Sheâs in.
Luzerne County District Attorney Stefanie Salavantis ended months of speculation Tuesday by announcing sheâs resigning to run for Luzerne County judge this year.
The three-term Republican prosecutor plans to seek one of two open seats on the Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas.
âIt has been the greatest honor of my life to serve the people of Luzerne County as district attorney and I will continue to serve the public interest if elected as judge,â Salavantis said in a news release.
Salavantis said she will resign after the nominating petition process is complete.
Candidates can start circulating nominating petitions Feb. 16 to get on the ballot for the May 18 primary election. The deadline to file nominating petitions is March 9.
Kingston Twp. police have launched a criminal investigation after an officerâs Facebook profile was used to post an off-color comment on a picture regarding the use of face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The comment was posted using the profile of Officer Courtney Hontz, who joined the department just last month. Hontz has denied posting the comment, and police are investigating whether someone else accessed her account to post it, police Chief Michael A. Moravec said.
âWeâre investigating a crime, and if we determine that a crime has been committed, then we will act appropriately,â he said. âConversely, if a crime was reported and that crime did not happen, we will act accordingly.â
A dispute over snow shoveling ended with a murder-suicide that left three people dead last week in northeastern Pennsylvania, authorities said.The Luzerne County District Attorney’s Office said Jeffrey Spaide got into an argument Monday morning, Feb. 1, with James and Lisa Goy, who lived across the street from him in Plains.The Goys were shoveling snow from their parking spots onto Spaide’s property, the district attorney’s office said. Spaide asked them to stop, and the argument escalated.According to police, Spaide went into his home, came out with a handgun and fired multiple shots at the Goys. Police said Spaide then went back into his house, pulled out an AR-style rifle and fired again at the victims.Officers arrived soon after the shooting and heard a gunshot from Spaide’s house, police said. He was found dead of a self-inflicted wound.