Police and Fire

Nurse Steals Medications for Personal Use A nurse at the Ellwood City Hospital was accused of stealing narcotic medications. According to the criminal complaint, an internal investigation by the hospital staff indicated someone was tampering with morphine, meperidine and hydrocodone medications. Hospital officials conducted state investigators with evidence indicating Tenelle O Goss, 40, of Ellwood City, was the most likely suspect. When interviewed by state investigators in February, Goss admitted to an addiction problem and that she had been signing out medication under patients’ names for her own use. Goss subsequently replaced the medication with saline solution. She was charged…

Cruelty to Animals A Wayne Township woman was charged with cruelty to animals following a search of her residence on West Lawrence Avenue. Throughout May, the Wayne Township Animal Control Officer investigated Delores Esther Conley’s residence and viewed several cats that were visibly sick and needed treated or euthanized. After the defendant took no action, Lawrence County officers executed a search warrant and removed 42 live cats and three deceased cats. Conley admitted that the cats had not been to a veterinarian since 2006, and she was unable to provide care for them. She was also unaware how many cats…

An Ellport man was charged with reckless endangerment for discharging a firearm in the direction of a residence. After roughly a month of investigation, Ellwood City police charged Edward Charles Wymer, 52, with one count of Recklessly Endangering Another Person, a misdemeanor of the second degree. He was arraigned before Magistrate Jerry Cartwright on June 22. Yet, part of the case remains a mystery. On Saturday, May 25, a bullet struck Amy Prine’s residence on Gartley Avenue in Ellport, shattering a front window. On June 4, Cortni Prine, Amy’s 18-year old daughter, was outside when she heard a bullet whizz…

DUI Motor Vehicle Assault A Beaver Falls man driving a motorcycle was seriously injured by a drunk driver in an incident on May 28. The victim, Michael D. Stevenson, was thrown 25 feet from his vehicle and transported to the Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh for treatment. He has since been released. According to criminal complaint filed on June 16, on May 28 at approximately 9:50 a.m., officers were dispatched to the intersection of Line Avenue and Mt. Vernon Drive for a motor vehicle accident with injuries. The defendant, Michael Louis Rozzi, 47 of Ellwood City, was driving a Ford…

DUI According to the criminal complaint, on June 4, an officer was dispatched to the Shelby Bar on 26 Fountain Ave. in response to a report of a driver passed out at the wheel. The officer arrived on the scene and made contact with the defendant, Douglas Holt Conner, 53, of Ellwood City. Connor was visibly intoxicated and after failing field sobriety tests, was taken to the Ellwood City Hospital. He was charged with two count of DUI. DUI According to the criminal complaint filed on June 7, on May 27, an officer responded to a report of a car…

A Wampum resident assaulted a Perry Township man by running him over with a truck, resulting in the victim’s hospitalization under critical care. According to the criminal complaint,Travis Edward Olinger, 28, is charged with aggravated assault against the victim, Ronald H. Miller. On June 5 at approximately 4:30, officers were dispatched to the Ellwood City Hospital for an assault call. Officers spoke with a witness, the Miller’s nephew. The nephew said that he and his uncle were traveling east on Portersville Road from Ellwood to Ellport when a blue Chevy truck followed them, flashing its high beams. Miller pulled over…

Shooting Meth in a Parking Lot Two Beaver Falls men were arrested for meth use for an incident on May 10. According to the criminal complaint, at around 2:30 a.m. an officer observed a vehicle pulled to the side of a parking lot near Duncan Avenue. The officer observed the two men attempt to hide items. The men were identified as Erick Daniel Koah, 30, and Clinton P Klinesmith, 27, and they admitted to using meth. Officers searched the vehicle and seized $50 in cash, nine white Acetaminophen/Hydrocodone pills, 35 green Morphine sulfate pills, a used syringe, and a plastic…

Wire-tapping in the workplace A Beaver man was accused of recording six coworkers in his office without their knowledge. According to the criminal complaint, on March 8, the victims confronted defendant Thomas Michael Greene, 55, when they heard their voices coming from his pocket. Greene informed police that he had misunderstood advice from his lawyer and was unaware the recorder was playing. He was arraigned before Magistrate Jerry Cartwright and accused of intercepting oral communication with a portable voice recorder. Stealing Cash from Car According to the criminal complaint, Andrew Leon Mercado, 29, of Koppel, is accused of stealing $150…

According to the criminal complaint, in March, the Lawrence County Drug Task Force received intelligence concerning a man referred to as “Flakka,” residing in Beaver Falls. “Flakka” was known to sell heroin from a house on Ellwood Avenue in Ellwood City. On March 23, police made arrangements to purchase $80 worth of heroin from “Flakka,” identified as Michael Alexander James, 22, from Chicago. Following the operation, James was arrested. He was arraigned before Magistrate Jerry Cartwright on May 18 and charged with delivery of controlled substances and possession of controlled substances. He was placed in the Lawrence County Jail after…