Fire reported at Consolidated Container

BERWICK - A fire broke out Wednesday evening at a container plant just after a piece of machinery restarted, workers said. More than an hour after the fire began, firefighters from three counties remain at Consolidated Container at 910 Seventh Ave., Briar Creek Township, trying to quench the blaze. At its peak, flames had burst through a roughly 50-yard section of the roof of the building. It dates back to the 1800s, workers said.

Man charged in threats to Geisinger worker over bill wants plea, maybe

MAHONING TWP. -- A Shamokin-area man who allegedly threatened a Geisinger employee over a billing issue ranted before a court hearing Wednesday that he wanted a trial. But when faced with a hearing, he decided he'd take a plea deal. Aaron J. Bressi, 32, waived his right to a preliminary hearing Wednesday after going back and forth between a plea and going to trial. When his attorney, Angie Mattis, presented him with papers to sign that would drop a harassment charge in return for him pleading "no contest" to making terroristic threats, Bressi balked.

Victim of August murder attempt now faces drug charges

BENTON -- A man found stabbed and bloodied along a rural road here Aug. 28 is now behind bars himself, after baggies found inside his car tested positive for cocaine and methamphetamine, police say. Domitilo Carlos Solorio, 37, a native of Mexico, told authorities he was also in this country illegally and had been deported in the past after border crossings in California and Texas. He was taken into custody by State Police investigators after being released from Geisinger Medical Center on Monday.

Mom finds meth in son's laundry basket, cops say

BERWICK -- A mother who had taken her son's clothes basket to the laundromat found a shocking surprise mixed in with the garments: a bottle of methamphetamine, police say. Jody Seltzer had been rounding up laundry from her 329 E. Front St. home Sunday. She grabbed her son John Seltzer's basket from outside his room, and took it with her to Dockside Laundry in Nescopeck, she told police.

Man arrested for attempted killing

BENTON -- U.S. Marshals charged a Benton man with attempted homicide over an Aug. 28 stabbing that left a man covered in blood, looking for help. Police were called to Rohrsburg Road that day after someone came upon the bloody man, who had been stabbed several times in the head, chest and back, authorities say. He was flown to Geisinger Medical Center. Earlier today, federal agents captured Joseph C. Dunn, 30, and charged him in the attack. The Pennsylvania State Police had asked for assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service Fugitive Task Force to find Dunn and take him into custody.

Outage cancels classes at BU

BLOOMSBURG -- PPL crews were working to restore power to the Bloomsburg University campus Wednesday evening after an afternoon outage led the university to cancel classes for the remainder of the day. Crews were summoned to a reported fire on a electrical pole near Columbia Hall around 2 p.m. By 3 p.m., the university was getting word out on social media that classes were canceled until Thursday morning. Crews were able to restore power to 222 surrounding homes and businesses by 2:50 p.m., PPL spokeswoman Teri MacBride said. By then, the problem was confined to the university, she said.

Freedom is fleeting for prison inmate

BLOOMSBURG -- Just hours after Robert Q. Brown was granted his freedom after serving 15 months in prison, he was back in front of a judge on charges he smuggled a packet of heroin into the county lockup. Brown, 28, was before President Judge Thomas A. James Tuesday, pleading guilty on charges of trying to disarm a Berwick police officer during an attempted arrest. The plea deal allowed him his release following another court appearance for formal sentencing. Brown had already served 15 months, and would get an immediate release.

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