With limited options left to raise revenue, the Scranton School Board passed a preliminary budget for next year with an $18.7 million hole.

The $159 million budget has the district considering layoffs to its teaching staff, which would be effective at the end of the school year, and cuts to programs. Directors have already asked administrators to take a 4 percent pay cut and plan to ask vendors who do more than $100,000 in work with the district to give something back.

“It’s a gigantic gap,” Director Paul Duffy said at Monday night’s special meeting. “We don’t have any chance in closing it. ... We won’t solve all the problems without significant help from the commonwealth of Pennsylvania.”

The preliminary budget passed 7-1, with President Bob Sheridan voting against it. In what may be his last meeting on the board, Sheridan said he had concerns about what the budget could mean for taxpayers. Though no property tax hike is included in the preliminary budget, the board has the ability to raise taxes as much as 3.6 percent, or 4.5 mills. A mill is a $1 tax on each $1,000 of assessed value, so a resident with a property assessed at $10,000 would see taxes increase by $45 next year, if the board raised taxes by 3.6 percent. But any tax hike would do little to close the gap. Raising taxes to the maximum would only generate about $1.5 million.

The budget, which must be balanced by the end of the year, includes:

• $140.5 million in revenue and $159 million in expenses.

• An increase in expenses of $5 million compared to 2017, mainly due to increases in health insurance and state-mandated pension costs. The district plans to spend $22 million on health care this year, after budgeting $17.5 million.

• A $3.7 million reduction in salaries, thanks to retirement incentives, according to the district. Salaries and benefits account for 77 percent of the total budget.

• An increase in debt service payments from $13 million to $16.9 million, thanks to additional borrowing to balance budgets and keep the district open. Directors blamed the state’s 2015 budget impasse for requiring the district to borrow about $40 million to make a loan payment.

“I don’t want to take the whole blame with the crisis we face,” Director Bob Lesh said. “We have had partners in this, including Harrisburg. Decisions had to be made to keep doors open.”

Directors also called for fair funding from the state, noting that Scranton receives less per pupil than other similarly sized districts. Earlier this year, officials asked local lawmakers to rally for more funding on the district’s behalf.

With the board having not publicly discussed what potential programs or teaching staff could be cut, many educators filled the board room of the Administration Building on Monday night. The proposed budget includes no program cuts or layoffs of teaching staff. It also does not include savings from potential administrative salary reductions.

Superintendent Alexis Kirijan, Ed.D., has already agreed to take the cut, which will save the district about $6,300 next year.

“I don’t know how you run a school district without teachers or the support of paraprofessionals ... there is no school, there is no learning,” said Rosemary Boland, president of the Scranton Federation of Teachers. “I can’t, with my union members, make up the deficit.”

The district hopes to find health insurance savings by working with the teachers union. The two sides plan to meet today to discuss possible options.

The board has already announced plans to lay off 23 employees in the maintenance and clerical workers union, including gym and pool assistants, library clerks and hall monitors, effective July 1.

For years, the district has balanced budgets with one-time revenue sources, including borrowed money and its health care trust. Options for borrowing this year may be limited, depending on market conditions, said Gregg Sunday, chief financial officer. Unlike preliminary budgets in the past, the current spending plan includes few “wish list” items.

For 2018, the board may use $4.9 million in long-awaited state construction reimbursement money, received earlier this year after being held up for years because of incomplete paperwork from the district, to help close the gap.

Beyond the 2018 budget, the district’s general fund deficit could approach $40 million by the end of this year. The state placed the district on financial watch status this summer, the first in a series of steps that could eventually lead to state control.

“This is a starting point,” Sunday said of the spending plan. “The district needs to start somewhere.”

Contact the writer:

shofius@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9133;

@hofiushallTT on Twitter

Fire destroys a vehicle on the Casey Highway near Archbald on Monday afternoon.

A woman heard a loud pop as she traveled east on the highway shortly after noon, Archbald Fire Chief Bob Harvey said.

Another motorist noticed smoke and flames coming from her vehicle, pulled up beside her and waved her to the side of the road, Harvey said.

Fire crews arrived on scene to find the vehicle fully engulfed; it is a total loss, Harvey said. No one was injured.

BUTCH COMEGYS

STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

A Wayne County restaurateur known for her 9½-ounce hamburgers and pancakes made with sweet cream opened a second location in downtown Scranton.

Belmont Cafe owner Dawn Lepkowski held a ribbon cutting ceremony Monday at her new location at 116 N. Washington Ave.

Originally from New York, Lepkowski said she had been looking for a second location, and picked Scranton in part because many of her customers travel from the city and surrounding area to her Waymart diner, which opened six years ago.

The Belmont’s new location is the former City Cafe, which relocated to Greystone Gardens near Clarks Summit earlier this year.

— JON O’CONNELL

A new Scottish-Irish themed restaurant and its attractive wait staff in barely-there plaid uniforms are serving up pints and pub food in Dickson City.

The Tilted Kilt Pub & Eatery held a grand opening Monday along Commerce Boulevard, in the former Texas Roadhouse.

The new eatery creates jobs for about 100 people, and offers popular pub food and 22 beers on tap.

New Jersey-based owner Amol Kohli and his company, AARK Enterprises Inc., owns more than a dozen Friendly’s restaurants in the area and several other Tilted Kilts in the northeast United States.

— JON O’CONNELL

The rustle of wrinkling brown paper rose to a dull roar in the cavernous main room of Scranton’s St. Mary’s Center today.

The clock neared 10 a.m. The 243 volunteers in the room made final preparations to the bags of food United Neighborhood Centers of Northeastern Pennsylvania would soon deliver to the dozens already queued at the front door as part of the annual Feed-A-Friend Thanksgiving food program.

Gus Fahey, UNC’s Director of Community Services, took the stage.

“If we’re good to go, then let’s just get it started, what do you think,” Fahey said to a round of applause. “Everybody, man your stations and let’s open up the doors.”

For the 43rd year, UNC put together bags of food with turkey and all the trimmings for more than 1,000 families. It’s a herculean effort joined again this year with other sizeable feats of organization, such as today’s Family-to-Family program in which another 3,000 baskets will be given away beginning at 9 a.m. at the Scranton Cultural Center at the Masonic Temple.

Those who line up for the food depend on it.

Walter Mitchell, 51, of South Scranton, got in line Tuesday at St. Mary’s Center at 8:45 a.m., much as he has every November for the last 14 years. Each Thanksgiving, his family from Philadelphia comes to visit for food and football. Mitchell, a Philadelphia Eagles fan, lamented his team wouldn’t be playing this year but is happy to lay a good spread on his table.

“Every little bit helps,” Mitchell said.

UNC’s scores of volunteers prepared bags stuffed with potatoes, yams, onions, cranberry sauce, corn bread and pumpkin pie mix, apples, oranges, carrots, celery, whipped toppings, croutons and turkey for 1,004 families who registered, Fahey said. They expected more to come in, though, and purchased 1,250 turkeys.

Mason Black, a 17-year-old senior at Valley View High School, spent the morning breaking down boxes and searching for a 15-pound bird to pack in a box for some lucky family. Most of them, he said, weighed in just shy.

“I just want that big one,” he joked.

Other volunteers, many of them students, laughed, joked and sang with each other.

The final figure to fund the giveaway came to about $30,000. They did not quite reach that goal, but a late surge in donations brought them close, said Clare Haggerty, UNC’s director of grants and communications said.

“We have been registering people since the beginning of November, so this is a huge undertaking and it’s so important to us to help families by having them make Thanksgiving memories in their own homes,” Haggerty said.

Contact the writer: jkohut@timesshamrock.com, 570-348-9144; @jkohutTT on Twitter

CLARKS GREEN — A Scranton man was caught on a video Monday evening swearing and threatening to kill a man and destroy his truck, Clarks Summit police charged.

Frank Sullenberger, 18, 1304 Academy St., kicked a pumpkin on Possum Way in Clarks Green and threatened Frank Santomauro shortly before 10 p.m.

“You will die,” he said, according to a criminal complaint.

Sullenberger is charged with terroristic threats and disorderly conduct.

Sullenberger is in Lackawanna County Prison in lieu of $10,000 bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Tuesday at 11:30 a.m.

— JOSEPH KOHUT

Annemarie View flashed with festive holiday spirit inside the Scranton Cultural Center at the Masonic Temple tonight.

View attended the annual Friends of the Poor Thanksgiving dinner with others from West Side Kozy Comfort assisted living facility and a friend, Diane Romanczuk. White lights on a Christmas tree affixed to her headband blinked brightly. A ring adorned with bells jingle-jangled as she moved her left hand.

The pair have attended the event together for years, Romanczuk said. Sharing a holiday meal with others make the event special, each said.

“The people, the friends, the music, the decorations,” Romanczuk said. “They do a good job.”

The Friends of the Poor have been organizing the free dinner for 41 years, when Sister Adrian Barrett, I.H.M., started the tradition, President and Chief Executive Officer Meghan Loftus said. Volunteers prepared 3,000 meals this year: 1,500 to be served at the center and another 1,500 for take out, Loftus said.

“Nobody should be alone or go without on the holidays and that’s what we’re really focusing on,” Loftus said. “We’d like there to be a time when we’re not needed, but that’s not the case right now, so we really appreciate the community support we get each year and we hope to keep it up.”

Volunteers started set up at the center Monday and worked through the day Tuesday peeling potatoes and arranging colorful table settings with bright table cloths and handmade ornaments made of paper and popsicle sticks, said Chris Speicher, who has been volunteering at the dinner for about 10 years and is on the organizing committee.

Others stayed busy preparing plates of turkey, stuffing, potatoes and other goodies once dinner was served Tuesday.

“It’s a lot of fun,” Speicher said. “When you see this place full, it really puts you in the holiday spirit.”

For some volunteers, the dinner is a “family tradition.”

Pam Abbott and her sons, Thomas and James, have helped out at the event for about five years. Thomas worked security and Pam helped seat people Tuesday night.

Both said volunteering at the dinner is rewarding. They like seeing the smiles on people faces, each said.

“We help people,” 21-year-old Thomas Abbott said.

Volunteering there has also provided a learning experience for her children over the years, Pam Abbott said.

“It teaches them responsibility and respect,” she said.

Contact the writer: cover@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100 x5363; @ClaytonOver on Twitter

SCRANTON — A city woman is accused of stealing prescription opioids from a former patient’s home today.

Michelle Coolbaugh, 46, of Scranton, is charged with burglary, theft, possession of a controlled substance and related charges after officers watched her go into a home on the 900 block of Maple Street and leave shortly thereafter.

Police pulled her over on Beech Street. Officers found 41 prescription opioid pills on Coolbaugh and she told officers she took the pills from the home. Coolbaugh also told police she used to be a home health nurse and cared for an elderly man in the home. She told police she waited for the man’s wife to leave before going inside and taking the pills, police said.

Bail and preliminary hearing information were unavailable today.

— CLAYTON OVER

DUNMORE — The death of a borough man found near the No. 7 Reservoir on Sunday is not suspicious, but officials are awaiting toxicology reports before ruling on a manner and cause of death, Lackawanna County Coroner Timothy Rowland said tonight.

Rescue crews pulled Tyler Montaro, 27, from an outfall of the reservoir, off East Drinker Street, on Sunday night. He had been reported missing earlier that day.

— CLAYTON OVER

NANTICOKE — Members of Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration on Tuesday took a road trip to Luzerne County to take questions from the public as part of the first ever “Cabinet in Your Community” series.

Nearly 200 people attended the town-hall type session at Luzerne County Community College headlined by the leaders of the state’s labor and industry, community development and education departments.

“The governor today officially launches this new initiative,” Cassandra Coleman, director for the governor’s regional office, said in introducing the debut event.

Constituents asked questions and got immediate answers.

Members of Wilkes-Barre’s Save Our Schools group asked whether state leaders prefer neighborhood schools or consolidated districts.

Wilkes-Barre Fire Chief Jay Delaney expressed concerns over the expansion of legal fireworks in the state and questioned why full-time departments like his aren’t getting additional resources to combat the issues sure to arise.

Union leader Warren Faust wondered what was being done to make sure employers are following the state’s “Prevailing Wage Act” and asked about efforts to promote more apprenticeship programs for the trades in which students work and get paid as part of their training.

“It’s education that’s free to the taxpayers. They earn while they learn,” said Faust, representing the Sheet Metal Workers, Local 44, and the Northeast Pennsylvania Building and Trades Council.

Gerard “Jerry” Oleksiak, acting secretary of labor and industry, said the state is seeking to expand the traditional apprenticeships to other fields such as health care, mental health, entertainment and retail.

“Not only are there people without jobs. There are jobs without people,” Oleksiak said.

Wolf’s office sent a news release after the event touting its successful rollout.

“I am excited that so many members of the community came out to hear from and ask questions of our cabinet officials today,” Wolf said. “It’s important that we continue to have this type of valuable dialogue all across the Commonwealth and that everyone has an opportunity to feel connected to Harrisburg no matter where they live.”

Six “Cabinet in Your Community” events will be held around the state. The next is in Lock Haven on Dec. 13.

The other cabinet officials who fielded questions on Tuesday included Department of Community and Economic Development Secretary Dennis Davin and Department of Education Secretary Pedro Rivera.

Rivera said the state is trying to take the emphasis off standardized testing and instead concentrate on college and career readiness.

“Not one CEO has ever said to me, ‘I want someone who scored well on a standardized test,’” Rivera said.

Rivera fielded multiple questions by members of the Save Our Schools group that has long sought to preserve the three neighborhood high schools in Wilkes-Barre, rather than consolidate.

After years of debate, the Wilkes-Barre Area School Board earlier this year decided to consolidate Coughlin and Meyers high schools in a new building in Plains Twp. while keeping GAR in the Heights section.

Group members had asked Rivera what model the state prefers.

Rivera said that has to be a local decision that depends heavily on a district’s finances, size and leaders. He said there have been six consolidation studies statewide done over the past few years, but “not one school district has been able to act” due to lack of cooperation.

He noted the former contractor the state used for consolidation studies “got out of the business” after no districts followed through with consolidated plans for a decade.

“Over the course of 10 years, they did 50, 60 of these studies and not once did it lead to a consolidation,” Rivera said.

Contact the writer:

bkalinowski@citizensvoice.com

570-821-2055,

@cvbobkal on Twitter

Beach Lake

Craft fair: Beach Lake Fire Company Auxiliary holiday craft fair, Saturday, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., fire hall, Route 652, $1/adults, food and beverages available for purchase, door prizes.

Old Forge

Holiday party: Picc’s Ice Cream, holiday party fundraiser for dogs to benefit Tracey’s Hope Hospice Care Program and Rescue for Domestic Animals Inc., Dec. 3, noon, 938 Moosic Road; food, raffles, pictures with Santa and an appearance by Olaf from “Frozen”; training demonstration by Alan Finns Designing Dogs; raffles, prizes, s’mores and ice cream.

Simpson

Breakfast buffet: Grattan Singer Hose Company 1 breakfast buffet, Dec. 3, 8 a.m.-noon, 702 Homestead St.; $8 for adults, $5 for children under 12; monthly fundraiser the first Sunday of every month.

CLIPBOARD ITEMS may be emailed to yesdesk@timesshamrock.com or mailed to Clipboard, c/o YES!Desk, 149 Penn Ave., Scranton, PA 18503. YES!Desk, 570-348-9121.

SCRANTON — Two Scranton men accused of robbing city gas stations earlier this year now face federal charges related to the heists.

A grand jury indicted Durrell Davenport, 26, and Amod Phillips, 27, with robbery and related counts stemming from hold up at the Efuel at Birch Street and Pittston Avenue on June 8, where they made off with $266 and several packs of cigarettes. Davenport also faces federal charges relating to a holdup at a Sunoco station on the 200 block of South Main Avenue on June 20, where he stole $386 and packs of cigarettes, according to federal prosecutors.

City police arrested the men earlier this year and have been held in county prison in lieu of bail since.

— CLAYTON OVER

SCRANTON — City Hall, Lackawanna County offices and the county courthouse will be closed Thursday and Friday for the Thanksgiving holiday.

County of Lackawanna Transit System will be closed Thursday in observance of Thanksgiving, with regular service resuming Friday. The Lackawanna Transit Center customer service window will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday. COLTS’ main offices on North South Road will be closed Friday and will reopen Monday at 8:30 a.m.

— STAFF REPORT

November 22, 1942

Nurse finds

romance at dance

Mary Jane Reap was married to Harry Blanken, a chief gunner in the Royal Netherlands Navy, on Oct. 18 in Portsmouth, Virginia. The pair met at a USO dance in New Jersey, where they were named best dancers at the event.

Mrs. Blanken graduated from Holy Rosary High School and the Scranton Private Hospital Training School of Nursing. She was working in New Jersey when she meet Blanken.

Blanken’s parents both died in the Battle of Rotterdam in 1940 and his sisters were placed in a concentration camp. At the time of the battle, he was stationed on a ship that helped transport soldiers and sailors from that fight to England. His ship would later be involved in the evacuation of troops from Dunkirk. Blanken was in the United States while his ship was being repaired in Portsmouth. Blanken was serving in the Dutch West Indies.

Mrs. Blanken said that when the war was over they hoped to live in Scranton.

Library, zoo, museum see hikes in budget

In the draft of the Scranton City Budget for 1943, the Scranton Public Library, the Nay Aug Zoo and the Everhart Museum received increases to their appropriations. This was first time in many years that the city had given these institutions an increase in funding.

The library was to receive an additional $5,000 to support students who use the library for their school work. The zoo was to receive an additional $1,000 to go toward the purchase of new animals.

Bicycle thieves nabbed by police

Scranton police arrested three juveniles in connection with the theft of bicycles from homes, garages and streets.

According to police, the juveniles would steal the bicycles and then switch the handlebars and wheels with other bicycles to make it hard to identify the bicycles. When police arrested the trio, they found one completed bicycle and enough parts to make four or five more bikes.

BRIAN FULTON, library manager, oversees The Times-Tribune’s expansive digital and paper archives and is an authority on local history. Contact Brian at bfulton@timesshamrock.com or 570-348-9140.

Time Warp

World Heavyweight Boxing Champ Rocky Marciano paid a visit to our area in March 1955. Read about his visit in today’s Time Warp in Weekend Times.

A former Lackawanna County Prison guard charged with assaulting an inmate with pepper spray withdrew his guilty plea in the case.

Scott Blume, 47, of Dunmore, pleaded guilty in July, to simple assault. He sought to withdraw the plea after learning Lackawanna County prosecutors would seek jail time for him at his sentencing, said his attorney, Frank Bolock.

President Judge Michael Barrasse granted the motion Tuesday, after Deputy District Attorney Brian Gallagher said he did not oppose the request.

Blume was charged with simple assault and harassment in connection with a Sept. 24 incident involving inmate Damian Kellogg, who was in a holding cell awaiting transport to the prison’s restricted housing unit.

According to an arrest affidavit, Kellogg began arguing with Blume, who entered the cell and grabbed Kellogg by the neck and hair. He then sprayed Kellogg, who was unclothed, twice with pepper spray through a slot in the cage.

The incident, which was captured on the prison’s video system, did not come to light until Oct. 18, when Kellogg wrote to Judge Vito Geroulo.

Blume was employed at the prison from 2002 until Dec. 14. The county declined to say whether he resigned or was fired.

Speaking after the hearing, Bolock said Blume entered the plea with the understanding that the district attorney’s office would not seek a prison sentence. He later learned their position changed.

Gallagher, who also spoke after the hearing, said the office sought a prison sentence because of the nature of the crime and Blume’s position. He said Kellogg advised prosecutors he does not want to see Blume go to prison, so it is possible a new plea agreement will be worked out. In the interim, Blume was permitted to withdraw the plea. If a new plea deal is not reached, Blume will go to trial in December; a date has not yet been set.

Kellogg also filed a federal lawsuit against the prison, Blume and several other prison employees. That case remains pending.

Contact the writer:

tbesecker@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9137;

@tmbeseckerTT on Twitter

The engineering firm that investigated the aging Meadow Brook underground culvert where collapses left holes in some Green Ridge backyards is recommending removing and replacing about 260 feet of the damaged conduit at a cost of $562,000.

Pittston-based Reilly Associates proposed the remedial measures in a 61-page report to Mayor Bill Courtright’s administration as a temporary fix to the underground channel while the city works with the state Department of Environmental Protection to design a larger, more permanent project.

Although the report outlines four potential construction options ranging in cost up to $1.1 million, the administration is leaning toward the $562,000 removal-and-replacement proposal recommended by Reilly as the most cost-effective choice, city solicitor Jessica Eskra said.

City officials want to meet with DEP representatives to review the engineering report and make certain the recommended approach is acceptable to the state agency before making a final commitment, she said.

“We are excited about the project. We just have to make sure we follow the right steps,” Eskra said. “No. 1 is to make sure DEP is on board.”

She is working with state Sen. John Blake’s office to set up the meeting, probably within the next two weeks.

In 2016, structural failures in the underground culvert, which is more than a century old, caused significant holes to open up in the backyards of properties at 1713-1715 and 1717 Wyoming Ave.

Under the option recommended by Reilly, the culvert that runs under the rear of those properties and others in the 1700 block of Wyoming to the area near Ryerson Avenue and Delaware Street would be removed and replaced for approximately 260 feet with a 54-inch smooth-lined corrugated plastic pipe.

Eight properties would be affected, but the culvert’s path would be realigned to avoid disturbing the garages that have been built above the existing channel, the report said.

Because the driveways from Wyoming Avenue to the backyard areas are not wide enough to accommodate construction equipment, Reilly anticipates access will have to made from Ryerson near the intersection with Delaware.

The report said a garage at the rear of 1709 Wyoming will most likely be an obstruction to the equipment access from Ryerson and will need to be removed during construction. The removal and replacement of the garage is included in the project cost estimates, the report said.

The report said 15 to 20 other minor structural deficiencies, including areas of culvert floor washouts and undermining of culvert walls, were found throughout the entire length of the Meadow Brook culvert and recommended repairing those to limit further deterioration pending the permanent improvements project.

“These repairs can be performed from within the culvert through various access locations along the length and therefore will not involve disturbance to the ground surface,” the report said.

The repairs, which are expected to cost around $50,000, are also included in the $562,000 estimated construction cost.

City officials should have a better idea of how soon construction might start after their meeting with DEP, Eskra said.

“We understand that time is of the essence and we’ll be working as quickly as possible,” she said.

Contact the writer: dsingleton@timesshamrock.com, 570-348-9132

President Judge Michael Barrasse sentenced the following defendants recently in Lackawanna County Court:

n Keith Bocker, 41, 1120 Church St., Scranton, to 98 days time served to one year in county prison and $627.50 in restitution for theft by unlawful taking.

n Anthony Paolucci, 54, 632 Willow St., Scranton, to two years probation for theft by deception.

n John Jernigan, 58, 1718 Monroe Ave., Dunmore, to one year probation for possession of drug paraphernalia.

n Patrick Dougherty, 20, 2 Council St., Dunmore, to five years court supervision, including three months work release and three months house arrest, for delivery of a controlled substance.

n Dylan Harhut, 26, 388 state Route 247, Greenfield Twp., to 196 days time served to 23 months, 29 days in county prison followed by three years court supervision, including three months house arrest, and three years probation for criminal trespass and theft by unlawful taking.

n Brian Pfleger, 32, 1671 state Route 502, Spring Brook Twp., to five years court supervision, including four months house arrest, and a $1,500 fine for DUI — tier three, first offense.

n Dominic Kustrin, 25, 43 Warner St., Plains Twp., to six to 12 months in county prison, two years court supervision, including three months house arrest, three years probation and $25,899 in restitution for aggravated assault and bad checks.

Judge Vito Geruolo sentenced:

n Justin Schuback, 31, 3 Foundry St., Old Forge, to 100 days time served to 12 months in county prison followed by one year probation for possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.

n Rudy Miles, 48, 445 N. Sixth Ave., Scranton, to three years court supervision, including 90 days house arrest, for delivery of a controlled substance.

n Kyle Linney, 36, 1811 Red Barn Village, Clarks Summit, to one to three years in state prison and $10,392.24 in restitution for theft by deception.

n Matthew Trentacosta, 34, 201 Hall St., Throop, to 45 days to six months in county prison for disorderly conduct.

n David Belcher, 65, 1502 Bennett Road, Hop Bottom, to six months probation and a $300 fine for DUI — tier one, first offense.

n Geraldo Linan, 60, 825 Madison Ave., Scranton, to six months court supervision, including 30 days house arrest, and a $750 fine for DUI — tier two, second offense.

n Dan Griffiths, 41, 3 Adams Lane, Clarks Summit, to 30 days to two years of house arrest and a $500 fine for DUI — tier one, third offense.

Judge Margaret Bisignani Moyle sentenced:

n John Pickens, 36, 731 N. Lincoln Ave., Scranton, to nine to 23½ months in county prison followed by two years and 240 days of probation for simple assault, disorderly conduct, access device fraud and criminal mischief.

n Nicholas Kaniper, 23, 411 Honesdale Court, Dickson City, to one year probation for theft of property lost by mistake.

n Thomas Nunes Jr., 30, South Abington Twp., to five months to two years in state prison and a $500 fine for DUI — tier one, third offense.

SCRANTON — A federal grand jury indicted a West Virginia man on charges he produced child pornography in Susquehanna County.

Johnnie Gresham, 39, of Charleston, West Virginia, is also charged with sexual enticement of a minor, according to federal prosecutors. The offenses occurred between April and June 2017 in Susquehanna County, prosecutors said.

The maximum penalty for the charges is life in prison. The production charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and the enticement a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison.

— CLAYTON OVER

PROPERTY TRANSACTIONS

• James Henning Jr., also known as James “Jamie” Henning Jr., executor of the estate of Vincent N. Malvasia III, Carbondale, and Dawn M. Smith, Lodi, N.J., to Jackie N. Silfee, Union Dale; two parcels at 113 Rutland Ave., Greenfield Twp., for $92,000.

• Patricia A. Bator, Scranton, as executrix of the estate of Anna M. Walsh, Clarks Summit, and individually as heir of Anna M. Walsh; Anna Marie Fuhr, Throop, as heir of Anna M. Walsh; and David Walsh, Clarks Summit, as heir of Anna M. Walsh, to Thomas G. and Patricia A. Bator, Scranton; a property at 1219 Winola Road, Newton Twp., for $81,000.

• Kenneth and Linda Powell, Scott Twp., to Edward L. and Marilyn E. Jankauskas, Greenfield Twp.; a property at Foxtail Village, Archbald, for $204,000.

• Thomas L. and Anita Bizzaro, Jefferson Twp., to Michael A. and Krystle Beauregard, Archbald; a property at 310 Jefferson Blvd., Jefferson Twp., for $177,500.

• Edward L. and Marilyn E. Jankauskas, Lackawanna County, to Lisa and Frank J. Haran, San Jose, Calif.; a property at Newton Lake, Greenfield Twp., for $500,000.

• Ocwen Loan Servicing LLC, attorney-in-fact for U.S. Bank, to Gerard Loeffler; a property on Nicholas Avenue, Old Forge, for $86,000.

• Andrea E. and Joseph E. Yesalavich, Dickson City, to Jerome W. Jr. and Mary Goyne, Lackawanna County; a property at 204 Amherst Drive, Dickson City, for $285,000.

• Charles P. and Judy L. Fiorenza, South Abington Twp., to Mark T. and Jennifer Walter, South Abington Twp.; a property at 417 Brian Drive, South Abington Twp., for $253,400.

• Marc A. and Megan Lynne Arvonio, Jefferson Twp., to Michael Coakley, Lake Ariel; a property at 847 Cortez Road, Jefferson Twp., for $86,500.

• Don P. Marino to Neal and Karen Healy; a property at Big Bass Lake, Clifton Twp., for $92,000.

• Igor and Olga Gorelik to Dmitry and Lyudmila Gorelik; a property at Eagle Lake, Covington Twp., for $65,000.

• Neal and Karen Healy to Barton Roch and Liliana Monica Reinoso Chelbain; a property at Big Bass Lake, Clifton Twp., for $126,500.

• Christopher J. and Megan J. Pless, Roaring Brook Twp., to Billy A. and Kimberly S. Laureano, Madison Twp.; a property at 104 Candy Lane, Roaring Brook Twp., for $155,000.

• Alan Peslak, administrator of the estate of Ann L. Peslak, Peckville, to Erin A. Moskel, Jessup; a property at 336 Maple St., Blakely, for $72,600.

• Frances B. Wall to LG&H Realty LLC; a property at 801 Lackawanna Ave., Mayfield, for $92,000.

• Joan Miller, Clarks Summit, to Kathryn McLane, Scranton; a property at 704 Fern St., Clarks Summit, for $140,000.

• Gerard (deceased) and Carol Hudak to Jonathan W. and Susan Raike; a property at 225 Grayson Drive, Clarks Green, for $252,500.

DIVORCES SOUGHT

• Kahna Beers, Moosic, v. Norman Beers Jr., Gouldsboro; married June 5, 2010, in Harford; Carrie A. Buscarini, attorney.

• Alicia M. Gulla, Forest City, v. Nicole M. DiVecchia, Pittston; married June 24, 2011, in Kent, Conn.; pro se.

• Timothy P. McGurrin, Clarks Summit, v. Kathleen McGurrin, Rehobeth Beach, Del.; married June 29, 1985, in Scranton; Brian J. Cali, attorney.

• Margaret A. Lavelle, Throop, v. William P. Lavelle, Dunmore; married Oct. 7, 1988, in Dunmore; pro se.

STATE TAX LIENS

• JC Square GP LLC, 1380 Mount Cobb Road, Jefferson Twp.; $42,003.53.

• Swift Staffing Pennsylvania LLC, trading as Swift Staffing, 861 Commerce Blvd., Suite 206, Dickson City; $22,609.96.

• VB Restaurant Group, trading as Van Brunt Grill, 109 Van Brunt St., Moscow; $2,768.24.

• Portofino Salon LLC, 240 Penn Ave., Suite 2, Scranton; $1,564.56.

LAWSUIT

• Melissa Mihalich Suvock, 825 Albert St., Dickson City, v. Ashley McAlister and Jeremy Clouse, 559 Chestnut St., Dunmore, seeking in excess of $50,000 and such other relief deemed just, for injuries suffered June 2, 2016, in an automobile accident on the O’Neill Highway, Dunmore; Arthur J. Rinaldi and Christopher P. Cullen, attorneys.

ONLINE: thetimes-tribune.com/courts

PLAINS TWP. — A township woman charged with lying when she reported she had been raped by a Pennsylvania State Police trooper on Tuesday dropped a restraining order alleging a similar sexual assault by another trooper.

Christine A. Cromer, 37, of 237 Maffett St., is facing charges of filing false reports for reporting that Trooper Robert Covington, a Bureau of Gaming Enforcement officer, forced himself on her in November 2016, after she tried to break off a relationship with him.

Police say Cromer, who for months posted fliers and sought to publicize her cause, gave “multiple and inconsistent stories” about the alleged attack in an unmarked police car outside Mohegan Sun Pocono, where she worked at the time as a cocktail waitress.

Prior to being charged, Cromer obtained a temporary sexual-violence protection order against trooper Sgt. Daniel Jones, who interviewed her about the allegations against Covington. In her application, Cromer alleged Jones “forced himself” on her in a car behind the casino.

But in court Tuesday, with a group of investigators prepared to listen intently to her sworn testimony, Cromer announced that she had decided to drop the claim.

Jones’ attorney, William T. Jones of Scranton, said he would “vehemently object” to dismissal, arguing that dismissal would leave a filing that could tarnish the record of a trooper with a “stellar reputation.”

“This matter was filed with one intention: To intimidate a police officer who had nothing to do with the allegations,” William Jones said.

After hearing legal arguments, Senior Judge Linda K.M. Ludgate, visiting from Berks County, said dismissing the complaint with prejudice would allow for the record to be expunged and be in line with legal precedent. Cromer did not oppose that resolution.

According to the charges against Cromer, she told investigators she got into a relationship with Covington that began when the trooper approached her because of her husband’s involvement in the Outlaws Motorcycle Club. Covington offered to take Cromer on a cruise and to protect her, she claimed.

While Cromer claimed Covington had been pursuing her, casino employees reported that she was in fact “infatuated” with Covington, according to police.

Cromer initially denied having a sexual relationship with Covington, but later said they did have consensual sex in the car sometime in August 2016, according to police.

Police further allege that Cromer had no evidence to back up her rape story and could not even provide investigators with Covington’s phone number. Cromer also described the car where the alleged assault took place in as having a front bench seat, when in fact the vehicle has a large center console containing a radio, according to police.

Covington, meanwhile, maintained he had never been in a relationship with her, nor had ever communicated with her outside the casino.

Cromer remains free after posting $30,000 bail following her arraignment last week. She is due back in court for a preliminary hearing today.

Contact the writer:

jhalpin@citizensvoice.com

570-821-2058