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<p>LARKSVILLE &#8212; Magisterial District Judge James Tupper made his final decision Monday regarding two police officers who allegedly tried to cover up a friend&#8217;s crash over a year ago.</p><p>Tupper waived three of John Fronzoni&#8217;s 19 charges &#8212; intimidating a witness, obstruction of justice and hindering apprehension &#8212; to higher court. He dismissed all of Michael Thomas&#8217; charges, stating he found &#8220;no evidence&#8221; of wrongdoing.</p><p>Thomas&#8217; attorney, Shelley Centini, said her client exercised his discretion to make an arrest and the judge recognized that.</p><p>&#8220;We&#8217;re pleased with the judge&#8217;s decision,&#8221; she said.</p><p>Centini said Thomas hopes to move forward as a police officer, but added prosecutors could decide to refile charges against her client.</p><p>John Pike, who represents Fronzoni, said he is pleased his client only faces three of the 19 original charges.</p><p>&#8220;We believe we can account for, and respond accordingly, at trial,&#8221; Pike said, adding Fronzoni will plead not guilty.</p><p>Tupper&#8217;s ruling came after <a href="https://www.timesleader.com/news/local/499857/judge-delays-decision-after-lengthy-preliminary-hearing-for-cops-accused-of-covering-up-larksville-crash" target="_blank">a lengthy preliminary hearing last month</a>, during which attorneys made a motion for a decision to be made at a later date.</p><p>Fronzoni, 35, is alleged to have interfered with the taking of reports by officers responding to the scene of the crash that occurred shortly before 2:30 a.m. on Dec. 21, 2014, when his friend William Ritsick, of Nanticoke, crashed his vehicle into a pole between East Luzerne Avenue and Murray Street in Larksville.</p><p>Witnesses testified to hearing Thomas, 28, who arrived at the scene a short time later, tell Fronzoni to &#8220;get out of here&#8221; while Fronzoni attempted to hook Ritsick&#8217;s car up to the tow truck. Fronzoni allegedly then left the scene with Ritsick.</p><p>At the time, Fronzoni was a part-time assistant police chief of the Courtdale Borough Police Department, a part-time officer with the Edwardsville Borough Police Department and a full-time firefighter for the Larksville Borough Fire Department. Thomas was also an officer for the Larksville Police Department at the time of the incident, but is now employed as a police officer in Plymouth.</p><p>John Edwards, chief of the Larksville Borough Police Department, <a href="https://docs.google.com/gview?url=https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/JohnEdwardsStatement.pdf" target="_blank">said in a statement</a> Monday that his department made &#8220;every attempt&#8221; to remove itself from conducting an investigation into its own officers.</p><p>&#8220;My role and only involvement in this incident was to ensure it was dealt with in the most appropriate way possible given the information and resources at my disposal,&#8221; <a href="https://docs.google.com/gview?url=https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/JohnEdwardsStatement.pdf" target="_blank">Edwards wrote</a>. &#8220;I have been disappointed to learn throughout this process that witnesses and police officers who made every attempt to do the right thing have been met with at the very least what I would consider a feeling of discouragement from a small percentage of people within the law enforcement community.&#8221;</p><p>When questioned by Edwards on the same day of the crash, Thomas &#8220;became confrontational, argumentative&#8221; and then immediately resigned from the Larksville Police Department, according to criminal complaints filed with the court.</p><p>Shelly O&#8217;Malia, Larksville&#8217;s borough manager, told the Times Leader in October that the borough council voted on Jan. 20, 2015, to remove Fronzoni from the borough&#8217;s fire department.</p><p>Officials from Courtdale and Edwardsville could not be reached for comment Monday.</p><p>Fronzoni&#8217;s formal arraignment is scheduled for March 31 at the Luzerne County Courthouse.</p><style>
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<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/JohnEdwardsStatement-3.pdf">
<div class="neCaption">Statement by Larksville Police Chief John Edwards provided to the Times Leader.</div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/JohnEdwardsStatement-3.pdf</photo0><caption0>Statement by Larksville Police Chief John Edwards provided to the Times Leader.</caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_TTL012616fronzoni2-4.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">John Fronzoni and his attorney arrive at Judge James Tupper&#8217;s office in Trucksville for a preliminary hearing. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_TTL012616fronzoni2-4.jpg</photo1><caption1>John Fronzoni and his attorney arrive at Judge James Tupper&#8217;s office in Trucksville for a preliminary hearing. </caption1><photoCredit1>Aimee Dilger|Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_TTL012616fronzoni1-4.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Michael Thomas, left, and John Fronzoni leave Judge James Tupper&#8217;s office in Trucksville after a preliminary hearing. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_TTL012616fronzoni1-4.jpg</photo2><caption2>Michael Thomas, left, and John Fronzoni leave Judge James Tupper&#8217;s office in Trucksville after a preliminary hearing. </caption2><photoCredit2>Aimee Dilger|Times Leader </photoCredit2></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Travis Kellar</p><p>tkellar@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Travis Kellar at 570-991-6389 or on Twitter @TLNews</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Cover-up case: Judge forwards John Fronzoni’s charges to county court, dismisses charges against Michael Thomas