A.M. BRIEFING: Thursday

PSU student to face trial on riot charges

A judge found that there is enough evidence to merit riot and theft-related charges against a 20-yearold Penn State student who police say stole a damaged light from the scene of the October riot in State College.

Garrick R. Stafford had seen riot charges dismissed by District Judge Allen Sinclair several weeks ago for lack of evidence, but the District Attorney’s Office re-filed the riot charge, tacked on a theft-related charge, and had more witnesses testify at a new hearing Wednesday.

As a result, Sinclair ruled there is enough evidence for Stafford to face trial on the charges.

Stafford told police he took a $3,000 street light that someone else had torn down during the disturbance and brought it back to his apartment as a keepsake. His attorney Tony De Boef argued that the light had no value when it was picked up, because someone else had already broken it.

“He picked up a broken light,” De Boef said. “He picked up garbage. It wasn’t anybody’s property at that point.”

Assistant District Attorney Karen Kuebler said he threw it out, “rather than returning it to its rightful owner,” and the judge agreed with her.

Stafford is one of 19 people still facing charges related to the event on the 300 block of East Beaver Avenue.

Man to go on trial on rape charges

A Milesburg man will face trial on charges he pushed a woman onto his couch and raped her while they were watching television.

Kyle A. Lingle, 20, raped her for several minutes before she was able to get up and leave, the woman testified Wednesday.

District Judge Allen Sinclair found enough evidence for him to stand trial on rape and sexual assault charges.

The assault happened in August but wasn’t reported until late January, police said.

The woman testified in court at Lingle’s preliminary hearing that even though she waited several months to report the rape, she told at least three people what happened in the hours and days after the alleged assault.

She testified that she felt the attack was her fault, and that’s one reason she ignored advice to report the rape immediately.

Court papers say Lingle first denied ever having sex with the woman, then admitted they had consensual sex, but he said he knew that “she was not into it.”

Drug suspect waives hearing

A man who police say was twice caught in Centre County committing the dangerous act of cooking methamphetamines using a portable lab hidden in the woods waived his right to a preliminary court hearing Wednesday.

Ronald Lee Williams, 54, will face trial on charges related to manufacturing meth. It’s the second set of similar charges he faces in this county since he was caught doing the same thing in September.

Williams is in jail on $100,000 cash bail.

Police say he had a portable meth lab in a wooded area near Bear Meadows Road in Harris Township, and other related items in his car. In the fall he had one in Unionville, police said.

He was caught last week after police got a tip about the lab and started following Williams, state police said. They pulled Williams over for a traffic stop near Jacks Mill Lane and found him in possession of the drug.