A.M.BRIEFING: Wednesday

Centre Hall man faces third stalking charge

A Centre Hall man who has been arrested twice before on a stalking charge now faces a third charge after police say followed a woman on several occasions in the State College and Pleasant Gap areas.

Court records show 38-year-old David C. Bower, who lives at 124 Front Street, has multiple protection from abuse orders against him from several different women, and three cases involving stalking.

The most recent incidents, which police say together add up to stalking and harassment charges, began happening May 13, just about a month after he was charged with stalking the same woman in April.

In November 2007, Bower was also charged with stalking and harassing a different woman, and he pleaded guilty to a summary harassment and paid a fine.

When he was arrested last week, District Judge Jonathan Grine set his bail at $100,000, and Bower posted that bail Thursday and was released from jail.

He is scheduled for a preliminary hearing today in Centre County court.

Two burglaries reported in Boggs Township

State police at Rockview reported two burglaries in Boggs Township.

One burglary was at a residence along the 400 block of Kifer Road between 5:40 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. Monday, police said.

Someone entered the residence and then fled the scene without taking or breaking anything, police said.

The second happened sometime between Saturday and Monday at a home on the 800 block of S. Eagle Valley Road.

In that incident, someone entered a townhouse storage unit and removed three chain-saws.

Anyone with information is asked to call state police at Rockview at 355-7545.

Moshannon man faces drug charges

A Moshannon man is facing drug charges after police say he crashed his car and tried to flee the scene with a duffel bag full of drugs.

Police say Steven P. Veres Sr. crashed his car near mile marker 143 on westbound Interstate 80 in Snow Show Township on Feb. 14, hitting a guardrail and embankment.

Veres, 50, got out of the car and walked down through the snow, where a police trooper tracked him and found him with a duffel bag.

That bag was later found to have about five baggies of marijuana, about 60 stamped bags with heroin, and suboxone pills, police wrote in court papers.

Veres was also found to have a blood alcohol level of .168 when he was treated at the hospital after the crash, and cocaine metabolite was also found in his blood, police said.

Veres faces a drug related felony and several misdemeanors related to driving drunk, possession of drugs and summaries for leaving the accident scene.

He is scheduled for a preliminary hearing today in Centre County court.

Bellefonte Rite Aid to open on Thursday

Rite Aid will hold a ribbon cutting ceremony at 10 a.m. Thursday in Bellefonte to mark the opening of the new East Bishop Street pharmacy.

The project, formerly the site of Bi-Lo supermarket, began in October and the store will open to customers Thursday at 8 a.m.

Betsy Naggy, the Rite Aid pharmacy district manager, said the company was “very excited” to open the store, which has been described as a prototype design.

The new Bellefonte store is more than 14,000 square feet and includes a pharmacy, a vitamin department, a photo center and a drive-through pharmacy.

The store’s initial hours will be 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday, with shortened hours on weekends.