A.M.BRIEFING

Union Twp. shooting death ruled a homicide

The shooting death of Racheal Lynn Perryman has been ruled a homicide. Centre County Coroner Scott Sayers said in a news release Saturday that his ruling “reflects the death (of) one person at the hands of another but does not reflect whether the death is of a criminal nature. ...”

Perryman, 21, died of a shot to the chest fired by a muzzle-loader. According to search warrants filed last week by state police at Philipsburg, Perryman’s boyfriend told police they were hunting after dark in Union Township when he mistook Perryman for a deer and “accidentally” shot her.

A police investigation is ongoing.

Buck crashes through store window

A four-point buck was an unwelcome visitor Friday after it crashed through a front window at an abandoned storefront in Hills Plaza.

State College police said the deer had broken through the front of the old Ace Hardware store at 2101 S. Atherton St. and was wandering around inside the building when officers arrived.

The buck was chased out of the store through an opened back door and was last seen headed toward Lemont, police said.

Costumed group assaults two men

Two unidentified men were taken to the Mount Nittany Medical Center on Friday after they were assaulted on the 200 block of Hetzel Street, State College police report.

Police said the two were minding their own business, when they were attacked by a group of five to six other people dressed in costumes. None of the assailants were identified and police said they have no suspects in the case.

The assault was one of several reported Friday to Saturday morning in the borough, along with numerous alcohol-related violations and incidents of criminal mischief.

In all, officers responded to about 100 calls Friday, making the first night of the Halloween weekend “busier than homecoming,” in the words of one officer.

Woman in serious condition after collision

A Geisinger Medical Center spokeswoman said Saturday an Aaronsburg woman was in serious condition one day after her car struck a deer on state Route 45 in Gregg Township.

State police said Melissa Alterio, 22, was not wearing a seat belt when her westbound car struck a deer in the middle of Route 45 about 12:45 a.m. Friday.

Her car then struck an embankment and rolled several times, during which she was ejected from the vehicle, police said.

Beetle forces state to expand wood quarantine

Emerald ash borers, a wood-boring beetle, have been found in Milford Township, Juniata County, leading the state to expand its quarantine restricting the movement of wood to include that county.

The state Department of Agriculture is reminding residents and visitors to use only locally harvested firewood and burn all firewood on site. Because it is difficult to tell the difference between species of hardwood, all hardwood firewood and wood chips are quarantined. The quarantine covers the movement of nursery stock, green lumber, logs, stumps, roots, branches and wood chips.

The invasive ash borer destroys ash trees. It is native to China and eastern Asia and was first found in the United States in July 2002. It first appeared in Pennsylvania in 2007 in Butler County.

Adult beetles are dark green, a half-inch long and an eighth of an inch wide. They fly from early May until September, and larvae spend the rest of the year under the bark of ash trees. An ash tree usually dies within three years of being infested.

If you think you have seen an emerald ash borer, call 866-253- 7189. Information is also available at www.agriculture.state.pa. us/emeraldashborer.