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Luzerne County Redevelopment Authority awarded state funds for rail freight improvements

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Many hope Cant will be voice of Wilkes

<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; State Deputy Attorney General Bernard Anderson suggested Thursday he will need three to four days to present evidence to a jury in prosecuting former Wilkes-Barre police officer Robert Collins.</p><p>Collins, 54, of Mountain Top, is charged with multiple sex offenses alleging he used his authority as a police officer to coerce at least eight women to perform sex acts on him. He is also facing five counts of rape.</p><p>In court for a status conference on the case before Luzerne County Judge David W. Lupas, Anderson estimated he will need three to four days to present his case to a jury.</p><p>Collins&#8217; attorney, Jordan J. Freeman, and Anderson then worked out a tentative trial date, which Lupas scheduled for March 17. A jury will be selected the day before, Lupas said.</p><p>Lupas denied two motions filed by Collins&#8217; lawyer that sought to prohibit evidence, specifically any statements the former officer made to investigators, and to dismiss the case citing a lack of evidence.</p><p>Freeman did request pictures of police cruisers Collins allegedly operated while on duty when women alleged they were assaulted.</p><p>Court records say several women claimed they were bent over the cruiser&#8217;s trunk and assaulted, or were forced to perform sex acts in the rear seat of a cruiser.</p><p>A 688-page report was turned over by Anderson to Collins&#8217; lawyer as part of the pre-trial discovery phase.</p><p>The report, according to a legal brief Anderson filed Nov. 14 objecting to Collins&#8217; request to dismiss evidence, says the investigation into Collins&#8217; alleged acts began in early 2011. Collins was initially charged by the state Office of Attorney General in January, and then again with a second criminal complaint in June.</p><p>The investigation into Collins led investigators into misconduct by other officers, notably two officers involved with fraudulent loans at the Wilkes-Barre City Federal Credit Union, which is not associated with the City of Wilkes-Barre.</p><style>
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<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/web1_Robert-Collins-01222019.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Collins</div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/web1_Robert-Collins-01222019.jpg</photo0><caption0>Collins</caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Ed Lewis</p><p>elewis@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div>

Trial date set for former WB officer Robert Collins