Police: Infant dead; Nescopeck dad charged

By the Press Enterprise staff
NESCOPECK — A borough man has been jailed after the death of his infant son, State Police say.
Jeffery Blake Hutcheson, 21, is locked up in Luzerne County Prison on aggravated assault charges.
He was denied bail due to pending homicide charges, according to online court records.
Here is what happened, according to arrest papers:
Police were called Saturday around noon to Berwick Hospital Center, where an  11-week-old infant identified as “T.H.” had been pronounced dead at 8:36 a.m. by Dr. Jerry Jamison.

UPDATE: Chopper pilot in critical at Geisinger

BLOOMSBURG — A helicopter pilot was in critical condition Sunday at Geisinger Medical Center after crashing his small touring helicopter Saturday night in an employee parking lot at the Bloomsburg Fair.

Kenny Cordrey of Delmar, Delaware, reportedly suffered broken bones and other injuries when the small piston engine-powered Enstrom F28 Falcon chopper went out of control and crashed atop several vehicles in Lot C on the western end of the fairgrounds about 7:35 p.m. Saturday.

Helicopter crash at Bloomsburg Fair injures 3

BLOOMSBURG — A sight-seeing helicopter at the Bloomsburg Fair crashed into the parking lot Saturday night, sending the pilot and both passengers to the hospital by ambulance.

No one in the parking lot was injured, but at least one vehicle was damaged, and dozens of people were stranded when security officers strung police tape around the area where they had left their cars.

Bloomsburg Police Chief Bill Gelgot said the crash happened at 7:35 p.m.

It’s unclear whether the helicopter, one of two giving $20 rides to fairgoers, was coming or going, he said.

Cops: Man shot at Super 8, two arrested

VALLEY TWP. — A Missouri man shot and killed a motel employee after his girlfriend told him the worker had been part of the group that gang raped her, police say.

David Earle Downing, 33, and Miqueal La Myra Brown, 25, both of St. Louis, came under suspicion after a maintenance worker discovered the employee, 50-year-old Derrick Potts, dead of a gunshot wound to the head in his Super 8 Motel room on Thursday.

Suspect alleged rape

Shooting hoax sends officers scrambling

BLOOMSBURG — A prank caller who claimed to have murdered his wife sent police here hurrying to surround an apartment with long guns and medical equipment late Tuesday night.

But officers quickly stood down after making contact with the resident there.
“Nobody’s injured,” said Sgt. Leonard Rogutski. “That makes this a good day in my book.”

It appeared to be a case of swatting, in which perpetrators make frightening reports to 9-1-1 centers to trigger a heavy police response to the homes of their victims.

Montour to hike hotel tax to pay for Preserve

DANVILLE — After nearly five years of penny-pinching and uncertainty, the fate of the Montour Preserve finally seems secure, as county commissioners voted on a tax hike to permanently fund the park.

The extra revenue, which should average about $167,000 a year, comes from increasing the county’s Hotel Room Rental Tax from 3 percent to 5, explained commissioner Ken Holdren at a meeting Tuesday morning.

Ex-pastor bilked church for $250G, charges state

GREENWOOD TWP. — The former pastor of New Testament Assembly of God Church stole more than $250,000 in church funds, telling police he used the money to help others and pay for his children’s college tuition, charge say. 

David Dominic Rosenberger, 52, 252 S. State St., Millville, had been pastor at New Testament  since 2000. He allegedly had been stealing money for the last eight years, since 2011.

In July of this year, church board members became aware of irregularities in the church’s finances and contacted the Pennsylvania State Police. 

Danville woman pleads guilty to $185k con

DANVILLE — A Danville woman with a long history of thievery has admitted she conned $185,000 from her boyfriend’s grandfather over a two-year period.

Heather Sharkuski, 35, hesitated and spoke quietly with her lawyer in Montour County Court Monday before agreeing to plead guilty to the third-degree felony theft. She could spend up to seven years in prison.

Sharkuski was arrested last February after her then-boyfriend’s grandfather, David Bird, called police to say she had duped him into loaning her $185,000 between September 2016 and January 2018.

Route 487 wreck leaves man injured

FISHING CREEK TWP. — A 34-year-old man was flown to the hospital after a high-speed crash along State Route 487 Friday morning.

Leevern Oliver, Millville, was conscious following the 9 a.m. accident just south of Young’s Automotive, but was in “rough shape,” according to witnesses.

Police say Oliver was speeding in his 2009 Chevrolet Impala when it drifted off the right side of the road in front of a home at 3482 State Route 487.

Car slams into Bloom auto repair shop

SCOTT TWP. — Mechanic George Eddy stood inside Roberts Automotive Thursday afternoon and watched as an out-of-control car came racing toward the very window he was looking out of.

The northbound white Chrysler 200 rammed into the Lightstreet Road business’s building near Bloomsburg University’s campus around 1:50 p.m. after swerving across both lanes. 

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