Pennsylvania
Involuntary manslaughter case dropped against 911 dispatcher in Pennsylvania woman’s death
Prosecutors this week dropped an involuntary manslaughter case against a 911 dispatcher in Pennsylvania who had been accused of failing to send an ambulance to the rural home of a woman who was found dead a day later of internal bleeding.
Greene County District Attorney Brianna Vanata said she acted to end the case against Leon “Lee” Price after reviewing an investigator’s report that said he felt charges were not justified in the July 2020 death of 54-year-old Diania Kronk.
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“There was just no criminal culpability here,” Vanata said in a phone interview Thursday. She said the decision to pursue charges two years after Kronk died — and shortly after her family filed a lawsuit over it — was a mistake by the then-district attorney, Dave Russo.
“I’m not sure what the previous district attorney was thinking,” Vanata said. “That’s where I’m at.”
Price’s defense lawyer, Timothy Ross, said Thursday the charges had been a stressful ordeal for his client, who he described as an upstanding employee who had consistently maintained he was innocent of the allegations. In the wake of Kronk’s death, Ross said, an investigator had told Price he would not be charged.
Ross said Price is “moving forward, rebuilding his reputation in this community and just happy to put these charges behind him.”
Investigators had said Price was reluctant to dispatch help without getting more assurances Kronk would actually go to the hospital.
Vanata said she based her decision on an August 2020 memo by Greene County Regional Police Chief Zachary Sams that said Price may not have been trained properly and the investigator felt Price’s actions did not “rise to the levels necessary to facilitate a criminal charge.”
On a recording, Price was heard questioning Kronk’s daughter Kelly Titchenell for about four minutes. As Titchenell described her mother’s condition, Price asked if Kronk was “willing to go” to the hospital about a half-hour away from her home in Sycamore. Titchenell assured him she would and said she was concerned her mother might die.
Titchenell told the dispatcher Kronk had been drinking heavily for some weeks, she had been losing weight and appeared to be turning yellow.
Price said he would send an ambulance but then added that “we really need to make sure she’s willing to go.” Price asked Titchenell to call once she got to Kronk’s home, but Titchenell said she could not find her mother’s landline and there was not cell service.
Titchenell said that when she got to Kronk’s home, her mother was nude on the porch and talking incoherently, telling her repeatedly she was OK. Titchenell said an autopsy attributed Kronk’s death to internal bleeding.
Titchenell did not call 911 again on her way home, believing that her uncle would soon check on her. The uncle discovered the next day that Kronk had died.
Russo said there was ample evidence and called Vanata’s move to drop the case a political decision. Russo said Thursday the involuntary manslaughter charge had survived previous defense efforts to have it dismissed.
At Vanata’s request, a judge withdrew the charges on Monday. Jury selection and trial had been scheduled for next week.
Vanata said she approached Price about a potential plea bargain to a lesser charge but he did not take the deal. Titchenell questioned the decision to drop charges.
“I feel that there was too much for the new district attorney to go through,” Titchenell said in a phone interview Wednesday. “She would have had to put in a lot of time and work to understand this case, to go over everything. I feel there was too much for her, so she was trying to basically get away without going to trial.”
Vanata said she spent “many, many hours” going through the evidence since taking office in January. She beat Russo in the 2023 GOP primary by 44 percentage points. “It definitely was not an easy decision to come to.”
Price is no longer a dispatcher and now works for Greene County in maintenance.
“Mr. Price did lose his job and this, I’m sure, has been an ordeal for him,” Vanata said. “But also I feel so horrible for the family that had to go through this as well. It dragged them along for four years also.”
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
Hersheypark in Pennsylvaniacould be forced to close this summer amid a dispute between the site’s operators and union employees, according to a report.
The amusement park is scheduled to open seven days a week starting May 21 in a shift from its weekend-only operation before the summer, despite a looming vote among employees about whether to go on strike.
Over 200 union maintenance employees at Hersheypark, The Hotel Hershey and Giant Center rejected a contract offer from Hershey Entertainment & Resorts on May 7, according to Inside the Magic. The park’s operators described the proposal as their “last, best and final” offer.
Over a three-day period this week, employees will vote on whether to strike after rejecting the offer, which is the third from the park’s operators. A strike could close the park just in time for the start of the busy summer season when families head on vacation.
The list of employees considering going on strike includes ride mechanics, electricians, plumbers, welders, painters, machinists, utilities technicians, carpenters, garage auto mechanics and sign artists.
In mid-March, the union and Hershey Entertainment & Resorts agreed to extend a former contract for 60 days to allow for continued negotiations.
According to Inside the Magic, union workers are seeking fair wage increases, more affordable care plans and higher pay premiums for less-desirable shifts. The union has also said that it will reject new contract offers that lower professional standards, devalue skilled trades or open the door to lower wages in maintenance roles in the future.
The Independent has contacted Hershey Entertainment & Resorts for comment about the possible strike.
Hersheypark, located 15 miles east of Harrisburg, is the largest amusement park in Pennsylvania. Founded in 1906, the 121-acre site boasts more than 70 rides, a water park with 17 water attractions and an 11-acre North American Wildlife Park, according to Hersheypark’s website.
It’s named for and themed in conjunction with the popular candy company.
However, a different park in the Keystone State was named as the top amusement park in the U.S. on TripAdvisor’s Best of the Best list.
It was Knoebels Amusement Resort in Elysburg, 42 miles north-northeast of Harrisburg, that topped the list. In doing so, the little-known park was ranked higher than Dollywood, Disney World’s Magic Kingdom, Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Universal Islands of Adventure that also made the top 5.
“It’s got it all: roller coasters, kid-friendly rides (bumper cars, a haunted mansion), swimming, camping, a mining museum, and even a championship 18-hole golf course,” TripAdvisor wrote. “The accommodating staff, clean facilities, and fun attractions make for a memorable family-friendly visit.”
Knoebels is the U.S.’s largest free-admission park, although tickets for individual rides cost a fee.
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruling on cast vote records creates uncertainty for counties
NEW CASTLE, Pa. (MyValleyTributes) – Charles “Yami” Frederick Jamison, age 83, of New Castle, Pennsylvania, formerly of Warren, Ohio, passed away, surrounded by his family, on Saturday, May 9, 2026, in Haven Convalescent Home.
Mr. Jamison was born December 2, 1942, in New Castle, a son of the late Charles N. and Anna (Callihan) Jamison and was a 1960 graduate of New Castle High School.
Charles worked as an order checker clerk for Packard Electric Company, Warren, Ohio, for 31 years, until his retirement in 1999.
A proud veteran, he served his country in the United States Navy.
He was a member of St. Mary’s Church, Warren, Ohio and also attended Mass at Holy Spirit Parish – St. Mary’s Church.
Charles spent his free time hunting and playing Euchre.
He is survived by his four sisters, Margaret I. Klann, Mary E. DeMarco and Catherine “Kay” A. Houk (Robert), all of New Castle and Susan J. Olson (Donald), Winfield, Illinois; his brother, Richard Jamison (Linda) of New Castle; and numerous nieces and nephews.
Memorial contributions may be directed to the City Rescue Mission, 319 S. Croton Ave., New Castle, PA, 16101, and the Salvation Army, 240 W. Grant St., New Castle, PA, 16101.
The family would like to extend their gratitude and appreciation to the Haven Convalescent Home for the care and support that Charles received over the years.
Calling Hours will be from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m., on Tuesday, May 12, 2026, in J. Bradley McGonigle Funeral Home and Crematory, Inc., 111 W. Falls St., New Castle.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on 10:30 a.m., Wednesday May 13, 2026, in Holy Spirit Parish – St. Mary’s Church, 124 N. Beaver St., New Castle, with Rev. Aaron Kriss, as celebrant.
Interment: Castleview Memorial Gardens, Neshannock Twp.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Charles F. Jamison, please visit our flower store.
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