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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.

See photo at center of Curry controversy

BERWICK - Someone called Children and Youth accusing Berwick football Coach George Curry of abusing a player after seeing this picture of Curry pushing on the pads of player Marty Grasley Jr. in the Press Enterprise. The report was ruled unfounded, school officials said at a school board meeting Monday night.See our report from the board meeting, which dozens attended in support of Curry.

UPDATE: I-80 opens after truck crash

LIME RIDGE - Interstate 80 west reopened between Lime Ridge and Lightstreet around 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, after it had been closed for hours due to cleanup from an overturned tanker truck. Traffic diverted onto Route 11 by the shutdown of the westbound lanes had earlier caused a jam on the southbound lanes of Route 11 as it passed under I-80.

Crash closes Front Street in Berwick

BERWICK -- A Nescopeck woman who crashed her car into a two-story building downtown said her shoes are to blame, police say. Mary D. Bartko, 58, was driving a silver 2007 Pontiac sedan north on West Front Street in the right-hand lane around 2:30 p.m. when her sandal got tangled up with the gas pedal, she told police. That caused her to accelerate and lose control of the car near Dunkin Donuts, according to police. Bartko's car jumped the right curb, taking out a 15-foot flowering pear tree and sending it flying 65 feet along the curb.

The PE Sneak Peek: Sept. 9

Here's a look at the stories that are keeping our reporters busy Monday: * A driver accused of striking and killing a bicyclist has his day in court. * A main local thoroughfare is closed to traffic for a bad crash downtown. Check back for details. * A former cop is in court to be sentenced in a road rage case. * Plus, a couple's bad night in the bars ends with the guy going to jail. Look for these stories and more in tomorrow's edition of the Press Enterprise.

Cat survives 11-story fall

Berwick doc enters program to scrub DUI charge

BLOOMSBURG -- A Berwick surgeon entered a probation program Friday that eventually will wipe two-year-old drunken driving charges from his record. Police found Mark Pyles drunk, with his truck stuck in mud in front of 1521 Brittain St. in October 2011, arrest papers said. He had trouble unlocking his door and thought he was in Beach Haven, police have said.

Man assaulted woman and her unborn child, police say

SCOTT TWP. -- A Bloomsburg man has been charged with assaulting his girlfriend and her unborn child in a fight over cigarettes. Douglas William Beachel, 37, of 2706 Old Berwick Road, allegedly punched pregnant girlfriend Charlene Mowery in the face Wednesday and dragged her off their porch when she refused to give him a cigarette. Police charged him with one count of simple assault with Mowery listed as the victim and one with her unborn child listed as victim.

Man charged with hurting his grandma was trying to help, she says

BERWICK -- A woman whose grandson allegedly grabbed her arms so hard they bled says he was only trying to help her evict a squatter, and she wants the charges dropped. Sandra Kinney says her grandson, Joseph Kinney III, 25, isn't the problem -- it's the female squatter in her house who is causing trouble. Kinney says Carissa Beck, who went to school with her grandson, has been showing up and staying at her house, uninvited, for the last four months. She's called the police and had her forcibly removed several times, but Beck keeps returning.

$1M Powerball ticket bought in Berwick

BERWICK -- Somebody struck it rich Wednesday with a Powerball ticket bought here, the state lottery says. The $1 million ticket was purchased at Fresh N Quik at 906 Market St. The store gets $5,000 for selling the ticket. The lottery did not identify the winner. A second million-dollar winner was sold in Braddock, Allegheny County. The winners matched all five white balls, 02-09-26-45-47, but not the red Powerball 11. The prizes are subject to a 25 percent federal tax. Powerball winners have one year to claim their money.