Friday, July 25, 2008
Charges bound to court for Sunbury man accused of double homicide
SUNBURY – All charges have been bound to court for a Sunbury man charged with double homicide in the city. Michael Harrell had a preliminary hearing Friday in Northumberland County Court. The 39-year-old is charged with the January shooting deaths of 24-year-old Crystal Scholl-Gordon and 25-year-old David Moore. State Police Corporal Richard Bramhall Jr. took the stand and testified that when he interviewed Harrell the night of the shootings, Harrell admitted that he did kill both Scholl-Gordon and Moore, although he never said how he killed them. Harrell’s attorney, Bill Miele, who claims his client is innocent, took issue with this fact, saying it concerns him that there is no video or audio record of Harrell’s admission. Miele says Harrell denied the killings to police just as much as he admitted it, but he would not go into further detail. Miele, who called his client scared and concerned, says he just hopes for a fair trial.
Northumberland County District Attorney is expected to seek the death penalty in the case. Scholl-Gordon’s brother, Justin Swartz, says the family would instead like to see Harrell get life in prison, so he can sit and think about what he’s done.
Among others on the stand was Northumberland County Coroner James Kelley who showed and described autopsy pictures of Moore and Scholl-Gordon, where he says they were both shot seven times each. Harrell will go to trial on two counts of criminal homicide and two counts of aggravated assault, among other charges. Trial will be set at a later date. He was returned to the Northumberland County Prison following the preliminary hearing. (Sara Bartlett)
Searching for a female accomplice in a Montour County robbery
DANVILLE – Authorities are still on the lookout for a female accomplice in an armed robbery in Danville on July 14th. Police say they are trying to find out why Eric Smith of Philadelphia and a woman targeted Ryan’s Jewelers on Mill Street. During the robbery, Smith used pepper spray and a stun gun on two employees and a customer. The robbers fled when police arrived and left behind a bag filled with more than $160,000 in jewelry. Police say a third person may have been involved, who could have driven a getaway car.
Smith remains locked up in the Montour County Prison on one million dollars bail. Police say Smith has an extensive criminal record, charged with robbery, auto theft, retail theft and other counts in other parts of the state and has spent time in prison. For the Danville robbery, he faces aggravated assault, criminal conspiracy to commit robbery and theft charges. (Ali Stevens)
McClure man charged with assault
MCCLURE – A McClure man has been charged after allegedly assaulting a female this Friday morning. Around 8:20a.m., police were called to a home in West Beaver Township, Snyder County where they say 54-year-old Glen Tharp reportedly kicked and threatened the woman with a pair of scissors. Tharp was arraigned before District Justice Willis Savidge, and faces charges of simple assault and harassment. He is in Snyder County Prison on $20,000 bail, and police say additional charges in the incident are pending. (Sara Bartlett)
Bucknell University hosts Penn Central Wind Band
LEWISBURG – The Penn Central Wind Band will perform a free concert Saturday at the Weis Center on the campus of Bucknell University. This is the 15th anniversary of the band, and in celebration conductor William Kenny says the first piece of music played will recognize the contributions Bucknell has made to the group.
Kenny’s daughter, a senior at Lewisburg High School and a violinist will also be soloing, and they will welcome Justin Hill the Lewisburg High School band director as a guest conductor. Kenny says The Penn Central Wind Band is an all-volunteer group made up of professional musicians who live all over the Susquehanna Valley. The concert is Saturday at 7:30p.m. in the Weis Center on campus. The free concert is open to all. (Sara Bartlett)
A meeting on a proposed Bio-solids processing plant on Furnace Road
BUFFALO TOWNSHIP – A closed meeting was held yesterday about a proposed bio-solids processing plant near Mifflinburg in Buffalo Township. The company is called Ag Lime and they have submitted an application to the Department of Environmental Protection to locate a plant at 7146 Furnace Road. According to the application, the company plans to truck 600 tons per day of treated municipal sewage into the plant and convert it into an agricultural lime substitute. Concerned citizens were not allowed into the meeting yesterday, but made sure there presence was noticed, by gathering outside the building.
Union County Commissioner Preston Boop says local citizens are an important part of the process and they should voice their concerns. The meeting was between Darryl Beiler, who will manage the Ag Lime plant, representatives of Ag Lime and the DEP. Citizen concerns include water contamination, truck traffic of sewage coming from all over, including out-of-state, and air quality. An environmental assessment will be done soon on the project. (Ali Stevens)
Home invasion and assault reported in Watsontown
WATSONTOWN – A home invasion and assault was reported in Watsontown around 2 this morning. Police say a woman reported that a white male forced his was into her home on West 8th Street after knocking on the door. He reportedly knocked the woman onto a couch and then struck her numerous times in the face. The woman was able to fight back and told police she gouged the man in the eye. She then fled the residence and called 911. The man reportedly fled the scene on a motorcycle.
The motorcycle was found parked along the 700 block of Pool Alley and the man fled on foot. He’s described as having brown hair, about 5’ 7” tall, weighing between 200 and 250 pounds. He was wearing a blue jean vest at the time of the attack. Anyone with more information is asked to contact police. (Ali Stevens)
Thefts in Montour and Northumberland counties
UNDATED – Milton State Police are reporting thefts in Montour and Northumberland counties. Both occurred sometime last week.
In Montour County, police say an unknown person stole two bicycles chained to a light pole outside of the Quality Inn and Suites along Route 54 in Valley Township. The bikes were valued at $450.00.
In Northumberland County, police say numerous items, including a drill, saw and two-way radio, valued at $275.00, were taken from a home on Penn Street in Turbot Township.
Police ask anyone with information to call them. (Sara Bartlett)Carney: PennDOT's CSVT hibernation makes no sense
WASHINGTON – Fresh off a meeting this week with PennDOT's secretary, U.S. Congressman Chris Carney (D-10th, Dimock) said he is not only frustrated with PennDOT’s plan for the Central Susquehanna Valley Transportation project going into ‘hibernation’ stage, he is also angry.
Carney says he spoke this week in a meeting with PennDOT Secretary Allen Biehler to express his disappointment in the decision. He says ‘hibernation’ isn’t even an official PennDOT term, so the decision really made no sense.
Will money for the project really be kept or will they be allocated elsewhere? Carney says they can’t get a clear answer on that question from PennDOT. Carney says the CSVT remains his number one transportation priority and while Biehler may be in hibernation, he is not.
He says they are working now to see what resources they can get from the Appalachian Regional Committee. In addition, Carney, who is a member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, says he will work hard to help direct funds to the CSVT in 2009 when the committee meets to address the highway reauthorization bill. (Sara Bartlett)
“A great colleague and a better friend,” Charles Pollock remembered
LEWISBURG – Bucknell University President Brian Mitchell calls Charlie Pollock a close colleague and a better friend. Pollock, who was the senior vice president for external relations at Bucknell, passed away Wednesday. Mitchell says Pollock was the epitome of what a Bucknell graduate should represent.
Pollock had served for eight years as assistant to the University’s president and later was the vice president for student affairs before taking the position as the senior vice president for external relations. Mitchell says his death is a significant loss to the University.
Pollock was very active in the Lewisburg community, serving as chair of the Lewisburg Downtown Partnership board of directors and vice chair of the board of directors at Evangelical Community hospital, among many other titles. He had been battling cancer and died at the age of 59. (Sara Bartlett)
Pollock was a 1970 graduate of Bucknell University and worked at Bucknell as assistant to the President, Vice President for Student Affairs and most recently as Vice President for External Relations at the University.
Pollock was also Vice Chair of the board of directors at Evangelical Community Hospital. Hospital CEO Michael O’Keefe says Pollock exhibited great leadership and vision as a member of the board and with strategic planning efforts. He adds that Pollock was a truly great individual, a fine gentleman, very insightful and had a great sense of humor.
Karen Hackman is president of the board of directors at Evan Hospital and says Pollock’s efforts never ceased. She said, “Charlie was the kind of person you wanted on your team, the kind of person that you wanted as a friend and the kind of person you trusted and respected.
Pollock was also the Chair of the Lewisburg Downtown Partnership board of directors. Linda Sterling says he was one of the founding members of the group. She says Pollock had a real strong sense of organization and was the guy that really pulled the board together and kept the board going in the right direction.
She says Pollock always reminded them to plan carefully and to look back on what they accomplished. As an undergraduate at Bucknell, Pollock majored in English with a concentration in theater. He was married to Gayle Pollock, who serves part-time as Bucknell’s senior associate director of admissions. (Ali Stevens)
Job layoffs announced at Wood Mode
KREAMER – Wood-Mode has announced more job cuts from their plant in Kreamer. As a result of the mortgage related continuing decline in the housing and remodeling industry, they have to downsize their workforce.
The cabinet company says they are adjusting their workforce by laying off 120 employees to accommodate the overall reduction in sales volume. All employees affected by the layoff have been notified. Director of Human Resources, Tom Morgensen says workers affected came from all shifts and were notified at 5:30, 7:30 and 9 this morning.
This is the first layoff since November of 2007. The plant employed 1,830 workers before today’s layoff, bringing the total now to just over 1,700. Morgensen says in the past two years, cabinet sales have dropped 20 to 25 percent. (Ali Stevens)
Over 1,000 PPL customers without power at 10a.m. in Snyder County
SELINSGROVE – Over 1,100 PPL customers in Snyder County were without power Thursday morning after the top of an electric pole broke near Sunbury Generation LLC. PPL spokesman Don Stringfellow says they intended to interrupt the power for a brief period of time while the pole was being fixed.
Customers affected included those on 11 & 15, the Old Trail, in Shamokin Dam, Hummels Wharf, and a few in Selinsgrove. Stringfellow says 11 customers remained without power in the area, and had power back to all customers by 2:00p.m. (Sara Bartlett)
Two inmates at the NorCo Prison charged with assaulting another prisoner
SUNBURY – Two Coal Township men, who are inmates at the Northumberland County Prison, are charged with assaulting a prisoner who was reportedly a witness against them in a criminal case. 66-year-old Walter Hyde and 24-year-old Vincent Matteo, were charged with retaliation against a witness, riot, simple assault and disorderly conduct. Police say the men assaulted a 21-year-old Shamokin inmate.
The man claims they beat him up because he was a witness against them in an upcoming case. The victim was in the prison for a parole violation. Hyde and Matteo are serving time for drug-related crimes. Hyde and Matteo were arraigned on Monday before District Justice Carl Rice and bail was set at $20,000. A preliminary hearing will be held in August. (Ali Stevens)
Latest Pennsylvania news, sports, business and entertainment:
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) - An official at a Christian radio station in central Pennsylvania says police shot and killed a man who had threatened the station. WTLR station manager Mark VanOuse says police showed up and warned employees to stay inside around 10:30 a.m. Friday. He says the station got a tip that an armed man was on his way. VanOuse says that within minutes he could hear shots being fired. He says police later told him the man was dead. A witness tells the Centre Daily Times that the man appeared to challenge police with his Ford Bronco and rammed a police cruiser. Witnesses say they heard about a dozen shots fired and that the man's vehicle ran into the side of a building near the station.
PORT CARBON, Pa. (AP) - The Schuylkill County District Attorney says three people will be charged in the fatal beating of an illegal immigrant who witnesses said was called racial epithets during the attack. District Attorney James Goodman says the suspects are scheduled to be arraigned Friday in the death of 25-year-old Luis Ramirez, a Mexican immigrant who had been living in Shenandoah. Ramirez was beaten to death earlier this month after an argument with a group of youths that police say included high school football players. Police say as many as six teens were involved in the fight, which ended with Ramirez in convulsions and foaming at the mouth. He died a few days later of head injuries. Crystal Dillman, the victim's 24-year-old fiancée, says Ramirez was often called derogatory names and told to return to his homeland.
WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. (AP) - The imprisoned founder of a bankrupt cable company and one of his sons face more tax-evasion charges under a new indictment by a federal grand jury. The indictment filed Thursday adds 2001 to the years for which 83-year-old John Rigas and his 52-year-old son Timothy Rigas are charged. John Rigas is the founder of the bankrupt Adelphia Communications Corp. Timothy Rigas was once chief financial officer. They are imprisoned following convictions in 2004 in New York on charges including bank fraud and securities fraud. The two have filed an appeal challenging their prosecution in Pennsylvania. In this case, the government alleges they diverted Adelphia funds for personal use without reporting it as income. The new indictment says this caused the government a tax loss of $483 million for 1998 through 2001.
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - Here are the winning numbers selected Friday in the midday Pennsylvania State Lottery drawing:
Daily Number
9-8-8
Big 4
0-2-8-9
Treasure Hunt
2-8-13-18-30
(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)