Man faces charges
for fireworks
MAHANOY CITY - Mahanoy City police filed charges against a borough man after an incident at 12:05 a.m. Wednesday.
Police said Dennis Brennan, 51, was charged with setting off illegal fireworks and bottle rockets from his back yard.
Brennan will have to answer to the charges before Magisterial District Judge Anthony J. Kilker, Shenandoah.
Juvenile charged
with retail theft
MAHANOY CITY - A 16-year-old juvenile was charged with retail theft after an incident on Dec. 20 at the Cocoa Hut on East Centre Street.
Mahanoy City police said the juvenile entered the store and then took cigars without paying for them.
The teen will have to answer to the charge in district court, police said.
Man throws garlic
bread at woman
AUBURN - An Auburn man and woman are facing charges of harassment after an incident about 8:40 p.m. Tuesday at 428 Mohave Drive in Wayne Township.
State police at Schuylkill Haven said Brian I. RodrIgues, 59, threw a loaf of garlic bread at Jana A. Rodrigues, 33, who then slapped the man in the face.
Both will now have to answer to the charges in district court.
Man not hurt,
cited for crash
DELANO - A Mahanoy City man escaped injury when the 2004 Volkswagen Passet he was driving crashed about 2:45 p.m. Tuesday on Route 1016 in Delano Township.
State police at Frackville said Kenneth W. Vanhorn, 34, was driving in the area when he went off the road and struck an embankment along the east berm.
Vanhorn's vehicle was towned from the scene and police said he will be cited as a result of the crash.
2 Reading men
arrested for drugs
SHENANDOAH - Two Reading men were arrested by Shenandoah police on drug charges during a traffic stop at East Coal and North White streets on Nov. 13 and 14.
Police said Jaime M. Acosta, 34, of 408 W. Greenwich St., and Dashanne Mathis, 35, of 1146 Locust St., were each charged with possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.
In addition, police said Mathis was charged with driving while operating privileges were suspended or revoked and one-way roadway violations.
Police said officers stopped a vehicle driven by Mathias for going the wrong way on a one way street and subsequently learned the man had a suspended driver's license.
When officers determined Acosta, who was a back seat passenger, had a valid license, he was asked to change places with Mathis and while exiting the car, a bundle of colored wax papers held together by a rubber band fell to the ground.
Knowing heroin is packaged in that way, officers searched Acosta and found with $375 in cash, police said.
After being given permission to search the vehicle, police said officers found baggies of marijuana packed for sale and a large amount of money.
The 10 wax paper packages dropped by Acosta field tested positive for heroin, police said.
Man faces drug
possession charge
SHENANDOAH - Shenandoah police charged a borough man in connection with an incident that occurred between 8:36 and 9:26 p.m. Dec. 16 at his 213 E. Coal St. home.
Police said Joseph Polaconis, 26, was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia after officers were called to the home for a dometic dispute.
During the dispute, officers searched Palocinis and found a glass smoking pipe that he later admitted smoking bath salts in, police said.
The charge against Polaconis was filed with Magisterial District Judge Anthony J. Kilker, Shenandoah.
Barnesville man
faces charges
MAHANOY CITY - A Barnesville man was charged by Mahanoy City police after an incident about 5:10 a.m. July 10 in the 100 block of East Centre Street.
Police said Thursday that Duane W. Messerschmidt, 48, of 187 Grier Ave., was charged with possession of controlled susbtance, possession of drug paraphernalia and turning movements and required signals.
Police said officers stopped a vehicle driven by Messerschmidt for a violation and when they approached the driver's side, they saw a large knife sitting between the driver's seat and console.
Messerschmidt then placed his hat over the knife to try and conceal it, police said.
Once the man exited the vehicle, police said officers took the knife from inside and, while doing so, found a glass pipe with burnt residue inside.
Messerschmidt then gave officers consent to search the vehicle. That search uncovered a large plastic bag in the glove compartment that contained long, slender mushrooms. When shown the mushrooms, police said, Messerschmidt said that he has had them for a long time and that he purchased them off the Internet.
Ringtown man
charged after stop
SHENANDOAH - A Ringtown man was charged by Shenandoah police after a vehicle stop about 2:45 a.m. Nov. 28 in the 200 block of North Main Street.
Police said Michael A. Bernotas, 54, of 222 Green Mountain Road, Box 374, will have to appear before Magisterial District Judge Anthony J. Kilker, Shenandoah, on charges of DUI, period requiring lighted lamps and driving with a suspended license-DUI related.
Police said they stopped a vehicle driven by Bernotas for not having his headlights on and found a strong odor on the man and inside his vehicle.
After failing field sobriety tests, Bernotas was taken to Schuylkill Medical Center-South Jackson Street where he refused to take a blood alcohol test and was subsequently arrested for DUI, police said.