NEW WASHINGTON — State police are investigating the death of a man whose body was found in a Clearfield County horse pasture.
Trooper Jaime LeVier saids 30-year-old Doyle Musselman’s body was discovered Wednesday in New Washington.
LeVier said investigators believe Musselman suffered blunt force trauma.
Clearfield County District Attorney William Shaw said Thursday afternoon in a statement that state police were treating the case as a homicide investigation, though it was premature to declare the death a homicide.
Musselman apparently lived near the property
Police have numerous leads, but no suspects yet, LeVier said.
Woman convicted in shooting
UNIONTOWN – A Uniontown area woman has been convicted of involuntary manslaughter for shooting her boyfriend after they argued because another man flirted with her when they were out drinking.
Fayette County prosecutors alleged the killing in August 2007 was premeditated.
But a jury Thursday instead found that 44-year-old Johnna Palya, of Hopwood, was merely reckless when she killed 43-year-old Barry Pavlicko.
Palya testified the gun went off accidentally after Pavlicko held it to his head and dared her to shoot him. She said it went off when the couple struggled for the weapon.
Police had said Palya confessed to shooting Pavlicko and that the physical evidence showed she did so purposely in the back of his head.
Palya will be sentenced Feb. 12.
Grand jury to get air fracas case
PITTSBURGH – A federal grand jury will take up the case against a San Francisco man accused of forcing a US Airways flight to be diverted to Pittsburgh because he was high on medical marijuana.
Thirty-year-old Kinman Chan waived his right to a preliminary hearing Friday on a charge of interfering with a flight crew. That means federal prosecutors in Pittsburgh have 30 days to obtain a grand jury indictment on the charge.
The FBI said Chan was flying from Philadelphia to Los Angeles on Sunday when he allegedly began screaming in the airliner’s restroom, then fought with flight crew members who tried to get him to sit down.
The FBI said Chan told them he ate a double dose of medical marijuana cookies before the flight.
His public defender has declined comment.
Teacher’s photo suspension lifted
BROWNSVILLE – A 30-day unpaid suspension has been lifted against a teacher at a Fayette County high school who appeared next to a male stripper in a picture someone else posted on Facebook.
Brownsville Area School District Solicitor Jim Davis wouldn’t say specifically why the suspension was lifted effective Friday. But he said the teacher has a grievance pending and the school district is continuing to investigate.
The unidentified female teacher reportedly posed in a suggestive way next to the stripper who was hired to perform at a bridal shower.
The American Civil Liberties Union questioned the suspension, saying the teacher’s actions were private and legal.
Davis said the ACLU action didn’t end the suspension, which began Jan. 12 and was for
30 school days.
Limo sale gets man in trouble
DUNCANSVILLE – A Duncansville man has been charged with laundering vehicle titles after he sold a 1924 Hudson limousine to someone in Alberta, Canada, and the limo failed to clear customs.
Mark Edward Snyder, 47, was released on $50,000 unsecured bond.
State police said Dennis Freeman Mercer of Alberta had paid Snyder $5,200 for the vehicle.
An investigation reportedly showed that the title never was properly transferred to Snyder from the previous owner, who is deceased.
Snyder faces counts including theft, false swearing, tampering with public records and washing vehicle titles.
Fire displaces students from India
SCRANTON – Ten graduate students from India are homeless after a fire in a northeastern Pennsylvania apartment building.
No injuries were reported from Thursday afternoon’s fire in Scranton. Two University of Scranton students were home at the time of the blaze but made it to safety.
The eight other residents of the three-story building were attending classes at Marywood University when the fire broke out.
Officials at both schools said they are arranging temporary housing for the displaced students.
Fire officials are investigating the cause of the fire.
First Veon witness still on stand
HARRISBURG – The public corruption trial of a former Pennsylvania lawmaker and three of his former aides wrapped up its first week Friday with the first witness for the prosecution still being cross-examined by defense attorneys.
The length of former House Democratic aide Mike Manzo’s testimony makes it likely the case will take longer than the month that was originally estimated.
He is the first of 20 to 30 witnesses that prosecutors expect to call. And all four defendants
– former House Democratic whip Mike Veon and three of his one-time aides – have the right to put on their own case.
The first week of trial has featured a few dramatic moments – at one point, a defense attorney suggested a mistrial might be appropriate.
There also were low points – long stretches in which e-mail and other evidence was examined in detail, for example.
