Woman allegedly threatened three others with a machete

Enraged and in a “manic state,” Stephanie Marie Swank grabbed a large 16-inch machete and began swinging it around inside a property on Boyer Lane in Jordan Township about 7:15 a.m. on Aug 11, state police alleged in an affidavit. While two people bolted from the structure and locked themselves in a parked vehicle, a third person — a female juvenile — also ran to the vehicle, but the 28-year-old Swank chased after her down a driveway and confronted her, putting the machete to the girl’s neck, police alleged. The juvenile “was able to push the blade away and put Swank on the ground by pulling her hair,” police said, adding the minor managed to get around Swank and get inside the vehicle with the two other occupants. In the confrontation with Swank, the minor suffered a minor finger laceration.

While all three were locked in the car, Swank, of 121 Main St., Watsontown, stood outside the vehicle with the machete, threatening them by yelling “You deserve to die. You don’t deserve to live. I will kill you,” it was stated in the court document. All four are acquaintances, police said. Troopers soon arrived on the scene and took Swank into custody without incident.

As she was taken to the police barracks in Montoursville, Swank volunteered “multiple statements that she was waving the machete around,” the affidavit. During her time at the barracks, she was asked several times if she needed to go to the bathroom, police said, adding that she refused each time. “Then at 11:08 a.m., she pulled down her pants and urinated on the patrol room floor,” police alleged in the court document. Following her arraignment before District Judge Kirsten Gardner on charges of robbery (Swank allegedly took one of the victims’ cellphones by force during the incident), aggravated and simple assault, terroristic threats, possession of an instrument of crime, institutional vandalism and harassment, she remains jailed in the Lycoming County Prison in lieu of $35,000 bail. Swank has since waived her preliminary hearing.

City woman faces felony shoplifting charge

Already convicted twice of shoplifting, April Love Hill, 48, of 424 Rural Ave., has now been charged with the same felony offense after surveillance video recorded her stealing $1,237 worth of merchandise from the Weis store at 305 River Ave, in Loyalsock Township between April 14 and Aug. 7, state police alleged in an affidavit filed at the office of District Judge William Solomon. Following her arraignment Wednesday, Hill was released on $15,000 bail.

Motorist accused of carrying a stolen handgun

Alleged impaired motorist Kevin Jeffery Brown, 55, of 1209 Isabella St., faces charges of felony receiving stolen property and DUI after city police found him carrying a stolen handgun when they stopped his 2006 Chevrolet Uplander near Grier Street and Memorial Avenue for driving with no headlights about 10 p.m. on Jan. 4, according to an affidavit. Brown was suspected of being under the influence of pcp, police said. He was recently held for court on both charges following a preliminary hearing before District Judge Christian Frey. He remains free on$10,000 bail.

Felony charges for inmate

Back in September, Timothy Evans hired Jason Lucas to install a heating-air conditioning system in his city home on Hancock Street, according to a city police affidavit. Evens gave him $3,000, but that was the last he heard from the man, city police said. Evans contacted investigators in November after his efforts to reach the 45-year-old Lucas by telephone or email failed. Police first tracked down Lucas at the Northumberland County Prison, where he was an inmate. In late May, police learned Lucas was incarcerated at the state Correctional Institution at Huntingdon. No information was available Sunday night about the reasons for Lucas’ incarceration. Lucas was arraigned earlier this month before District Judge Aaron Biichle on felony charges of deceptive business practices, home improvement fraud and theft by deception. The state prison is listed as Lucas’ address on the criminal complaint . Jailed in the Lycoming County Prison in lieu of $15,000 bail, Lucas waived his preliminary hearing last week.