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Letter to the Editor: Pull plug on Pennsylvania’s red light camera program

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United States Air Force member Michael DellaVella presented a flag to Operation: CAN DO

<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; An alleged drug dealer and the Philadelphia man police say she summoned to collect a debt are slated to stand trial together June 20 in the failed shooting attempts of two people last year inside a city apartment building.</p><p>At a brief status conference Monday in Luzerne County Court, county prosecutors and defense attorneys for Wandalee Balcacer, 26, and Tony Edwards, 29, disputed being responsible for providing the medical records of the pair&#8217;s alleged victims, Sherry &#8220;Chyna&#8221; Rivera and Izhar &#8220;Izzy&#8221; Ramos-Ramirez.</p><p>Rivera and Ramos-Ramirez, both 21 at the time, were found with gunshot wounds to their heads inside a hallway at the Interfaith Heights apartment complex on April 4, 2015. Both survived.</p><p>Prosecutors allege Balcacer sold over $3,000 in marijuana to Rivera, her ex-girlfriend at the time. She allegedly ordered Edwards to collect the money after she and Rivera broke things off, according to prosecutors.</p><p>Edwards&#8217; attorney, Demetrius Fannick, argued in court Monday that the victims&#8217; medical records should have been turned over by prosecutors during discovery. He further questioned how prosecutors planned to call Rivera to testify, noting prior reports stated she didn&#8217;t remember the day in question.</p><p>&#8220;No statement from her indicates anything other than she doesn&#8217;t remember,&#8221; Fannick said.</p><p>Assistant District Attorney Luke P. Moran argued Rivera was only interviewed once since the incident and that report was provided during discovery. Rivera, Moran explained, could testify about how she came to in a hospital bed and the events that followed.</p><p>Moran rejected the notion that providing the victims&#8217; medical records was the Commonwealth&#8217;s burden.</p><p>Luzerne County Judge David W. Lupas said the defense was &#8220;just as capable&#8221; of obtaining the records as prosecutors.</p><p>&#8220;You better get them before June 20,&#8221; Lupas said.</p><p>Fannick filed multiple motions earlier Monday, including one seeking to preclude any reference to Edwards&#8217; alleged ties to the Bloods street gang or his alleged nickname, &#8220;Hazard.&#8221; Such references would prejudice a jury, Fannick wrote.</p><p>The other motions include:</p><p>&#8226; Edwards&#8217; release on nominal bail due to his extended time at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility.</p><p>Both Edwards and Balcacer are jailed with bail set at $500,000 each. Lupas last month <a href="https://www.timesleader.com/news/538890/judge-denies-bail-reduction-for-woman-charged-in-execution-style-shootings-at-interfaith-heights" target="_blank">denied a motion to reduce</a> Balcacer&#8217;s bail.</p><p>&#8226; Precluding crime scene photographs.</p><p>&#8220;The likelihood that the photographs will inflame the minds and passions of the jury is (only) outweighed by their evidentiary and probative value, which is minimal,&#8221; Fannick wrote.</p><p>&#8226; Disclosure of any deals or promises made to witnesses by prosecutors.</p><p>&#8226; Suppression of Ramos-Ramirez&#8217;s identification of Edwards as one of the shooters through a photo lineup, as well as suppression of other identifications of Edwards obtained via photo or video.</p><p>The trial is expected to last about four days.</p><style>
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<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/web1_Tony-Edwards-10-6-15.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Edwards </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/web1_Tony-Edwards-10-6-15.jpg</photo0><caption0>Edwards </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/web1_Wandalee-Balcacer-10-6-15-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Balcacer </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/web1_Wandalee-Balcacer-10-6-15-1.jpg</photo1><caption1>Balcacer </caption1><photoCredit1></photoCredit1></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Joe Dolinsky</p><p>jdolinsky@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Joe Dolinsky at 570-991-6110 or on Twitter @JoeDolinskyTL</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Defense seeks victims’ medical records in Interfaith Heights shooting case