Statue in front of church damaged
HONESDALE - Borough police are investigating the vandalism of a statue in front of a church sometime between April 20 and 21.
Police said unknown individuals broke the head off a marble statue in front of St. John's Catholic Church on Terrace Street.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 253-1900.
Pittston police seek robber
PITTSTON - City police are investigating an early morning armed robbery at the A Plus Mini Market at 308 S. Main St.
At 2:11 a.m., a man entered the store and demanded money from the clerk. The man brandished a firearm, received money and then fled the area on foot. The white man was wearing a black skullcap with a symbol in white on the front, a dark blue hoodie with gray material inside the hood itself, a pair of sunglasses with silver sides, a black mask over his nose and mouth and black running pants with two white stripes down the side.
The man also was wearing a pair of red-and-black gloves and was about 6 feet tall.
W-B man charged in Pittston theft
PITTSTON - A Wilkes-Barre man is charged with burglary after allegedly stealing a snowblower from a Pittston garage.
Jeremiah Deiter, 30, of 54 Marlborough Ave., is charged with burglary, criminal trespassing and theft in connection with a theft Wednesday.
Pittston police say Mr. Deiter took the snowblower from a garage at 110 Lambert St. and then tried to sell it to a neighbor for $50. The neighbor declined, and police later caught Mr. Deiter when he came back to the scene to return the snowblower, police said.
Mr. Deiter was being held at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility with bail set at $7,500.
Man charged with criminal homicide
WILKES-BARRE - It began as a fight between two boys.
It ended with one father shooting another father in the head, police say.
City police charged Shauntae Verrez Thomas, 36, of 65 Reno Lane, with a single count of criminal homicide in a shooting near his home Thursday evening that left Derrick Cottle, 40, dead in the street.
Witnesses said it all began over a dispute about a basketball game at the Coal Street Park.
An autopsy conducted Friday morning ruled Mr. Cottle's death a homicide caused by "multiple gunshot wounds," according to the Luzerne County coroner's office.
Woman, inmate face abuse counts
DANVILLE - A Danville woman is accused of taking two children to State Correctional Institution at Retreat, where they were molested by a murderer, according to state police.
Rebecca Ann Butler, 41, is charged with two counts each of endangering the welfare of a child and conspiracy to commit corruption of minors. The alleged offenses took place Sept. 9, according to court records.
The state police Bureau of Criminal Investigation discovered the incident while probing alleged misconduct by Andre VanCliff, serving a life sentence at the Hunlock Creek prison for murder.
Mr. VanCliff is charged with two counts each of indecent assault on a person under 13 and conspiracy to commit corruption of minors and one count of corruption of minors. He was not yet arraigned Friday.
Ms. Butler was being held at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility on $25,000 bail. Her preliminary hearing is set for May 1.