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Dallas Rotary Club welcomes new member

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Are we in store for another bear harvest record?

<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; A judge has approved a change in attorneys for Holly Ann Crawford after her previous lawyers opted off her case.</p><p>Prosecutors say that&#8217;s fine as long as it doesn&#8217;t delay sentencing.</p><p>In a motion filed Monday in Luzerne County Court, Crawford&#8217;s attorneys requested the county Department of Conflict Counsel be appointed to the woman&#8217;s case, saying Crawford has expressed beliefs her lawyers &#8220;deliberately sabotaged&#8221; her double-murder case.</p><p>Judge Fred A. Pierantoni III granted the motion Tuesday, ordering a new attorney be appointed within two days.</p><p>A jury in September convicted Crawford, 41, of two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of criminal conspiracy to commit criminal homicide in the fatal April 2014 shootings of Ronald &#8220;Barney&#8221; Evans, 73, and his 43-year-old son Jeffrey Evans. Her case is poised to enter the lengthy process of appeals.</p><p>Crawford expressed to the county Department of Conflict Counsel soon after the verdict she believed attorneys Jonathan Blum, Nicole Lermitte and William Ruzzo were ineffective in representing her at trial, the motion says. She allegedly has refused to communicate with them.</p><p>The motion, filed by Blum, comes after Pierantoni on Friday denied a petition from Crawford seeking new attorneys. She cited irreconcilable differences in the petition.</p><p>The county district attorney&#8217;s office responded Tuesday, saying prosecutors take no position concerning what office represents Crawford at her sentencing, however the office objects to any delay of the Nov. 25 hearing.</p><p>Prosecutors argue a delay would cause the families of Ronald and Jeffrey Evans &#8220;undue stress and hardship.&#8221;</p><p>Further, Crawford faces a mandatory life sentence stemming from the first-degree murder convictions.</p><p>Crawford&#8217;s boyfriend, James Edward Roche, 33, also faces life imprisonment, after a jury on Nov. 6 convicted him of identical charges in the killings.</p><p>Another motion filed Monday also seeks an attorney change for Crawford&#8217;s daughter Tristin Kayla Crawford, who testified against her mother at trial.</p><p>Attorney Wojciech Jankowski argued in his motion the woman&#8217;s representation on an unrelated charge may be &#8220;materially limited&#8221; by the county Office of the Public Defender&#8217;s responsibilities to her mother and asks that conflict counsel be appointed in her case as well.</p><p>Tristin Crawford, 23, of Kingston, faces one count of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, according to court records.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">In this Times Leader file photo, sheriff&#8217;s deputies escort Holly Ann Crawford in September during her trial on homicide charges in Luzerne County Court. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_TTL091515crawford2.jpg</photo0><caption0>In this Times Leader file photo, sheriff&#8217;s deputies escort Holly Ann Crawford in September during her trial on homicide charges in Luzerne County Court. </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By James O&#8217;Malley</p><p>jomalley@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach James O&#8217;Malley at 570-991-6390 or on Twitter @TL_omalley.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

UPDATE: Holly Crawford claims attorneys ‘sabotaged’ case, judge OK’s change in counsel