A.M.BRIEFING: Thursday

Man pleads guilty to string of burglaries

A Spring Mills man pleaded guilty last week to committing a string of burglaries in Penns Valley with two buddies last summer and fall.

Police charged Vincent L. Wiker, 20, and two others with multiple counts of burglary, conspiracy, criminal trespass and theft. Wiker, Jason M. Bowersox, 20, and his 32-year-old stepfather, Steven J. Poor-man, combined stole thousands of dollars of electronics, guns, food, cash and other items, police said.

They damaged people’s homes and rummaged through their things during the day while they were gone and sometimes during the night while they slept, police said.

Wiker’s attorney, Casey McClain, said Wiker entered a guilty plea to all the charges he faced with no deal from the prosecution.

He is scheduled to be sentenced June 12.

McClain said he expects prosecutor Nathan Boob will ask the judge to sentence Wiker to five to 10 years. McClain will ask for a boot camp, because Wiker has no prior record and cooperated with police.

Woman reports getting threatening letter

A 60-year-old woman at Philipsburg-Osceola Area High School reported to state police that she received a threatening letter in her school mailbox May 12.

Anyone with information is asked to call state police at Philipsburg at 342-3370.

P-O student accused of harassment

State police reported that on May 18 a student at Philipsburg- Osceola Area High School “got up and walked to the back of the (class)room and punched” another student in the head.

Charges of harassment are pending against the 18-year-old who was accused of punching another 18-year-old.

One injured in crash near Way Fruit Farm

One person was injured in a two-vehicle crash at about 1 p.m. Tuesday on state Route 550, near Way Fruit Farm in Halfmoon Township.

State police at Rockview said the crash occurred as Nikki L. Miller, 18, of Warriors Mark, was traveling south on Route 550 in a 1997 Oldsmobile Achieva, and Jonathan M. Lower, 26, of Port Matilda, was traveling north in a 2003 Ford F150.

Miller reached down to retrieve a water bottle from the floor, and her car drifted across the center yellow line and struck a utility pole head-on, police said.

After the impact, the car spun out onto the road, where it struck the side of Lower’s passing vehicle.

Miller, who was not wearing a seat belt, was taken to Mount Nittany Medical Center for treatment of moderate injuries, police said. Police said she will be issued summary citations.

Man gets prison term for cooking meth

The man who police say was caught cooking methamphetamines in a wooded area of Centre County for the second time since September will spend three to six years in state prison and five years on probation after pleading guilty.

Ronald L. Williams, 54, was sentenced by Judge Bradley P. Lunsford Tuesday with credit for 70 days already served in jail.

He pleaded guilty to manufacturing meth.

Police say Williams had a portable meth lab in a wooded area near Bear Meadows Road in Harris Township in March. He was caught after police got a tip about the lab and started following Williams, state police said.

They pulled Williams over in a traffic stop near Jacks Mill Lane and found him in possession of the drug.

Williams was out on bail after being linked to a similar lab that police found in Unionville in September.