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A night for unity in Hazleton

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Our Opinion: Kindergarten student provides peers with valuable lesson

<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; Two men removed basketball backboards and rims from the city courts at Barney Farms park over the Labor Day weekend to stop the rowdiness neighbors were complaining about, according to arrest papers.</p><p>Police Thursday filed misdemeanor charges of theft and criminal mischief against Lee Falzone of Reliance Drive and Jack Givens of Corlear Street. The men, both 18, have bail and preliminary hearings before District Judge Rick Cronauer of Wilkes-Barre at 11:30 a.m. on Dec. 27.</p><p>Givens is employed by the city.</p><p>The stolen equipment was returned approximately two weeks later and a meeting between city officials and residents about behavior on and off the courts was cancelled. City Councilman Mike Belusko raised the matter at a public meeting and questioned the timing of the events.</p><p>The arrests papers detailed attempts to return the equipment and the sequence of events that led to the charges:</p><p>On Sept. 12 Angela Falzone approached off-duty office James Fisher to say she and her husband Rich learned their son removed the equipment but was not in possession of it. She told Fisher that her son &#8220;was confident he could get the property back,&#8221; and she also identified Givens as a participant.</p><p>That same day Rich Falzone, whose company Falzone&#8217;s Towing Service Inc. is the towing contractor for the city, contacted Fisher to report his son, Lee, had recovered the equipment but would not disclose where it was.</p><p>The next day Fisher alerted city officials what he had been told by the Falzones. Detective Charles Casey was assigned the case and police Chief Marcella Lendacky gave him Rich Falzone&#8217;s phone number.</p><p>On Sept. 15 Casey spoke with attorney Greg Fellerman who represented the Falzones. The detective relayed what information he had to Fellerman and asked to schedule an interview with Lee Falzone.</p><p>The interview occurred more than a month later on Oct. 20 at the Fellerman&#8217; s law offices. Falzone, who was advised of his constitutional rights, said he signed a petition circulated by a neighbor about nuisances at the park. Casey said Falzone stated that he and Givens used ladders and hand tools to take down the backboards and rims &#8220;in an effort to solve the neighborhood nuisance.&#8221; Falzone wanted to return the equipment to the Department of Public Works facility after a few days hoping that &#8220;the cause of the nuisance&#8221; would find another place to play. The equipment wasn&#8217;t damaged but the bolts were broken during the removal, Falzone said.</p><p>Casey met Givens briefly on Nov. 8, gave him his business card and asked that he call the detective the next day. Givens didn&#8217;t call. Casey met him for a brief time on Wednesday and informed Givens he wanted to speak with him about the theft of the equipment. Casey said he told Givens he could come to police headquarters or call after work. But Givens said,&#8221; I didn&#8217;t do anything.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Police haave filed charges in the theft of basketball backboards and rims, like the one pictured here, from the courts at Barney Farms over the Labor Day weekend. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/web1_TTL100616BasketballHoops1-cmyk.jpg</photo0><caption0>Police haave filed charges in the theft of basketball backboards and rims, like the one pictured here, from the courts at Barney Farms over the Labor Day weekend. </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Jerry Lynott</p><p>jlynott@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Jerry Lynott at 570-991-6120 or on Twitter @TLJerryLynott</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Two Wilkes-Barre men face charges in theft of city equipment from Barney Farms basketball courts