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WVIA 2024 YEAR IN REVIEW: Public Safety, Courts and Transportation

Ian Gilmartin, left, Scranton Police Detective Kyle Gilmartin and Lindsay Gilmartin stand for the Pledge of Allegiance during the officer's welcome home ceremony at SPD headquarters on March 1, seven weeks after he was shot in the head in the line of duty.
Aimee Dilger
/
WVIA News
Ian Gilmartin, left, Scranton Police Detective Kyle Gilmartin and Lindsay Gilmartin stand for the Pledge of Allegiance during the officer's welcome home ceremony at SPD headquarters on March 1, seven weeks after he was shot in the head in the line of duty.

2024 was a year when a police detective's incredible recovery from a violent shooting inspired the region.

It also was a year of of gruesome tragedies in Northeast Pennsylvania, captivating court cases, and some important developments in transportation law and infrastructure.

Gilmartin: 'God was looking out for me that night'

Kyle Gilmartin knows he is blessed to be alive.

The Scranton Police detective was critically wounded on Jan. 11 in a “gang-related” shooting in West Scranton.

On March 1, a uniformed Gilmartin stood on his own two feet, stepped up to a podium, and thanked the community for its support during a hero's welcome outside SPD headquarters on South Washington Avenue.

Six days later, Gilmartin and wife Lindsay traveled to Washington, D.C., where the detective attended President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address as the guest of Rep. Matt Cartwright.

“I took two bullets to the head. There's no medical explanation for it. There's no logical explanation for it,” Gilmartin said of his survival during an interview at Cartwright’s office ahead of the speech. “The only explanation I have is that, you know, it just wasn't my time. And God was looking out for me that night."

Aiden Deininger and Jeremiah Cleveland face charges in the case.

Eileen Miller holds a door handle from the car in which her son, Paul Miller Jr., was killed by a distracted driver in 2010. Miller was a driving force behind Pennsylvania's new distracted driving law, which is named after her son.
Roger DuPuis
/
WVIA News
Eileen Miller holds a door handle from the car in which her son, Paul Miller Jr., was killed by a distracted driver in 2010. Miller was a driving force behind Pennsylvania's new distracted driving law, which is named after her son.

New law puts distracted driving in focus in Pennsylvania

Nationwide, distracted driving kills over 3,000 people each year, according to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data. That's more people than died in the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.

This year, Pennsylvania took legal action to give law enforcement agencies tools to combat the issue, however, those tools will take time to come into effect.

Gov. Josh Shapiro in June signed Act 18, or "Paul Miller's Law," which will prohibit the use of hand-held electronic devices while driving.

Under Act 18, warnings will be given from June 2025 to June 2026, and citations will be issued beginning June 2026.

The law is named for Paul Miller Jr., a Scranton man who was killed by a distracted tractor-trailer driver in a 2010 crash in Monroe County. He was 21.

Miller's mother Eileen fought for the law for over a decade, working closely with lawmakers including state Sen. Rosemary Brown (R-Monroe County), who spearheaded the bill which was passed by the Legislature and signed by Shapiro this year.

"No phone call or text is worth a life. And you know, right now, more than ever, I see more people on their phone," Miller said.

Bashar Hanna
Submitted photo
Bashar Hanna

Jury awards former Bloomsburg University dean $3.9M verdict in whistleblower termination case

Former Bloomsburg University dean Jeffrey Krug in August won a $3.9 million federal jury verdict over claims he faced retaliation and was fired for helping an administrative assistant file a sexual harassment report against the school's president, Bashar Hanna.

Krug, former dean of the Zeigler College of Business and a tenured faculty member, was improperly terminated in 2018, according to his suit.

Krug sued Bloomsburg University — now part of Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania — school president Hanna, university senior vice president for academic affairs James Krause, and the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education.

The verdict was handed down following a trial before U.S. District Judge Jennifer Wilson in Harrisburg.

"We are disappointed with the decision and are reviewing options with legal counsel with every intent to appeal," the university said in a statement released in the wake of the verdict.

Commonwealth University's Council of Trustees in August expressed its "unwavering support" for Hanna, with Chair John E. Wetzel writing that Hanna was previously cleared by an internal investigation.

Faculty members and coaches at Commonwealth University's constituent campuses announced in December that they plan to hold "no-confidence" votes early next year on Hanna's leadership.

Federal court records show that state Attorney General Michelle Henry in September filed a motion seeking a judgement in the defendants' favor or a new trial.

As the year drew to a close the parties were going back and forth with court filings related to that issue and legal proceedings over how much Krug would be paid.

The boarded-up front door of 142 Carlisle St., Wilkes-Barre, is seen earlier this year. Five people have been charged in connection with the torture and killing of a woman in the basement of the home in April 2023.
Aimee Dilger
/
WVIA News
The boarded-up front door of 142 Carlisle St., Wilkes-Barre, is seen earlier this year. Five people have been charged in connection with the torture and killing of a woman in the basement of the home in April 2023.

Wilkes-Barre torture death home at center of complex allegations

Luzerne County District Attorney Sam Sanguedolce announced in April that five people had been arrested in connection with the death of Cuevas-Ingram, who investigators say was tortured, killed, and buried in the basement of a Wilkes-Barre home.

Cuevas-Ingram's badly decomposed body was discovered buried in the dirt floor beneath 142 Carlisle St. on Feb. 28. Her remains were wrapped in a tarp, tied with electrical cords and rope. Police believe she was killed in April 2023 after weeks of torture.

Charged in Cuevas-Ingram's death are Faith Beamer, Wilkes-Barre; Desiree Linnette, Edwardsville; Sarai Doyle, Edwardsville; Jason Race, Kingston; and William Wolfe, of Wilkes-Barre.

Each defendant was charged with criminal homicide, conspiracy to commit homicide, kidnapping, conspiracy to commit kidnapping, aggravated assault and abuse of corpse.

They are still incarcerated and awaiting further court proceedings.

Still unsolved is the death of former homeowner Debra Fox, whose body was found in a wooded area near the North Cross Valley Expressway in March.

An autopsy listed her cause and manner of death as undetermined.

Old Forge restaurateur Robert Baron went missing in 2017, and his remains were not located until March 2017. Justin Schuback was found guilty of his killing by a Lackawanna County jury this year.
Finding Robert Baron Facebook page
Old Forge restaurateur Robert Baron went missing in 2017, and his remains were not located until March 2017. Justin Schuback was found guilty of his killing by a Lackawanna County jury this year.

Jury finds Schuback guilty in Old Forge pizzeria owner's murder

Justice was finally served this year in the 2017 murder of an Old Forge business owner.

A Lackawanna County jury in May convicted Justin Schuback in the killing of Robert Baron.

Justin Schuback
Justin Schuback

Prosecutors say Schuback broke into Ghigiarelli's Pizza on the night of Jan. 25, 2017 intending to rob the business, where Baron was known to keep large amounts of cash. He apparently encountered Baron, violently attacking and killing him.

Jurors, who deliberated for about 10 hours over two days in May, were asked to decide whether Schuback was guilty of first, second, or third-degree murder, as well as burglary and robbery. They found him guilty on all counts.

Investigators said Schuback was a suspect from early in the case, but it took several years to uncover the evidence necessary to make an arrest.

Schuback’s first-degree murder conviction carried an automatic life sentence.

When Lackawanna County Judge Terrence Nealon handed down the sentence in July, he also ordered Schuback to serve 7.5 to 15 years for robbery and burglary.

Schuback will not be eligible for parole.

OTHER STORIES OF NOTE

Luzerne County Transportation Authority Board Chairman Charles Sciandra, at the podium, talks about LCTA's new administration and maintenance facility during a dedication ceremony inside the complex on South Pennsylvania Avenue in Wilkes-Barre.
Roger DuPuis
/
WVIA News
Luzerne County Transportation Authority Board Chairman Charles Sciandra, at the podium, talks about LCTA's new administration and maintenance facility during a dedication ceremony inside the complex on South Pennsylvania Avenue in Wilkes-Barre.

Transportation

Wyoming Area Regional Police Chief Michael Turner cuts police tape to mark the dedication of the department's new headquarters in the former Pennsylvania State Police barracks on Wyoming Avenue in the Borough of Wyoming. Standing beside Turner is U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright, who was on hand to present a $963,000 check for new police cruisers, body cameras and other essential equipment.
Roger DuPuis
/
WVIA News
Wyoming Area Regional Police Chief Michael Turner cuts police tape to mark the dedication of the department's new headquarters in the former Pennsylvania State Police barracks on Wyoming Avenue in the Borough of Wyoming. Standing with Turner is U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright, who was on hand to present a $963,000 check for new police cruisers, body cameras and other essential equipment.

Public Safety and Courts

Dushore Pharmacy owner Melissa Keller reaches for a medication bottle from the shelves at the drugstore in Dushore, Sullivan County. The business, which Keller took over last year, is the rural county's only pharmacy, with the nearest competitors nearly 20 miles away. While Dushore Pharmacy has a loyal customer base, Keller acknowledges that her business faces many of the same challenges as other independent drugstores in Pennsylvania, notably from pharmacy benefit managers, or PBMs. 'Sometimes we'll lose $50 to $100 on a prescription,' she said.
Roger DuPuis
/
WVIA News
Dushore Pharmacy owner Melissa Keller reaches for a medication bottle from the shelves at the drugstore in Dushore, Sullivan County. The business, which Keller took over last year, is the rural county's only pharmacy, with the nearest competitors nearly 20 miles away. While Dushore Pharmacy has a loyal customer base, Keller acknowledges that her business faces many of the same challenges as other independent drugstores in Pennsylvania, notably from pharmacy benefit managers, or PBMs. 'Sometimes we'll lose $50 to $100 on a prescription,' she said.

Also by this reporter

Roger DuPuis joins WVIA News from the Wilkes-Barre Times Leader. His 24 years of experience in journalism, as both a reporter and editor, included several years at The Scranton Times-Tribune. His beat assignments have ranged from breaking news, local government and politics, to business, healthcare, and transportation. He has a lifelong interest in urban transit, particularly light rail, and authored a book about Philadelphia's trolley system.

You can email Roger at rogerdupuis@wvia.org