126386105_web1_WBS-jpg

Shorthanded WBS Penguins set to open training camp Friday

126384048_web1_silver.pens

Educational Alliance grant helps MMI purchase six circuit drawing pens

PITTSTON &mdash; A man who authorities allege fired shots at a city police officer last week was arrested at a motel in East Stroudsburg on Thursday.
				David Folweiler, 33, of Tompkins Street, Pittston, discharged rounds at the officer in the area of Butler Street and Davis Alley on Jan. 22, according to court records.
				Luzerne County First Assistant District Attorney Sam Sanguedolce said Folweiler was captured with the assistance of U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force.
				&ldquo;After days of searching, this morning at approximately 10:40, we were able to locate the defendant in East Stroudsburg; he was staying at a motel. Luzerne County detectives with the Marshals fugitive task force then took the door of the motel room and took the defendant into custody.
				&ldquo;Obviously the district attorney&rsquo;s office views this as a very serious offense, firing upon police officers is among the most serious crimes that can be committed. Firing upon anyone is a very serious offense, firing upon uniform police officers in a marked cruiser takes it to another level,&rdquo; Sanguedolce said.
				Folweiler allegedly was walking with another man on Butler Street when two officers encountered them at about 1:15 a.m.
				Sanguedolce said the officers were patrolling in the area as court records say they were investigating a suspicious vehicle, a Honda Civic parked near to a known drug house.
				One officer stepped out of the cruiser and spotted the two men with one of them crossing the street. As the officer shined a flashlight on the men, one of them who Sanguedolce identified as Folweiler fired a handgun.
				The officer believed two shots were fired at him.
				Sanguedolce and court records say the officer outside the cruiser discharged his firearm in return. The other officer was exiting the cruiser and did not discharge his weapon.
				&ldquo;Clearly this is a serious matter&#8230;we&rsquo;re going to take it serious. We&rsquo;re going to continue to commit resources, our city has made a huge investment in our police department. I stand behind our police department and I think that is an important message to put out there. We&rsquo;re very fortunate in this incident no one got injured,&rdquo; Mayor Michael Lombardo said.
				Sanguedolce said the officers were about 10 to 15 yards away when Folweiler allegedly discharged rounds at them.
				&ldquo;Other than the fact that they were police officers, I have no idea,&rdquo; Sanguedolce said when asked about why Folweiler allegedly fired the handgun.
				&ldquo;The two men were walking down the road in the dark in a poorly lit area. The officers were in full uniform and in a marked cruiser. One was in standing outside the cruiser and noticed Mr. Folweiler approach. He lit him up with a flashlight and Mr. Folweiler for some reason responded by slouching down and running into a darker area and opening fire on (the officer),&rdquo; Sanguedolce said
				A cell phone and a .45-caliber handgun was found during the investigation. Surveillance video of the shooting was released by the district attorney&rsquo;s office hours after the incident.
				Criminal history
				Court records say Folweiler was indicted with seven others by a federal grand jury for trafficking bath salts connected to a residence on Liberty Street in West Pittston in 2014. The residence, which had a confederate flag on the porch, was used for meetings of a white supremacist group, court records say.
				Folweiler was sentenced in February 2017 to seven-and-a-half years in prison for his role in distributing bath salts and a kilogram of alpha-pvp. He was released on federal parole Nov. 5, 2020.
				Folweiler was arraigned by District Judge Alexandra Kokura Kravitz in Pittston on charges of criminal attempt to commit murder of the first degree, aggravated assault, illegal possession of a firearm and firearms not to be carried without a license. Kokura Kravitz jailed Folweiler at the county correctional facility without bail, deeming him a danger to society.

Pittston man charged on allegations he shot at police officers