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Your view: Too much hate aimed at our president

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Part of Brook Street closing for Solomon Creek wall project in Wilkes-Barre

<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; A Hazle Township man will likely be spending decades in prison after he was found guilty of attempted murder Wednesday.</p><p>It took jurors slightly more than two hours to return a verdict against George Joseph Salata, 60.</p><p>According to police, Salata shot Michael Gontz in the face in Hazleton last January.</p><p>Salata was charged with a felony count of attempted criminal homicide, along with two felony counts of aggravated assault. After a brief two-day trial, jurors found Salata guilty on all three counts.</p><p>Salata&#8217;s attorney, Allyson Leigh Kacmarski, asked for the jurors to be polled. All 12 members of the jury said they agreed with the verdict.</p><p>While Gontz survived the shooting, he did receive serious, life-threatening injuries, requiring numerous surgeries after shotgun pellets were embedded into his face and neck.</p><p>Gontz told police the shooting came after an altercation with Salata that reportedly stemmed from Salata obsessing over Gontz&#8217;s girlfriend.</p><p>Police say Salata was identified as a suspect after they followed footprints in the snow from the scene of the shooting to an apartment building at 932 N. Locust St.</p><p>Salata was eventually identified by two men, who told police Salata had a number of guns in his apartment. Police attempted to contact Salata, and they could hear his phone ringing from inside the residence.</p><p>A SWAT team was deployed, but Salata was eventually arrested without incident.</p><p>Luzerne County Judge Michael T. Vough set Salata&#8217;s sentencing for April 10. He will await his sentence at the county lockup.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">George Salata, of Hazle Township, said nothing as he was led out of the Luzerne County Courthouse on Wednesday following his conviction in an attempted murder case. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/web1_salata-1.jpg</photo0><caption0>George Salata, of Hazle Township, said nothing as he was led out of the Luzerne County Courthouse on Wednesday following his conviction in an attempted murder case. </caption0><photoCredit0>Patrick Kernan | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Patrick Kernan</p><p>pkernan@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Patrick Kernan at 570-991-6386 or on Twitter @PatKernan</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Hazle Township resident found guilty of shooting man in face