The backlog of untested rape kits in Pennsylvania has dropped almost 90 percent -- from more than 3,000 in 2016 to 339 by the end of 2018, the state's auditor general announced on Thursday. April 11, 2019 y Sarah Cassi | For lehighvalleylive.com The backlog of untested rape kits in Pennsylvania has dropped almost 90 percent -- from more than 3,000 ...

Chief Tim Butler, who resigned before being charged with stealing drugs from the evidence locker April 5, 2019 ELIZABETH BOROUGH, Pa. - Nearly four months after a scandal rocked the Elizabeth Borough Police Department, the new chief is taking steps to make sure it doesn't happen again. In a one-on-one interview with Channel 11, new Police Chief Bil...

Voci says with the developments in DNA and other technologies, this case should serve as an example to families of cold case victims. March 14, 2019 PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) -- Police have arrested the former boyfriend of a Philadelphia woman, found dead in Montgomery County 30 years ago. It was November 1, 1988 state police found the body of 3...

Police evidence computer user history which revealed that Rupert was the last officer who handled the missing currency, JANUARY 18,2019 DAUPHIN COUNTY — A former Steelton Police officer has been charged with a misdemeanor count of theft by unlawful taking, court documents show. Scott Rupert, 47, is accused of stealing approximately $1,000 from the ...

Thousands of empty bags of heroin were found throughout Butler's office, authorities said. December 21, 2018 Former Elizabeth Borough police Chief Timothy Butler, who resigned Tuesday night, is accused of stealing drugs from the department's evidence room. Thousands of empty bags of heroin were found throughout Butler's office, authorities said. He...

Court documents say that in October 2016, Rayam and other officers were chasing a suspect who suddenly threw nine ounces of cocaine out of his car window. Instead of placing the drugs in the police evidence room, Rayam suggested selling them. November 8, 2018 A Philadelphia police officer pleaded guilty Thursday to selling drugs with corrupt member...

Flowers became addicted to painkilling drugs over the years because he suffered from chronic back issues and other health concerns September 28, 2019 HARRISBURG — A former Lower Swatara Township police officer who pleaded guilty to stealing drugs from the department's evidence locker will not spend any time behind bars. Scott M. Flowers, 39, of Har...

Guilty on charges of theft in office and grand theft for taking about $10,000 from the police department's evidence locker Enter Article DATE HERE YOUNGSTOWN John Siranovic, former Smith Township police chief, brought shame upon not only himself but all law-enforcement officers, assistant Mahoning County Prosecutor Ken Cardinal said Wednesday....

$1.2 million dollars worth of discarded pills stolen by employees at a Falls waste disposal facility and resold Enter Article DATE HERE It started with a small-time pot bust, and over months the investigation grew. Now Bensalem police say they and the FBI have shut down a major drug ring and seized $1.2 million dollars worth of discarded pills...

An audit of the evidence locker done by the Criminal Investigation Division and the department showed that four evidence envelopes had been opened, narcotics taken from inside, and the envelopes resealed. August 15, 2018 Former Lower Swatara Township police Officer Scott M. Flowers is to be sentenced in Dauphin County Court on Sept. 28, after plead...

A wide assortment of electronics, knives, tools, jewelry, even clothes — will soon be listed for sale on PropertyRoom.com, July 20, 2018 WEST CHESTER TWP. — A hodgepodge of property that was either evidence in a crime or found on the streets of West Chester Twp. will soon be available for purchase in an online auction. And starting prices are one c...

Rowe is the latest to be arrested after being identified through a genealogy July 20, 2018 Police have arrested a popular Pennsylvania DJ in the cold case killing of a young woman who was sexually assaulted and murdered in her home back in 1992. Christy Mirack was just 25 years old when she was beaten, strangled and sexually assaulted in her Greenf...

Police arrested a D.J. in Pennsylvania and a nurse in Washington State this week, the latest examples of the use of an open-source ancestry site since the break in the Golden State killer case. June 29, 2018 When the Golden State Killer case was cracked in April with the help of a genealogist and an open-source ancestry site, many wondered if this ...

The crime lab gets federal money, so stealing evidence from the lab is a federal crime. June 25, 2018 A former chemist at the Allegheny County Crime Lab has been charged with stealing alprazolam, the active ingredient in Xanax, that had been seized as evidence in a federal drug investigation. Matthew Ieraci, 28, of Baldwin Borough, was federally ch...

Investigators accuse John Siranovic of stealing about $10,000 from the police department's evidence room while he served as the chief. May 12, 2018 YOUNGSTOWN A former Smith Township police chief has found himself on the wrong side of the law. Investigators accuse John Siranovic of stealing about $10,000 from the police department's evidence room w...

Cellphones issued by the police department are not allowed to be used by anyone other than the officers it is issued to, in accordance with policy, Bennick said. Enter Article DATE HERE SUNBURY — Sunbury Police Captain Steve Bennick testified on Monday that fired Cpl. Jamie Quinn told him that she instructed her son to deny viewing a sexually ...

Enter Headline here March 22, 2018 LOWER SWATARA, Pa. — A former Lower Swatara Township Police Department officer is being charged by the Dauphin County District Attourney's Office for allegedly stealing drugs from an evidence locker at the Lower Swatara Township Police Department. Scott Flowers, 39, of Harrisburg, has been charged with four counts...

Slisz was accused of obtaining an envelope containing 48 suspected stamp bags of heroin and six pills from a temporary evidence locker, where drugs were stored before being transferred by an evidence custodian to a secure evidence room at a later time, as outlined by the department's procedure. Enter Article DATE HERE EBENSBURG – Former Johnst...

A former Harrisburg police official will serve three months in prison for stealing more than $22,000 from an evidence locker. Enter Article DATE HERE HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) – A former Harrisburg police official will serve three months in prison for stealing more than $22,000 from an evidence locker. Sean D. Cornick was sentenced Wednesday in f...

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court disbarred a former drug court judge who pleaded guilty to stealing cocaine from an evidence locker in his courtroom. January 20, 2018 The Pennsylvania Supreme Court disbarred a former drug court judge who pleaded guilty to stealing cocaine from an evidence locker in his courtroom. In an opinion issued Thursday, the co...

Slisz was accused of obtaining an envelope containing 48 suspected stamp bags of heroin and six pills from a temporary evidence locker, where drugs were stored before being transferred by an evidence custodian January 15, 2018 EBENSBURG – A former Johnstown Police Department officer pleaded guilty Tuesday to two charges related to an incident in wh...

State police Sgt. Daniel Mosura, who led the audit of the evidence room, testified Stone had stolen all of the opioids and heroin in the evidence room, as well as crack cocaine and some marijuana. Stone also stole more than $22,000 in cash. November 29, 2017 BEAVER — A former Center Township police officer will serve up to two years in jail after h...

Plummer became short of breath after cleaning up her son's overdose and was taken to Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center, which is where her son was rushed just a day earlier. He died one day after his mother. November 15, 2017 A Pennsylvania coroner believes that a 69-year-old woman who died earlier this month likely came into contact with a deadly ...

Viola failed to follow police procedures when destroying 80 marijuana plants that had been seized as evidence in two cases November 12, 2017 Colebrookdale Township, PA When former Colebrookdale Police Chief David Viola was fired in May, township officials declined to give a reason for the 16-year police veteran's termination. The reason has come to...

Drug paraphernalia, stolen items and firearms — some dating back to the 1980s — clogged the shelves. November 09, 2017 Buckingham police recently had 98 guns that were stored in the department's evidence room destroyed by a local company that salvages the parts. Empty space inside the Buckingham Police Department's evidence storage room was getting...

Police officer accused of stealing heroin from an evidence locker, and then overdosing while on the job November 1, 2017 Ebensburg, Cambria County Pa. - Today a former Johnstown police officer accused of stealing heroin from an evidence locker, and then overdosing while on the job, is one step closer to trial. Police say William Slisz started steal...

Former Johnstown police officer accused of stealing heroin from an evidence locker October 3, 2017 Ebensburg, Cambria County Pa. - A former Johnstown police officer accused of stealing heroin from an evidence locker, and then overdosing while on the job will be in court today. William Slisz allegedly started stealing drugs in the fall of 2015. Then...

A former supervisor of the Harrisburg police vice unit plans to plead guilty to charges he stole more than $22,000 from an evidence locker September 15, 2017 HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) – A former supervisor of the Harrisburg police vice unit plans to plead guilty to charges he stole more than $22,000 from an evidence locker, according to court document...

"I think it is important to recognize how DNA plays in a case" September 7, 2017 Police found Gary Jenkins beaten, stabbed, and wrapped in a comforter inside his Sharon Hill home on May 7, 2007. Back then, no one brought up Izena Goudy as a possible suspect in the 45-year-old man's death, Delaware County District Attorney John J. Whelan said. But o...

Prosecutors said he took a sealed envelope containing 133 stamp bags of suspected heroin valued at about $1,300 from a box in the patrol room. September 3, 2017 WASHINGTON, Pa. (AP) – A former part-time police officer has pleaded guilty to stealing suspected heroin after it was seized as evidence by a Pennsylvania police department. The (Washington...

At that time, it was revealed Chief Foust allegedly knew about a previous breach into the evidence room but did not take appropriate action December 30, 2016 Craig Foust will retire as chief of the Johnstown Police Department effective Saturday. The announcement was made during a regular City Council meeting on Thursday. Foust, who has been on paid...

But his crimes are the product of poor oversight of evidence at the city police department, and a failure by former department leaders to respond to repeated warnings that there were problems – including possible break-ins involving the evidence locker where drugs were stored. August 27, 2017 Former Johnstown police officer William Slisz will face ...

Slisz obtained an evidence envelope that contained stamp bags of suspected heroin from a temporary locker in the Johnstown Public Safety Building August 24, 2018 JOHNSTOWN, CAMBRIA COUNTY - The district attorney has announced charges against a former Johnstown police officer, 35-year-old William Slisz of Portage, PA. Slisz is facing two counts of b...

Nearly 11 months after he was accused of breaking into the evidence locker and overdosing inside the police department he worked for, former Johnstown Police Officer William Slisz has not been charged with a crime, and there is no timeline of when the investigation might be completed. August 18, 2018 JOHNSTOWN — Nearly 11 months after he was accuse...

Eighteen SWAT officers were taken to UPMC Mercy Hospital after the exposure caused them to become dizzy and suffer numbness August 9, 2017 More than a dozen SWAT team officers were hospitalized Wednesday after agents raided a home in the West End, CBS Pittsburgh reports. Around 6 a.m., several agencies began executing federal search warrants at thr...

The issue came to light after a 2015 USA Today investigation estimated that more than 100,000 rape kits - evidence collected after reported sexual assaults - were untested nationwide. Enter Article DATE HERE A new state report shows a one-time embarrassment for Pennsylvania law enforcement agencies is getting significant correction. In li...

A chemist with the Allegheny County crime lab has been charged with stealing and using drugs from an evidence locker in February. May 3, 2017 A chemist with the Allegheny County crime lab has been charged with stealing and using drugs from an evidence locker in February. Matthew Ieraci, 28, of Baldwin Borough was placed on leave from the lab Feb. 2...

"Right now, we're concerned about the integrity of these approximately 600 cases to ensure these people got a fair trial," he said. "We have an ethical obligation to look at all of these and notify the [defense.] "Even if we don't think there's a problem, we still have to work the files." March 29, 2017 Allegheny County crime lab employee on leave ...

Abington Police Department disposed of 185 guns that had accumulated in their evidence locker since 1998. February 22, 2017 ABINGTON, PA -- In January, the Abington Police Department disposed of 185 guns that had accumulated in their evidence locker since 1998. The guns had been surrendered to police over the last 19 years and ultimately could not ...

Drugs and cash missing from a police evidence room were taken by a police detective who has since passed away. March 2, 2017 UPPER DUBLIN, Pa. - Drugs and cash missing from a police evidence room were taken by a police detective who has since passed away. The Upper Dublin Police Department and Montgomery County District Attorney's office revealed T...

Enter Headline here Enter Article DATE HERE He was a well-respected police detective, a marathoner, a youth sports coach, and a dedicated dad to four children. Colleagues knew him as someone they could depend on. But Michael W. Gommer, an 18-year veteran of the Upper Dublin Township Police Department, kept a secret for years: He was a drug add...

According to an initial state police report,Stone opened sealed packages of evidence for ongoing criminal cases to steal money and drugs that had been confiscated by the department. Police said he would "sometimes reseal or repackage" the evidence to conceal his theft. February 10, 2017 BEAVER -- More than 150 charges were held for trial against a ...

Earlier this year, Officer William Slisz, a police department veteran and Cambria County Drug Task Force member, allegedly overdosed in the Public Safety Building after reportedly getting drugs by using a hammer to smash into the evidence room. ​December 30, 2016 Craig Foust will retire as chief of the Johnstown Police Department effective Saturday...

Investigators wrote in court paperwork that he admitted to the crime and said he took the drugs for his personal use. January 12, 2017 James B. Johnson V's arrest exemplifies what his attorney says is a modern "American tragedy" — an injury leads to painkiller addiction which, in turn, leads to heroin use. "Local kid gets injured, gets hooked on op...

State police: Suspect stole 133 heroin stamp bags for personal consumption January 11, 2017 DONORA – A former part-time Donora police officer was arrested Tuesday on charges he stole 133 stamp bags of heroin from the patrol room while he worked there in August. The state police organized crime task force arrested James Bowman Johnson V, 29, of 2202...

DNA evidence linked him to a 25-year-old homicide. December 30, 2016 MANKATO — A man awaiting trial on charges he threatened people while panhandling outside Mankato businesses is wanted for murder in Pennsylvania. Extradition papers were filed Thursday for Charles Cook, 61, after DNA evidence linked him to a 25-year-old homicide. Cook, who is home...

An officer was accused of breaking into an evidence locker and overdosing on drugs. December 29, 2016 Johnstown, Cambria County, Pa Longtime Johnstown Police Chief Craig Foust is retiring effective December 31. Foust has been on paid administrative leave since October after an officer was accused of breaking into an evidence locker and overdosing o...

Prosecutors admit they did not give permission for the towing company to scrap the Saturn but argue that the car is not the only  evidence they will use against Scholl... 11-30-2016 WILKES-BARRE, LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) Questions about alleged missing evidence in a high profile attempted murder case. Lawyers for a Luzerne County mother accu...

Prosecutors admit they did not give permission for the towing company to scrap the Saturn but argue that the car is not the only  evidence they will use against Scholl. Enter Article DATE HERE WILKES-BARRE, LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) Questions about alleged missing evidence in a high profile attempted murder case. Lawyers for a Luzerne Co...