticoke convenience store worker allegedly stole at least $800 worth of lottery tickets and gave the winning ones to her boss in exchange for better working hours, police said.
Marcella Fletcher, 53, of Garfield Street, Nanticoke, faces charges of theft, tampering with records, and making false reports to law enforcement, police said.
According to police, Fahim Mirza, owner of the Uni-Mart on Market Street, told police on Jan. 15 that one of his former employees had been stealing from him.
Videotape from Dec. 24, 2006, showed Fletcher scratching off hundreds of dollars worth of lottery tickets, police said. Store manager Peggy Tweedly said Fletcher had scratched the tickets and thrown the losing ones in the trash. Tweedly reviewed the surveillance tape and reported it to Mirza, who fired Fletcher, police said.
Under police questioning, Fletcher said she took lottery tickets from Thanksgiving through Dec. 14, 2006, scratched them off, and gave the winning ones to Tweedly. Fletcher altered lottery sale records to conceal the thefts, police said.
Fletcher said Tweedly promised to adjust her working hours to better suit her if she did Tweedly a favor, namely give her $50 to $100 worth of lottery tickets at least twice a week, police said. Fletcher told police she scratched off at least $800 worth of lottery tickets and gave about $400 worth of winning tickets to Tweedly.
Tweedly denied participating in the theft, and said she would take a lie detector test, police said.
Tweedly asked for Fletcher to be charged with making false reports to law enforcement for telling police she was also involved.

2/3/2007
County man pleads guilty to sexually abusing girl

A Luzerne County man pleaded guilty to sexually abusing a 10-year-old girl Thursday.
William D. Haughwout, 41, of Nanticoke, will face sentencing on three counts of indecent assault for molesting the girl several times in 2005.
The Luzerne County District Attorney’s office requested an evaluation of Haughwout as a Megan’s Law offender. His next court date is set for May 25.

2/2/2007
Manhunt ends in suspect's capture
bkalinowski@citizensvoice.com

The man who eluded police during an hours-long manhunt Wednesday on Alden Mountain in Newport Township was arrested later that night after fleeing on foot to Wilkes-Barre ending up in the emergency room of Geisinger South Wilkes-Barre, according to the Luzerne County sheriff's department.
Adam Heppding, 20, fell a few times while cops searched for him on the rugged mountain terrain behind his mother's 78 Laurel Run home in Alden.
Authorities