Students charged with stealing teacher’s cell phone, bank cards
Several students at Wilkes-Barre area’s GAR High School were charged with theft after they allegedly stole a teacher’s cell phone and bank cards.
The students were recorded by surveillance cameras using the teacher’s bank cards inside the Wyoming Valley Mall, police said.
The teacher reported her Apple iPhone and bank cards were stolen from a classroom while she was teaching. An investigation by the school district’s school resource officer and Wilkes-Barre Township police revealed the identity of the students who allegedly used the bank cards at the mall.
Police did not release the names of the students or how many students were charged.
Juvenile with machete in book bag allegedly attacked cops
A juvenile who police say stole a bicycle and had a machete in his book bag allegedly attacked officers at the police station.
Police Chief Nick Lohman and Officer Chuck Swisher began an investigation into a stolen Mongoose BMX bicycle after the victim’s mother reported a male asked to ride her son’s bike and he never came back with it.
The male was found in possession of a machete knife in his book bag, police said.
After police confirmed the male juvenile suspect, he was taken into custody and transported to the Duryea police station.
Police said they ordered the male to come back and sit down, but he refused. He then allegedly pulled away from Swisher and bull-rushed him, driving him into the counter and over a bicycle. He allegedly had Swisher in a headlock and was punching him.
Lohman attempted to detain the juvenile and remove the headlock, but the juvenile allegedly continued to resist, almost knocking the officer into the juvenile’s mother.
Police said they deployed a Taser on the juvenile when it was clear he would not stop resisting officers. The juvenile was checked by emergency medical services and cleared for detention. The officers sustained minor injuries, police said.
Police said the juvenile’s mother reported the machete was stolen from the garage.
The juvenile was transported to a juvenile facility in Easton to await a hearing on Monday in Luzerne County. He faces charges of theft, resisting arrest, aggravated assault on police and possession of a prohibited offensive weapon, police said.
What The Fork restaurant in Wilkes-Barre to open to public on Tuesday
Wyoming Valley residents will not have to wait for What The Fork Truck to come to Wilkes-Barre anymore.
Owner Mario Bevilacqua is opening a brick and mortar What The Fork restaurant at 41 S. Main St. in the Midtown Village downtown shopping area.
The restaurant will hold a soft opening from 4 to 8 p.m. Sunday for members of its text club. It will then open regularly from 11 a.m. until 10 p.m. starting Tuesday, May 19.
The bright green and red truck so many diners track via Facebook or through texting will still make its rounds throughout Luzerne and Lackawanna counties, Bevilacqua said.
Using his two What The Fork Trucks to gauge interest, he determined having a restaurant between Wilkes University and King’s College — combined with increasing public interest made the Midtown Village — the ideal spot.
The signature green graces parts of the walls and shiny silver stools stand at the ready. An interesting feature of the eatery’s atmosphere is a blackboard wall in the hall heading towards the restrooms.
Bevilacqua said he planned to employ 16 staff members at the 21-seat restaurant.
The facility will provide a larger kitchen and storage space than what was available to employees in the lunch truck, he said.
Restaurant customers will have the option of ordering and paying for their food online and picking up through a “quick service window,” Bevilacqua said.
The restaurant will feature many menu staples from the What The Fork Truck menu such as pulled pork tacos, beef sliders and house fries.
Cops: naked man crashes stolen car, says Paul Walker is in trunk
Police say a naked Pennsylvania man stole a car, crashed it into a tree and then demanded police shoot him — all while claiming to have late “Fast and Furious” star Paul Walker stashed in the trunk.
Authorities believe 19-year-old Tyler Preston Dunham was high on drugs as he clenched his fists and walked aggressively toward officers after crashing the Honda Fit in Dresher, 13 miles north of Philadelphia.
Police say officers shocked Dunham with a stun gun and took him into custody. He’s charged with burglary, criminal trespass, receiving stolen property and other offenses.
Dunham is jailed in lieu of $100,000 pending a May 21 preliminary hearing. Online court records did not list a lawyer to comment on the charges.
