Police Blotter

KINGSTON – Police on Wednesday arrested 22-year-old Richard A. Park, of Kingston, on two counts of impersonating a public servant.

Police said Park, of 216 Wyoming Ave., Apt. 43, approached juveniles in the area of Kingston Corners, showed a badge and stated he was a police officer from Kingston around Aug. 10.

On Tuesday, Park allegedly approached residents on Price Street regarding a fireworks complaint, according to police, and once again said that he was a police officer.

According to the criminal complaint affidavit, residents on that street told police they saw and heard Park talking into his handheld scanner, stating, “They were told to stop or they were going to jail.”

Park is not listed as a law enforcement officer within the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Charges were filed Wednesday with District Judge Paul Roberts Jr.’s office in Kingston.

A woman reported on Monday that she found the back window of her vehicle opened and noticed two stereo speakers were missing at 410 New Market St.

A woman reported at 2:15 p.m. Tuesday that a man known to her only as “Mike” and two others gave her a ride home during which she was threatened with a handgun in the area of South Meade Street.

Police said the suspects took about $1,300 in property from the victim. The woman was not injured and no further information was available as to the identity of the suspects.

Officers on patrol encountered Darcey Kravchenko, 34, of Scranton, who was arrested and charged with possession of a controlled substance and paraphernalia in the area of Carey Avenue on Monday afternoon.

A man reported Monday that someone removed checkbooks from his Dana Street home and forged his signature before cashing the checks.

Alissa Wright reported Monday night that she had been engaged in an altercation with her estranged husband, Yusuf Wright, of Wilkes-Barre, at 86 Hanover St.. The man fled before officers arrived and charges were filed against him.

Cory Templin, 24, reported Wednesday that someone stole money from his vehicle while it was parked in the area of Mayflower Crossings.

HAZLE TWP. – A man had to be flown to a hospital with injuries after a one-vehicle rollover crash Thursday on southbound Interstate 81.

State police at Hazleton said Jeffrey Richards, driver of a Chrysler Voyager minivan, was traveling around 2:20 p.m. in the right lane when he lost control, struck the guard rail and rolled the vehicle twice.

Richards, whose age and address were not known, was taken by a Life Flight medical helicopter to Lehigh Valley Hospital to be treated for unknown injuries, police said.

HANOVER TWP. – Township police cited a 16-year-old Kingston girl after receiving a complaint of harassment by cell phone. An 18-year-old reported receiving a threatening text message from the suspect.

Summary charges of harassment were filed with District Judge Joseph Halesey’s office in Hanover Township, police said.

Joseph Zelinske reported at 12:06 p.m. Thursday that someone stole his wallet and used one of his credit cards at Sneaker King, Wilkes-Barre Township Commons, to purchase $161.94 worth of merchandise.

Charges were filed Thursday against Bradley J. Cease Jr., 18, of Harveys Lake, and Jesse J. Jayne, 18, of Hunlock Creek, for allegedly falsely reporting that they were victims of a robbery in the parking lot of Sears, Wyoming Valley Mall.

Police said the pair made prior arrangements to purchase marijuana at that location Monday; however, the transaction was not completed.

Jayne gave $1,195 to a man known only as “Nick,” who told him he would never see him again and then fled the lot, police said. Jayne and Cease allegedly called 911 to fraudulently report the incident as a robbery in an attempt to get their money back.

Both were charged with giving unsworn falsification to authorities and providing false reports to police.

LUZERNE COUNTY – Plans were recently finalized to conduct sobriety checkpoints this weekend in two communities.

The county’s program, administered through the county Probation Services with funding provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, will be conducting checkpoints in Sugarloaf and Wright townships.

Checkpoints will be on Friday or Saturday. The operations by the Sugarloaf and Wright police departments will be dependent on weather conditions.

EDWARDSVILLE – Police charged two men on Tuesday for allegedly assaulting a man inside a tavern.

Timothy Caruthers, 41, of Nanticoke, and William Ristick, 61, of Edwardsville, were charged with simple assault and harassment. They were released on $5,000 bail.

Edwardsville police said the two men assaulted George Stash in Joey’s Joint, Russell and Plymouth streets, on Monday. Stash told police that he was entering the men’s room when he was assaulted.

Preliminary hearings are tentatively scheduled on Aug. 26 before District Judge Paul Roberts in Kingston.

WILKES-BARRE – City police charged a Mountain Top man on Thursday for allegedly altering a physician’s prescription.

Raymond Stanley Andrzejewski, 57, of Oak Ridge Lane, was charged with possession of a controlled substance by misrepresentation, forgery and tampering with records. He was jailed at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility for lack of $15,000 bail.

A pharmacist at the Rite Aid Pharmacy, East Northampton Street, reported on Wednesday that a man presented a prescription that looked suspicious.

The pharmacist contacted the physician who said the prescription was for Naproxen and Tramadol. Police allege Andrzejewski added OxyContin on the prescription.