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Police Fire and Court

Charge of official oppression filed against area attorney

Local attorney Timothy Reitz, 51, of 1195 Mill Road, Allenwood, was arrested Friday morning on a misdemeanor charge of official oppression for “exchanging nude photos and having a sexual relationship” with a female client after being appointed by a court in early March 2024 to serve as her attorney, it was alleged in court papers filed by county Detective Loretta Badger. “At the time, the victim was homeless, without custody of her children, financially unstable and emotionally vulnerable following a domestic-violence incident,” the investigator stated in an affidavit. In one ...

Discovery of drugs and firearm lead to new charges against South Williamsport man

Convicted drug dealer John Charles Reed, 38, of 323 E. First Ave., South Williamsport, was back behind bars on Friday after he was arraigned before Whiteman on a felony charge of convicted felon not to possess a firearm and other offenses, according to borough police. The charge stems from an incident on Jan. 23 when a probation officer seized a handgun that was discovered in Reed’s bedroom, it was stated in a criminal complaint. Also found on the premises were two bags of suspected cocaine. In addition to the felony offense, Reed has been charged with illegal possession of a ...

Bucks County man escapes injury after striking three parked vehicles

While watching television inside her second-floor apartment in the 600 block of West West Fourth Street about 8:30 Saturday night, the city woman heard the horrendous crash in front her building. "It sounded like dynamite. The collision even shook the building," the woman, who did not give ...

Charges dropped in two cases while guilty pleas accepted in others

With insufficient evidence to pursue the case, state police have dropped all charges against Linton Hooper, 58, of 513 Wyoming St., and Athony Leroy James Jr., 52, of 1320 Pleasant Hills Road, in connection with a 2015 sports car owned by James that was set on fire on 4 Mile Road near Trout ...

Luzerne County motorist faces charges following violent crash

Motorist Tyler R. Purkey, 21, of Pittston, has been arrested on a felony aggravated assault-by-vehicle charge and several summary offenses, including reckless driving, that stem from a crash near Lairdsville in early January in which his pickup truck collided head-on with an oncoming car, critically injuring its driver, a volunteer firefighter, according to state police. It was alleged that Purkey was passing a tractor-trailer truck in a no-passing zone and traveling between 88 and 95 mph when his eastbound 2021 Chevrolet Silverado plowed into a westbound Nissan Murano in the westbound ...

Caretaker arrested for allegedly assaulting client

Upon arriving at 815 Elmira St. to check on a care-dependent woman about 5:30 p.m. on Feb. 28, city police found the woman sitting on the front porch with “two black eyes and her leg bleeding,” it was stated in the affidavit. Police have charged Dawn Jackson Holloway, 24, with allegedly inflicting the woman’s injuries. Holloway, who lives with the victim at the Elmira Street address, is identified as the woman’s paid “caretaker,” in the court document. The victim, who was treated at UPMC Williamsport, told police that Holloway allegedly punched her in the face on Feb. 25. ...