A magisterial district judge ruled charges against a former Lackawanna County Prison guard accused of sexually abusing an inmate fall within the statute of limitations for the offenses.

Judge Terrence Gallagher’s ruling means George McHale will face trial in Lackawanna County Court on two counts of indecent assault and one count of institutional sexual assault.

McHale, 50, 513 Florin St., Scranton, is one of seven former guards charged Feb. 14, with sexually abusing female inmates. He is accused of coercing a female inmate to masturbate him on one occasion inside the prison in 2009.

The Times-Tribune does not identify victims of sexual abuse.

McHale’s preliminary hearing was held March 27, but Gallagher postponed ruling pending resolution of a dispute over the statute of limitations.

Each of the charges against McHale ordinarily has a statute of limitations of two years. A section of the law extends the statute by eight years in cases of a government employee who used his or her position to commit a crime.

McHale’s attorney, Joseph Toczydlowski, argued the statute gives prosecutors up to eight years to file the charges. The state attorney general’s office maintained the statute is added on to the existing statute, which means authorities had 10 years to file charges.

Gallagher sided with prosecutors Friday. He cited a 1991 Superior Court that found the extension is added to the existing statute of limitations.

Contact the writer: tbesecker@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9137; @tmbeseckerTT on Twitter

Charges against the seven former Lackawanna County Prison guards:

n George R. Efthimiou, 50, 1121 Loomis Ave., Taylor, one count of institutional sexual assault. His preliminary hearing was rescheduled to 11:45 a.m. April 25, because prosecutors plan to file new charges against him.

n Mark Johnson, 54, 2213 Golden Ave., Scranton, will go to trial on two counts each of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and institutional sexual assault and one count each of indecent assault and harassment.

n George T. McHale, 50, 513 Florin St., Scranton, will go to trial on one count of institutional sexual assault and two counts of indecent assault.

n John Shnipes Jr., 42, 115 Simpson St., Archbald, a former Archbald councilman, will go to trial on six counts of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, four counts of aggravated indecent assault, and two counts each of institutional sexual assault and harassment.

n Jeffrey T. Staff, 42, 459 Wyoming Ave. Apt. 4, Wyoming, will go to trial on one count of institutional sexual assault.

n Paul J. Voglino, 45, 4 Rear Orchard St., Carbondale, two counts of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse. His preliminary hearing is set for 11 a.m. April 25.

n James J. Walsh, 51, 209 Mosswood Road, Roaring Brook Twp., will go to trial on four counts of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse.

BENCH WARRANTS

Judge Thomas Munley has issued the following bench warrants for failure to appear on fines and costs:

• Timothy Eric Bryant, 558 Mary St., Scranton; $1,025.

• Christopher Lee Hogg, 1014 Cherokee Drive, Lake Ariel; $941.

• James Janus Jr., 24 Park Ave., Carbondale; $2,269.50.

• Tyreek Lozano, 901 Archbald St., Scranton; $1,221.

• Thomas Scally, 280 Moriches Road, Saint James, N.Y.; $1,125.05.

• David M. Wentling, 1319 Vine St., Scranton; $1,575.

• Trevon Speed, 2227 Sears St., Philadelphia; $929.04.

• Sirissa Malewich, 216 N. Fourth St., Apt. 4, Allentown; $4,598.

PROPERTY TRANSACTIONS

• Leslie Gregory and John J. McGee, Esq., as co-trustees of the Found Family Trust, Lackawanna County, to Enid Torres and John Medina, Scranton; a property at 1215 Pine St., Scranton, for $172,000.

• Robert and Amanda Fidiam, Roaring Brook Twp., to Patrick F. Cioni, Scranton; a property at 113 Hollow Drive, Roaring Brook Twp., for $150,000.

• Kevin G. and Grace C. Murphy to Oleg and Nataliya Shvartsman; a property in Covington Twp. for $30,000.

DIVORCES SOUGHT

• Patrick Battle, Carbondale, v. Christian Battle, Honesdale; married Feb. 14, 1995; Anne Marie Howells, attorney.

• Jeffrey Briggs, Lake Ariel, v. Alyssa Briggs, Carbondale; married Nov. 24, 2013, in Wayne County; Brenda M. Kobal, attorney.

• Joseph Vosefski, Scott Twp., v. Linda Vosefski, Scott Twp.; married June 6, 1998, in Jermyn; Brian J. Cali, attorney.

ESTATES FILED

• Dorothy T. Collins, 95 S. Church St., Carbondale, letters of administration to Margaret P. LoCicero, 105 Oak Ridge Drive, Hawley.

• Loretta Hyland, 451 Jefferson Ave., Jermyn, letters testamentary to William O’Neill, 160 Drakes Lane, Old Forge.

• Adele A. Budris, 2629 Swetland St., Scranton, letters of administration to Leanne Budris, 94 Clearview Lane, Peckville.

• Julia R. Casey, 403 Old Ridge Road, Archbald, letters testamentary to Michael D. Casey, same address.

• Martha A. Azar, 1216 W. Grove St., Clarks Summit, letters of administration to Rodman Azar, same address.

• Theresa A. Clifton, 327 Oak St., Scranton, letters testamentary to Christine Baer, 216 Decker Road, Greenfield Twp.

LAWSUIT

• Gordon K. and Brittany A. Moe, 121 Willow St., Dunmore, v. Thomas Lavis, 917 Throop St., Dickson City, seeking a sum exceeding the arbitration limits, together with costs and interests of this action on two counts, for injuries suffered April 8, 2017, in an automobile accident on the northbound lane of Viewmont Drive, Scranton; Joseph E. Mariotti, attorney.

ONLINE: thetimes-tribune.com/courts

PROPERTY TRANSACTIONS

• Clayton E. Evans to Glenn M. Heinzmann and Heather S. Heinzmann, property in Lemon Twp. for $275,000.

• Michael G. Bluhm and Heather Bluhm to Michael Purdy and Melanie Purdy, property in Tunkhannock Borough for $160,000.

• Antonina Kochmer and Paul L. Andrade to Borel Builders Inc., property in Overfield Twp. for $33,000.

• Robert M. Ryan, Robert M. Ryan Jr., POA, Hertha E. Ryan and Hertha Evelyn Ryan to Matthew Rakauskas and Marisa R. Rakauskas, property in Clinton Twp. for $272,000.

• Patsy Robinson, executrix, and James R. Robinson, deceased, to David E. Novak, property in Washington Twp. for $60,000.

• Edward Resavy and Alice M. Resavy to Kenneth Karboski and Nicole Balchune, property in Meshoppen Twp. for $6,000.

• Kenneth John Janiszewski Jr. to Amber Coburn and Scott Ramage, property in Tunkhannock Borough for $127,200.

• Caitlin Victoria McDermott, Caitlin V. Allan and Joshua A. Allan to Caitlin V. Allan, property in Exeter Twp. for $1.

• Wyoming County Sheriff, Arlen A. Grieg and Tara M. O’Donnell Grieg to Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency, property in Tunkhannock Twp. for $1,470.

• Paula Ball, executrix, and Paschal Degugliemo, deceased, to Paula Ball, Rosemary Stolarski and Patricia O’Brien, property in Exeter Twp. for $1.

• Paula Ball, executrix, and Paschal Degugliemo, deceased, to Paula Ball, Rosemary Stolarski and Patricia O’Brien, property in Exeter Twp. for $1.

• Paula Ball, deceased, and Paschal Degugliemo, deceased, to Paula Ball, Rosemary Stolarski and Patricia O’Brien, property in Exeter Twp. for $1.

• Frank Michalowski, Theodore Francis Michalowski, executor, and Julie Smith, deceased, to Theodore Francis Michalowski, property in Falls Twp. for $1.

MARRIAGE LICENSE

• Jason Edward Davidson, Dallas, and Angela Marie Bamberger, Dallas.

• Erik Brian Traver, Monroe Twp., and Jamie Lynn Wray, Monroe Twp.

ESTATES FILED

• Carl Gable, late of Tunkhannock Twp., Wyoming County, letters testamentary, Jonathan Gable, executor, administrator, 145 Sunnyridge Ave., Fairfield, Conn.

• Edward C. Smurkowski, c/k/a Edward Charles Smurkowski, late of Meshoppen Twp., Wyoming County, letters testamentary, Scott T. Smurkowski, executor, c/o Aaron D. Hovan, Esquire, 154 Warren St., P.O. Box 336, Tunkhannock.

• Betty Jean Casterline, late of Monroe Twp., Wyoming County, letters testamentary, Darlene Marie Casterline Longmore, executor, c/o Brenda D. Colbert, Esquire, 210 Montage Mountain Road, Suite A, Moosic.

WYOMING COUNTY COURT NOTES appear weekly in the Times-Tribune.

Jermyn property owners with blighted properties can try to stave off significant fines by explaining their out-of-code buildings at tonight’s council meeting.

The borough chose eight properties that are in the worst condition, violating the borough’s maintenance code. The property owners were served with paperwork notifying them to appear at the council meeting at 7 tonight to explain why their properties do not need to be repaired, vacated or demolished, said Councilman Dan Markey.

The selected properties “pose a real threat to public safety and health and welfare” and range from abandoned buildings to homes with collapsed porches to a house with holes in the roof allowing rainwater to leak on electrical wires, Markey said.

The properties pose risks to the community, especially children drawn to explore abandoned properties, emergency personnel and anyone living in the homes, he said.

“It’s sad to say, but if there’s a fire in there, people might not make it out in time,” Markey said. “We don’t want that to happen to anyone.”

Jermyn Fire Chief Ray Rood said he will not send his firefighters into some of the borough’s worst properties that have rotted, unstable floors.

“I’d let it burn before I jeopardize someone’s life,” he said. “They’re dangerous structures. They’re structurally unsound.”

Beginning in January, Police Chief William Arthur went through the town with the borough solicitor and code enforcement officer, William Aquilino, pointing out properties he felt posed the biggest dangers, Markey said.

The borough used process servers to deliver borough code violation notices and letters notifying residents to appear at tonight’s council meeting, Aquilino said. If the properties are not repaired within 60 days of being served and the owners haven’t worked with council, their violations will be forwarded to the magisterial district judge, he said.

Council will work with those who offer a reasonable plan for remediation, Aquilino said.

Property owners could face fines of up to $100 a day until repairs are completed, and even jail time, Markey said. The borough also has the option to condemn and tear down properties if need be, but the process is time-consuming and rather expensive, he said. Markey said he hopes to partner with the Lackawanna County Land Bank for additional funding.

The borough plans to issue more citations to help beautify the community and improve safety for residents and first responders, he said.

“We hope to get to a place where we can feel comfortable that all the property owners in town are doing their part to make sure everything is taken care of,” Markey said.

Jermyn council also will vote tonight to advertise an ordinance that would require borough businesses to register for a yearly business registry for $25 annually. The registry would be used for emergency responses and tax collection purposes, Markey said.

Contact the writer:

flesnefsky@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100 x5181

Duryea

April meeting: Frances Dorrance Chapter of the Society for Pennsylvania Archaeology, Tuesday, 7 to 9 p.m., Municipal Building, 315 Main St., Duryea, Bill Vezendy, speaker. Open to the public and free of charge.

Honesdale

Town hall: Department of Veterans Affairs to host meeting, Wednesday, 5 p.m., Park Street Complex, old cafeteria, 648 Park St., Honesdale. Contact: 570-830-7042.

Moscow

Tasting & Tapas: Church of St. Catherine of Siena “Tasting & Tapas” event, April 27, 7 to 10 p.m., lower level of church, 220 Church St., Moscow. Food, wine, domestic and craft beer, music by Teddy Young Duo, live auction. $25/person in advance, $30 at door. 21 and over. Contact: 570-842-2561.

Old Forge

Planning meeting: Old Forge High class of 1973 meeting, Tuesday, 7 p.m., Arcaro & Genell’s, to continue planning the class reunion being held July 28.

Scranton

Earth day: The Marketplace at Steamtown is hosting Penn State Master Gardeners in Lackawanna County, Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., first floor, center court, 300 Lackawanna Ave. For information, contact 570-963-6842 or email lacka

wannamg@psu.edu.

Arts and culture: Lackawanna County Arts, Culture and Education advisory council, inaugural session, focusing on the Mid and Upper Valleys, April 26, 7 p.m., Six East Diner, 1611 Scranton Carbondale Highway. Open to the public. Contact: 570-963-6590, ext. 102, arts-culture@lackawan

nacounty.org.

Shredding event: State Rep. Marty Flynn sponsoring shredding event for residents of the 113th Legislative District, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., April 28, at his district office in Jay’s Commons, 409 N. Main Ave. Residents encouraged to bring documents that contain personal information. Event is free for residents. Contact: 570-342-4348.

Thompson

Roast beef supper: Thompson United Methodist Church roast beef supper, April 28, take-outs, 4:30 p.m., dine-in, 5, 586 Main St.

Throop

Beef dinner: Throop United Church roast beef dinner, May 5, 136 Charles St., takeouts, 2-4 p.m., and home-style dinner, 4-7 p.m., $11/adults and $5.50/children; 570-489-3352 or 570-487-4664.

West Scranton

Reunion meeting: West Scranton High School class of 1978 40th class reunion planning meeting, April 25, 7 p.m., Waldorf, East Mountain, reunion is set for Sept. 2 at the Waldorf Tiki Bar.

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

With the haze of coal smoke long gone, ozone smog is at its best-ever levels in Luzerne County, according to the American Lung Association’s annual State of the Air report.

That report also contains good news for much of Northeast Pennsylvania.

The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre/Hazleton metropolitan area made the “cleanest cities” list for daily measure of fine particle pollution for the third straight year, according to a news release the lung association issued Wednesday.

Luzerne County matched its best-ever levels for ozone, according to the report, which gives results for three measures of air pollution: days with elevated ozone, and daily and annual values for fine particle pollution.

Lackawanna County, the only county in the region with official monitoring of the daily measure of fine particle pollution, for the ninth straight year equaled or improved upon the previous year’s performance, the report states.

For the third straight year, Lackawanna earned an “A” grade, with zero days of unhealthful air quality.

However, not all of the news about the region in the report was good.

Lackawanna County posted its worst levels of ozone in three years, though it still achieved a passing grade, according to the report.

That is consistent with a trend toward increasing ozone levels among cities throughout the United States, the report states.

The annual State of the Air report provides a report card on the two most widespread outdoor air pollutants: ozone pollution, also known as smog, and particle pollution, also called soot, according to the news release.

Ozone and particle pollution are dangerous to public health and can increase the risk of premature death and other serious health effects such as lung cancer, asthma attacks, cardiovascular damage, and developmental and reproductive harm, the news release states.

To read the report, go to: http://www.lung.org/assets/documents/healthy-air/state-of-the-air/sota-2018-full.pdf.

Contact the writer:

emark@citizensvoice.com;

570-821-2117

SWOYERSVILLE — Damien Shrader plays T-ball and isn’t old enough for kindergarten, but the 4-year-old was recently summoned for jury duty in Luzerne County Court.

County officials were quick to share a laugh with the Swoyersville boy’s family over the mistaken summons — even writing him an official letter excusing him after they showed up at the courthouse with the document earlier this week.

“He went to preschool that day. He said he was too busy to go to the courthouse,” Damien’s mother, Desiree Shrader, said Wednesday.

Courthouse officials say the boy’s name was included in a jury pool list provided by the state, which doesn’t include ages.

The summons, requesting Damien’s appearance for jury duty on May 21, arrived at Damien’s great-grandmother’s home in Shavertown on Saturday while Shrader and her husband were at work.

The family hoped it wasn’t a case of identity theft and figured it was just an innocent mistake.

Damien, who turned 4 on Christmas, didn’t seem to care about his request to show up in court.

“We kind of laughed about it and told him he had to go to jury duty and he just looked at us,” Shrader said. “The only thing he’s ever gotten in the mail was a letter from Santa Claus, so he had no interest in this.”

When they visited the courthouse, the Shrader family was assured the summons was an innocent error due to Damien’s name being provided by the state.

County officials say the state compiles names for jury pools from various sources, such as voter rolls, driver’s licenses, public assistance applications and tax documents.

Since the summons was sent to Damien’s great-grandmother’s house, it is assumed a series of stocks she purchased in his name — and taxes associated with them — caused his name to appear in the jury pool.

When the county gets names and addresses from the state, the person’s age is not included to prevent discrimination, said Luzerne County Court Administrator Michael A. Shucosky.

The county then uses an automated system to pick prospective jurors. They send out more than 23,000 notices each year and run into a situation like these maybe every other year, Shucosky said.

Contact the writer:

bkalinowski@citizensvoice.com,

570-821-2055, @cvbobkal

LAKE TWP. — A Preston Park man faces charges after he destroyed a woman’s property worth more than $5,000, state police said.

On Sunday, Andrew Dean Zimar, 28, smashed mirrors, appliances, walls and windows belonging to Mary Ann Clayton, of Hawley, according to state police.

Police located him in the Scranton area and arranged his arrest.

Zimar destroyed Clayton’s property while out on $25,000 unsecured bail for a domestic violence incident in late December involving Clayton’s daughter, state police said. He pleaded guilty to simple assault, according to court dockets.

He faces a criminal mischief charge — a felony.

Zimar is in Wayne County Prison in lieu of $50,000 bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Wednesday .

— FRANK WILKES LESNEFSKY

PITTSTON TWP. — These four apprentices are earning while they are learning.

Paul Smith, Zubair Bin Abdul Waahid, Tyler Zaykoski and Adam Wellard, are Luzerne County Community College students who receive paychecks from Greiner Packaging in Pittston Twp., where they get on-the-job training. Greiner Packaging also pays for them to go to college.

The state Department of Labor and Industry Deputy Secretary for Workforce Development Eileen Cipriani toured Greiner on Wednesday and learned about the program.

Gov. Tom Wolf recently announced Greiner would receive a $75,000 pre-apprenticeship/apprenticeship grant.

It was one of $3.5 million in grants Wolf announced to support pre-apprenticeship and registered apprenticeship programs throughout the state to provide workers with the training they need to get good, middle-class jobs.

Cipriani said the grant was part of a “major priority of the governor to develop a workforce in Pennsylvania.”

“What we hear from businesses is they are having a hard time finding skilled workers,” she said.

In manufacturing facilities throughout Pennsylvania, 56 percent of the employees are over age 45, she said.

“A lot of people are aging out. Our younger population is declining in Pennsylvania. In rural areas, we have significant public transportation issues getting people to work,” she said. “We also have younger folks who are not really focused on manufacturing or the trades.”

While the average salary in the manufacturing industry in Pennsylvania is $60,000 a year, Cipriani said. “We have an issue where we are trying to get people interested in these occupations.”

She said an advantage of apprenticeship programs is there is reduced or no cost and young people aren’t saddled with a big college debt.

She praised the apprentices at Greiner for “thinking creatively” and being on the right track to successful careers.

David Kirkland, president of Greiner, said it is a struggle to fill open positions with skilled workers and the apprenticeship program will offer a return on the company’s investment.

Apprentices have the opportunity to advance in the company, Kirkland said. He started his career as an apprentice with Greiner Packaging UK in Northern Ireland and worked his way up to president of the company.

Wolf has proposed to invest $50 million in an initiative called “PAsmart” which would include $7 million to help double the number of apprentices in the state by 2025.

Contact the writer:

dallabaugh@citizensvoice.com, 570-821-2115, @CVAllabaugh

April 19, 1968

Public defender office in works

The Office of Economic Opportunity informed attorney Thomas Kennedy, director of the Lackawanna County Legal Aid and Defender Association, they were to stop providing criminal defense to those who could not afford an attorney. The association received funding from the federal agency. Kennedy said the association would still provide assistance with civil cases.

Following the federal agency’s edict, Lackawanna County announced in the coming weeks it will establish a public defender office. The office would have five lawyers to provide a defense for those who could not afford to pay for their own defense. The county estimated it would cost $42,000 a year to run the office. Attorney Walter Hill Jr. was heading the search for attorneys for the new office.

Wind topples Army helicopter

Wind toppled an Army helicopter at the Scranton Municipal Airport in Schultzville on April 18. The helicopter’s pilot, Capt. William Hoffman of Clarks Summit, escaped serious injury in the weather-related accident.

Fun for the weekend

At the clubs: “The Gas Company” and “The Remains” performed at What’s Happening A Go-Go in Scranton; Comedian Bob Melvin and singer Chubby Checkers performed at Mount Airy Lodge in Mount Pocono; “The Fortunes” performed at the Plantation Room in Scranton; the Bill Black Combo performed at the El Dorado in Scranton.

At the movies: “Doctor Dolittle” and “The Sound of Music” at the West Side, “In the Heat of the Night” at the Comerford, “Five Million Years to Earth” and “The Viking Queen” at the Mid-Valley Drive-In and “The Bible” at the Comerford Drive-In in Dupont.

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.

SCRANTON — An art teacher at Scranton High School. A sixth-grade teacher at West Scranton Intermediate School. An English teacher at West Scranton High School. A special education teacher. All will have jobs in the Scranton School District next year despite a plan to lay off teachers to save money.

Scranton also will maintain a part-time high school family and consumer science teacher who will instruct two classes, but will lay off assistants in the district, administrators announced during board committee meetings Wednesday.

To help balance the 2018 budget, the district, which is under state financial watch, planned to lay off 51 teachers, saving more than $300,000 in the first half of the 2018-19 school year.

“We had quite a bit of staffing discussions this past week, and we had PFM come in and look at our high school schedules,” said Superintendent Alexis Kirijan, Ed.D. PFM is the district’s state appointed financial monitor.

Through those meetings and meetings with high school principals and changing the high schools boundaries — about 90 students from South Scranton are set to attend West Scranton High School next year — officials decided to reduce the number of layoffs, said Bill Gaynor, district chief human resource officer.

Now an additional $60,000 to $70,000 will need to be budgeted for the first half of 2018 and $250,000 for a full year to account for the saved positions, assistant business manager Pat Laffey said.

Scranton will however “furlough” one hall monitor, 5 gym and pool assistants and 2 library clerks, Gaynor said Wednesday.

The teachers are not aware of the changes yet.

“We just did all of the fine tuning this week and it should be another week before we put out final plan,” Kirijan said.

Directors on Wednesday also questioned Gaynor if any non-district or retired employees are receiving health insurance and Chief Operations Officer Jeff Brazil how many vehicles are in the district’s fleet and what they’re used for.

The Times-Tribune reported former fleet manager, Dan Sansky, was paid $476,967 between 2009 and 2013 for work on several district vehicles by submitting vague invoices often for general repairs. Sansky and his wife also received health benefits despite not being district employees.

“We need assurance that this will never happen again in relation to the fleet manager’s benefits,” said director Mark McAndrew.

Director Paige Gebhardt Cognetti both in a previous email and at the meeting Wednesday, asked Gaynor if “anyone is receiving benefits from the Scranton School District who is not an employee or retired and no longer eligible for the level of benefits they are receiving.”

“There are no non-employees,” said Gaynor, “Only retirees, employees and dependents receiving benefits.”

Cognetti also asked how the district recoups funds and how much money the district is owed “by individuals who may have enjoyed outside benefits.”

“As of right now there is no one who is delinquent as far as paying for their health care,” Gaynor responded, and said “there is one case and there is potential litigation” but did not explain further.

“We want you to know this is part of our work and we are watching and monitoring, I want the board to know that,” added Kirijan.

From Brazil, McAndrew asked for a list of current district vehicles and their use.

Regarding the vehicles, Brazil said Scranton currently has 28 vehicles. They include a trailer for groundskeeping; the district’s STEAM mobile; four or five food service trucks that are maintained by Aramark, the district’s food service supplier; a pack master and recycling truck; two dump trucks with plowers and spreaders; vans assigned to the district’s carpenter, plumber and painter; two small delivery vehicles, one for the IT department and another used to deliver mail; two supervisors vehicles; a pick-up truck; a stake body truck; and a bucket truck.

Director Robert Casey Jr. asked Bill Gretton , a representative from PFM, if the fleet was average for the size of the district.

“Your fleet is not overly extensive,” said Gretton, who has worked with districts across the state.

Brazil said the vehicles are stored at Memorial Stadium and him, along with day supervisor Joe Slack, drive the vehicles.

McAndrew also asked if any of the vehicles were stored at Sansky’s garage, Danny’s Auto in South Scranton.

“No,” said Brazil.

Casey than asked who now services the vehicles.

“Minor things are done in house,” said Brazil “The major things... we get quotes.”

He also added that some of the vehicles are still under warranty and are serviced at dealerships.

The district has established a spread sheet to document any work done to district vehicles, Brazil said.

Also at the meeting, the administration said that intermediate school sports including boys and girls basketball, baseball and softball, will be available next year.

“Bottom line is the middle sports program will continue and we will do logistical changes to save some funds and work within the budget we have,” Kirijan said.

The board meets again for a special meeting to approve borrowing money to balance the 2018 budget and a work session to follow Monday at 6:30 p.m. in the district administration building board room.

Contact the writer: kbolus@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100 x5114; @kbolusTT on Twitter

The New York Yankees stepped up to the plate Wednesday for a bullied Scranton girl.

A 2½-minute video posted Wednesday morning to the baseball team’s Twitter features an assortment of silent team members holding up messages to fourth-grader Cassidy Warner. Cassidy’s Facebook video about bullying earlier this month drew national attention and garnered a message of support from actor Hugh Jackman and a live CNN interview.

In Cassidy’s video, she holds up white sheets of paper with descriptions of bullying she said she’s endured at John Adams Elementary School.

The video came to the team’s attention during their free time in Detroit over the weekend, when their games against the Tigers were postponed due to the weather.

“It tugs at your heart and you feel for the girl,” Jason Zillo, the team’s spokesman, said. “I’m lucky enough to be in position to work with some players that get it. We kind of put the Yankees engine to work.”

Many of the players offered a few kind words of support for Cassidy.

Hey Cassidy - we saw the video you made and from all of us here at the New York Yankees, we want you to know that you are not alone. We have your back! https://t.co/uuRb0ghzf1 pic.twitter.com/V2EeuJ1YmW

— New York Yankees (@Yankees) April 18, 2018

Here's a transcript of the video:

Aaron Judge: “You are not alone! Count the New York Yankees among your friends!”

Gary Sanchez: “Got your back!!!”

Giancarlo Stanton: “There are 25 of us on this team! And we all …”

Sonny Gray: “Got your back!!!!”

Center fielder Aaron Hicks hinted at lunch with the team in their clubhouse in his card.

Zillo said the team is looking forward to giving her the same messages of encouragement in person.

“We’re going to make sure that she can hear the words, face to face, with a lot of these guys in the near future,” Zillo said.

Here's a transcript of the video:

CC Sabathia: “Dear Cassidy. My name is CC Sabathia and I play baseball for the New York Yankees. My teammates and I wanted you to know that we care about you.”
Didi Gregorius: “We know sharing your story must have been difficult. But you showed courage.”
David Robertson: “And strength. And inspired us to reach out to you.”
Greg Bird: “We may be older than you. We may be taller than you.”
Dellin Betances: “But we want you to know, that we look up to you.”
Aaron Judge: “You are not alone! Count the New York Yankees among your friends!”
Aaron Hicks: “You can sit next to us at lunch anytime!!! In fact, we are saving a seat for you at our lunch table in the clubhouse.”
Brett Gardner: “Bullying is wrong. We won’t stand for it!”
Luis Severino: “No one should ever be made to feel bad about who they are. We need to care for each other.”
Giancarlo Stanton: “There are 25 of us on this team! And we all …”
Sonny Gray: “Got your back!!!!”
Austin Romine: “Got your back.”
Miguel Andujar: “Te respaldamos!”
Jordan Montgomery: “Got your back!”
Chad Green: “Got your back!”
Gary Sanchez: “Got your back!!!”
Brandon Drury: “Got your back!”
Jace Peterson: “Got your back.”
Chasen Shreve: “Got your back.”
Tyler Wade: “Got your back!!”
Ronald Torreyes: “Te respaldamos!”
Neil Walker: “Got your back!”
Adam Warren: “Got your back!”
Aaron Boone: “See you soon!”

In Cassidy’s video, she holds up white sheets of paper with handwritten descriptions of bullying she claims she has endured at school. Classmates have spit on her, pulled her hair and spilled milk on her jacket. They’ve pushed, kicked and stepped on her. They’ve threatened her life, Cassidy says.

Cassidy’s Facebook page has been suspended, according to her father, likely the result of someone reporting the page for violating a Facebook rule that requires users to be 13 or over to have an account. Cassidy’s mother, Jennifer Slater, reposted the video on her account, and the story went viral.

Contact the writers: jkohut@timesshamrock.com, cfoley@timesshamrock.com; @jkohutTT and @RailridersTT on Twitter

SCRANTON — The Lackawanna County Prison Board on Wednesday discussed at length the possibility of bringing a GED program back to the jail.

The prison has not had a program to help inmates earn their high school equivalency diplomas since 2012, but Warden Tim Betti hopes to bring such a program back and to use inmate canteen funds to pay for it.

In July, the Employment Opportunity Training Center of Northeastern Pennsylvania — which provided the prior GED program at the prison — proposed several options for re-establishing it. The cheapest of those options would cost about $120,000 annually and offer a class of about 20 inmates six GED classes weekly for a three-month period, EOTC re-entry program manager Jane Augustine said, noting four classes could complete the program per year.

While many inmates are incarcerated at the jail for less than the 90-day length of the program, Betti said Wednesday he feels he’d have no trouble filling the classes.

From 2008 to 2012, EOTC enrolled 513 Lackawanna County Prison inmates in GED classes, 475 of which completed the courses offered and 260 of which went on to take the GED exam. Of those that took the test, 72.6 passed, according to EOTC’s July proposal.

“If (inmates) have their GED, obviously the job opportunities are much greater for them,” Augustine said. “I’ve been with EOTC since 2000. … I saw a lot of folks that never thought they’d get a GED and they got it. It changes lives.”

Despite the support of Betti and other officials, it’s still unclear if, when and how the GED program will be reintroduced.

The prison board in June approved a telecommunications contract with Virginia-based Global Tel-Link Corp. that saw the company provide 450 free correctional grade tablet computers that could be loaded with GED materials. Nonetheless, officials have yet to develop policy and procedures on how the tablets will be distributed and won’t distribute them before doing so. Any inmate use of the tablets would be restricted and inmates will not be able to use the devices to go online, officials said.

Representatives from several local inmate advocacy groups spoke in favor of reinstating the GED program at Wednesday’s meeting.

“The value of every single hour of instruction (for) the inmate is a positive benefit to society,” said Ro Hume, coordinator of the NEPA Healthcare Defenders Coalition. “There is a large body of opinion which believes that education of every member of society is a cumulative benefit to the society, and I believe that ... what we do to help provide them (inmates) with knowledge is a benefit that flows back to us incrementally.”

The board will continue to explore the issue.

In other business Wednesday, the board voted unanimously to extend a lease at one of three Scranton apartments that house female work-release inmates contingent upon commissioners’ approval. The $13,200 cost of renting the apartment for one year would be paid using inmate canteen funds. If commissioners ultimately OK the one-year lease, all three female work-release apartments will be leased through May 2019 at no cost to county taxpayers.

Contact the writer:

jhorvath@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9141;

@jhorvathTT on Twitter

Bon-Ton will soon close its locations in the Wyoming Valley Mall in Wilkes-Barre Twp. and the Midway Shopping Center in Wyoming.

Amanda Hoprich, marketing director for the Wyoming Valley Mall, said she did not yet know when the store at the mall will close.

Bon-Ton is one of four anchors at that mall, which also include JCPenney, Sears and Macy’s. Hoprich said some prospects have already express interest in filling the approximate 155,000 square of space that Bon-Ton occupied.

Bon-Ton has been located in the Wyoming Valley Mall since 1987.

— DENISE ALLABAUGH

The Old Forge School Board rehired Superintendent John Rushefski for five years Wednesday, despite a vote three months ago to search for a new district leader.

The motion to rehire Rushefski drew public criticism a day before Wednesday night’s board meeting from School Director Alisha Marmo, who voted along with five others in January to seek other applicants for Rushefski’s job.

The vote Wednesday passed 5-4. Board members Julie Grimes, Megan McCabe, Frank Scavo, Patrick Aulisio and Joan Wilk, the board’s president, voted for him.

Marmo and three other board members — Jenna Jones Shotwell, Christopher Cesare Thomas, and Marie Ciuferri — voted against hiring Rushefski. During the meeting, Marmo said the search to find a new superintendent amounted to a waste of $3,000.

“They know who they wanted and they made it look like they didn’t know who they wanted,” Marmo said.

Scavo, the board member who headed the search committee, said after the meeting that Rushefski offered longevity.

“The whole point is although it’s kind of a split decision ... the board’s willing to let John Rushefski carry on the academic excellence were looking for.”

Rushefski said after the meeting ended that he looked forward to “championing the district” and addressed the contention that surrounded his hiring.

“Those who have concerns, I’m looking forward to proving them wrong,” Rushefski said.

His new contract is for five years, beginning on July 1 and lasting through June 30, 2023. Scavo said that his salary will remain unchanged. His salary for the 2017-2018 school year is about $102,300.

Early in April, the board interviewed seven candidates four an hour each and settled on four finalists by April 12. They were Rushefski, former Mid Valley School District Superintendent Randy Parry, Erin Keating, chief of Leadership Development and School Operations for the Scranton School District; and William Vitulli, principal of Smithfield Elementary in East Stroudsburg.

On Tuesday, Marmo posted to her Facebook page characterizing the search as an “act in futility,” which she said passed over worthier candidates. Marmo wrote that Rushefski has “done things” to gain board support. She did not say specifically what he did, other than to characterize it as “truly unethical and shameful.”

“He has ‘bought’ votes through means of appeasing board members’ lust for personal benefit and control,” Marmo wrote.

Contacted early Wednesday, before the school board meeting, Rushefski emphatically denied he bought votes or did anything to gain board members’ support.

The board hired Rushefski in March 2014. During its January meeting, the board voted 6-3 to not extend Rushefski’s contract. Board President Joan Wilk said at the time that some school directors felt that they should explore other options, though Rushefski could reapply for the position. Rushefski’s contract expires June 30, and the board had to give him 150-days notice they would be seeking other applicants or his contract would renew automatically.

Scavo at the time blasted the decision to look elsewhere as a “vindictive vote” because Thomas had been under investigation by Rushefski and a previous board.

In March 2017, school directors voted to fire Thomas, a former district teacher and principal, though Thomas said he resigned in July. The circumstances for his termination remain undisclosed.

A settlement agreement, which paid $130,000 to Thomas, bars disclosure of the details of his separation, expunged termination documents in his personnel file and compelled Thomas to withdraw complaints made against the district with the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

Thomas has denied any vendetta against Rushefski.

Thomas remained a vocal opponent of Rushefski’s rehiring on Wednesday. He said that Rushefski is in violation of his current contract because he has outside employment.

Rushefski said he has been a part-time employee of Times-Shamrock Communications, which owns the Times-Tribune, since December 2016 and works Saturday night into Sunday morning driving a van out of the company’s plant in Waverly. He said he is not concerned about a conflict with his contract.

KATHLEEN BOLUS, staff writer, contributed to this report.

Contact the writer:

jkohut@timesshamrock.com, 570-348-9144;

@jkohutTT on Twitter

DICKSON CITY — A social media frenzy purporting that religious solicitors in Dickson City stores are secretly a sex-trafficking ring holds no weight, police said.

Posts on Facebook, some with nearly 1,000 shares, as well as Twitter, allege that people from religious groups are approaching shoppers, especially women, at local stores to lure them into a sex-trafficking ring. The posts associate two different religions with the trafficking: a group inviting people to Bible studies and an older man handing out religious pamphlets.

“We don’t have any indication that it’s a sex-trafficking ring,” said police chief Stephen Margeson.

Although no one reported the incidents to the Dickson City Police Department, he said they are aware of the social media posts. He also said the claims are not a major concern for police at this point because the department is “not aware of anything that would actually constitute criminal conduct.”

The World Mission Society Church of God is one such group receiving the ire of social media after a woman posted that the church may be involved in human sex trafficking because members invited her to a Bible study, said church missionary Victor Lozada.

“It’s just sad that we’ve gotten to this point,” he said. “It came from one rumor.”

The church, which began in South Korea in 1964, has members worldwide, including in Scranton, with its nearest location in the Pocono Dome in Hamilton Twp., Monroe County, he said. As part of its ideology, the church teaches members to spread their message of God anywhere “in season or out of season,” he said.

“As Christians, we should always be ready to share the message,” Lozada said.

As a result, it’s not uncommon for members to approach others while shopping, and members of the church do invite others to Bible studies, he said.

“It’s creating a false sense of emergency,” Lozada said. “It’s like yelling fire in a theater. It doesn’t help anybody.”

Contact the writer:

flesnefsky@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100 x5181

WILKES-BARRE — The unusual sleeping defense put on by a suspended Pennsylvania State Police trooper accused of fondling a young girl paid off Wednesday when a Luzerne County judge tossed the case, finding prosecutors had not shown “one scintilla of evidence” that he was awake at the time.

Citing the repeated statements by the 9-year-old girl that Patrick J. Finn, 47, had been asleep when he groped her at a Wright Twp. home, Judge Michael T. Vough granted a defense motion for acquittal on charges of indecent assault and corruption of a minor after prosecutors rested their case — ending the trial on its second day in an exceedingly rare ruling for a high-profile criminal case.

“This case should never have come to criminal court,” defense attorney Peter Paul Olszewski Jr. said after the ruling. “It wasn’t a crime. There were multiple failures by multiple people and agencies that should have had this case in family court. ... We certainly know that the judge made the right decision and a courageous decision, and we’re appreciative.”

District Attorney Stefanie Salavantis said prosecutors have the “utmost respect” for Vough but are disappointed with the decision.

“Obviously we are disappointed that the case cannot proceed to the jury, but the judge decided the evidence as it came out on the witness stand was not sufficient for the case to go to a jury,” Salavantis said. “His decision in this matter is final and cannot be appealed so, while we will be evaluating what went wrong and what can be improved upon, we have no further litigation decisions to consider.”

The judge issued his ruling Wednesday afternoon after the prosecution rested its case, prompting a large contingent of Finn’s supporters broke out in cheers and applause.

The girl’s mother meanwhile, quickly exited the courtroom in tears, accompanied by her boyfriend.

“I’m heartbroken that this little girl did not get justice today,” said the mother, who is not being identified to protect the girl’s identity.

She expressed frustration with a previous ruling by Vough that limited prosecution evidence, including statements by the girl that Finn drinks a lot of alcohol and that she gets scared when he is drinking.

“I was handcuffed by the judge and by the defense attorney to not give the entire story,” she said, tearing up. “And now I have to go home and tell my little girl what happened. And it’s not fair.”

Finn, a Mountain Top native who was assigned to a state police barracks in Carlisle, was accused of groping the girl’s buttocks and chest after crawling into bed with her at a South Main Road home 3 a.m. Dec. 4, 2016. On Tuesday, the girl, now 10, testified that Finn began touching her buttocks and chest while “using curse words.”

“He said, ‘I want to blank you,’” the girl said.

But she also admitted under cross-examination that Finn had been asleep, and that she believed he had mistaken her for his girlfriend.

The prosecution’s final witness, Wright Twp. police Chief Royce Engler, also acknowledged the girl had on multiple occasions told investigators Finn had been asleep and appeared to have mistaken her for his girlfriend.

Earlier Wednesday, the defense seized on a protection-from-abuse application the mother — who is a former intimate partner of Finn’s — completed several hours after the girl told her what happened during the night. The application discusses the alleged fondling, but fails to reference the girl’s belief that Finn had been sleeping.

“I think that’s what she believes, but I don’t believe it,” the mother said from the stand.

The mother initially maintained that the omission was the result of compacting a lengthy narrative into a tight space on the restraining order application.

“I just wrote what I could remember,” she said.

But Olszewski then produced a copy of the application, saying she had “plenty of room” as he showed jurors she had in fact left several blank lines below her narrative — as well as an entire second page that was untouched.

Asked whether her previous statement was inaccurate, the mother said she had been mistaken.

“It was a year and a half ago,” she said. “That’s what I remembered.”

The mother’s boyfriend, who is also a Pennsylvania State Police trooper, also took the stand Wednesday and testified that he had instructed her about what to write in the application. The trooper told jurors he didn’t tell her to include the part about Finn being asleep because he thought the girl had been mistaken about it.

“I did not believe the sleeping to be factually relevant,” the trooper said.

The defense never put on a case. After the prosecution rested, Olszewski made the motion for acquittal, arguing the commonwealth failed to prove Finn engaged in “intentional or knowing conduct.”

“Their only witness to the incident testifies repeatedly and without equivocation that the defendant was asleep,” Olszewski said. “Pat Finn never said to anybody that he was asleep, that he thought it was (his girlfriend). This came from the commonwealth’s only witness to the alleged incident.”

Assistant District Attorney Angela Sperrazza argued that despite the girl’s testimony, circumstantial evidence indicates Finn was awake — for example, he was talking to the girl during the encounter. The prosecutor argued that the matter should be left so the jury could “contextualize” what the girl described.

“She thinks he’s asleep. She doesn’t know he’s asleep,” Sperrazza said. “I think there is clear evidence that it goes to a jury.”

But after a brief break, Vough returned to the bench and granted the acquittal.

“In this case, the key is a ‘voluntary act,’” Vough said. “All of (the victim’s) testimony was credible. ... There is not one scintilla of evidence presented by the commonwealth that Mr. Finn was awake.”

Contact the writer:

jhalpin@citizensvoice.com

570-821-2058

SCRANTON — The Central Scranton Expressway could reopen sooner than expected because of an unexpected twist during demolition of part of the old Harrison Avenue Bridge over the expressway.

The southern span of the three-span, almost-100-year-old former bridge collapsed in a pile of rubble onto the expressway as a contractor tore it down about 5 a.m. today, said James May, a state Department of Transportation spokesman.

“No one was hurt, but it was pretty unexpected,” May said. “I think this should dispel the naysayers who tried to argue we should leave the old bridge standing.”

Some people have argued for preserving the old bridge as a walking bridge, but PennDOT officials said it was in bad shape and needed lots of expensive upgrading just to make it safe for pedestrians.

With the span down, mostly removing rubble remains, meaning the expressway could reopen before the originally scheduled time, Monday at 6 a.m., May said. The expressway closed Wednesday about 8 p.m.

He does not know when the expressway might be ready to reopen, he said. The span connected to the bridge’s middle span, which is over Roaring Brook Creek, and South Scranton.

Even before the collapse, crews expected rubble to drop onto the expressway so they laid down a foot of earth to limit damage to the road surface. The expressway’s condition remains unknown for the moment.

The work is the first of a three-phase demolition. The second phase will take down the span between the middle span and the Hill Section later this month. Perhaps as early as mid-May, an implosion will take down the middle span, which is widest and contains its distinctive arch. The exact date will depend on the creek remaining at low water flow because will drop onto an earthen bed piled in the creek.

Construction of the new bridge began in late 2014 and it opened Dec. 8. Its overall cost doubled as problems emerged during construction.

Check back for updates.

Contact the writer: bkrawczeniuk@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9147; @BorysBlogTT on Twitter.

A Pennsylvania Lottery Cash 5 ticket that won the $400,000 jackpot was sold in Luzerne County.

The ticket matched all five balls drawn, 5, 12, 14, 21 and 38 and was sold at Sunoco at 581 Market St., Kingston.

Sunoco will earn a $500 bonus for selling the winning ticket.

According to the Pennsylvania Lottery, the winner cannot be identified until the prize is claimed and the ticket is validated.

Cash 5 prizes expire one year from the drawing date.

Pennsylvania Lottery officials encourage the ticket holder to sign it, call the lottery at 717-702-8146 and file a claim at the nearest lottery office.

More than 34,200 other Cash 5 tickets also won prizes in the drawing. Players should check every ticket every time, and claim lower-tier prizes at a lottery retailer.

Last year, lottery players in Luzerne County won more than $92.2 million in prizes and programs that benefit older residents received more than $35.7 million in lottery funds.

WILKES-BARRE TWP. — The Sears store and Sears Auto Center at the Wyoming Valley Mall will close.

Sears spokesman Howard Riefs confirmed that Sears officials announced to store associates this morning that they needed to make a “difficult, but necessary decision” to close.

The Sears store will close to the public in mid July 2018 and the Sears Auto Center in mid-May. Until then, they will remain open for customers. The store will begin its liquidation sale on April 27.

“We have been strategically and aggressively evaluating our store space and productivity and have accelerated the closing of unprofitable stores as previously announced,” Riefs said in an emailed statement. “This is not an effort solely aimed at cost savings but is part of a strategy we have been executing against as many of our larger stores are too big for our needs.”

Riefs said having fewer stores and the right format will help “us bring Sears Holdings to a size and place to meet the realities of the changing retail world.”

“We understand that members may be disappointed when we close a store, but our ‘Shop Your Way’ membership platform, websites and mobile apps allow us to maintain these valued relationships long after a store closes its doors,” he said. “As a result, we hope to retain a portion of the sales previously associated with this store by maintaining our relationships with the members who shopped this location.”

The announcement of Sears closing its store at the mall follows Bon-Ton’s plan to close approximately 260 department stores in 24 states, including locations at the Wyoming Valley Mall and the Midway Shopping Center in Wyoming.

Riefs said the decision to close Sears “was made independent of other events at the mall.”
He would not say how many employees will lose their jobs but he said the associates who are eligible will receive severance and have the opportunity to apply for open positions at other Sears or Kmart stores.

Other Sears locations can be found online at www.sears.com/stores.html.