Timothy W. Smith
Timothy W. Smith pleaded not guilty April 1 to two charges of aggravated criminal sexual abuse involving a girl under the age of 15 and a charge of domestic battery involving physical contact against the same victim.
Bryan C. McGee
Bryan C. McGee was sentenced to 18 months in prison for possession of a stolen handgun after accepting a plea deal. A judge dismissed one count of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon.Â
Justin D. Tate
Police say Justin D. Tate picked up a runaway 14-year-old girl and force-fed her methamphetamine before making her perform sex acts and then raping her. He was arrested March 24.
LA GRANDE â âMy officers are drowning, theyâre drowning in these calls. Itâs a crisis.â
Those were the words of Lt. Jason Hays of the La Grande Police Department as he explained how his officers have increasingly become the vanguard in dealing with behavior and crises brought on by severe mental illness.
The small police department has been inundated with calls for service to respond to people experiencing mental illness, sometimes tying up the entire on-duty police force for hours at a time.
âThe No. 1 thing that is a pressing issue for us and that continues to get worse, not better, is the calls for service weâre responding to for people suffering from mental illness,â Hays said.
NORRISTOWN — Under a new program established by the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, deputies will assist community members who have mental health and behavioral challenges as they make their way