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KINGSTON TWP. &mdash; A magisterial district judge on Wednesday dismissed a summary count of violating the state&rsquo;s disease prevention and control act against the owner of Danko&rsquo;s All American Fitness.
				Lawrence Danko, 55, of Wilkes-Barre, was cited by Dallas police June 8 for opening the fitness center located in the Twin Stacks Center on North Memorial Highway in defiance of a state order that closed non-essential businesses during the coronavirus pandemic.
				Danko reopened his Back Mountain fitness center including another fitness center he owns in Plains Township on May 26, after closing the gyms in March when Gov. Tom Wolf ordered non-essential businesses to close.
				Plains Township police filed 23 summary citations against Danko related to the Plains Township gym opening.
				Danko in a Times Leader online story May 26 stated he reopened the fitness centers to allow his employees the chance to return to work and to keep his business open and afloat.
				&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been doing this for 30 years of my life. I&rsquo;ve got to keep the business running. I didn&rsquo;t have a choice,&rdquo; Danko was quoted in the story.
				In a post on the fitness center&rsquo;s Facebook page May 11, Danko stated the gyms would reopen and thanked well-wishers for their support.
				&ldquo;We are in no way trying to diminish the effects that COVID-19 has had on everyone both inside and outside of our community. We have implemented multiple precautions to ensure that the health and safety of our dedicated staff and members is top priority,&rdquo; Danko wrote in the post.
				Group fitness classes were suspended at the gyms, Danko stated.
				Danko and his attorney, Nicole Thompson Lermitte, could not be reached for comment Thursday.
				District Judge Brian Tupper dismissed the summary count when the police officer who filed the citation failed to appear for the summary trial.
				Court records say Danko is scheduled for summary trials on Dec. 23 and Dec. 30 before District Judge Joseph Spagnuolo Jr. in relation to the citations filed by Plains Township police.

COVID violation dismissed against fitness center owner