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By LANE FILLER lfiller@leader.net
 Saturday, February 07, 2004 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 1A 





PITTSTON - Nearly four months after she allegedly harbored double-murder
suspect Hugo Selenski, Catherine Marie Falzone, his aunt, was charged Friday. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Falzone, 55, is listed as living at 31 Stark St., Pittston, where Selenski
allegedly hid after his escape from the Luzerne County Correctional Facility
on Oct. 10. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; In a separate report, police announced that a 17-year-old had been charged
with the same crimes as Falzone with Luzerne County juvenile authorities, but
did not name that suspect. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Selenski, 30, of Mount Olivet Road in Kingston Township, has been charged
with two counts of first-degree murder in the May 2003 shooting deaths of
Frank James of New York City and Adeiye Keiler, a legal alien from Guyana
using a Kingston address. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Three other bodies were found last summer on the grounds of Selenski's
home. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Authorities said Selenski escaped using tied-together bedsheets to climb
down a seven-story wall, then leaped off a roof to freedom. He was at large
for about 72 hours before he turned himself in, and what he did with those
hours has since been a mystery. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Four days after Selenski returned to custody, a source at the Luzerne
County District Attorney's Office told the Times Leader he had been harbored
by a family member, who had provided him with lodging, $14, clothes, and
eventually, transportation. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Friday, Falzone, was arraigned on two charges: Hindering apprehension or
prosecution, a third-degree felony punishable by not more than seven years in
jail, and obstructing administration of law or other government function, a
second-degree misdemeanor punishable by not more than two years in jail. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 According to affidavits, police confronted Falzone and her son, James
Wisnewski, 17, at her Stark Street home in the early morning hours of Oct. 13,
acting on a tip that Selenski had been there. Falzone allowed officers to
enter the residence and she and Wisnewski accompanied police to the
Pennsylvania State Police Wyoming Barracks to be interviewed. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Falzone then allegedly told police she wanted to ``tell the truth'' but did
not want to get in trouble or get her son in trouble, as he wished to pursue a
career in law enforcement. Falzone then agreed that she and Wisnewski could be
interviewed. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 According to the affidavit, Falzone then told police Selenski had come to
her home in the early morning hours of Oct. 11, and she had let him in, though
she was aware of his fugitive status. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Falzone then said she concealed Selenski in an upstairs bedroom from
visitors who stopped by that day, furnished him with food and drinks, and at
about 7:30 p.m., gave him a change of clothes, $14, and transportation in her
car to a remote wooded area referred to as ``Orange Road,'' where Selenski
said he had a car waiting for him.'' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Falzone also said she planned to call police but had not done so yet.
Selenski later called police from his home and arranged to turn himself in. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 According to the affidavit, Wisnewski corroborated Falzone's story for the
period of time he was at the house. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 At the time it became apparent Selenski had been harbored by relatives, the
source from the District Attorney's Office said the people who harbored
Selenski had done so to protect an elderly female relative living at the home. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The home is listed as the residence of Ruth Ruganis Higdon Pace, the
maternal grandmother of Selenski and the mother of Falzone. Pace would not
comment on the situation when she answered her door Friday and asked to be
left alone. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Falzone was arraigned and released on her own recognizance. Attempts to
contact her failed, as did attempts to contact Luzerne County District
Attorney Dave Lupas. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 cutline: &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 TIMES LEADER STAFF PHOTO/FRED ADAMS &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Authorities believe that slaying suspect Hugo Selenski sought refuge at
this house at 31 Stark St. in Pittson. Selenski's aunt, Catherine Falzone, has
been charged with harboring Selenski, as well as providing him with food,
clothing, money and transportation, during his mid-October jail escape. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

2 Charged With Harboring Prison Escape