Police Beat

On April 24, Criminal Investigators from PA State Police - Fern Ridge were contacted by the Collin County Sheriff’s Office, State of Texas, in regards to a “swatting calls” investigation. Swatting calls are when a person calls 911 and describes an emergency happening at a location, when it really isn’t happening.

An address in Jackson Township, Monroe County, was established as the location initiating these Swatting calls.

On May 2, criminal investigators from PSP-F, along with investigators from the Collin County Texas Sheriff’s Office, served a search warrant on the address in Jackson Township. During a forensic download of a 17 y/o male juvenile’s computer, a total of 9 Swatting calls were discovered—made to Florida, Oregon, California, Tennessee, and Kentucky, and other U.S. locations. Child pornography was also discovered on the computer. He was taken into custody.

A juvenile petition has

by Seth Isenberg

been filed against him with charges of False Alarms, False Reports, Possession of Child Pornography, and Possession of Instruments of a Crime. He was placed in the Bucks County Juvenile Detention Center while awaiting court.

Just after 2 p.m. on 5-8, police were called to the Dollar Tree store in Mount Pocono due to a fight in the store. Pocono Mountain Regional Police officers were advised that a 19 y/o woman assaulted employees who caught her shoplifting. She also pepper sprayed them, before fleeing. The suspect was located at her Hummingbird Drive, Pocono Summit home and arrested.

The pepper spray was confiscated.

4-27, a ChildLine report shows a father and his 16 y/o son had an argument about a failed drivers license test, and the son was hit in the face during the argument. The son chose to stop the investigation and not have his father arrested – PSP-F.

Keeping the rubber side down PMRP was called to the ShopRite plaza in Mt. Pocono on 5-9 because an elderly driver sped up in the parking lot and hit another car that was stopped and waiting to park. The elderly driver’s car bounced off the other car and struck racks of potted plants on display outside the store – and one rack of these went through a store window injuring a cashier. The driver and the cashier were sent to the hospital for treatment of minor injuries.

4-30, 3:50 p.m., the driver of a ’17 Freightliner heading west on Interstate 80 in Tobyhanna Township had a tire come apart. This caused his truck to veer into the curb and then off the road and into some trees. Despite wearing his lap and shoulder belt, he was seriously hurt.

Responding PSP-F Troopers Pawloski and Gaetano performed life saving measures. He was transported to Geisinger Wyoming for trauma care. The road was partially blocked until the truck and trailer were removed. The trailer was loaded with used batteries - it did not spill.

4-27, 7:40 a.m., the driver of a ’21 Chevy Tahoe, a local woman, turned her northbound SUV toward the ramp for the PA Turnpike north but straight into the path of an oncoming ’22 Mercedes Sprinter Van that was southbound on Route 903. No

See POLICE BEAT, page 11

Police Beat

Continued from page 10 one was hurt. The Tahoe was towed because it was a company vehicle. The Sprinter and its driver continued on its route.

Here’s a two-fer. On 4-24, a local 17-year-old male was driving his ’15 Dodge Durango on Route 115 approaching Weir Lake Road at around 6:30 p.m. when he became distracted and drove off the road, hitting a utility pole, bouncing off that and continuing south across Weir Lake Road, then hitting a second utility pole with the left front. He wasn’t hurt, but the truck was towed.

Stealin’

On 4-28, PSP-F was called to the ShopRite in Brodheadsville. Store security reported that a couple had filled a shopping cart then left without paying. When confronted outside by security, the female pushed past the employee, who was talking to the male driver through the open passenger door of their vehicle, causing a slight injury. They were identified, along with their vehicle, by PSP-F, and tracked to a home in the Blakeslee area where they were arrested … while in the process of changing their hair color. They were taken to the Monroe County jail.

PennDOT

Crews are out pothole patching, and crack sealing. Bridge and drainage work crews are now also out. Be alert for these crews … keep them safe.

NFL Hall of Famer John Elway might have achieved fame and fortune in MLB

by Matthew Paris

John Elway is an NFL Hall of Fame quarterback and a two-time Super Bowl champion. He could have made his mark in baseball, too. As his high school career ended, he had a choice: play college football at Stanford or sign a contract with the Kansas City Royals who selected him in the 18th round of the MLB Draft. That’s how good Elway was on the diamond, batting .551 and .491 during his junior and senior seasons and nabbing Los Angeles Player of The Year honors and a city championship.

Elway went on to play baseball in college, too, and his skills caught the attention of the Yankees’ George Steinbrenner. As a result, the organization selected Elway in the 1981 First-Year Player Draft, six spots ahead of Tony Gwynn, who played college ball at downstate San Diego State.

Steinbrenner eyed Elway as an outfielder, and he signed for $140,000 and played pro ball while still in college for Class A Oneonta of the New York-Penn League. Elway did well in 1982 (hitting .318 in 42 games) and excelled in football. He led the nation his senior year at Stanford with 24 touchdown passes and finished second to Herschel Walker in balloting for the Heisman Trophy.

The football-baseball tug-of-war began. Steinbrenner wanted to make the relationship exclusive with Elway and tried hard to lure him to the bright lights of Yankee Stadium. Meanwhile, the Baltimore Colts made Elway the #1 overall pick in the 1983 NFL Draft.

Even though Elway ended up playing in the NFL, he didn’t want to play for the Colts but said he would play for the Yankees. The impasse ended about a week later when the Colts and Broncos worked a trade package. Elway’s MLB flirtation was over, and his NFL career was ready to begin. How good could Elway have been in the Majors? Of course, we’ll never know, but we know that John Elway was a great pro football player.

The Sports Column’s Matthew Paris loves writing about sports personalities, especially stories that fly beneath the radar.