Judge shuts down another line of Defense questions

Billy Bartolomei, a pre-kindergarten student at Wyoming S

WILKES-BARRE &ndash; A hearing scheduled for Feb. 22 for a judge to hear arguments on why a teen&rsquo;s case should be heard in juvenile court rather than in adult court has been continued indefinitely.
Judge Joseph Sklarosky Jr. said at a brief hearing Wednesday that a transfer to juvenile court hearing for 18-year-old Cody Lee will be delayed until another judge makes rulings on motions and prosecutors decide how they want to proceed after those rulings are made.
Lee is charged in the December 2009 shooting death of 80-year-old Herbert Lee.
Sklarosky said in court papers filed Tuesday that Senior Judge Joseph Augello, who made rulings disqualifying a psychiatrist and his testimony from the trial, should handle requests for consideration made by prosecutors.
Assistant District Attorney Shannon Crake said Wednesday after Augello makes rulings, prosecutors will then decide on whether they&rsquo;ll have to hire another physiatrist or whether they&rsquo;ll appeal Augello&rsquo;s ruling.
WILKES-BARRE &ndash; Luzerne County Senior Judge Chester Muroski jailed one defendant Wednesday for failure to pay child support and issued warrants for four other persons who failed to appear for contempt hearings.
Those for who arrest warrants were issued:
&#8226; Jason Green Sr., South Church Street, Allenton, $3,094.
&#8226; Rian Lowe, Carey Avenue, Wilkes-Barre, $5,162.
&#8226; Joshua Goodwin, Logan Street, Wilkes-Barre, $13,838.
&#8226; Daniel Cragle, Italy Street, Mocanaqua, $3,425.
Carlton Quiller, South Welles Street, Wilkes-Barre, who owes $2,223, was jailed.
PITTSTON &ndash; A member of the Pittston Area School Board accused of drunken driving waived his right to a preliminary hearing before Senior District Judge Andrew Barilla on Wednesday. 
Bruce Knick, 42, of Lidy Road, Dupont, waived two counts of driving under the influence and three traffic violations to Luzerne County Court. 
Avoca police allege Knick had a blood-alcohol level of .15 percent after he was stopped on Dec. 7, according to the criminal complaint. 
FREELAND &ndash; A woman from New York accused of transporting heroin waived her right to a preliminary hearing before District Judge Gerald Feissner on Wednesday. 
Stacey Marie Shrout, 29, of Beaver Dams, N.Y., waived charges of possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, criminal conspiracy to possess with intent to deliver a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia to Luzerne County Court. 
Shrout was a passenger in a vehicle that was stopped by state police at Hazleton in White Haven on Jan. 25. 
State police allege heroin was found inside the vehicle, driven by Jason Crunetti, 32, of New York, according to the criminal complaint. 
A preliminary hearing for Crunetti, who is charged with multiple drug offenses, is scheduled on March 14. 
WILKES-BARRE &ndash; An attorney for a woman who is charged with abusing a boy has asked a judge to suppress statements she made to investigators and to sever her trial from her co-defendant in the case.
Mark Singer, an attorney for Jennie Marie Moore, 47, of Sugarloaf, is scheduled to stand trial on Feb. 14 with co-defendant, James Antonelli, 65. The two are charged with abusing a teen boy over a three-year period. 
State police allege the boy claimed he was forced by Antonelli to perform a sex act on Moore, and was assaulted if the act was unsatisfactory. Luzerne County Children and Youth Services obtained letters written by Moore stating how the child was instructed to touch her nude body, according to court papers. 
A judge has not yet scheduled a hearing or made a ruling on the requests.

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