‘One Pill Did It’: Dealer Sentenced for Fentanyl Pill that Caused Fatal Overdose

A Lancaster man will spend at least 6½ years in prison for selling a fentanyl-laced pill to a man who fatally overdosed last year in his East Lampeter Township home.

Hector V. Nazario recently admitted in Lancaster County Court to selling pills ...

‘Danger to the Community’ Jailed up to 40 Years for Violent Store Robberies

A Columbia man will serve up to 40 years in prison for a pair of violent store robberies this year – crimes that were solved when police from two departments collaborated to trace a getaway vehicle then discover the robber’s disguise i...

Information Sought About Tuesday Evening Pedestrian-Vehicle Collision in East Earl

Police are investigating a vehicle collision Tuesday evening in East Earl Township that seriously injured a pedestrian.

An eastbound vehicle – a gray Saturn sedan - struck a woman who was on the road in the 1000 block of Main Street (Route 23) abo...

VERDICT: Man Convicted of Rape – Months after Pleading Guilty to Assaulting 2 Women

An Elizabethtown man already on probation for indecent assaults of two women was recently convicted of raping a woman last year at his home.

A local jury convicted 24-year-old Justin M. Burke of eight offenses, including felony rape, following a four-day t...

DUI Driver Sentenced to State Prison for Injuring 2 in High-Speed Crash

A Downingtown man who was drunk and under the influence of marijuana when he drove more than twice the speed limit and caused a head-on crash in Caernarvon Township will serve at least three years in prison.

The July 6, 2019, crash seriously injured a man ...

Drug Task Force: Upper-Level Dealers Charged for $100K Stash of Cocaine, Fentanyl

A Lancaster city couple was recently arraigned in County Court for allegedly dealing cocaine and fentanyl in an “upper-level” drug operation, according to detectives.

The Lancaster County Drug Task Force raided a home in the 300 block o...

JUDGE: Lancaster Man Charged in Double Murder is Not Competent for Trial

A Lancaster man charged with killing his sister and niece last year is not competent to stand trial, a Lancaster County Judge ordered on Thursday.

Lancaster County Judge Donald Totaro ordered that 57-year-old James Sterbinsky be transferred to Norristown S...

SILENT WITNESS: Honoring and Remembering the Lives Lost to Domestic Violence

As Domestic Violence Awareness Month approaches its end, let us not forget the many lives lost to partner/spousal violence and how lives can be saved going forward by speaking up and taking action on the victims’ behalf.

Four women are killed every day acr...

Preliminary Hearing: Neighbor Confrontation Led to Fatal Shooting on Lancaster City Porch

Investigators testified this week that Geraldo Rosario confronted a neighbor earlier this month and, as a result, the neighbor was shot to death.

Rosario, 57, was ordered to face counts of criminal homicide and reckless endangerment in Lancaster County Cou...

‘Callous’ DUI Driver who Caused Fatal Crash in 2014 Denied Appeal Relief

A Florida woman who was intoxicated during a fatal crash six years ago in East Lampeter Township will not have her conviction overturned.

The Pennsylvania Superior Court recently denied Patricia Halgash’s appeal, meaning Halgash’s 2016 ...

Local Officials, Feds: ‘Free and Fair Election’ On Tap for Lancaster County

The election process in Lancaster County will be fair and efficient, and those involved in voter intimidation crimes or violent civil unrest will be prosecuted.

Those were the messages relayed Monday morning when local and federal officials gathered in Man...

Testimony: Shell Casings, Bag of Blood Were at Home of Man Charged with Double Homicide

Police found several shell casings, a bloody towel and stains, and a bag of blood at Ezequiel Almodovar’s home on July 28, 2020 – the same day two men were found shot to death and burned in a truck on a Lancaster County farm lane.

Almod...

Lancaster City Police Officer’s Use of Force on Sept. 13 was 'Justified'

The Lancaster County District Attorney’s Office is announcing the findings from an investigation of a police-involved shooting Sept. 13 in Lancaster city.

Ricardo Munoz, a 27-year-old city man, was killed by a Lancaster city police officer who fi...

VERDICT: Man Guilty of Hiding in Insulation of Attic to Avoid Felony Warrant

A West Lampeter Township man was convicted Tuesday of hiding from police – in his grandfather’s attic – while officers searched for him to serve a felony arrest warrant last year.

A local jury deliberated about 30 minutes befo...

Pa. Superior Court: Man Must Pay $459K Restitution for Child’s Brain Injury

A Mount Joy man must pay nearly half a million dollars in restitution costs regarding his conviction of endangering an infant who sustained a brain injury three years ago, a state appellate court recently ruled.

The infant was under Daniel D. Deleon’s care...

Elizabethtown Man Arrested, Charged with Years of Sexual Abuse of Girl

An Elizabethtown man is charged with years of sexual abuse of a girl, beginning when she was 11 years old.

Jose H. Perez was arrested and arraigned Sunday on numerous charges, including felony counts of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a child.

I...

Domestic Violence Exists in Every Neighborhood, So We Must All Do Our Part

Domestic violence is prevalent in every city, town, and neighborhood – our office handles hundreds of domestic/partner violence cases across Lancaster County every year.

Unfortunately, some cases involve deadly acts of abuse. Before many of those...

Man Jailed for Retaliating Against Witness by Painting Threats on University Buildings

A Millersville man will serve up to 10 years in prison for spray-painting threats on several Millersville University buildings as a form of retaliation against a witness in a prior criminal case.

Robert Dale Williams pleaded guilty Monday to felony retalia...

12 People Charged with Drug Dealing in Binns Park Have Felonies Held for Court

Twelve people recently had felony charges held for court regarding drug dealing offenses in Binns Park in downtown Lancaster.

All twelve people are charged in connection with an undercover operation earlier this month by Lancaster city police’s S...

Court Rules Ex-Teacher Who Abused Students Must Register for Life as Sex Offender

A former high school teacher serving years in prison for sexual abuse of two students must register as a sex offender for the rest of her life, an appellate court recently ruled.

Christy L. Smith is serving 14 to 28 years in prison for sexual abuse of two ...

Riot Charges Against 3 People Held for Court after Preliminary Hearing Waivers

Five people charged with crimes in Lancaster city after a police-involved shooting on Sept. 13 were scheduled for preliminary hearings Monday.

Four of those people – three men and a woman – waived preliminary hearings on various charges...

Judges Modify Bail for 9 Individuals Charged with Arson/Riot Offenses in Lancaster City

Nine people charged with crimes regarding riotous activities earlier this week in Lancaster city had their bail modified Thursday by a Lancaster County Judge and Magisterial District Judge.

Several of the charged individuals filed petitions for reconsidera...

The Purpose of Bail, and the Bail Process for those Charged with Arson/Riot Offenses

We present this information to clarify and correct some of the statements/comments being circulated regarding bail amounts set for those charged with arson and riot offenses this week in Lancaster city.

First, we find it crucial to inform the public of the...

Our Comments on the Violent and Riotous Acts in Lancaster City

The Lancaster County District Attorney’s Office wishes to assure community members, leaders, and business owners that the criminal acts that occurred Sunday night and overnight in Lancaster city are being investigated and that those who perpetra...

'Careless, Negligent': Man Pleads Guilty in Fatal Shooting of 'Friend' in Columbia

An 18-year-old Columbia man admitted Wednesday to shooting and killing his friend last year in Columbia.

Antonio Acosta pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and two related charges regarding the July 29, 2019, shooting of 19-year-old Nicholas J. Mill...

Lancaster Man Sentenced to State Prison for Years of Sexual Abuse of Girl

A Lancaster man will serve up to a decade in prison for sexual abuse of a girl – which the victim said she endured for years.

Louis Gianoukas, 39, pleaded guilty to three felonies and a misdemeanor regarding abuse of the girl, beginning when she ...

Testimony: Shotgun Found 25 Feet from Homicide Scene Linked to Denver Man

A shotgun – with a spent shell casing stuck in the chamber – was found about 25 feet from where a man was fatally shot while in his vehicle on Cats Back Road in West Earl Township, according to testimony.

That shotgun was traced to 27-y...

No Relief for Double Murderer who Claims Court Process was too Slow

A man serving life in prison for the brutal killing of two Lancaster brothers will get no relief from the Pennsylvania Superior Court.

Joshua Proper, now 21, argued on appeal that the court process was too slow, and that his charges should have been droppe...

Federal Court: No Relief for Man who Killed Pregnant Girlfriend, Unborn Child

A federal appellate court ruled that a man serving life in prison for killing his pregnant girlfriend – and her unborn child – is not due relief from trial convictions of first-degree murder and third-degree murder.

Matthew S. Becker wa...

Human Trafficker Sentenced in Lancaster County Court to 55½ to 141 Years in Prison

A New Jersey native will serve at least 55½ years in prison for trafficking several women in the southcentral Pennsylvania area, including Lancaster County.

Barry Charles Schiff, 53, was convicted at trial last year of trafficking of persons, in...

Drunk and Drugged Driver Jailed up to a Decade for Crash that Killed Conestoga Man

A Conestoga man will serve up to 10 years in prison for causing a fatal vehicle crash last year when he was speeding while under the influence of alcohol and marijuana.

Abraham R. Smith pleaded guilty Friday in Lancaster County Court to vehicular homicide ...

Andrew Scheid Charged with Abuse of Corpses, Falsifying Info on Death Certificates

The Lancaster County District Attorney’s Office, in conjunction with the Manor Township Police Department, announce the filing of charges against Andrew T. Scheid, owner of Andrew T. Scheid Funeral Home.

In recent months, police and our office in...

CHARGED: Denver Man Killed Motorist in West Earl Township Early Sunday Morning

A Denver man is charged with shooting and killing a Lancaster County man Sunday morning in West Earl Township, where the two men encountered one another in separate vehicles.

Stephen John Jones, 27, is charged with homicide regarding the shooting of the 68...

UPDATE: Man Charged in Killings of Two Men is in Custody; Not Eligible for Bail

An Upper Leacock Township man charged with killing two men earlier this week surrendered Friday.

Ezequiel B. Almodovar, 36, is charged with two counts of homicide for shooting Jonathan Rivera and Eugenio Morales-Torres Monday evening at Almodovar&rsquo...

Bainbridge Man Sentenced for Stabbing 2 Men at Conoy Township Bar

A Bainbridge man will serve up to 16 years in prison for stabbing two men at a Conoy Township bar in 2018.

Peter V. Fultano, 37, previously pleaded guilty to felony counts of aggravated assault regarding the Nov. 23, 2018, incident at Bainbridge Inn, 5 Nor...

‘I’m the Last Person to Judge Anyone': Police Officer has Saved Numerous Lives with Narcan

Northwest Regional police Officer Frank Jones proudly took an oath to put himself in harm’s way to protect the public from those who perpetrate crimes.

In recent years those duties have expanded to bringing individuals back to life following over...