March 27, 1919

City man arrested

for stealing lingerie

Scranton police arrested Eugene Ballor of Raymond Court for the theft of a considerable amount of women’s lingerie from the home of Mrs. William Brookins, also of Raymond Court.

Ballor told police he took the lingerie because of how fine they were and that he believed he could get a good price for them at a second-hand shop. Police reported the value of the lingerie at $100.

According to police, Brookins was “out enjoying life at the Newport Hotel cabaret” when Ballor entered her home to steal her unmentionables.

Dinner held in honor of

Japanese businessmen

The Klots Throwing Co. hosted a dinner in honor of a group of Japanese silk merchants and producers who were visiting Lackawanna County. The dinner was held at the Scranton Club.

Also attending the dinner were C.A. Belin, W.J. Klots, F.E. Platt, E.J. Lynett and J. Benjamin Dimmick.

While in Lackawanna County,

the delegation of 20 Japanese

businessmen visited the mills operated by Klots in Scranton and Carbondale to learn about how American mills operate.

The delegation planned on visiting mills in Wilkes-Barre before returning to New York.

Shopping list

A bushel of potatoes (50 pounds) was $1.44, two pounds of rice was 19 cents, a can of quality tomatoes was 15 cents, a free pound of sugar with purchase of 10 pounds of rolled oats at 49 cents, a free bottle of Karo Syrup with purchase of 10 pounds of buckwheat flour for 79 cents, a pound of fresh roasted peanuts for 19 cents and a pound of ginger snaps was 14 cents.

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.

A Scranton man is accused of raping a teen girl in Taylor and threatening to hurt her if she didn’t cooperate.

Shawn Iyoob, 47, 234 10th Ave., faces a litany of sex abuse charges, including rape, statutory sexual assault, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and corruption of minors, stemming from several incidents in the borough from November 2016 through July 2018, according to court documents.

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

Borough police spoke with the teen girl, a family member and family friend earlier this month, when the three made a report of sex abuse, police said. At that time, the teen showed investigators a written account of what happened but became so upset, she could not answer questions.

Investigators halted the interview and arranged a meeting a few days later at the Children’s Advocacy Center of Northeastern Pennsylvania. There, the girl told investigators Iyoob groped her several times and recounted instances where he raped and sexually assaulted her, according to court documents. The girl also told authorities Iyoob threatened to hurt her if she didn’t do as he said, police said. The girl was 13 years old at the time the reported abuse occurred, police said.

Magisterial District Judge Joanne Price Corbett arraigned Iyoob on Tuesday morning and set his bail at $250,000. Iyoob is held in Lackawanna County Prison. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Monday.

Contact the writer:

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570-348-9100 x5363;

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By historical standards, Ken Norton has all the credentials for a seat on the Scranton School Board.

Appointed Monday, Norton:

■ Owes almost $27,000 in delinquent garbage fees and property taxes — including nearly $3,000 to the financially distressed school district.

■ Has no experience in education or finance and no clue about the district’s chronic problems, let alone how to solve them.

■ Prefers to ignore urgent problems until they are magically solved.

The board voted 7-1 to appoint Norton, with Director Paul Duffy casting the lone lot against replacing Gopal Patel with another monkey wrench in the gears of progress. In December, the board appointed Patel without seeking applicants or allowing for public comment — a violation of the state’s Sunshine Act.

Asked by Duffy to identify the district’s biggest financial challenge, Norton had no answer. Nor could he cite the size of the district’s 2019 budget. In fact, none of the four candidates knew the answer — $166 million.

Do your homework, people. Seriously.

After he was sworn in, Norton took a seat near Bob Lesh, instantly raising the status of the former board president, GED holder and suspect easily identified by his initials in a recent grand jury report.

“BL” sat a little taller as he welcomed Norton. If Lesh had known about the new guy’s tax problems, he might have hugged him.

It took a Times-Tribune reporter less than an hour to learn that Norton is part of the reason the district is considering dropping pre-kindergarten and other programs.

Confronted with the news, directors gasped. Tom Borthwick, himself appointed to the board in February, said the process should include background checks.

“I wish people — before they applied for these positions — considered their situations,” Borthwick said. “Inevitably, it will come out.”

Considering his situation, I asked Norton what drove him to apply. He said he wants his grandchildren to get a good education in Scranton. If he’s sincere, he’ll resign immediately.

Norton’s history of blowing off his bills and taxes mirrors the bad habits that brought the district to the brink of ruin. Norton said a disagreement over the size of his West Scranton home is the root of his garbage bill deliquency.

The city counts it as a duplex and charges two $300 annual garbage fees, Norton explained. He insists it’s a single-family home and should only be charged one fee. Sounds reasonable, if you ignore that Norton doesn’t pay any garbage fee — single or double, and hasn’t for at least 17 years.

Norton says the city periodically hassles him about the bill, but keeps picking up his trash. Why? I could hear Norton shrug.

“I put it out and they pick it up,” he said.

Just like magic. Norton acknowledged that people who pay their bills are bound to cry foul, but he has no intention of resigning. Norton’s term expires in December. He said he plans to be caught up on his bills by “sometime in August.”

No one on the board would commit to demanding Norton’s resignation, or voting to remove him.

Facing the most important financial decisions in the district’s history, the board embraced a deadbeat who makes Bob Lesh look presidential.

CHRIS KELLY, the Times-Tribune columnist, pays his taxes and fees. Contact the writer: kellysworld@timesshamrock.com, @cjkink on Twitter. Read his award-winning blog at timestribuneblogs.com/kelly.

SCRANTON — A Moscow doctor with a practice in Scranton will serve up to 23 months in prison for overprescribing narcotics to two of his patients.

Louis C. Adamo, M.D., 61, 1616 Whitetail Run, pleaded guilty in December to one felony count of prescribing outside accepted treatment principles.

The other counts, which included prescribing to a known drug-dependent person, were dropped.

Lackawanna County Judge Michael J. Barrasse sentenced Adamo on Tuesday to 11 months to a year and 11 months in prison followed by five years of probation and 1,000 hours of community service.

The state attorney general’s office launched an investigation after DePietro’s Pharmacy in Dunmore contacted police over concerns about one of Adamo’s patients frequently trying to fill prescriptions.

The investigators found that, between September 2015 and March 2016, Adamo prescribed thousands of oxycodone pills to two patients. For part of that time, one of the patients received 240 pills every eight to 10 days, filling prescriptions at six different pharmacies, according to an investigation by Agent A.J. Casarella of the state attorney general’s office.

Before Tuesday’s sentencing, the court received about 40 letters of recommendation about Adamo’s good character and his attorney, Paul Walker, stressed that Adamo was “not out there seeking” cash.

“He never received additional compensation,” Walker said. “It just got out of control with two patients.”

“We’ve known for 20 years the addictive properties of these drugs,” Barrasse replied. “How could you not recognize the risk?”

Contact the writer:

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570-348-9100, x5365;

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SCRANTON — Lackawanna County received a $351,000 state grant Tuesday to improve pedestrian safety on a section of busy Lackawanna Avenue downtown marred by a crumbling retaining wall and lack of a sidewalk near a bus stop.

The Lackawanna Avenue retaining wall/sidewalk grant was one of five multimodal transportation grants totaling $1.45 million, state Sen. John Blake, D-22, Archbald, said in a statement announcing the grants.

“These important projects will improve our transportation infrastructure and make our downtowns safer for pedestrians in high-traffic areas,” Blake said.

The county plans to replace the retaining wall and install a sidewalk along Lackawanna Avenue where it meets Jefferson Avenue, near the Radisson at Lackawanna Station Hotel and bus stop. Work is tentatively scheduled to begin in mid-June and end by November, county spokesman Joseph D’Arienzo said.

Michael Kearney, general manager of the Radisson, welcomes the streetscape upgrade. Kearney has seen

mothers pushing baby carriages forced to walk in the street, and snow plows splash people waiting at the bus stop.

“It’s a large safety issue that’s going to be cured. There’s no sidewalk leading to the bus stop,” Kearney said. “That bus stop is a hazard. People are just walking in middle of the road. The sidewalk just ends.”

The other four multimodal grants and recipients include:

$624,484, Pittston Twp., for reconstruction of severely deteriorated areas of Enterprise Way, the main road serving CenterPoint Commerce & Trade Park West.

$225,000, Olyphant, to improve crosswalks and traffic signals at three intersections in the business district.

$151,236, Dupont, for replacement and expansion of one-lane Collins Creek Bridge on Walnut Street. The bridge’s narrow width and weight limit pose safety issues for larger vehicles, such as emergency vehicles, school buses and delivery trucks.

$98,280, Lackawanna Heritage Valley Authority, for final designs of a new 1.07-mile trail section in the Lackawanna River Heritage Trail near Meredith Street in Carbondale, to close a trail gap there.

Contact the writer:

jlockwood@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9100 x5185;

@jlockwoodTT on Twitter

A batch of 29 other grants totaling $2.8 million from Local Share Account casino gaming funds for projects throughout Lackawanna County were also announced Tuesday.

They are:

$400,000, Jefferson Twp., for extending its Jefferson Park Drive entrance road to a 40-acre recreational property.

$346,000, Madison Twp., for the purchase of a new fire truck.

$314,540, Archbald, for construction of Archbald Veterans Monument Park.

$329,000, Moosic, to renovate the municipal building.

$310,000, Valley View School District, to replace the middle school roof.

$200,000, Pennsylvania Northeast Regional Railroad Authority, for engineering in the Lackawanna Cutoff Rail Restoration Project, to restore passenger rail service between Scranton and New York City.

$100,000, Electric City Trolley Museum, to restore an original 1929 Scranton Trolley Car 505 for excursions.

$80,000, Scranton Civic Ballet, for roof repair and replacement.

$78,960, NeighborWorks Northeastern Pennsylvania, for conversion of a former credit union branch building into the NeighborWorks Homeownership Center and administrative headquarters in Scranton.

$70,000, Scranton Police Department, to buy a K9 vehicle and dog trained in patrol work and explosives detection.

$60,000, South Abington Twp., toward purchase of a new truck with a plow and a police vehicle.

$50,000, Moscow, for the Church Street Sanitary Sewer Extension project.

$50,000, Scranton Veterans Memorial Park, for creation of a monument listing all veterans who died while serving since World War I.

$50,000, Victor Alfieri Society, to complete renovations at its social club building in Scranton.

$36,066, Scranton Cultural Center at the Masonic Temple, for upgrades to original 1930 Otis elevators.

$35,000, Clarks Green, to buy street and maintenance trucks.

$35,000, Shopa Davey VFW, to complete renovations and roof repairs at the building in the Peckville section of Blakely.

$30,000, Minooka Athletic Association, to renovate the fieldhouse and dugout.

$30,000, Scranton Tomorrow, to buy equipment for a curb appeal initiative.

$29,842, Lackawanna Heritage Valley Authority, for purchases of an ATV, trailer, mid-size riding mower and brush hog, for Lackawanna River Heritage Trail’s Keeping it Clean and Green program.

$27,000, William Hopkins American Legion Post 570, to complete upgrades to its facility in Blakely.

$25,304, Lackawanna County, for the Veterans Resource Coalition Housing Initiative which will provide permanent housing for up to eight veterans on Prospect Avenue in Scranton, to alleviate homelessness and provide assistance in obtaining employment.

$25,000, Olyphant, for construction of a Freedom Fighter Memorial, a stainless-steel statue near the train station.

$23,000, Holy Rosary Basketball Association, to renovate the restrooms, gym and stairwells at the Holy Rosary Center in Scranton.

$20,000, West Scranton Little League, for ballfield renovations.

$19,000, Tripp Park Civic Association, for improvements to the Tripp Park Community Center in Scranton.

$16,000, Camp Freedom, for the purchase and installation of a chair lift at the camp property in Carbondale Twp.

$15,158, Abington Heights School District, for district-wide security upgrades.

$10,000, Abington Area Joint Recreation Board, for improvements to Hillside Park.

Archbald

Fundraising event: Archbald Borough Veterans Monument Park fundraising pasta dinner, Saturday, noon-4 p.m., Eynon VFW Post 7963, 284 Main St., Eynon, accepting donations of money, gift certificates and gift baskets to be raffled off at the dinner can be dropped off Friday or Saturday morning, monetary donations can also be made on www.abvmp.org.

Dunmore

Knights meet: Dunmore Knights of Columbus meeting, Tuesday, 6 to 7 p.m., St. Mary of Mount Carmel Church Rectory, 322 Chestnut St., parking available in the school parking lot across the street, upcoming events and ideas for new activities will be discussed.

Luzerne County

Bus pilgrimage: Bus pilgrimage day trip to Emmitsburg, Md., May 1, leaving St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish, Swoyersville, $45, includes coach and bag lunch. Reservations/details: Chris Calore, 570-824-5621.

Midvalley

Knights breakfast: Knights of Columbus LaSalle Academy Council 10729 of Jessup/Peckville sausage, egg and pancake breakfast, Palm Sunday (April 14), 8 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Holy Ghost Hall at LaSalle Academy, $9/adults, $4/under 12 and free/6 and under, tickets from members or at door.

Moscow

Tapas event: Church of St. Catherine of Siena annual Tastings & Tapas, April 26, 7-10 p.m., Kelly Hall, lower level of the church, 220 Church St.; $30/person; 570-842-4561.

Olyphant

Bunny breakfast: Olyphant Hose Company 2 all-you-can-eat breakfast with the Easter Bunny, April 13, 8 a.m.-noon, Olyphant American Legion, Willow Avenue, $10/person and free/4 and younger, bring camera to take a picture with the Easter Bunny, advance tickets, 570-489-3473.

Regional

Lenten service: Ecumenical Lenten service, today, 7 p.m., Peckville United Methodist Church, 732 Main St., message by Monsignor Michael Delaney, the Rev. David Repenning is host pastor, fellowship follows.

Scranton

Chapter meets: AARP Chapter 3731 Northeast Pa. meeting, Monday, 1:30 p.m., Asbury United Methodist Church, 720 Delaware St., Visiting Nurse Association will provide free blood pressure screening from noon-1:15 p.m., guest speaker: Mary Endrusick from Neighborhood Works, pasta dinner and basket raffle is set for April 7, 1-3 p.m., Dunmore Senior Center, 1414 Monroe Ave., $10/adults and $6/children, takeouts, noon; Carmela, 570-347-2404.

CLIPBOARD ITEMS may be sent to yesdesk@timessham

rock.com or Clipboard, c/o YES!Desk, 149 Penn Ave., Scranton, PA 18503. YES!Desk, 570-348-9121.

SCRANTON — The city’s downtown is one step closer to becoming more walkable.

City officials seek a firm to help devise an improvement plan to make Scranton more pedestrian-friendly.

The initiative stems from a lecture in December at the University of Scranton by urban design expert Jeff Speck on how to improve the walkability in downtowns, including Scranton’s.

A proponent of the effort, Councilman Wayne Evans, is encouraged by Mayor Bill Courtright’s administration now formally seeking “qualifications/proposals” from firms interested in devising a plan.

Evans calls the effort significant in that it’s all-encompassing and will look at issues involving pedestrians, bicyclists, businesses, traffic flow and parking, to name a few.

“It’s walkability, it’s pedestrian safety, it’s on-street parking, it’s bike lanes, it’s a little bit of everything,” Evans said. “I’m not saying we’re not a good walkable city — we are, better than most — but there’s room for improvements.”

Speck, a city planner, consultant and author of the 2012 book “Walkable City: How Downtown Can Save America, One Step at a Time,” in his lecture made several suggestions, including:

• Re-striping roads to create narrower vehicle travel lanes.

• Eliminate push-button signals for crosswalks and instead have them automatically timed to coordinate with green lights or timed to give pedestrians a head start to cross while all traffic is stopped.

• Eliminate one lane of multilane, one-way streets to slow down and curb jockeying of vehicles among lanes.

• Convert some one-way streets to two-way streets.

• Create four-way stops at two-way intersections.

• Add bicycle lanes in streets, for bikes and to narrow vehicle travel lanes.

• Reduce overall widths of some wider streets, and reduce four-lane areas of Mulberry Street and Wyoming Avenue to three vehicle lanes and a bicycle lane.

“The Jeff Speck lecture really created a lot of positive momentum to take us to this next step” of seeking qualifications/proposals from firms, Evans said.

The city recently issued public notices in The Times-Tribune for a “request for qualifications proposal” for a three-year “connectivity plan” for the downtown, for May 31, 2019, through April 30, 2022.

The deadline for submitting qualifications/proposals is April 24.

“Like many similar cities, Scranton has been witnessing new investment and growth in its downtown core, particularly as millennials and empty-nesters opt into more urban, walkable lifestyles,” the city’s RFQ says. “Experience in other cities suggests that this investment and its positive outcomes will increase as the downtown becomes more accessible and appealing to people walking and biking, and better connected to other activity centers by means other than just driving.”

The city seeks a “full range of solutions” to contemplate, likely involving:

• Changes to the street network, including reconsideration of one-way streets.

• Changes to the number and width of lanes on certain streets.

• Changes to provision and design of turning lanes.

• Changes to signals at intersections.

• Introduction of better and more inviting bicycle lanes.

• Changes to on-street and off-street parking provisions and strategies.

• Changes to parking pricing, policy and management.

• Strategies for connecting key activity centers with multimodal transportation.

• Improving traffic signs.

• Identification of key redevelopment parcels and strategies for their prioritization.

• Identification of other city policies for encouraging downtown growth.

• Incorporating the historic Iron District along Cedar Avenue into the downtown.

• Creating connectivity to the University of Scranton’s sports complex in South Scranton.

Evans does not want a plan to sit on a shelf and gather dust.

After the city receives proposals and selects a firm, and it submits a plan, “the next part is implementation,” Evans said.

Contact the writer:

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570-348-9100 x5185;

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CORRECTION

Dr. Nelson moving

A news brief published on Page C1 on Tuesday incorrectly identified the pediatrician moving his practice from South Abington Twp. to Dickson City. Dr. Anders Nelson is moving to 247 Main St. in the borough.

The new member of the Scranton School Board owes almost $27,000 in back property taxes and garbage fees — including more than $2,900 to the district he now serves.

Kenneth Norton, who lives at 1128 Rundle St. in West Scranton, routinely pays his taxes late and has ignored his garbage bill for more than two decades, tax records and municipal liens show.

The school board voted 7-1 on Monday to appoint Norton to fill the vacant seat. In coming months, with the district in financial recovery, the board will face votes that could include school closures, layoffs or outsourcing.

Directors said they did not know about Norton’s tax issues, or the fact he owes the district money, until contacted by

The Times-Tribune on Tuesday. Norton, 60, blamed the garbage bill on a city error that he has not addressed and said he fell behind on taxes when faced with medical bills for his wife, Barbara, who died in 2017. He said he has no plans to resign from the school board.

The delinquent bills “are on the list to be taken care of,” he said. “I hope to have everything situated by August.”

His outstanding bills include:

n $20,379.15 to the city of Scranton for garbage fees and interest. Norton, who purchased his home in 1984, said the city wrongly classifies his home as a duplex and charges him $600 instead of $300 a year. Norton has not paid anything for garbage pick-up since at least 2002, the oldest records available in the city database. Norton said he went to the city about three years ago and asked for a correction. He has not followed up but said he will soon. Crews still pick up his garbage every week.

The city filed liens in 2016 and 2017 for outstanding fees from 2011 through 2015.

“I would have loved to have gotten that settled a long time ago,” Norton said.

n $2,923.84 to the Scranton School District for 2017 and 2018, $2,209.49 for the city of Scranton for 2016 and 2017, and $1,266.80 for Lackawanna County for 2017 and 2018. If he does not pay his 2017 county taxes by September, his property could be included in an upset tax sale.

On Feb. 19, the city filed a municipal lien for $1,246.25 in owed taxes and fees from 2016. In March 2018, the city filed a lien after Norton did not pay $1,192.50 for 2015 taxes. Norton paid his taxes three months later. For the last decade, he routinely paid his taxes late, usually after the city placed a lien on his property.

Norton said after his wife was injured from a fall in 1997 and suffered from chronic pain, bills started to accumulate. He said he recently paid his late wife’s remaining medical bills and now will focus on paying his taxes.

“We’re playing catch-up, that’s all,” he said.

Norton, a PPL lineman, was one of four people to apply for the school board vacancy caused by Gopal Patel’s resignation last month. Directors said they supported Norton because he wants to focus on the trades and preparing students for careers after graduation. Norton attended several recent meetings, and directors said he seemed vested in the district. Norton said he wants to help create a better education for his two grandchildren in the district.

Directors said while they don’t plan to ask for his resignation, they likely will do a better job vetting applicants’ backgrounds for future board vacancies.

“This is very, very unfortunate,” Director Tom Borthwick said. “I wish people, before they applied for these positions, considered their situations. Inevitably, it will come out.”

Board President Barbara Dixon, Vice President Greg Popil and directors Mark McAndrew and Katie Gilmartin said the district should create a policy to review board applicants’ tax records. The directors said they hope to receive an explanation from their new colleague.

Popil said if the board knew about Norton’s tax issues, the final vote might have been different.

“I apologize for not knowing,” Popil said. “This won’t ever happen again.”

Efforts to reach Directors Bob Lesh, Tom Schuster and Paul Duffy, the lone vote against Norton on Monday, were unsuccessful.

Contact the writer:

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570-348-9133;

@hofiushallTT on Twitter

MARRIAGE LICENSES

• Jerry Austin and Kimberly Rullo, both of Scranton.

• Nadia Taylor McHale and Michael Ivan Masko, both of Dickson City.

PROPERTY TRANSACTIONS

• Brian Bojarsky and Debbie Borusiewicz, now by marriage Debbie Bojarsky, Archbald, to Chad and Lori Bogacz, Tully, N.Y.; a property at 128 S. Cougar Drive, Archbald, for $327,000.

• Charles J. and Joann M. DiSimone to Keith Robert Ayers; two parcels at 720 S. Main St., Taylor, for $169,600.

• Hudson Homes Management LLC, attorney-in-fact for LSF10 Master Participation Trust, Irving, Texas, to 623 Connell Street LLC, Scranton; a property at 623 Connell St., Scranton, for $50,000.

• John Joseph and Linda Ann Joyce to Nathan R. and Crystal E. Kilian; two parcels in Moosic for $128,750.

• Ocwen Loan Servicing LLC, attorney-in-fact for Deutsche Bank National Trust Co., West Palm Beach, Fla., to ER Property Group LLC, Scranton; a property at 1123 W. Gibson St., Scranton, for $35,500.

• Kip F. Chiappini, Eynon, to Rental Depot Inc., Ozone Park, N.Y.; a property at 916 Maple St., Scranton, for $50,000.

DIVORCE DECREES

• Thomas Battle Jr. v. Sabrina Battle

• Joao Andrade De Pina v. Maura Deemer

• Lisa Lucke v. James Lucke

• Michelle Beckhorn v. Brian Beckhorn

• Michael Ephault v. Tara Ephault

• Efrain Rivera-Figneroa v. Maribel Villanueva

• Floyd Celli v. Cheryl Glenn

• Holly Wolo v. John Hunt

• Joan Ann Boino v. Louis Boino

• Christopher Pahoski v. Nicole Pahoski

• Mark Dowling v. Kamilya Dowling

FEDERAL TAX LIENS

• Diane Brechtel, 1859 Newton Ransom Blvd., Clarks Summit; $20,437.19.

• Summa & Iezzi Inc., 38 Line St., Dunmore; $3,136.91.

• Mark and Barbara J. Slocum, 1627 Falls Road, Clarks Summit; $3,169.46.

• Michael Durso, 14 Rockwell Drive, Waymart; $1,410.04.

• Michael and Linda M. Durso, RR 1 Box 16, Carbondale; $2,663.90.

• William T. McDonough, 120 Frank St., second floor, Dunmore; $15,344.93.

ESTATES FILED

• Walter J. Seaboldt Jr., 447 Delaware St., Jermyn, letters testamentary to Deborah J. Seaboldt, same address.

• Doris M. Tomaino, also known as Doris Marilyn Tomaino, 278 Main St., Archbald, letters of administration to Gerald F. Tomaino, 340 Hampton Drive, Archbald.

ONLINE: thetimes-tribune.com/courts

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

Damien Boland, 43, 134 Market St., Moscow, to six months of court supervision, including four days in county prison and 90 days of house arrest, followed by 90 days of probation and a $300 fine for DUI tier one, second offense and harassment.

Austin Vanwert, 21, 1309 Quincy Ave., Dunmore, to 16 days of time served in county prison for disorderly conduct.

Steve Ravina, 28, 748 River St., Apt. 3, Scranton, to two years of probation for resisting arrest.

Jose Berrios-Rosa, 28, 707B Mary Jo Drive, Jessup, to two years of court supervision, including three months of house arrest, and a $500 fine for DUI tier one, third offense.

David Clark, 41, Scranton, to 12 to 36 months in state prison followed by one year of probation and $2,595 in restitution for defiant trespass, possession of drug paraphernalia and theft by unlawful taking.

Gary Lombardo, 50, 209 Battin St., Dunmore, to one year of court supervision, including three months of house arrest, for possession of drug paraphernalia.

Maureen Munn, 57, 69 Crane Road, Lakeville, to one year of court supervision, including three months of house arrest, followed by one year of probation for possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Judge Vito Geruolo sentenced:

Danielle Maillet, 37, 17 Birkett St., Apt. 4, Carbondale, to pay court costs for harassment.

Judge Andy Jarbola sentenced:

Brittany Babcock, 25, 401 Main St., Carbondale Twp., to two years of probation for receiving stolen property.

Samuel Uwimana, 48, 1820 Division St., Scranton, to 53 days of time served in county prison for disorderly conduct.

Judge Margaret Bisignani Moyle sentenced:

Kentlin Hopkins, 48, 113 Green Place, Scranton, to six to 12 months in county prison followed by 90 days of probation for open lewdness and disorderly conduct.

Cloward Grant, 22, 1840 N. Main Ave., Scranton, to four years of court supervision, including six months of house arrest, for conspiracy to commit burglary.

Jesus Nunez-Rosario, 31, 445 Sixth Ave., Scranton, to six months of probation for disorderly conduct.

Michael Patterson, 43, 233 Reese St., Scranton, to one year of probation for making false reports to law enforcement.

Alexandra Derby, 30, 170 Cooks Park, Tunkhannock, to 14 days of time served to one year in county prison for simple assault.

SCRANTON

A Taylor man accused of sexually assaulting a 6-year-old girl waived his preliminary hearing Tuesday, moving the case on to Lackawanna County Court.

Christopher Antoine Ray, 31, was arrested by Taylor police March 19 on charges of having sexual contact with the victim at a borough home between Feb. 1 and March 14.

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

Ray’s arrest followed an investigation that began after the girl disclosed the assault to a relative, police said. He faces charges of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a child, aggravated indecent assault of a child, indecent assault of a person less than 13 and corruption of minors.

Ray remains jailed on $150,000 bail.

— DAVID SINGLETON

OLYPHANT

Incumbent Mid Valley School Director Peter P. Kolcharno withdrew Tuesday as a Republican and Democratic candidate for reelection to an Olyphant school board seat in the May 21 primary election.

Kolcharno’s withdrawal leaves the three Olyphant school board seats uncontested with only three Democrats and two Republicans seeking their party’s nominations. Incumbents Gerald Luchansky and Donna Dixon seek both nominations; Glenn M. Cashuric seeks only a Democratic one.

— BORYS KRAWCZENIUK

BLAKELY

A borough man faces charges of aggravated assault after police say he attacked his girlfriend on Sunday, police said.

Deshawn Lamont Boone, 26, 86 Main St., was arrested after police responded to reports of assault at 502 Main St., Apt. 5., where the victim Amanda Scritchfield was waiting, police said.

Upon arrival, police observed lumps and bruises to her face and eye, blood on her clothing and blood coming from her nose, according to the affidavit.

The victim originally told police that it was Boone’s cousin who attacked her, but later explained that she did so because she felt bad that Boone would be in trouble, police said.

Boone is free on $20,000 unsecured bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for 10 a.m. Tuesday.

— DANIEL ROSLER

GREENFIELD TWP.

A fire that damaged a township home Monday night appears accidental, a state police fire marshal ruled.

Crews from numerous area fire departments responded to 318 Arnolds Road at about 5:50 p.m. Monday after someone in the home discovered flames in the basement. The fire quickly spread through the first and second floors and into the attic.

Two people, Charlotte Haser, 78, and Joseph Haser, 50, were home at the time and escaped safely, troopers said. No other injuries were reported.

— CLAYTON OVER

LEHIGH TWP.

U.S. Marshals arrested a man Tuesday wanted for a December shooting in Scranton.

Marshals found Phillip Lynott, 20, at a home in the first block of Navajo Path in Lehigh Twp. faces Scranton police said Lynott shot a 17-year-old boy on the 300 block of Hillside Manor in East Mountain on Dec. 28. A dispute on social media led to the shooting, police said.

On Tuesday, marshals found Lynott, who had barricaded himself inside a closet with a handgun. He surrendered after about 15 minutes of negotiation.

He is held in Lackawanna County Prison in lieu of $100,000 bail on aggravated assault and related charges. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for April 2.

— CLAYTON OVER

A Clarks Summit heart doctor is gearing up to take a medical device he invented to market after federal regulators gave it their blessing earlier this month.

The Food and Drug Administration approved Dr. Samir Pancholy’s VasoBand Vascular Compression Device, a pressurized cuff that prevents complications after catheterization.

Well-known in the field of interventional cardiology, an advanced practice that treats heart disease, Pancholy is credited with introducing a technique called transradial catheterization to the United States. Cardiologists access the heart and blood vessels through an artery in the wrist, instead of the groin, to implant stents and clear blockages among other things.

While the wrist offers an entry point that’s safer and lends itself to speedier recovery, the radial artery is smaller and patients risk having it close up, also called occlusion.

Pancholy found that, by applying pressure on both arteries in the wrist after catheterization, patients were less at risk of occlusion. So he built VasoBand, which uses balloons filled with fluid to put targeted pressure over the hole left behind by medical tools.

It offers other benefits, said partner, Raj Sardesai, a chemical engineer and attorney. For example, patients need less of the anti-clot medicine heparin, which can have unpleasant, sometimes dangerous side effects.

Their company, VasoInnovations Inc., spent the last two years testing and proving to the FDA the band worked safely, as intended, under different conditions, to the FDA.

Pancholy and his team now seek to strike a deal with a major medical device company, which would lend marketing muscle and product support after distribution. They’ve had some interest, Pancholy and Sardesai said.

But with the first deliveries a few weeks away, and doctors already asking when it will be avaialable, they’re weighing whether to start selling before such a deal exists.

“The device has been approved. It is known to work better than anything else, so we’ve got to make it available to anyone who wants to use it,” Sardesai said.

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joconnell@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9131;

@jon_oc on Twitter

Wyoming gets $1M gas grant

A $1 million grant will help bring natural gas to Tunkhannock.

The Wyoming County Chamber of Commerce received the grant — funded through the state Department of Community and Economic Development’s Pipeline Extension Program — to benefit the UGI Utilities Get Gas initiative.

The cash will be used for Phase 2 of the project that broke ground in October of 2018 to bring natural gas to Tunkhannock homes for the first time.

“We’re thrilled to be able to build out from what we started before,” chamber President Gina Suydam said.

The chamber received an initial $1 million PIPE grant in November of 2017, which allowed UGI to begin construction on the gate station.

So far, pipeline has been installed from Sunnyside Road up Harrison Street to the area of the Tunkhannock Area Intermediate Center.

Suydam said with Phase 2, UGI will be able to install pipe toward Business Route 6 (Tioga Street).

Suydam said this will allow the Dietrich Theater to hook up to natural gas and save on heating costs, which was a stipulation in the chamber’s grant application.

“Natural gas heat is more economical. It’s more environmentally friendly than many of the heating sources used in our area currently,” she said.

Wyoming County Commissioner Tom Henry said the grant gives Tunkhannock residents and businesses another option. “With all this gas under our feet, it’s crazy not to have that option.”

Contact the writer:

bwilliams@wcexaminer.com, 570-836-2123 x36

SCRANTON — A South Abington Twp. businessman will serve up to 23 months in prison for charges connected to a 2014 chemical fire that destroyed his Jessup business and forced firefighters to tackle the rekindling flames for days.

Eric Spatt, 55, 420 N. Spy Road, pleaded guilty in December to several charges, including risking a catastrophe, unauthorized processing of hazardous waste and unlawful conduct.

Several counts of failure to manage hazardous waste and failure to maintain records of the quantity of hazardous waste were dismissed.

Lackawanna County Judge Michael J. Barrasse sentenced Spatt on Tuesday to 11½ months to a year and 11 months in prison as well as fines and $20,000 in restitution to Jessup hose companies.

The hazardous waste he housed for 14 years led to the fire that consumed Scranton Cooperage, an industrial drum cleaning company that Spatt previously owned.

At Tuesday’s sentencing, defense attorney Patrick Casey told the court that Spatt takes full responsibility.

“He is a man who has spent his life working and caring for his children,” Casey said. “He gets up at 3 a.m. and goes to New Jersey to work all day and comes home to care for his daughter.”

The business on Mid Valley Drive, now known as American Container Processors Inc., is a subsidiary of Kearny Steel Container of Newark, New Jersey, where Spatt is an employee.

“I’m sorry,” Spatt said. “I understand the mistakes I’ve made, and it won’t happen again.”

On June 27, 2014, sodium chlorite ignited after an employee punctured a steel drum with a forklift. The blaze summoned 200 emergency workers from 38 different emergency companies to battle the fire, which sent a black column of smoke rising into the sky, kept personnel busy for roughly eight hours and stained water runoff a vibrant purple.

The state attorney general’s office filed a second round of criminal charges against Spatt in 2017, nearly three years after his business burned down and he was accused of violating the Solid Waste Management Act.

Although he didn’t break any laws by keeping the chemicals on site, he had no plans for getting rid of the hazardous waste it produced, The Times-Tribune previously reported.

Contact the writer:

drosler@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100, x5365;

droslerTT on Twitter

WILKES-BARRE — The Lion Brewery purchased the adjacent EIC Insulation Company building for $325,000 for future growth, said brewery president Jeff Meoni.

Meoni said there are no definite plans yet for the property at 705 N. Pennsylvania Ave. but the brewery might use it for office space. It increases the property the brewery owns on Pennsylvania Ave. from about nine acres to about 12 acres, he said.

“We’ve been growing here for the last few years,” Meoni said.

Since 2010, he said more than $20 million was invested in the 114-year-old brewery. That included a $7 million investment in 2017 in equipment like a new labeler that modernized the brewery.

Meoni said purchasing the property also increases its rail compatibility.

The brewery, which traces its roots to 1905, was built on land purchased for $1 from the Delaware and Hudson Railroad.

It uses rail to transport its products and may use it more with additional growth and expansion in the future, Meoni said. The brewery’s property is pinned between two roads and a rail and its only neighbor now is Dukey’s Cafe, he said.

The Lion, one of the oldest continually operating breweries in the Northeast and one of the largest in the state, brews Lionshead and Stegmaier beers and serves as a contract brewery for other beer companies as well as soda and energy drink companies.

It has brewing, keg, bottling and canning capabilities, a 75,000-square-foot warehouse and a 400-barrel kettle.

The brewery operates the bottling line 24 hours a day, five days a week and the brew house and can line 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Contact the writer:

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