PA Lottery

Officials: Smoke seen in the Wyoming Valley caused by controlled burn in Carbon County

<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; A woman is suing the Wilkes-Barre City and Hanover Township police departments after a pursuit involving a theft suspect caused a three-car pile-up that resulted in multiple injuries and what she says was a &#8220;failure to properly ensure the safety of motorists.&#8221;</p><p>In a civil action suit filed Wednesday by attorney Neil T O&#8217;Donnell, Donna Jackson, of 80 Sykamore St. in Swoyersville, allegedly suffered brain hemorrhaging, herniated discs, vision problems and a cerebral concussion, among other injuries, after Wilkes-Barre City and Hanover Township police were engaged in a high-speed pursuit on Nov. 7, 2014.</p><p>The chase was an attempt to apprehend Douglas Johnson, 54, of Nanticoke, a suspect in a vehicle theft who erratically drove through the intersection of River and Market streets during rush-hour traffic, causing the collision.</p><p>According to the complaint, in a signed statement, Johnson admitted to stealing a 2007 Dodge Nitro on Oct. 31, 2014, from owner K&#8217;Sandre Cook at a Sunoco gas station on the San Souci Parkway in Wilkes-Barre. Jackson alleges Hanover Township Police Officer Thomas Farver attempted to apprehend Johnson, along with two passengers in the stolen vehicle.</p><p>When Johnson refused to pull over, a lengthy high-speed chase began in Hanover Township and proceeded into Wilkes-Barre, where Johnson was &#8220;aggressively driving on sidewalks and the wrong way on a one-way intersection to avoid apprehension,&#8221; the complaint says.</p><p> Jackson&#8217;s complaint differs from Farver&#8217;s report by stating both police departments improperly pursued Johnson by &#8220;exceeding applicable speed limits, disregarded traffic signs and signals, failed to follow the rules of the road, and maintained the dangerous pursuit through residential neighborhoods and commercial districts during rush hour traffic.&#8221;</p><p>.&#8221;</p><p>Jackson is requesting unspecified damages in excess of $50,000, claiming she &#8220;has been prevented or inhibited from attending to her usual activities, routines and avocations and may be unable to fully attend to or perform the same in the future.&#8221;</p><p>Court records indicate Johnson has an array of previous theft charges. He pleaded guilty on March 23 to receiving stolen property and fleeing from police during the incident. He was sentenced to 21 to 42 months in prison by Luzerne County Judge Michael T. Vough for the offense. He also pleaded guilty during the same hearing to nine other counts of robbery from separate incidents and is serving 8 to 16 years in state prison.</p><style>
.neFileBlock {
	margin-bottom: 20px;
}
.neFileBlock p {
	margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px;
}
.neFileBlock .neFile {
	border-bottom: 1px dotted #aaa;
	padding-bottom: 5px;
	padding-top: 10px;
}
.neFileBlock .neCaption {
	font-size: 85%;
}
</style>
<div class='neFileBlock'>
<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/web1_cops-2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption"></div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/web1_cops-2.jpg</photo0><caption0></caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>Matt Powell</p><p>mpowell@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Matt Powell at 570-991-6390.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Swoyersville woman’s lawsuit claims police negligence caused injuries