It was billed as a workshop cum business meeting, but a hefty business agenda turned that inside out and the meeting of the Blue Ridge School Board on November 25th ended without a workshop at all. There was a cake, however.

The sugary treat – you had to wait ‘til the end to enjoy it – honored 3 Board members who will not be returning for the December 3 reorganization meeting. It was the last session for Cindy Gillespie, who served 14 years altogether; John Ketchur, who served on the Board for 4 years following a career as teacher and technology coordinator; and Jennifer Merrell-Mess, who served only 1 year, but expressed her thanks for the learning experience.

The Board had the opportunity to accept some small grants during the preliminaries. Ellen Holdredge, president of the local chapter of the Pennsylvania State Association of Retirees System (PSERS), accompanied by Robert McNamara, her vice (and former Superintendent at Blue Ridge), presented a check for $150 to Trudi Hepler to help promote her Pen Pal program in the second grade. Ms. Helpler said she started the program 14 years ago when she arrived at Blue Ridge, and even in an age of instant digital communications, there is value in introducing children to cultural exchange through the hand-written word.

2nd-grade pen pal innovator Trudi Hepler flanked by PSERS representatives Ellen Holdredge and Bob McNamara

Tammy Palmer of Liberty Petroleum presented a check for $500 to Middle/High School Principal Matthew Nebzydoski for the support of technology in the classroom. Mr. Nebz said the money would be used to acquire camera equipment and software for use in the further development of the on-line edition of the Raider Reader.

Tammy Palmer (left) presenting a check for $500 from Liberty Petroleum to Middle/High School Principal Matthew Nebzydoski

Superintendent Robert McTiernan announced that the Booster Club would help with the purchase of a new sound board for the auditorium. Over the past 2 years the sound system in the facility has undergone major renovations. The sound board was to be part of the next phase, but it quit just before the play recently; a replacement had to be quickly rented. The Booster Club’s contribution will be augmented by a small appropriation from a contingency fund in the District’s budget to purchase the new digital equipment. Mr. McTiernan said that the last phase would be the installation of wireless microphones, which he hoped could be fit into next year’s budget.

And Rob Robinson, proprietor of Rob’s Market in Hallstead, a long-time heavy supporter of Blue Ridge, will provide a turkey to each of the male and female winners of the 1st annual Turkey Trot, a 5K footrace in New Milford on Thanksgiving Day. The event is organized by the High School Freshman class as a fund-raiser.

The Board heard from Alex Dennis, one of the High School’s high achievers who was to be recognized at a prior meeting. Mr. Dennis said that he was nervous at a new school after his family moved to the area from the suburbs of Washington, DC. He found that while Blue Ridge did not offer as many courses as the school he came from, the quality was high and he has prospered. Indeed. Mr. Dennis is a National Merit Scholar semi-finalist whose interests center on computer science. He hopes to study at Middlebury College in Vermont. Mr. Nebzydoski said that Mr. Dennis has “done plenty of good things for Blue Ridge.”

The Board also recognized the contributions of James Mangel, head coach of the Blue Ridge girls’ basketball teams who had to resign the assignment this year for health reasons.

Outstanding Senior Alex Dennis

Basketball coach James Mangel flanked by Middle/High School Principal Matthew Nebzydoski and Board President Laurie Brown-Bonner

Before launching into the 22+3-point business agenda, Board President Laurie Brown-Bonner announced that members had met in executive session on November 18 to review the Superintendent’s contract, to examine applications for a special education instructional supervisor, for some unspecified legal matters, and to review transportation contracts.

Some of those unspecified legal matters may (or may not) have to do with the sudden disappearance recently of Business Manager Loren Small. Some “interim” appointments to fill his place at the table were made permanent this time. Deborah Bennett will continue as Board Secretary at least through the end of the fiscal year. Lorrie Detwiler was named Board Recorder. And Penny Greene was appointed Director of Business, Finance and Human Resources effective immediately, and with a new job description to match.

Presumably as a result of those secret deliberations, Mr. McTiernan was awarded a new 5-year contract. His salary wasn’t announced, but is publicly available through the District office. Mrs. Brown-Bonner, speaking for her colleagues, said, “we’re all very happy” with Mr. McTiernan’s performance, and she thanked him for his hard work.

Among other routine personnel actions, Maria Cisek was appointed to a part-time position as a licensed practical nurse. She will probably work with Ann Marie Summers, a nursing student at Penn State who will spend some time at Blue Ridge as an intern.

Ms. Cisek, Stacey Merrell and student Nicholas Swaha will be available as “non-instructional substitutes.” Asked about Mr. Swaha’s responsibilities, Mr. McTiernan said that students like Mr. Swaha perform many duties around the school, including monitoring and cleaning up in the cafeteria.

The Board also accepted the resignation of Nichole Welmon as Hall Monitor. Ms. Welmon was only earlier this month appointed to the new position, which is intended to provide more security in the schools in the wake of the tragedy in

Mr. McTiernan reported on some results nearly half-way through the fiscal year. Specifically, he said that the shift to the “single-bell” busing schedule seems to have saved the District about $23,000 so far for the regular runs. There were some increases in other areas of transportation, but overall he said that savings could be as high as $67,000 by the end of the school year in June. And that doesn’t include dropping one contract with Lewis Busing. Board member Christina Whitney asked her colleagues to remember that the change to the single-tier schedule was not primarily to save money, but to improve instructional scheduling; the savings, however small, were expected only as a beneficial side effect

The bus contract was also amended to allow for end-of-year payments to include adjustments caused by changes in routes as well as changes in the state’s reimbursement formulas.

The District’s independent auditors, Murphy, Dougherty and Company, will be asked to look over transportation billing, at a cost of $85 per hour. The auditors are expected to present their overall findings in January for the fiscal year that ended last June.

Mr. McTiernan noted that regulations limit the amount the District can carry forward in its general fund from a year-end surplus. So, in anticipation of substantial surpluses to be detailed by the auditors for the fiscal year just past, the Board authorized the administration to transfer some funds into capital accounts, and to “commit Fund Balance” sums of $500,000 to future capital improvements, which Mr. McTiernan hopes will allow the replacement of seating and the floor in the gym, among other things; another $105,000 added to the self-funded health insurance program to build a $1 million reserve; $500,000 added to the debt-service fund to help retire outstanding debt, mostly left over from the renovation project back in the 1990’s (and borrowed from the current budget to pay for a networking upgrade and a new position in special education). Almost $1.5 million will be allocated to pending pension obligations. Mr. McTiernan said that, despite negotiations in Harrisburg over the state pension funding debacle, the District expects to have to pay as much as 25% of its $5 million budget for professional salaries into the fund by 2016.

A new Board will organize itself at its next meeting on December 3, 2013, to include 3 newly-elected members. And they’ll all have nice new – smaller and thinner – laptop computers to play with. The full board will meet beginning at 7:30pm. Facilities & Grounds chair Harold Empett said that his committee will meet on the same night beginning at 6:30pm. All meetings are in the cafeteria in the Elementary School. Don’t expect cake. Maybe cookies.

At the November 25 meeting of the Mountain View School Board, Mr. Williams and Mrs. Rinehart-Cowan were acknowledged as outgoing board members. Mr. Williams himself acknowledged a number of companies during the Pride in Mountain View section which had helped to provide the fan buses for those cheering on the boys’ soccer team during their playoff games. He also acknowledged a donation from DTE Energy to be used towards the Elementary school play.

Mrs. Voigt reviewed the 7th and 8th grade reading curriculum, which she said had already been about 90% in accordance with the common core. The two main areas which needed to have more emphasis were nonfiction reading and providing in-story support for a viewpoint. The reading program would get help from the science and social studies programs to address the former. She passed around the anthologies books which those grades utilized. In addition to the anthology, the instructors used trade books or paperbacks, she also passed around examples of these. In the eighth grade they used The Giver, which was part of a trilogy including Gathering Blue and the Messenger. They also used the Outsiders, and watched the movie after. Such pairings happened to be in the common core; they wanted students to be able to compare when two different stories were told by two different people, or how a movie compared to a book. She discussed how educators continued to consider new books for incorporation, holding up the book Tangerine as an example. They also used the Lottery Rose, A Day No Pigs Would Die, and Parvana’s Journey- using the latter two as examples of the program’s incorporation of multicultural stories. Read magazines would also be used as a supplement. Students learned 82 Literary terms, which list had been updated to ensure that it aligned with the common core.

She spoke briefly about the Accelerated Reader program, which allowed the students to pick the books they were interested in at a level they would be comfortable with. Mrs. Shea asked if it was true that if a student only watched the movie they wouldn’t be able to pass the AR test. Mrs. Voigt responded that it was; the creators of the tests carefully asked questions which ensured that a student only watching the movie couldn’t take the test very successfully. For instance if a child took the Harry Potter movie, they might get a forty or fifty. This had been proven repeatedly. Mrs. Voigt said that AR was not a punishment. She likened it to practicing foul shots- the only way to get better at reading was to read. She said they wanted the kids to get better at reading and to enjoy it.

Dr. Plonski-Sezer reviewed the first reading of a policy change regarding eligibility of non-resident students to attend the district. Mr. Williams offered anyone present a spare copy of the policy. Mr. Stoddard opined that a sentence needed to be added regarding the termination of the policy. The policy was written such that the ability for staff to bring their non-resident children to school could be terminated by the board. He wished to add a sentence that such termination would not take effect until the beginning of the following school year, as he wouldn’t want to pull children in the middle of the year.

Mr. Taylor explained that the wood stove was up and had been running. Also, a company had come in and done a presentation on energy savings for the district. They were a broker, who went out to bid for energy services. At that time the district was using IDT energy. Mr. Taylor said that he had not been involved in the original choice to go with IDT. The broker was a local, who would continue to look for better deals once they signed on with the company. Mr. Taylor had spoken with IDT and they would not budge on their price. Mr. Twining said that he appreciated the information, but asked how long the new contract would be locked in for. It was responded that it was locked in for 18 months, during which time the broker would keep looking for decreased prices. The prices could go down during those eighteen months, but not up Mr. Patchcoski explained.

There were six other schools in the area which got their energy from that company, Direct Energy, which was out of Texas. The company brokered 40% of all of commercial Penelec clients, it was stated. Mr. Stoddard and Mr. Twining asked if the company could provide them with six months or a year of the actual brokering for a different client, including the rates.

It would take them a month to cancel out with IDT, it was noted. There was no cancellation fee to do so.

The deal was only for the energy, and would only be for the high school side.

Mr. Taylor stated that there were two more cameras and four more fingerprints to be put in before the security system was complete. Mrs. Stine said that someone had told her there were still doors being propped open when no one was around. She responded that one of the purposes of the very expensive security system was to avoid this. It was pointed out that once the system was completed the door prop alarm would go off anytime a door was propped open. It was asked when this would be working. Mr. Taylor said that he would speak with the company and address it with his staff. Mr. Twining said that the district was fortunate enough that they were able to upgrade the system, but they had to take care of it so that it was used appropriately. The recommendation to consider such an option came originally from the auditors, Mr. Patchcoski related. It was decided that this would be put on hold until the next month to gather more information.

Mrs. Shea, during her comments, wished to recognize Dr. Chichura and Karen Voigt for writing a grant which the district had been awarded. The grant, Keys to Financial Success, would be utilized to purchase some kind of tablet to be utilized with the financial literacy class. The curriculum used by the district was called Take Charge, Mrs. Voigt explained, and she briefly spoke on this curriculum.

Mrs. Shea also wished to recognize the managers of the school play. They were asked if they would mind moving one of the days of the play, because it conflicted with the boys’ soccer state playoff game. The play managers agreed to this, and the boys’ team had paid them back by attending the matinee performance. Finally, she wished everyone a happy Hannukah and Thanksgiving.

Mr. Patchcoski had received notification regarding the PSERS increase for the following year. The district was at 16.94%, and it was expected to escalate to 21.40% for the next year. This, he estimated, represented roughly a $366,000 increase.

Mrs. Shea explained that they had met with a representative from Lackawanna College, who had approached the district regarding a dual enrollment program. This would allow junior and senior students to enroll in the program, pay basically $100 per credit, and attend certain classes given at Mountain View by their regular instructors. At the end the instructors would submit the grades to the college for credit. Certain courses would be involved, which the college felt matched up with its own courses. Mr. Presley had met with instructors about this to see which courses might match up with which. There was some discussion regarding this idea. Parents would have to understand that there was no guarantee that, even though the college would give credit, it would count toward a student’s degree. The credits might transfer as elective credit or extra credit. There were other schools in the area which did it. Dr. Chichura had felt that dual enrollment students should go to college for the college credit, which is why the district had not participated in the past. However, Mrs. Voigt said that the times were changing.

The question was raised as to whether or not they should allow tournaments again. It was clarified that the lack of tournaments had been just a board directive, made one year when they were looking closely at budgets.

Mrs. Voigt let the board know that when the Scholastic Team competed in WVIA they had placed third in the overall tournament, and were to be recognized in the spring at the NEIU banquet.

Dr. Plonski-Sezer had a check to purchase a new keyboard for the piano lab. She handed it to Mrs. Shea, saying that she wished the donation to be made in memory of Mr. Hendrick Marr. Some of the pianos in the lab were currently on loan. Each keyboard split so that two students could play at a time.

Mr. Williams brought up a question regarding the artwork on the walls of the board room. It was from the elementary art class. Mrs. Phillips and Mr. Rogan liked to take turns displaying art work in the room.

Mountain View had gotten another first place in the annual Feed a Friend can sculpture competition, it was noted. At the elementary school, Mrs. Voigt said that as part of the schoolwide behavior system the kids were given tickets when they brought in cans. This was correlated with a pie in the face contest. They had a lot of cans that year, and the next day was to see five educators pied in the face. The kids chose these instructors by placing their tickets in bags.

A visitor asked if there was a policy for terroristic threats in the school. It was responded that there was a procedure. The visitor said that there had been a bomb threat at the grade school, but they had never been put into lock down or anything. It was responded that there was both a procedure and a memorandum of understanding with the police. It was stated that the state police were on site the day of the incident in question, and they hadn’t deemed it necessary to lock down.

There was a recess held during the meeting to discuss the requirement that every group using school facilities have insurance in place. After the recess attorney Gaughan said that such a requirement was in place within the policy. The policy also stated that every group that was not a school related group would have to have a hold harmless agreement, and that there was a rental fee schedule. His feeling was that if there was an outside group coming in, even if it was comprised entirely of district students, they should have to provide insurance, as there could be some question regarding whether or not the school’s policy would cover them. He would guess that the policy would not do so. A visitor spoke up, as the coach of a 5th and 6th grade travel team, saying that they asked for minimal funds which don’t cover many extra costs. They would have to go back to the families for more money in order to have insurance. Mr. Williams said that they might have to call their league officials and see if they have insurance which would cover them. He did say that they appreciated being able to use the gym and not having to pay for it.

The Susquehanna County DOMESTIC RELATIONS Section has outstanding BENCH WARRANT’S for the following individuals as of 9:30 a.m. on November 27, 2013: Edwin Blaisure, William J. Casey, Anthony M. Choplosky, Brian M. Decker, Marc K. Deesch, Jeremy T. DeGraw, Thomas D. Earley, David J. Fischer, John S. Frisbie, Jr., Richard F. Hadlick, Jon W. Hanson, Timothy M. Holmes, Kay L. Knolles, Christopher M. Kuiper, Todd J. Layton, Charlie J. Legere, Derrick J. Lezinsky, Shawn N. Marcho, Jason N. Masteller, Robert J. McCrone, Matthew S. Miller, Ronald N. Mitchell, Jeffrey A. Ransom, Jose A. Rodriguez, Scott A. Russell, Bruce A. Schurr, David J. Shiner, Eric J. Snell, Nathan C. Strohl, Frederick Swingle III, Justin S. Thompson, Timothy T. Towers II, Kathleen M. Visavati, Steven G. Warner, Richard D. Williams. Please contact the Domestic Relations Section at 570-278-4600 ext. 170 with any information on the location of these individuals.

Plane Crash:  A Cessna 210, being flown by Kyle Parker of Hasborough Heights, Nj, crash landed at a location on Sr 706/Scott Rd. in Bridgewater Township, after suffering engine failure problems.  The pilot sustained minor injuries in the crash.  PSP Gibson was assisted on scene by numerous agencies (Montrose/United Fire Dept, Kozlowski Towing, Susquehanna EMA, Penelec). 

DUI:  A traffic stop was initiated on Pine Street in Hallstead Borough for multiple vehicle code violations, on November 27th.  Further investigation led to the arrest of a 19 year old Hallstead boy for DUI.  Charges were filed in District Court 34-3-02. 

Crash:  On December 26 at 4:54 pm Virgil Root of Meshoppen was traveling south on Sr 3007 in Auburn Township when he lost control of his vehicle, which crossed the oncoming lane and exited the roadway to the East side of the North bound lane.  The vehicle then struck an embankment and rolled onto its roof, coming to its final uncontrolled rest area  No fire or EMS responded.  Route 6 towed the vehicle from the scene.  Root was not injured;  a seat belt was in use. 

Crash:  A crash occurred on November 26 at 9:37 pm as a Ford F350 driven by an unnamed driver was traveling west on Sr 706 when the driver lost control of the truck, which left the road way to its right.  The vehicle went through a grassy area then struck a tree, coming to its final uncontrolled rest area.  No fire or EMS responded.  There were no injuries.  The truck was driven from the scene. 

Collision-Traffic:  On November 26th at 9 pm Raymond Swingle of the Uniondale area was traveling eastbound on Sr 374 in Clifford Township when he lost control of his vehicle as it traveled over slippery roads.  The vehicle exited the roadway to the left of the travel lanes, as one travels east.  After leaving the roadway, it impacted a series of trees as it traveled down an embankment.  The driver reported no injuries;  the vehicle was towed from the scene by the owner. 

Retail Theft:  On November 26th at 4:35 pm a Hallstead woman was observed by store personnel taking possession of miscellaneous merchandise without paying for it. The total value of the items was listed at $47.80.  The accused was charged with Retail Theft (Summary) via Non Traffic Citation in District Court 34-3-02. 

Theft by Deception:  Between the 19th and 25th of November a local man fell victim to an internet scam where he was convinced to be a mystery shopper.  He received what appeared to be a cashiers check and was told to cash it, keep $300 and send the rest to an address in Texas. All the information that was provided to the victim was found to be fictitious.  The victim lost approximately $1,400 to the scam. 

Robbery/False Reports:  On November 26 Justine Ord, who is employed as a manager at the Gibson Sunoco, contacted PSP Gibson and related that the Gibson Sunoco just got robbed.  Two troopers responded to the Gibson Sunoco and secured the scene.  The cashier, Kenneth Groover, who worked the midnight shift at the Sunoco, related that around 6:00 am a man walked into the store wearing a black jacket with a hood on and also a black mask and black gloves and proceeded to the counter.  Groover stated that he believed the man to be about 5'6” with a slim build.  Groover stated that the man then handed him a pillow case and told him to fill the pillow case with what was in the register.  Groover then placed the money into the bag and then handed the register drawer to the suspect.  The suspect then exited the store.  On November 26 after reviewing the surveillance video, it was observed that the clerk Kenneth Groover made a gesture with his head to someone outside of the Sunoco just seconds before the robber entered the store.  Groover also made a hand gesture to somebody outside of the store just seconds before the robber entered the store as well.  The investigation revealed that the clerk, Kenneth Groover, and his friend David Calla of Hallstead both conspired to commit the crime.  Both were arrested and were remanded to the Susquehanna County Correctional Facility. 

Theft:  Sometime between 3 pm on November 25th and 10 am on November 26th 6 steel chains and 3 steel binders were stolen from the Long Acre Well Pad 43 in Jackson Township, belonging to South Western Energy.  Anyone with information is asked to please contact the police. 

Motor Vehicle Crash:  On November 25th at 1:47 pm Teri Cook of Hop Bottom was traveling West on Station Hill Road in Hop Bottom at the same time as Roberto Sumba of New Milford was traveling south on Sr 11.  Cook did not stop for a stop sign at the intersection with Sr 11, striking Sumba's vehicle in the Southbound lane with its front end and then with its right rear area.  Sumba's vehicle left the roadway after impact, struck a guide rail off the West edge of the Southbound lane, and came to an uncontrolled resting point on Sr 11.  Cook's vehicle spun around, ejecting its operator, before coming to an uncontrolled rest on Sr 11 North on its left side.  Occupants from Sumba's vehicle were transported to CMC via Montrose EMS.  All were utilizing seat belts or a child safety seat;  at least two of the four occupants sustained injury. Cook was transported to Robert Packer Hospital via Life Flight for treatment;  a seat belt was not in use.  Hop Bottom, Nicholson, and Harford fire responded to the scene.  Hop Bottom, Montrose EMS responded to the scene.  JD Towing towed both units from the scene. 

Crash:  On November 10th at 9:23 am Devina Darrow of Vestal was traveling North on Interstate 81 at mile marker 209.4 when, for unknown reasons, her vehicle veered off the East Berm of the roadway and over an embankment.  The vehicle traveled through the air and impacted a tree approximately 75 feet east of interstate 81 north, coming to a rest against the tree.  Major injury was sustained;  a seat belt was in use. 

Theft:  While employed at Bluestone Pizza, Courtney Mead of Hallstead is accused of stealing $145 from the business.  The accused was being charged with Theft as of the time of report. 

DUI:  A crash occurred as a vehicle driven by Micheal Rafferty of Friendsville was fleeing from a Montrose Borough police officer with his lights and sirens activated, in Middletown Township.  The Chevrolet S-10 turned onto Irish Hill Road and accelerated to a high rate of speed.  The vehicle attempted to negotiate a right curb and lost control traveling off the west berm of the roadway.  It spun into the grass located at the roadside, hit a driveway and rolled over.  The driver was ejected during the rollover.  Major injury was sustained;  seat belt use was listed as none used/not applicable.  The truck then landed on its wheels and came to a final rest against a tree. 

Retail Theft:  On November 25th at approximately 11:45 am a white female in her forties, approximately 5'2” and driving a dark blue 2 door Chevy Blazer, went into Global Tobacco in Hallstead.  She had the attendant put twelve cartons of cigarettes on the counter.  She then put the cartons in her bag, and walked out the door and fled in her vehicle.  Anyone with information is asked to please contact PSP Gibson at 570-465-3154. 

Crash:  On November 25th at 6:30 am Micheal Repchick of Montrose was traveling northbound on Route 0267 in Rush Township, behind Matthew Forba of Montrose.  At that time Nicole Gillingham of Montrose was traveling southbound.  Repchick attempted to pass Forba and did not see Gillingham, because of a knoll in the roadway.  Upon seeing Gillingham's vehicle, Repchick went partially onto the southbound berm and the right side of his vehicle struck hers. Repchick's vehicle spun clockwise and struck a sign and came to a rest off the roadway facing southeast.  Gillingham's vehicle was pushed into the northbound lane by the force of the initial impact and the left front of Forba's vehicle struck the left side of Gillingham's.  Forba's vehicle came to a rest in the middle of the roadway facing south and Gillingham's came to rest in the northbound lane of travel facing north.  All were utilizing seat belts'  no one sustained injury. 

Criminal Mischief:  Between the 23rd and 24th of November damage was caused to a South Western company sign located on Highlands Road in New Milford.  Anyone with information is asked to please contact the police. 

Burglary:  On November 23rd one or more burglar(s) entered a Johnson Pond Road residence by opening the sliding glass door.  A Playstation game console and approximately 8 game discs were removed from within.  The perpetrator(s) then fled the scene undetected. 

Harassment:  This incident occurred as a Friendsville woman came to the Choconut Market, the workplace of a Brackney woman, and started to harass the victim.  The incident escalated to the accused pushing and striking the victim.  The accused departed the scene prior to the trooper's arrival.  The Charges were field at District Court 34-3-01. 

Crash:  On November 23rd at 3:47 am Ryan Welch of Friendsville was traveling north bound on Sr 4007 in Forest Lake Township when his Ford F150 exited the roadway to the west of the travel lanes while attempting to negotiate a curve in the road.  The truck exited the travel lanes, glanced off a series of trees, and came to a final res tin a contact with a tree.  Welch fled the scene prior to police response to the scene. 

Hit and Run:  On November 21st at 3:30 am Nathan Gardoski of Nicholson was traveling northbound on Sr 3023 in Lathrop Township when his vehicle was driven from the roadway impacting a mailbox and a utility pole.  Gardoski fled the scene prior to police and EMS response.  The vehicle was towed from the scene by JD Towing. 

Harassment:  On November 22nd at approximately 4:31 pm one Hallstead woman went to a second Hallstead woman's residence to retrieve her son's clothing.  The former confronted the latter in the doorway, then struck the latter in the head and face area.  Charges were filed at District Court 34-3-02. 

Hit and Run:  On November 20th at 3:30 pm Horatio Sykes of Holland Patent, Ny was traveling northbound in the right hand lane of interstate 81 at the same time as Pierce Pitre of Opelousas, La was coming up the on ramp to enter the highway at exit 206.  Pitre failed to yield to through traffic and attempted to go directly in the right hand northbound lane, striking Syke's vehicle.  Sykes pulled to the side of the roadway and Pitre continued north despite heavy vehicle damage.  Pitre's vehicle became completely disabled approximately ½ mile further north.  Pitre left the vehicle on food.  He was later located and charged with several vehicle code violations.  Neither man was injured;  both were utilizing seat belts. 

Criminal Attempt Theft:  On November 18th at 1:25 am an unknown person attempted to break into the ATM at the Pennstar Bank in Choconut.  The perpetrator caused extensive damage to the machine.  Anyone with information is asked to contact PSP Gibson.  The investigation was continuing as of the time of report. 

Robbery:  On November 18th at approximately 11:25 am Robert Wellman of Dunmore entered the Lenox Pharmacy, displayed a butcher knife, and demanded Hydrocodone pills.  The pharmacist gave the accused the pills and he left the store.  A description of the accused and his vehicle was disseminated and he was located on Sr 81 in the area of Waverly, Pa by Pennsylvania State Police from the Dunmore station.  He was taken into custody without incident.  Charges were prepared and the accused was remanded to the Susquehanna County prison pending a preliminary hearing. 

Criminal Mischief:  On November 14th at 8:26 am an older model red SUV entered the parking lot at a Susquehanna Housing Authority property in Hallstead Borough.  The vehicle then went to the rear of the parking lot where it drove on the grass before fleeing the scene.  Anyone with information is asked to contact the police, please. 

Theft:  On November 19th between noon and 12:30 am an unknown perpetrator is accused of stealing 42 generic Percocet pills from the purse of a Rushville woman, and then fleeing the scene. 

Burglary/Theft of Motor Vehicle:  Between September 1st and November 9th the door on a vacant house in New Milford Township was kicked in.  A 2001 blue Saturn SL sedan was also removed from the front yard.  Anyone with information is asked to please contact the police. 

Theft:  Between November 2nd and 16th a go cart was taken from a Dimock man, at a location on Sr 29 near the Dimock post office.  Anyone with information is asked to please contact the police. 

Anyone having information regarding any of these incidents is asked to please contact the Gibson State Police barracks at (570) 465-3154.

Burglary: On 10/02/13 Silver Lake Township Police responded to a report of a burglary. The burglary took place at a residence located on State Route 167 during the daytime hours. Several items were taken from the residence. Officer Justin Sprout was the responding officer. This case is still under investigation.

Theft: On 10/03/14 a resident located on State Route 167 reported that they had a theft occur back in April of this year. The actors took a Chainsaw and a welder out of the residence garage area. Chief Timothy Burgh took the report. This case is still active.

Report of a D.U.I. Driver: On 10/06/13 Silver Lake Township Police took a report of a possible intoxicated driver. The incident had taken place on Britton Road on 10/05/13. Chief Timothy Burgh took the report.

Burglary/P.F.A. Violation: On 10/07/13 Silver Lake Township Police responded to a report of a burglary that occurred between 10/04/13 and 10/05/13. The residence is located on Tripp Lake Road. No items were taken from the residence but several hundred dollars damage was done to a motorcycle parked in a garage. An individual was charged for violation of a Protection from Abuse Order and ordered to pay restitution for the damage done to the motorcycle. Other charges are pending. Chief Timothy Burgh was the investigating officer. Case is still active

Suspicious Person: On 10/07/13 a vehicle was stopped for suspicious activity on State Route 167. The driver of the vehicle was making multiple stops at different residence located in the township. The driver was identified and worked for a meat sales company. Silver Lake Township Police took multiple calls for this incident. Chief Timothy Burgh was the responding officer.

D.U.I.: On 10/08/13 at 9:40 p.m. A vehicle was stopped on State Route 4001. The vehicle was observed driving off the roadway several times on the Quaker Lake Road. Upon investigation during the stop the driver of the vehicle was arrested for Suspicion of D.U.I. Officer Justin Sprout was the arresting officer. The case is still active.

Suspicious Person/ Medical: On 10/10/13 at 9:50 a.m. A person driving on Donovan Road reported a man with a knife approaching people. Silver Lake Township Police responded and the individual was located in the area. The individual was suffering from a medical condition. Chief Timothy Burgh was the responding officer along with Silver Lake Township Ambulance.

Miscellaneous Investigation: On 10/10/13 at 7:50 p.m. Silver Lake Township Police were requested to check on the welfare of a township resident. The resident in question was the same resident from a prior incident earlier that day. Officer Levi Tiffany took the report.

Suspicious Vehicle: On 10/11/13 a resident reported a suspicious vehicle in their driveway. The resident stated that it was a white van and had several occupants in it. The resident was able to get a plate number for the vehicle. The resident stated that the individuals approached the home several times. The individuals then left the area. Chief Timothy Burgh took the report. This case is still active.

Animal Complaint: On 10/12/13 a resident located on State Route 167 called police to advise them that one of his cows got loose and ran down the roadway. The cow was located a few days later by a nearby farmer.

Erratic Driver: On 10/16/13 at 7:35 a.m. While monitoring traffic on State Route 167 a red Volkswagen Jetta was clocked at 60 m.p.h. In a 35 m.p.h. Zone. Officers proceeded after the vehicle and the driver of the vehicle passed a car on a curve. Police then discontinued going after the vehicle. Chief Timothy Burgh was the officer. Case is still active.

Burglary/Miscellaneous Investigation: On 10/22/13 at 10:15 a.m. Silver Lake Township Police received a report of a possible burglary. The residence is located on the Laurel Lake Road. Upon further investigation it was determined that a rock had broken the side patio door of the residence. No items were taken from the residence. Chief Timothy Burgh was the responding officer.

Criminal Trespass: On 10/21/13 at 12:45 p.m. Silver Lake Township Police took a report of criminal trespass. The residence is located on the Silver Creek Road. Upon further investigation Silver Lake Township Police found out that this was a property boundary incident. The owner of the property was told that this was civil in nature. Chief Timothy Burgh took the report.

Criminal Mischief: On 10/22/13 at 5:00 p.m. Silver Lake Township Police responded to a business located on State Route 4001 for a report of criminal mischief. The owner of the residence stated that someone had driven onto the lawn of the business and did hundreds of dollars in damage. Officer Levi Tiffany was the responding officer. This case is still active.

911 Hang-up Call: On 10/25/13 at 8:40 a.m. Silver Lake Township Police responded to a 911 hang-up call on Hawleyton Turnpike Road. Upon arrival it was found that Penndot was working in the area and broke an underground phone line. Chief Timothy Burgh was the responding officer.

911 Hang-up Call: On 10/25/13 at 9:05 a.m. Silver Lake Township Police responded to a 911 hang-up call on Kennedy Road. It was determined that the same incident of Penndot working on a ditch was the cause for the 911 hang-up. Chief Timothy Burgh was the responding officer.

Burglary: On 10/29/13 Silver Lake Township Police responded to a report of a burglary that occurred on Hawleyton Turnpike Road. Several items were taken from the residence including a 9mm hand gun. Silver Lake Township Police processed the scene and took the report. Silver Lake Township Police have made an arrest for this incident. The charges are pending before the courts. Chief Timothy Burgh was the investigating and arresting officer. Case is still active.

Suspicious Vehicle: On 10/30/13 at 9:00 a.m. Silver Lake Township Police took a report of a suspicious vehicle located on McCormick Road. The individual reported that during the night a vehicle was parked on the roadway in front of his house. The individual reported that the vehicle was sitting there for almost a half hour. The resident then followed the vehicle and was able to get a plate number for the vehicle. Chief Timothy Burgh took the report.

Any information or questions for Silver Lake Township Police, please call 570-278-6818 or email us at silverlaketwppd@epix.net, all information will be held strictly confidential. You can look at the Silver Lake Township Website at www.silverlaketwp.org, to see all Silver Lake Townships' news, profiles, and resources, including the police reports.