web1_Haines-2c-David.jpg

Bail set for man who allegedly provided drugs that killed woman

web1_web1_Melanie-Mizenko-toned-1.jpg

Our view: Mel, you taught us much in a short time

<p>WILKES-BARRE TWP. &#8212; A posting by the township police department on its Facebook page seeking public assistance with locating a man wanted on a theft charge received an unusual response.</p><p>The suspect, Ralph T. Slugg, replied. And replied again. And again.</p><p>Township police last week posted a picture of Slugg stating he was &#8220;Wanted.&#8221; The posting included a brief description of Slugg, his Scranton address, and a link to a court docket sheet.</p><p>Police filed a criminal complaint with District Judge Michael Dotzel in Wilkes-Barre Township on Oct. 31, charging Slugg with theft of services.</p><p>A summons was mailed to Slugg via first class mail ordering him to appear for a preliminary hearing on Dec. 4. However, the summons was undeliverable and returned to the district judge&#8217;s office. A second attempt was made to issue the summons that went unclaimed.</p><p>So, township police posted Slugg&#8217;s picture on their Facebook page Dec. 13 asking anyone who wishes to share information about Slugg to contact them. The post warned the public not to approach or attempt to apprehend Slugg.</p><p>In response to the posting, Slugg replied on Friday stating he does not prey on the elderly and lost his wallet during a party. Slugg claimed he called and &#8220;took care of it&#8221; Friday morning, suggesting papers were sent to a wrong address.</p><p>Not to be outdone, police responded to Slugg stating the police department has not been notified that the issue was taken care of, noting Slugg&#8217;s arrest warrant remained valid. Police indicated in its reply that the victim will need to contact the arresting officer, in this case Officer Joseph Wozniak, to have the charge withdrawn.</p><p>Slugg responded a second time on Friday, indicating he called Dotzel and planned to resolve the issue on Wednesday.</p><p>Then on Sunday, Slugg responded that the &#8220;party&#8221; was paid money that was owed.</p><p>Dotzel&#8217;s office on Monday would not release Slugg&#8217;s criminal complaint because he had not been arraigned on the theft charge.</p><p>Township police Chief Ron Smith could not be reached for comment. Efforts to reach Slugg via Facebook were unsuccessful.</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/2017/12/web1_Ralph-Slugg.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Slugg </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/web1_Ralph-Slugg.jpg</photo0><caption0>Slugg </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Ed Lewis</p><p>elewis@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div>

Wanted man responds to Wilkes-Barre Township Police Facebook post