Two more suspects were arrested this month in connection with the gang-related beating death last year of a 25-year-old man outside a Hayward laundromat, police.
Freehling
Operation Our Town on Thursday presented its top award to recently retired Altoona Police Chief Janice Freehling.
The Community Partnership Award is presented annually to Blair County law enforcement individuals who have demonstrated their commitment toward making the community a safe place to live and raise families.
“I congratulate Chief Freehling for all of your years of service and hours of support to Operation Our Town. She is someone who always had the right response to crimes,” said Blair County District Attorney Pete Weeks.
Freehling, Altoona’s first female police chief, retired March 1 after 44 years in law enforcement, the last 20 years as chief.
ifredregill@altoonamirror.com
An investigation at the Blair County Prison revealed drugs, cellphones and tobacco were smuggled into the jail in October with the help of an inmate’s wife, court documents stated.
After monitoring inmate James McCleary’s phone calls, Warden Abby Tate informed Hollidaysburg police of a plot to sneak prohibited items inside the jail through the laundry facility where James McCleary worked, police reported.
When questioned about the plot, James McCleary allegedly told Tate that his wife, Chasity, was scheduled to drop off drugs outside the prison’s garage door, which leads to the laundry room, court documents stated.