The PE Sneak Peek: Aug. 12

Here's a look at the stories that are keeping our reporters busy Monday: * Demolition of a local landmark begins. We have the pictures. * A woman bilked her great-aunt of $15,000 -- and now owes $100,000 in fines, says the judge. * An ex-cop charged in a beating blames the other guy, but takes a plea deal anyway. Have a look at our online report for more. * Police suspect drunken driving in a Monday-morning crash on a winding road.

Ex-cop pleads guilty to road-rage assault

DANVILLE -- A ex-cop pleaded guilty Monday to beating and kicking another man outside a store after a reported road rage incident April 8. But Robert Weisman still says it was the other man, not he, who provoked the fight. "I'm sorry the guy got injured, but he was the aggressor," said Weisman, 37. Weisman worked as a police officer in Catawissa for six years before getting hurt during a traffic stop. He resigned in April 2011, most recently working in housecleaning at Geisinger Medical Center before losing that job.

Friends were drinking before fatal stabbing, witness says

BERWICK - The man who allegedly fatally stabbed his friend in a scuffle at an Almedia home last month stood with him, apologizing, until an ambulance showed up, a witness said at a hearing Thursday. Brett Woodside of 3928 Old Berwick Road and Brandon Burns had been hanging out at Woodside's house, drinking and socializing with friends on July 20, said Jessica Torres, a friend who came to Woodside's house that afternoon. Over the course of the afternoon and evening, as Burns drank more, "he started getting very belligerent," Torres said.

Police chief charged in abuse case

MILLVILLE -- State Police and the Attorney General's office filed criminal charges against longtime lawman Ted Stout Thursday over reported physical abuse by his former girlfriend and subordinate on the Millville force. Stout, 49, is accused of striking Tori Harrison, 35, on July 14 after the two returned home from the Paddock bar in Bloomsburg, where they had gotten into an argument and the now-suspended borough police chief was reportedly kicked out after grabbing Harrison.

Woman embezzled $158G from dying friend; later sold meth to undercover agent

BLOOMSBURG -- A woman admitted draining nearly $158,000 of her elderly friend's assets as the friend spent her final days in a nursing home. But that wasn't all Adele Yodzis Crouse, 49, had to answer for in court this week. She also confessed to dealing methamphetamine, including a sale to an undercover state narcotics agent in June 2011. She could face seven years behind bars.

Man who kidnapped and terrorized couple gets 12 years behind bars

BLOOMSBURG -- A Berwick man who terrorized and robbed a retired couple in their country home was sentenced Tuesday to spend up to 12 years in state prison. The couple, Ralph and Cynthia Gitz, described how 29-year-old Harrison Karns III forced Mrs. Gitz to disrobe at knifepoint, and he threatened her husband with a claw hammer. "We felt absolute terror," they wrote in a statement to the court.

The PE Sneak Peek: Aug. 6

Here's a look at the stories that are keeping our reporters busy Tuesday: * Jail looms for a local veteran who kidnapped and robbed an older couple. See what the judge decided. * A man's spree of stealing scrap metal comes to an end, police say. Find out who the suspect is. * More trouble dogs an injured war vet after a traffic crash, officials say. * A man snorted meth and got behind the wheel, charges say. Learn how he caught the eye of police. Look for these stories and more in tomorrow's edition of the Press Enterprise.

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