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Happy birthday to Briana Argarate!

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Wilkes-Barre Mayor Tom Leighton writes off a write-in campaign

EDWARDSVILLE &#8212; New criminal complaints filed against two local police officers accused of covering up a December 2014 crash paint a clearer picture of allegations levied against them.In the new complaints against John Fronzoni, 35, of Larksville, and Michael P. Thomas, 28, of Wilkes-Barre, investigators from the state Attorney General&#8217;s Office allege that Thomas, a current Plymouth police officer then working for the Larksville Police Department, failed to disclose two phone calls he had received from Fronzoni &#8212; an Edwardsville police officer, a Courtdale police officer and a full-time Larksville firefighter &#8212; one of which was made about 8 minutes after Thomas cleared the scene of the crash involving Fronzoni&#8217;s friend, William Ritsick, of West Nanticoke, on Dec. 21.The second call was made the day after the crash, according to the complaint.Fronzoni is alleged to have interfered with the taking of reports by officers responding to the scene of the crash, which occurred when Ritsick crashed his vehicle into a pole between East Luzerne Avenue and Murray Street in Larksville.The complaint said Ritsick later admitted to investigators he had been drinking beer at the Mohegan Sun Pocono casino and had taken a Xanax pill prior to the crash.Investigators previously obtained Thomas&#8217; cellphone records under a search warrant issued in April, following the referral of the case to the Attorney General&#8217;s Office by the Luzerne County District Attorney&#8217;s Office.State investigators filed the complaints Thursday in front of Magisterial District Judge David Barilla.Court records show Fronzoni faces 19 misdemeanor counts, including charges of witness intimidation, obstruction, tampering with evidence and related conspiracy charges. Thomas is charged with five counts obstruction, tampering with evidence and hindering apprehension.Chief John Edwards of the Larksville Police Department told investigators that he did not believe Thomas&#8217; version of the events of the crash. When questioned by Edwards, Thomas &#8216;became confrontational, argumentative&#8221; and then immediately resigned from the Larksville Police Department, according to the complaints.Officials at Barilla&#8217;s office said that Fronzoni and Thomas have each been issued a summons rather than being arrested. Preliminary hearings have not been scheduled.Current statusPlymouth Borough officials told the Times Leader in May that Thomas worked for the Plymouth Police Department full time. As of 2:06 p.m. Monday, Mayor Dorothy Petrosky said that Thomas was still on duty because officials have not received paperwork detailing the charges.She declined to comment further and said it was a personnel issue.Hal Bond, acting police chief of Edwardsville Police Department, said that Fronzoni has been off the schedule since charges were initially filed in December.Bond said that his department has not begun its inquiry into Fronzoni&#8217;s actions, adding that the department will let the case &#8220;play out&#8221; in court.Shelly O&#8217;Malia, borough manager of Larksville, said that council voted Jan. 20 to remove Fronzoni from the borough&#8217;s fire department. She added that the borough has not yet made a formal inquiry into Fronzoni&#8217;s alleged actions.Courtdale officials could not be reached for comment Monday afternoon.<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta>By Travis Kellartkellar@www.timesleader.com</bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta>Reach Travis Kellar at 570-991-6389 or on Twitter @TLNews</shirttailMeta></div>

AG’s office: Police officer failed to disclose phone calls to investigators in obstruction case