Homeless man was drunk, unruly, and making 'snow angels' in street, cops say

BERWICK -- A homeless man got drunk and stripped off his clothes, making "snow angels" in the middle of the street late last week, police say. Isaiah Kmietowicz, 26, told police he had "an argument with God" after residents in the 600 block of North Vine Street complained he woke them up about 4 a.m. Friday, charges state. One woman told police she saw Kmietowicz outside her house "throwing himself onto the ground," removing his clothes and trying to get into her backyard through a fence.

Dad crashed car, then fled scene with his daughter, 4, cops say

CONYNGHAM TWP. -- A bloodied man fled a vehicle crash with his young daughter in tow, then concocted a story about what happened, charges say. Driver Cody C. Strunk's lies unraveled, and he's now facing charges for allegedly leaving the crash rather than calling police and getting daughter Haley, then 4, to a doctor. Strunk's license was suspended for a previous DUI. His mother tried to take the blame for driving, police say. But police figured out the ruse and charged Strunk, 29, Mount Carmel, with endangering his daughter and lying to authorities.

A second meth investigation underway today

BLOOMSBURG -- Probation officers on a visit to an East Sixth Street house in Bloomsburg spotted ingredients typically used to make meth during a visit Monday afternoon. They called in local and State Police, and by 5:40 p.m., the State Police Clandestine Lab Team had pulled several containers of ingredients from 225 E. Sixth St, including paint thinner, funnels, plastic bottles, and bags with a white substance inside. Police say there was not an active meth lab at that address, but were still pulling items from the house early Monday evening.

Man caught carrying actively brewing meth, cops say

CATAWISSA - Police say a man was carrying an actively brewing bottle of meth as he walked along the street at the site of the old Emnee Shirt Factory in Catawissa Monday afternoon. Soon, officers had collared three suspects and were looking at two possible locations for meth operations. After police stopped the suspect and found meth brewing in an Aquafina water bottle, they took the plastic bottle and put it in the middle of a field for safety reasons. Meth is volatile and explosive.

Fair members re-elect Reichart

BLOOMSBURG -- Bloomsburg Fair members re-elected president Paul Reichart with a slim 34 votes over the competition Saturday. Former board boss Todd Lehman snagged 372 of the votes, but 406 were cast in favor of keeping Reichart at the helm. Moving forward, Reichart, 75, says he hopes to see the board unify after recent comments shed light on divisions among the 13 board members. "We all have the same mission. We all want a successful fair. You've just got to work together," he said.

Deer plunges into icy water, see what happens next

CATAWISSA TWP. - A deer fell into the icy water of Catawissa Creek Friday, and emergency crews gathered to mount a rescue. Our photographer Jimmy May was there to see what happened next. Click through the photos below to see the end of the story.
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Dog left in home, unfed for weeks and infested with fleas, officials say

BERWICK -- After helping to rescue a starving, abandoned dog from a Third Avenue home, Berwick police were forced to set off flea bombs in the police station, city hall and two patrol cars when they became infested with fleas. Franklin Nafus II, 35, Mount Carmel, had been living in the 1229 Third Ave. home with his family until sometime around July, said Mary Sult, an Animal Resource Center volunteer who helped rescue the dog. Nafus' mother owns the residence, and kicked them out when she saw the deplorable condition of the house, Sult said.

Flood watch in effect for region

STATE COLLEGE -- Warmer temperatures and impending rain are making the conditions for flooding more likely in Columbia, Montour, Northumberland and Luzerne counties, along with most of central Pennsylvania, the National Weather Service says. It has issued a flood watch spanning from Saturday afternoon through Sunday evening. Warmer temperatures this weekend will lead to melting and ice breakup on streams and creeks. Forecasters say that melting, along with up to an inch of rain, could cause flooding, especially with the potential for ice jams that could block waterways.

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