State briefs
Suspect arrested ERIE, Pa. (AP) – A man was arrested by police after he tried to hide by sneaking into a crowded party.
The 28-year-old man fled from Erie police, who were attempting to serve him on bench warrants for failure to pay child support.
The man ran into a house where a party was taking place, grabbed a beer, and tried to blend in with the crowd, authorities said.
But officers entered the home and picked the man out, even though he showed them a fake identification card, police said.
Donnell R. Gamble faces charges of flight to avoid apprehension and giving false identification to police.
He was being held in Erie County Prison on the bench warrants.
Consolidation planned
PITTSBURGH (AP) – City police plan to consolidate three of their branches into one headquarters as part of an effort to improve communication.
Police Chief Robert McNeilly and city General Services Director Dale Perrett said they plan to lease and eventually purchase a large two-story building on Pittsburgh’s North Side.
City police currently have administrative offices downtown, a detectives division in nearby East Liberty, and a cramped evidence and property section in a basement on the North Side.
The City Council is expected to vote on the plan in two weeks. The consolidation could be complete within 12 to 18 months.
Father sentenced
ERIE, Pa. (AP) – A man who said his 4-month-old son provoked him before he punched the infant in the chest was sentenced to 15 to 35 years in prison for third-degree murder.
Rodger O. Henry, 20, collapsed into the arms of two sheriffs deputies as his sentence was read.
Erie County Judge Ernest DiSantis Jr. rejected an earlier manslaughter plea agreed to by prosecutors, saying the actions of a 4-month-old cannot legally represent provocation.
James Harman suffered fatal chest injuries on May 18, 2001, at the apartment that Henry shared with his girlfriend.
Henry admitted he killed the infant when he could not stop the baby from crying, prosecutors said. Henry told investigators he went back to bed after striking the infant in the chest.
The infant’s mother called 911 when she found the baby unresponsive the next morning. The baby died May, 21, 2001, at Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh.
Parrot captured
PITTSBURGH (AP) – A 9-month-old African Gray parrot named “Zane” has been captured two days after escaping from handlers at the National Aviary.
Detectives collared the 15-inch parrot in downtown Pittsburgh on Wednesday.
“They actually climbed up on top of a van in a parking lot and fed her some oranges and were able to throw their coat over her,” said Meredith Willa of the National Aviary.
The detectives said their actions were all part of a day’s work, and refused the $250 reward offered by the aviary.
Aviary officials said the parrot was raised in captivity and could not survive in the wild.
The African Gray, called by many the “King of the Parrots,” is extremely intelligent and can memorize hundreds of words and mimic other sounds easily.
BC-PA-Central Pa Briefs,585 News in brief from central Pennsylvania yokblohappwmcr
YORK, Pa. (AP) – A third suspect in the death of a New York City man more than 16 years ago is expected to surrender Friday, authorities said.
Frank Rossetti, 45, said in court papers he will seek a bail hearing after he is arrested and arraigned on homicide and conspiracy charges in the death of Vincent Fisichella, 33, whose body was found in Cumberland County on May 10, 1986.
A tip led authorities earlier this year to question Rossetti, his ex-wife Kimberly Lynn Rossetti and Mark Franklin Steininger. Authorities would not reveal a motive in the murder.
Kimberly Rossetti, 37, and Steininger, 45, were arrested and charged earlier. Both are being held without bail in York County Prison, pending a July 23 preliminary hearing on homicide and conspiracy charges.
Conviction upheld
BLOOMSBURG, Pa. (AP) – A state court has upheld the conviction of a woman sentenced to prison last year for burning the hands of her boyfriend’s 5-year-old son with an iron.
A panel of Superior Court judges found that the conviction of 34-year-old Dora Lee Comstock “does not shock our sense of justice.” The decision came despite testimony by both the boy and his older sister.
“Although the children testified that the boy’s injuries were accidental in nature, numerous Commonwealth witnesses testified Comstock intentionally inflicted the burns,” the court ruled.
The court ruled that a Columbia County jury was free to weigh the children’s testimony as well as that of numerous prosecution witnesses at trial 17 months ago.
A judge is now expected to reissue a court order designating when Comstock should report to jail.
Ex-teacher charged
BELLEFONTE, Pa. (AP) – A man accused of fatally shooting his 45-year-old cousin and burying the body was known to fire his guns without warning when intoxicated, a friend of the victim testified.
Former Centre County teacher Joseph Williams is charged with fatally shooting his cousin David Williams, 45, in the neck and burying his naked body under a large pile of logs and branches near the family hunting cabin in Worth Township.
District Justice Bradley P. Lunsford sent the case to trial following a preliminary hearing Wednesday.
David Williams’ body was uncovered by investigators on Oct. 22, 2000, a week after the alleged shooting.
“I told (David) he better get out of there because he was going to end up getting shot,” Gary Smeal testified.
Joseph Williams, 53, of Arnold, Pa., told investigators that his cousin never returned after walking out the cabin with a hunting rifle Oct. 14, police said. According to authorities, in a police interview Oct. 23 he admitted to being a “binge alcoholic” but denied shooting his cousin or being drunk the night David Williams disappeared.
Raises deferred
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Camp Hill School District teachers are deferring their annual raises for two months, and Superintendent Cornelius Cain and other administrators have accepted a salary freeze for the next school year, as the district tries to pare a budget deficit.
The deficit reached $1.4 million in April and remains at $700,000 after weeks of whittling. The district will save $24,000 from the teachers’ move and $15,000 from the administrators’ decision.
Camp Hill employees aren’t alone in their willingness to sacrifice in order to maintain programs.
Last week, teachers in the Central Dauphin School District refused $150,000 in bonuses so the money could be used to hire more teachers.
Flood damage tallied
BEAR CREEK, Pa. (AP) – Tuesday’s flooding in Luzerne County caused millions of dollars in damage, Bear Creek Village Mayor Walter Mitchell said.
“I’ve been involved in every problem we had here for the last 21 years, and nothing comes close to what we’ve experienced here,” Mitchell said Wednesday as state and county emergency officials toured flood-damaged areas around Bear Creek, Mountain Lake, Thornhurst and Suscon Road.
Floodwaters damaged homes, roads and bridges as well as a new post office, a cafe and a privately owned clubhouse, among other structures.
The National Weather Service said more than five inches of rain fell in the Bear Creek Township area, about 15 miles south of Wilkes-Barre, between 2 and 6 p.m.
Anthony Camillocci, eastern regional director for the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency, said about 14 people from the agency’s disaster assessment have begun documenting the destruction.
The mayor said he hopes that state and federal emergency management officials will declare the area a disaster to qualify it for funding.
Pearl on market
BETHLEHEM, Pa. (AP) – A jewelry store is selling what it claims to be one of the largest naturally formed American freshwater pearls currently on the open market.
Dancing Designs Jewelry recently acquired the 13.44-carat baroque-shaped gem, according to jewelry store owners Thomas and Patricia DeGasperis.
A young woman diving for mussel shells in a Mississippi River tributary found the pearl in 1999, according to gemologist Antoinette Matlin, who brokered the purchase between the DeGasperises and the young girl’s mother.
“This is the largest natural freshwater pearl I have ever seen,” Matlin said. “As far as I know it is the largest in the market place.”
Thomas DeGasperis said it took nearly 30 years for the pearl to reach its current size. He said the pearl most likely will be set in a pendant, but he would not speculate how much it would sell for.
“It is hard to put a price on it right now,” he said.
Lawsuit dismissed
READING, Pa. (AP) – A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit alleging Reading Mayor Joseph D. Eppihimer violated the city clerk’s rights by reading her e-mail.
U.S. District Judge John R. Padova ruled Linda A. Kelleher’s suit against Eppihimer, his assistant Kevin C. Cramsey and Councilman Jeffrey S. Waltman Sr. lacked merit.
Eppihimer said he will take legal action to get reimbursement of the $170,000 the city paid in legal fees to defend the lawsuit.
“They were trying to derail this administration from doing its job by filing this frivolous lawsuit,” Eppihimer said.
Kelleher accused city officials of reading her e-mail because she was outspoken on controversial issues regarding the Reading Water Authority and municipal trash collection. Kelleher also claimed that Eppihimer, Cramsey and Waltman harassed her.
Kelleher said city officials no longer “bother” her so the suit accomplished its purpose. She said she wasn’t sure whether she would appeal.