Fire cause undetermined
City firefighters were called to Lycoming Supply, 801 Beeber St., when a small shed was discovered ablaze about 1:30 a.m. Wednesday.
The fire was extinguished within 20 minutes. There were no reports of injuries. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
The neighborhood has been plagued with several arson and suspicious fires.
Alleged drive through local
cornfields earns man summons
A DuBoistown man has been charged with causing in excess of $4,000 crop damage by allegedly driving his pickup truck through several cornfields in Susquehanna Township, state police said.
Jonathan Paul Rachael, 22, of 2898 Euclid Ave., faces charges of agricultural vandalism and criminal mischief for driving his truck through cornfields owned by Robert Steppe, John Tebbs and Paul Markle overnight June 23, police said.
Rachael has been sent a summons to appear before District Judge James H. Sortman.
Woman faces drug charges
A woman who passed out in the dining area of Wendy's, 111 Maynard St., faces drug charges after she was found to be in possession of several packets of heroin, city police said.
Responding to the eatery to investigate a report of a possible overdose, officers found Jude Marie Ferguson, 25, of Mill Hall, unconscious but breathing, police said. She was taken by ambulance to the hospital and later discharged.
Ferguson, who had "a puncture wound in her upper right leg that was consistent with a needle injection site," had 16 bags of heroin on her, police said.
Charged with possession of heroin and drug paraphernalia, Ferguson has been sent a summons to appear before District Judge James Carn.
Man's alleged copper
for heroin caper foiled
An Old Lycoming Township police officer nabbed a Trout Run area man who stole a large amount of copper wire that he planned to sell to a recycling business so he could get cash to buy heroin, according to court records.
James Thomas McCourt, 29, of 6230 Rose Valley Road, was driving out of a driveway to property owned by Derek Edwards at 3202 Route 973 East in Hepburn Township about 3:30 a.m. July 30 when Patrolman Jeffrey Hughes was driving past while on routine patrol.
Suspicious that something was not right, the officer stopped McCourt's vehicle. In plain view in the back seat was a large amount of copper that turned out to be stolen from a garage-barn on Edwards' property. McCourt admitted he had planned to get cash for the copper in order to "support his heroin addiction," Hughes said.
Following his arraignment Monday before District Judge James H. Sortman on charges of felony trespassing, theft and receiving stolen property, McCourt was released on $10,000 bail.
Woman charged with felony shoplifting at Wal-Mart
Alena Keslee Willits, 18, 817 Wilson St., has been charged by Montoursville police with felony shoplifting after she was caught allegedly trying to steal $199 worth of merchandise from Wal-Mart, 1015 Loyalsock Ave., on Friday.
Already with two prior shoplifting convictions, Willits was arraigned hours later before District Judge James Carn and committed to the Lycoming County Prison in lieu of $8,500 bail.
Man charged with misuse
of company credit card
A Harrisburg man has been arrested on charges of using his employer-issued credit card illegally, state police alleged in court papers.
Dwight Eugene Sutton, 40, has been charged with three counts each of theft by deception and access device fraud and two counts of attempted access device fraud.
Police said Sutton, while employed as a truck driver for Dawn Trucking Co. in Fairfield Township, was given a company credit card that was to be used only to purchase oil and fuel for company trucks.
However, police allege that Sutton used the credit card to purchase cartons of cigarettes at three businesses: the Turkey Hill on Washington Boulevard, the Uni-Mart at West Third and Race streets and Sheetz in Loyalsock Township.
The alleged purchases were made on June 16, police said. On the same day, Sutton allegedly tried to purchase a $326 television set at Wal-Mart in Montoursville, police said.
Following his arraignment Monday before District Judge James Carn, Sutton was released on $15,000 bail.
