ifredregill@altoonamirror.com
Rattlesnakes aren’t typically part of the medical diagnostic process, but for a local fire chief, a snake bite led to the discovery of cancer cells in his blood.
“I was laying on the ground in 2017 under a boat I had recently bought,” said Jason Baker, the Logan Township United Fire Department fire chief. “And I felt a burning in my calf.”
Baker didn’t feel the snake’s fangs sink into his leg, because when he sits or lays down for long periods, parts of his body go numb as a result of Lyme Disease, which he contracted from tick bites in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Mike “Lucky” Luciano scored $500,000 Tuesday from a scratch-off lottery ticket purchased in Altoona, his third lottery jackpot score in just over 20 years
ifredregill@altoonamirror.com
Police charged a former Altoona man Friday with stealing multiple firearms after he allegedly confessed to taking the guns from a couple who let him stay with them during the holidays, court documents stated.
Richard C. Wertz, 42, was arraigned Saturday by Magisterial District Judge Matthew Dunio on firearms and theft-related charges, according to court documents.
The victims told police they invited Wertz to stay with them during the month of December to allow Wertz to “get back on his feet,” police reported.
In a taped interview with police just after New Year’s Day, Wertz confessed to making an agreement with his co-defendant, Jo Ann Martinez/Smolko, to remove three firearms from the victims’ home in December, court documents stated.
ifredregill@altoonamirror.com
HOLLIDAYSBURG Hollidaysburg resident Tyler Slippy was likely murdered in his home Nov. 21 by a coworker because of a romantic rivalry, Blair County District Attorney Pete Weeks said.
Nearly seven weeks after the Hollidaysburg Borough Police Department announced 27-year-old Slippy’s homicide, police and members of the Blair County District Attorney’s Office released details of the grisly murder during a press conference Friday.
Law enforcement’s primary suspect, 39-year-old Kenneth T. Kim, was found dead Dec. 23 in a hotel room in Cambria County after stealing a vehicle from a car dealership and fleeing from police as they conducted warranted searches of his possessions and property. Police reported Kim took his own life.
ifredregill@altoonamirror.com
A Philadelphia man allegedly discarded a large amount of heroin while fleeing Altoona police Thursday night near the 1700 block of Fifth Avenue, police said.
Anthony Brown, 41, was arraigned Friday by Magisterial District Judge Matthew Dunio on drug-related charges, Blair County court documents stated.
While the court lists an address in Altoona for Brown, Altoona police said his residence is in Philadelphia. Police arrested Brown while acting on information that he was violating his state parole by traveling to Altoona.
About 9:35 p.m. Thursday, Brown allegedly arrived as a passenger in a car at a residence on Fifth Avenue, court documents stated.