Pennsylvania
Some deleted Pa. crime lab records ‘no longer accessible,’ State Police say
The data that haven’t been recovered involve evidence logs that contain details including the time and place evidence was collected, who handled it, and where it was sent for analysis. Some law enforcement officials who spoke to Spotlight PA on condition of anonymity believe those missing logs could pose a problem in future prosecutions, as defense lawyers could raise doubts about whether evidence had been properly handled.
Kelly Callihan, who heads the association representing Pennsylvania’s district attorneys, told Spotlight PA earlier this week that her organization believes there should be “minimal impact” on cases.
State Police labs, she said, “have policies for internally tracking evidence and documenting forensic testing that is done; often referred to as the ‘old-fashioned-way’ of managing evidence in terms of chain of custody.”
The accidental data erasure affected at least one other state agency: the Pennsylvania State Employees’ Retirement System (SERS).
There, sign-in data that allowed users to log into the system to review their pension and other benefits were lost, according to SERS’ website. Those people will now have to reset their personal identification numbers.
“No pension or other retirement benefit data was impacted,” SERS’s website said.
Staff writer Danielle Ohl contributed to this story.
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan, and nonprofit newsroom producing investigative and public-service journalism that holds the powerful to account and drives positive change in Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvania
Pa. woman who drowned after being swept over waterfall in Glacier National Park is ID’d
A 26-year-old Pennsylvania woman drowned after being swept over a waterfall on the east side of Glacier National Park in Montana, park officials said.
National Park Service officials on Tuesday identified the victim as Gillian Tones from North Apollo in western Pennsylvania’s Armstrong County. She was remembered as caring and kind, triblive.com reported.
Tones fell into the water above St. Mary Falls at around 5:20 p.m. Sunday. She was washed over the 35-foot (11-meter) tall waterfall and trapped under water for several minutes, the park said in a statement.
Bystanders pulled Tones from the water and administered CPR until emergency responders arrived. She was declared dead at 7 p.m., park officials said.
The death is under investigation, and an autopsy was planned.
Her name was initially withheld until family members could be notified.
Drowning is one of the leading causes of death in Glacier National Park, according to the National Park Service.
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RADNOR TOWNSHIP, PA — Conestoga Road in Radnor Township will have a weekday closure due to Aqua Pennsylvania work for about two months, PennDOT said.
According to PennDOT, a weekday closure is scheduled on Conestoga Road between Lowrys Lane and Glenbrook Avenue in Radnor.
The closure will be in place weekdays, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. from Monday, July 1 to Friday, Aug. 30,
During the closure, drivers will be detoured, using Sproul Road/Route 320, Lancaster Avenue/U.S. 30, and County Line Road.
Local access will be maintained up to the work zone.
Drivers are advised to allow extra time when traveling through or near the work area because backups and delays will occur.
All scheduled activities are weather dependent.
Wilkes-Barre, Luzerne Co. — After meeting with advocates, the Pennsylvania State Police has unveiled informational cards for people with autism to present to officers during any interactions like traffic stops to better help with communication.
The PSP has officially started to distribute an informational card that should be carried by people with autism and presented during any encounter with police.
The colorful and distinctive cards say “I Have Autism” and directs officers to be patient, use a calm and direct voice. The card also alerted the officers that they may be non-verbal, hypersensitive to noise and or touch.
Lindsay Dragon, the Executive Director of a local support group Parenting Autism United has a ten year old son who is greatly affected by autism.
She says that these cards being given out to people with autism will ease the mind of parents with children who have autism.
“As a parent our biggest fears as our boys get older are the risks of being misunderstood and possibly not following direction which could lead to arrests or potential death,” Dragon said.
As of last year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 1 in 36 children in the United States have autism spectrum disorder (ASD), which is about 75 million people.
Dragon says that this is a great step towards the overall acceptance and inclusion of both children and adults with autism.
She believes that these ID cards will be especially beneficial for adults with autism as well who may not be aware of the harm they are or can cause in an interaction with police officers.
“If first responders are not in the know these types of cards would be extremely helpful in preventing a lot of unnecessary things,” Dragon added.
Individuals may print the card from the website and carry it in a wallet, or they can choose to save it on their phone. Troopers will distribute the cards at public community events.
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