Dozens Nabbed In PA Child Porn Sting, 'Operation Safe Screen': State Police Dozens Nabbed In PA Child Porn Sting, 'Operation Safe Screen': State Police
Dozens Nabbed In PA Child Porn Sting, 'Operation Safe Screen': State Police Twenty-six Pennsylvanians face criminal charges after state police wrapped up a months-long investigation on child sex abuse imagery.  "Operation: Safe Screen," said troopers in a release on Tuesday, July 18, involved chatting with suspect predators online, locating possessors of child pornography, and tracking down registered offenders who have fallen out of compliance.  The operation ran from April through June and led to the arrests of 22 adults and four juveniles in twelve counties, state police said.  Those charged:  Daniel Gonzales, 43, of Lackawanna County, is …
Teen Victim In Deadly Luzerne County Shooting Identified Teen Victim In Deadly Luzerne County Shooting Identified
Teen Victim In Deadly Luzerne County Shooting Identified Authorities have identified the young man fatally injured in an early-evening shooting in Luzerne County on Friday, April 14.  Rolando X. Cepeda, 18, of Hazle, was pronounced dead at 3:15 p.m. on Saturday, April 15, said Lehigh County Coroner Daniel A. Buglio in a statement.  The day prior, Cepeda was in the 50 block of West 23rd Street in Hazle Township when he was shot multiple times, the coroner said.  In a statement, state troopers said "several individuals" were struck in the shooting, though only Cepeda was identified as being fatally injured. The suspect or suspects f…
David's Bridal Laying Off 9,200 Employees Amid Bankruptcy Filing David's Bridal Laying Off 9,200 Employees Amid Bankruptcy Filing
David's Bridal Laying Off 9,200 Employees Amid Bankruptcy Filing David's Bridal will send more than 9,000 workers home in an upcoming round of layoffs, according to a disclosure form it filed with the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry.  The Montgomery County, PA-wedding retailer expects to lay off 9,236 employees nationwide in a three-phase plan that began on Friday, April 14, according to the state website.  It's not clear how many of those workers are in Pennsylvania, though the layoffs are expected to affect locations in Blair, Dauphin, Delaware, Erie, Luzerne, and York counties, as well as four shops in Allegheny County, two sho…
PA's David's Bridal Laying Off 9,200 Employees Amid Bankruptcy Filing PA's David's Bridal Laying Off 9,200 Employees Amid Bankruptcy Filing
PA's David's Bridal Laying Off 9,200 Employees Amid Bankruptcy Filing Montgomery County's own David's Bridal will send more than 9,000 workers home in an upcoming round of layoffs, according to a disclosure form it filed with the state Department of Labor and Industry.  The Conshohocken-based wedding retailer expects to lay off 9,236 employees nationwide in a three-phase plan that began on Friday, April 14, according to the state website.  It's not clear how many of those workers are in Pennsylvania, though the layoffs are expected to affect locations in Blair, Dauphin, Delaware, Erie, Luzerne, and York counties, as well as four shops in Allegheny C…
Family Of Missing PA Woman Receives 'Suspicious' Phone Call: State Police Family Of Missing PA Woman Receives 'Suspicious' Phone Call: State Police
Family Of Missing PA Woman Receives 'Suspicious' Phone Call: State Police The family of a Northampton County woman who went missing last year received a "suspicious" phone call from their loved one, and state police are searching for answers.  Ashley Marie Payung, 32, walked away from a rehabilitation facility in Luzerne County on Nov. 8, 2022, and had not been seen or heard from since, troopers said in a release.  But on Sunday, Feb. 26, her loved ones received a phone call that police are describing as "suspicious." "The conversation seemed as if Ashley was instructed what to say due to long pauses before answering, where whispers could be heard in t…
Missing PA Woman Was Going To Testify In Court Before Disappearance: Police Missing PA Woman Was Going To Testify In Court Before Disappearance: Police
Missing PA Woman Was Going To Testify In Court Before Disappearance: Police As the nine-year anniversary of her disappearance approaches, investigators are still searching for Danielle Marie Drozdowski.  In 2014, when she was 25 years old, the Wilkes-Barre resident had agreed to testify before a Luzerne County grand jury as a confidential informant, according to the Pennsylvania Crime Stoppers.  But when the trial date came and went that August without Drozdowski making an appearance, the court noted her as "wanted," officials said. Her family members told investigators they hadn't seen or heard from her since March 2014, when she last updated her Faceboo…
Top Ten Most Wanted List Updated By PA State Police Top Ten Most Wanted List Updated By PA State Police
Top Ten Most Wanted List Updated By PA State Police Three new criminals have been added to the Pennsylvania State Police's "Ten Most Wanted" list. The three newest fugitives replace three who have been captured. Those men are: Jordan Alexander Allen, Wilkes-Barre: Aggravated assault with a firearm. Samuel Irizarry, Philadelphia: Attempted homicide Rakeem Markell Jones, Erie: Attempted homicide. The other men on the list, which still includes one individual who has been captured, includes: Michael Edward Akerly, Erie: Wanted for a 1998 rape and aggravated indecent assault in Erie, PA. Seen in Wattsburg, Erie County; Chauauq…
Teen Killed At PA Movie Theater Was 'Specifically Targeted,' Police Say Teen Killed At PA Movie Theater Was 'Specifically Targeted,' Police Say
Teen Killed At PA Movie Theater Was 'Specifically Targeted,' Police Say A Pennsylvania teenager who was the victim of a targeted shooting in the lobby of a Luzerne County movie theater has died from his injuries, according to state police. Luis Manuel Luna, 19, of Hazleton, died from injuries sustained in a shooting at approximately 8;15 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 14 at the Regal Cinema on Laurel Mall Drive in the Hazle Township. According to police, Manuel Luna suffered multiple gunshot wounds while he was in the arcade and lobby area of the theater before the gunman fled the area. Manuel Luna was transported to Lehigh Valley Hazleton for treatment and evaluati…
Man Who Killed Girlfriend At Large In PA: State Police Man Who Killed Girlfriend At Large In PA: State Police
Man Who Killed Girlfriend At Large In PA: State Police There's a killer on the loose in Pennsylvania, state police believe.  Troopers were called to a home on Woodhaven Drive in Foster Township, Luzerne County at about 7 p.m. for reports of shots fired.  On arrival, officers found 35-year-old Jessica Romano with a gunshot wound to her head. She was rushed to Hazleton-Lehigh Valley Hospital where she later died of her injuries, they added.  Investigators say she was shot and killed by her boyfriend, 30-year-old Scott Andrew Oliver.  A warrant has been issued for his arrest, but police say he is considered armed and dangerou…
PA Judge Rules To Extend Voting Until 10 p.m. In Luzerne County: Reports PA Judge Rules To Extend Voting Until 10 p.m. In Luzerne County: Reports
PA Judge Rules To Extend Voting Until 10 p.m. In Luzerne County: Reports A Pennsylvania judge ruled to keep Luzerne County polls open until 10 p.m. after paper shortages were discovered at polling sites, multiple outlets report.  Polls in Luzerne County were set to close at 8 p.m. until county Court of Common Pleas Judge Lesa S. Gelb ruled in an emergency, one-page order that the paper shortage "disenfranchised" voters "through no fault of their own," according to the reports.  The delay is sure to slow results in the race for Pennsylvania's 8th Congressional District, where incumbent Rep. Matt Cartwright (D) is up against Jim Bognet (R) for the second…
Six Lucky Pennsylvania Powerball Players Win $1.5 Million Six Lucky Pennsylvania Powerball Players Win $1.5 Million
Six Lucky Pennsylvania Powerball Players Win $1.5 Million Six winning Pennsylvania Powerball tickets have been sold in six different Pennsylvania counties in the drawing the day before the historic $2.04 billion Powerball drawing on Tuesday, Nov. 8. A $1 million ticket, less withholding sold at the Turkey Hill located at 7601 Allentown Boulevard, Harrisburg, Dauphin County; which earns a $5,000 reward for selling the ticket.  The $1 million-winning ticket matched five of the five white balls drawn, 10-33-41-47-56. Meanwhile, the following retailers who sold $100,000 Powerball with Power Play winning tickets each earned a $500 bonus. They are: …
Accused  PA Rapist Paid 'Hit Man' To Kill Witnesses, AG Says Accused  PA Rapist Paid 'Hit Man' To Kill Witnesses, AG Says
Accused PA Rapist Paid 'Hit Man' To Kill Witnesses, AG Says A Pennsylvania man accused of sexual assault is now charged with hiring a hit man to eliminate his accusers, state officials have announced.   Ferdinand Cuevas-Heredia, 44, of Luzerne County, was arrested on Sept. 27 and charged with three counts of criminal solicitation to commit homicide, two counts of attempted witness intimidation, and other related offenses, state Attorney General Josh Shapiro said in a statement.  Cuevas-Heredia was previously charged with forcing an adult and two children to perform sex acts, Fox56 has reported.  Investigators said Cuevas-Heredia…