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Sandusky hearing wrap-up

January 10, 2013, 11:49 am
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Jerry Sandusky was back in a court room today for the first hearing of his appeal.

His attorneys argued they did not have enough time to prepare for trial, but admit they have still found nothing that would change their strategy.

The hour and a half hearing ended with no decision from the judge. Sandusky’s attorneys argued everything from a broken copier to a packed court schedule as reasons for a new trial, but prosecutors say they are confident his conviction and essential life sentence will stand.

A gaunt and pale Jerry Sandusky played no part in his first appeal hearing . He listened as his attorneys argued his 30-60 year sentence should be thrown out.

Among other things his defense claims they were not given enough time to prepare for trial. Sandusky was arrested in November 2011 and found guilty of sexually abusing ten boys by June.

Even though his attorney admitted they have found no new evidence that would have changed their strategy - they still believe his conviction should be thrown out.  

“The mere fact that he was prevented from preparing would be enough to reverse it - because that made trial subject to structural error”

Prosecutors questioned how much of the 12,000 pages of information the defense claims they had to sort through was actually relevant, comparing it to the equivalent of one file box.

“I mean anybody can go through 1 box of info and prepare for trial. Mr. Amendola had ample opportunity to develop info he needed, utilize it at trial but he was just overcome by true victims, he was overcome by that.”

The judge did not make an immediate ruling.

As Sandusky left to make the 31/2 hour trip back to his home prison his attorney used a basketball reference to explain the former football coach's shot at an appeal.

“This would be a long 3 point shot for me, it's a long 3 pointer - but some of those go in.”

Sandusky's wife, a son and about ten other supporters were in the court room. He smiled at them as they walked in.

If the judge denies this appeal or does not throw out the charges, Sandusky has said he'll appeal to the Supreme Court.

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Harrisburg forced to borrow from ifself to pay bills, employees

January 10, 2013, 1:33 pm
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Harrisburg City Council is taking from the rich and giving to the poor, so to speak. But City Controller Dan Miller opposes borrowing money from the city water and sewer fund to help pay city expenses.

The city receiver has suggested that council borrow about $4 million. This will help pay general fund expenses, such as payroll, health care benefits and workers comp insurance, for January and February.

Harrisburg City Council is asking Dauphin County Court to approve a loan from the water and sewer fund with a promise to pay it off within six months. Local governments often borrow money at the beginning of the year as they wait for residents to pay their taxes.

Because of Harrisburg's fiscal crisis, banking institutions aren't willing to lend the city money. So City Receiver William Lynch suggested opening a line of credit with the water and sewer fund at a favorable one-half percent.

But City Controller Dan Miller, who opposes the receiver's plan, is also against borrowing more money.

"As far as borrowing more money, it will only exacerbate the problem,” City Controller Dan Miller told us. “It doesn't solve anything. We've had several years now. And all we continue to do is borrow, make the hole bigger, dig it deeper, and we're not solving any problems. I think this is a big mistake. We need to get into bankruptcy as soon as possible."

Other critics say the money should go to repair the city's deteriorating infrastructure. Three sinkholes opened up last week in the 2100 block of North Fourth Street. Residents were asked to leave their homes when water and gas services were interrupted.

However, the city needs the money to pay its bills. Money from the water-sewer fund is the least expensive way to deal with the cash-flow problem. The benefits are a low interest rate and no typical finance charges.

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Flu claims lives of two Lancaster County residents

January 10, 2013, 1:41 pm
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Doctors are calling this flu season one of the worst in decades, and so far the State Health Department has reported 22 deaths state wide, with two in Lancaster County.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, any older people with weaker immune systems are more likely to get the flu, even if they have had a vaccine.

Dr. Glenn Geeting from Hershey Medical Center says certain symptoms can be signs of severe flu.  "If they have severe shortness of breath, they're getting dehydrated due to vomiting, those kinds of things can be very concerning."

There have been 971 people hospitalized for the flu since the beginning of the flu season. The average age for those hospitalized is 67 years old.

If you get the flu, doctors say the best thing to do is simply stay home.  Dr. Geeting says it's best to stay home so you don't infect others. "Don't panic. If you have the flu symptons, the best thing you can do often is stay home. You don't want to spread what you have. Wash your hands a lot, if you've got a cough, cough into your sleeve because you're contagious."

It's not too late to get a flu shot, but doctors say the best way to prevent getting the flu is to first and foremost, wash your hands and stay in good health by getting plenty of sleep and eat well.
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Officials still working to identify body found near Masonic Village in November

January 10, 2013, 1:48 pm
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The day after Halloween, a hunter found skeletal remains behind The Masonic Village in Elizabethtown, and the Lancaster Coroner has been investigating ever since.

"I believe the most likely scenario is that he may have passed away sometime in June or July," said Steve Diamantoni the Lancaster County Coroner.

During the time in between when the person passed away and when the body was found, the remains had deteriorated so much that the identity of the body could not be confirmed.

The coroner believes the body belongs to a man in his fifties, somewhere between 5'6" and 5'10".  But the most telling sign is that the man was suffering from a condition called Ankylosing Spondylitis, which is a type of arthritis that only affects about one million people in the U.S. and causes an individual to be in a hunched position.

The one thing the coroner could not identify is how this person died.  "There were no evidence of cutting marks or tool marks on the skeleton or fractures that would suggest foul play."

But because much of the body was missing, the coroner was not able to do a full investigation.  So while it doesn't seem like foul play, they can't be sure.

The biggest task they're faced with is finding out who this person is, but without the ability to do DNA testing, they'll have to rely on dental records and the public.  "It's very difficult and painful for any family to wonder whether or not somebody they love and somebody that's incredibly important to them is alive or dead. It's incredibly important for them to know exactly where those individuals are."

The information specific to this case has been posted to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System as well as the National Crime Information Center.

If you know of someone missing in the area who matches this description, please contact police.
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The proposed opening of a Chipotle is drawing controversy in historic Hershey

January 10, 2013, 1:53 pm
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The controversy over a proposed Chipotle opening up on Chocolate Avenue in Hershey is brewing.

Attorney Jonathan Crist’s Office is on West Chocolate Avenue. He says it's not the fast food part he is against, it's a location.

“I would love to see it supposed to come here just not at this spot,” Crist told us.

Jessica Demopolis, one of the owners of the Chocolate Avenue Grill, says she's against the location too. But adds that the Grill and other restaurants set up shop along Chocolate Avenue because of the no-quick serve fast food ordnance

“We recognize that there's plenty of room in this town and it's just not just downtown Hershey,” Demopoulis told us. “They're going to just go out for more than just a food restaurant.”

Ashley Schultz of Myerstown says let's not be like every other town. She believes we need local businesses to survive. Another person said another chain restaurant Hershey will only take away from the historic nature of the town.

Meanwhile other residents we spoke with really didn't seem to mind and don’t understand the controversy.

“I don't think I've ever been to a Chipotle, if they came I would come ,” commented Jamie Kortright of Hershey.

“As long as you make the outside historic I think it would be fine.” Added out-of-town visitor Gabe Castro of Alabama.

It is believed that both the Hershey Trust Company and Derry Township.  A zoning board meeting will be held next week on January 16 on the matter.
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Victims of sinkholes on Fourth Street return home to find homes burglarized

January 10, 2013, 1:58 pm
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Adding insult to injury, residents on 4th Street in Harrisburg are returning to their homes, only to find out they've been burglarized and ransacked. 

Two of the sinkholes opened up on Monday, December 31st in the 2100 block of North Fourth Street. And then after a third sinkhole opened on New Year's Day, residents living there were asked to move in with family or friends or accept lodging from the American Red Cross.

Resident Tiffany Murray and her family returned to their apartment Friday night to get more clothes.  And less than a week later, on Wednesday, they went to move back in and found the back door kicked in.  "They took TVs.  They took computers. They took the kids' clothes they got for Christmas and just trashed up the third floor, turned my beds over."

Murray says she was assured by the Mayor at a neighborhood meeting last Friday evening that their properties would be protected.  "Linda Thompson told us that there was gonna be officers patrolling this block.  There wasn't no officers patrolling this block.  If there were, our houses wouldn't have gotten broken into."

Murray says she knows of least five other homes that were broken into. She says, the neighborhood is not safe especially for kids and she's moving out.

Another neighbor said she woke up when she heard noise in her house.  She went to her basement where she saw several people stealing copper wiring.

It is unknown exactly how many homes were victim to looting, and Police aren't releasing any information. 
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York County Prisoner attacks bail bondsmen

January 10, 2013, 2:07 pm
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A York County Prisoner attacked a bail bondsmen at the County Prison. 

Police say Andrew Walk, 20, got upset during a conversation with bail bondsman Steven Schiding.  Walk put Schiding in a choke hold as they left the cell. 

A corrections officer broke up the fight, and no one was seriously injured. 
 
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Local high school students learn about diseases using chocolate

January 10, 2013, 2:09 pm
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Juniors and seniors from 12 area high schools gathered at Hershey Medical Center to learn about disease outbreak and to explore careers in epidemiology.

Epidemiology doesn't sound like a lot of fun, but if you were the kids Thursday, you might change your mind. They got the chance to explore things like chocolate, all in order to make them smarter.

They also learned whether having a dog actually makes you more active

It is often a simple question, but if you study the results the answers to you more than just yes or no responses. The day long seminar at the Penn State Milton Hershey Medical Center was designed to help high school students explore jobs in the public health field.

Learning about career options from getting your associate degrees to Ph.D. was one part of the seminar. Another focused on outbreak investigation in Africa, and also what's going on in PA.

“I always wanted to be a physician and now I'm looking that I'm able to change other people’s lives,” explained one student.

In all, over 100 students attended the seminars to become young disease detectives.

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Senator Bob Casey pushes for Farm Bill

January 10, 2013, 2:13 pm
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U.S. Senator Bob Casey says he will push for Congress to work on a farm bill this year.

While House lawmakers didn't agree on an actual bill, Casey says both sides did reach an agreement to extend the bill.

Farmers here in the Susquehanna Valley would like to see a complete overhaul of the nation's farm bill.
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Police searching for suspects who took computers from Walmart

January 10, 2013, 3:10 pm
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West Manchester Police are searching for the two suspects who were involved in the retail theft of computer items.

The incident happened on December 24 at the Walmart at the West Manchester Mall.

Anyone with information, call West Manchester Police at 717-792-9514.

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State to post more restaurant inspections online so you can check your favorite

January 10, 2013, 2:20 pm
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You'll soon be able to access thousands more restaurant inspection reports online.

The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture says it'll start including reports from counties and municipalities that have their own inspection programs on its website.

The Department of Agriculture has already been posting restaurant inspection reports online, but this year they're beefing up their data base.

The places to eat on Restaurant Row in Downtown Harrisburg have a city inspector come in and check things out to make sure health codes aren't violated.

But his inspection reports have never been posted on the state's inspection website for anyone to review.

Now, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture is working to change that, which means that by the end of this year about 60,000 more inspections which are done by counties and municipalities will be online for all to see.

"I think that's a great idea. I think the more inspections that you do, the healthier it'll be for people who are, their immune systems might be compromised," believes Sandy Conklin, who likes the changes.

Even though the reports will be out there for you to review, one man says he doesn't care to see them.

"I really wouldn't pay that much attention to it,” Jere Schrom told us. “If I want to eat at the restaurant, I'll eat at the restaurant, if they say something bad about it, I'll probably eat there."

The Ag Dept. already oversees about 40,000 restaurants and diners in towns that don't have their own inspection programs.

To see those reports, click Find It!

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Jerry Sandusky shows signs of physical changes from jail time at court hearing

January 10, 2013, 1:29 pm
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The physical change in Jerry Sandsuky over 14 months is visible, he's thinner, paler and appears a fraction of the powerful football coach he once was before becoming a convicted pedophile.

"He's lost a lot of weight.  His skin looks pasty.  I mean you are talking about somebody who went from living upper middle class, cushy life to an institution."

Sandusky was transported three and a half hours to Bellefonte from his home prison in Greene County.  There, he is in isolation 23 hours a day, and allowed two phone calls and one visit per month.

In the court room, he had the same plastered smile we've seen throughout the case.  "His demeanor throughout this has befuddled most of us, who wouldnt think you'd be so jovial appearing during something like this.  But it's at least consistent for him."

His attorneys say he is not on any medication.

"He's just being resilient and he's handling it the best way he knows how." 

Sandusky appears to still have a support group.  He blew his wife a kiss and told family and supporters he loved them as he left the court room.
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Prowler looks into windows several times in one week

January 10, 2013, 3:24 pm
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Upper Allen Police are looking for a man who was prowling and loitering around houses during the end of December.

On December 20, a young, thin male was described as looking into windows three separate times over a week.

Each time, the male was loitering around homes in the area of English Drive and Wyncote Court. Several times, when the man knew someone was watching him, he began walking uphill toward Dartmouth Court and the Graham Hill apartment complex.

Anyone with information on these incidents are asked to call the Upper Allen Police at 717-238-9676.

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Two local men sentenced to be executed for murders they committed

January 10, 2013, 3:34 pm
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Governor Tom Corbett has signed execution warrants for three men, each of whom were convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death. Two of these cases are local.

Orlando Maisonet, Abraham Sanchez Jr. and Freeman May are all incarcerated at the State Correctional Institution at Greene.

Orlando Maisonet participated in the brutal stabbing death of Jorge Figueroa in September 1982 inside a Philadelphia home. His execution has been scheduled for March 6.

Abraham Sanchez Jr. repeatedly shot Ray Diener in front of Diener’s Lancaster County home during a botched robbery attempt in May 2007.

Sanchez and three friends were driving around, looking for a home to burglarize, when they noticed an isolated home with a light on and the victim sitting at a table inside.

While Sanchez and two others hid in the bushes, a co-defendant, Lorenzo Schrijver, rang the doorbell. Diener answered, Schrijver told him his car had broken down and Diener went to get his cell phone. He returned and handed it to Schrijver.

Sanchez came out of the shadows and ordered Diener to the ground at gunpoint.

According to court documents, Diener grabbed the gun, crying “No, no, no.’’ He and Sanchez wrestled over the gun. Sanchez fired, hitting Diener in the groin area and fracturing his hip. Diener fell to the ground, pleading for help. Sanchez backed up and shot Diener in the chest.

Sanchez shot Diener a third time, hitting him in the neck and shoulder. The suspects fled and Diener was pronounced dead at the scene.

Several people told police that Sanchez talked to them about the shooting, bragging to one person that he shot the victim “for fun.’’ Less than three weeks later, all four suspects were arrested. Schrijver and another co-defendant, Robert Baker, cooperated with police and identified Sanchez as the killer.

Schrijver and Baker were sentenced to 20 to 40 years in prison for third-degree murder. The third participant, Emru Kebede, was sentenced to life in prison for second-degree murder.

Sanchez, now 24, was sentenced to death in Lancaster County Court in March 2009. Sanchez’s execution has been scheduled for March 7.

Freeman May stabbed to death 22-year-old Kathy Lynn Fair, a young mother who was reported missing on Sept. 4, 1982.

In 1988, six years after Fair’s disappearance, skeletal remains were discovered in a remote, wooded area of Lebanon County. A pathologist identified the remains to be those of Fair, concluding that she died from multiple stab wounds to the chest from a short, single-edged weapon, most likely a knife.

Several months after Fair went missing, two young women, ages 15 and 19, were brutally and repeatedly stabbed by an assailant with a short, singled-edged knife in December 1982. One of the two victims was raped.

The teenagers were left for dead not far from the place where Fair’s remains were discovered. Both survived the attack and identified May, who had given them a ride from a party earlier that evening, as their assailant. For this crime, May was convicted and sentenced to 15 to 35 years in prison.

Based on the similarities of the cases, including the weapon and the remote Lebanon County location, police focused their investigation on May. In 1990, May was arrested and charged with killing Fair.

During his trial, both May’s brother and wife testified that he had confessed to each of them separately that he had murdered a girl by stabbing her and burying her body with brush in the woods. A jail house informant also testified that May admitted to him that he “did it.’’

May was convicted in Lebanon County Court and sentenced to death in March 1991. The sentence was reversed by an appeals court, but after a second penalty phase hearing, May was again sentenced to death in December 1995. Once again, an appeals court vacated the sentence, and yet again, after a third penalty phase, May was sentenced to death in October 2008.

May, now 55, is scheduled to be executed on March 5.

Executions in Pennsylvania are carried out by lethal injection. With these three warrants, signed Wednesday, Corbett has now signed 24 execution warrants.

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Mini Market robbed by masked men, another robbery occurs minutes later

January 10, 2013, 3:54 pm
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Harrisburg Police are investigating two robberies that occurred Wednesday.

At 935 p.m., Chen’s Mini Market on Herr Street was robbed by two masked men.

The tall robber confronted the woman at the register, while the shorter robber confronted another employee. The robbers demanded all the money in the register.

They got away with a small amount of cash. The victims were not harmed, but numerous children were present and were frightened during the robbery.

One suspect is a black male in his 20s, tall, thin and was armed with a handgun. He was wearing a black-hooded sweatshirt and a red ski mask.

The other suspect is a black male in his 20s, short, thin and wearing a black-hooded sweatshirt with a bandana over part of his face. He was also armed with a rifle or shotgun.

Then less than 30 minutes later, police were dispatched to Harrisburg Hospital’s emergency room for a person who was injured in a robbery.

The victim said he was taking a walk when he was confronted by two robbers. One of the robbers approached and asked for a cigarette, while the other hit him on the back of the head with a handgun.

The robbers punched him in the face and yelled for him to empty his pockets. They took his jacket, cell phone and an ID card.

Anyone with information on either of these incidents is asked to call Harrisburg Police Lt. Fegan at 717-255-3114.

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Mayor Thompson once again calls for ban on military-style weapons

January 10, 2013, 4:03 pm
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City Mayor Linda D. Thompson again called for a ban on the sale of military-type weapons during a town hall discussion about gun violence sponsored by Harrisburg Hope and the Midtown Scholar Bookstore Wednesday night. The mayor also said a legal review is underway in the City Law Bureau to clarify the executive powers the mayor’s office has to address automatic weapons control in the city.

The panel discussion, which included Sen. Daylin Leach, Rep. Patty Kim, Superintendent Sybil Knight-Burney, and First Assistant District Attorney Fran Chardo, was in support of improved gun control in response to the 20 innocent children and six adults murdered with automatic assault weapons in Newtown, CT last month.

Thompson is an active member of Mayors Against Illegal Guns, a coalition of 800 U.S. mayors and more than 900,000 grass roots supporters who are demanding action in the face of the NRA corporate gun lobby in both Washington, D.C. and in the PA House and Senate.

“The time has come for all of us, including legal gun owners, to get engaged with this issue and support common sense legislative measures like those proposed by Senator Leach in the PA Senate and Vice President Joe Biden’s efforts to rein in the influence of the NRA on this issue in Washington.” Mayor Thompson said today.

“Our agenda in Harrisburg and Washington is a common sense three-step solution to the problem,” the Mayor added.

“We have to require a criminal background check for every gun sold in America; we have to ban assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines for civilian use immediately; and we have to make gun trafficking a federal crime, with real penalties for “straw purchasers” who re-sell legally purchased guns to people who cannot legally purchase those guns.” She said.

“The time to act is now,” Thompson noted, “there is a genuine outpouring of voices, including legal gun owners, demanding real change to make our communities safer. We care about Second Amendment rights but we need reasonable gun restrictions to eliminate horrible mass killings across the nation.”

Mayor Thompson pointed to statistics last night which show that many policies to restrict gun ownership are popular across the nation. “A recent CNN/ORC poll found for example that about 57% of those asked favor a ban on automatic weapons; 60% favor a ban on high-capacity gun magazines; and more than 95% favor stronger background checks.” She told the 200 attendees.

Of the 142 weapons used by the killers in 62 mass shootings across the U.S. since 1982, three quarters of them were obtained legally and the deadly arsenal included dozens of assault weapons and semiautomatic handguns.

The mayor reported 12 murders in the City of Harrisburg last year, down from a high of 16 in prior years, but gun related crime “remains a problem we all have to address,” she said.

Mayor Thompson will lobby Capitol Hill in Washington next week as part of the U.S. Conference of Mayors advocacy for common sense gun laws which require Congressional action.

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Footprints in snow help police ID suspects, now police need to find them

January 10, 2013, 4:38 pm
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On New Year’s Day around 9 p.m., Swatara Township Police were called to a home in Steelton for a burglary. The resident, living in the 1000 block of Penn Street, came home to find his home was broken into.

As police investigated, they found two TV sets, an iPad and a tablet were stolen from the home. Alert officers found footprints in the snow leading from the burglary.

Those footprints led to a neighbor’s house, where all the stolen items were found and recovered.

On January 2, officers obtained arrest warrants for Phillip Woods Jr., 19 of Highspire, Ashley Smith, 20 of Harrisburg and Aaron Bryant, 20 of Harrisburg. A 17-year-old juvenile was also charged.

All three adults were charged with burglary, theft by unlawful taking, criminal conspiracy and corruption of minors. The 17-year-old faces the same charges except for corruption of minors.

All three suspects are still at large and police are looking for them. Anyone who knows where they are should call Swatara Township Police at 717-564-2550.

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Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board partners with Pennsylvania Winery Association

January 10, 2013, 4:48 pm
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In an effort to support local wineries, the PLCB announced a partnership with the Pennsylvania Winery Association that will allow PA Preferred® wineries to place a limited number of varietals in select PA Wine & Spirits Stores.

PA Preferred is the official brand of agricultural products grown or made in Pennsylvania.

Under the program, which is set to begin early this summer, PA Preferred wineries will be allowed to submit up to 10 varietals to sell at a select number of PA Wine & Spirits stores. To participate, the wineries must be part of the Department of Agriculture’s PA Preferred program. Currently, there are approximately 75 wineries designated as PA Preferred.

According to the Pennsylvania Winery Association, the commonwealth has more than 150 wineries, infusing more than $2 billion into the economy.
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Man finds handgun, shoots himself accidentally while 'checking it out'

January 10, 2013, 3:34 pm
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A Harrisburg man is facing charges after he accidentally shot himself with a handgun he found.

Tyron Mosley, 20, of Allison Hill is facing person not to possess firearm charges.

Police were called to the 1400 block of Vernon Street for a report of man who shot himself.  Police found Mosley sitting on a porch with a bullet wound to his thigh.

Mosely told police he found a handgun and was checking it out because he decided to keep it.  Somehow the gun fired and he was shot in the leg. 

He claimed he threw the gun over a fence, and officers were not able to find the handgun. 

The investigation continues and anyone having any information on this is asked to Lt. Robert Fegan at 717-255-3114 or email rfegan@cityofhbg.com.

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Ephrata Police investigating two daytime burglaries

January 10, 2013, 4:53 pm
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Ephrata Police are investigating two daytime burglaries.

Both burglaries happened Thursday between the hours of noon and 4:00 p.m. They were both within two blocks of each other, one in the 200 block of West Chestnut Street and the other in the first block of Highland Avenue.

Both homes were broken into through smashed back windows.

Police searched the areas and saw a white male in his late teens or early 20's looking in windows.  The teen was seen wearing a brown jacket and a hat. A person who lives in the neighborhood told police the same teen rang the doorbell and asked a question, most likely to determine if anyone was home.

Jewlery and other small valuables were taken from the homes.

Anyone with additional information is asked to contact Ephrata Police Department at 717-738-9200.


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