What Were Ya Thinkin'?
Crime and public safety
Thu, Oct 8
Possessing Child Sexual Abuse Material.
Possessing child sexual abuse material, which the state statute still calls child pornography, is a third-degree felony in Pennsylvania. Edward T. Bommarito, 69, of East Stroudsburg pleaded guilty June 8 to that charge.
Read it in the Oct. 8 editionMon, Oct 5
Hit, Run and Expired.
Pocono Township police say officers were alerted to a dark Dodge Ram dually involved in a hit-and-run on Route 33 around 8 p.m. Sept. 4.
Read it in the Oct. 5 editionThu, Oct 1
Caught Red Shirtless.
Pocono Township police say a man tried to commit fraud at the First National Bank on Route 611 in Tannersville on Sept. 23, then slipped out a side door. Bank staff told officers to look for a man in a red polo.
Read it in the Oct. 1 editionThu, Sep 24
Harley-Davidson, Hit Again.
Pocono Mountain Harley-Davidson in Tannersville can't catch a break. In April, we told you the state Attorney General's office had charged members of a motorcycle-club theft ring over a distraction theft at the dealership back in June 2025.
Read it in the Sept. 24 editionTue, Sep 22
Boom Goes the Neighborhood.
Jeffrey Schuler, 66, of Stroudsburg is facing felony Weapons of Mass Destruction and Possession of Explosive/Incendiary Material charges after State Police say he set off multiple homemade explosives in his Jackson Township front yard during a dispute with two neighbors Sunday...
Read it in the Sept. 22 editionMon, Sep 21
WHAT WERE YA THINKIN'
Okay everyone, hold on tight. We held a few stories on Friday going into the weekend, so here is the download. As always, everyone below is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Read it in the Sept. 21 editionThu, Sep 17
Registering a Cash Grab.
Stroud Area Regional Police say a woman walked through the checkout line at the Giant on Lincoln Avenue in East Stroudsburg on Sept.
Read it in the Sept. 17 editionMon, Sep 14
Threats, gunfire, and a house full of family.
A Middle Smithfield Township man is facing felony charges after a Pennsylvania State Police complaint says he threatened to kill his own family and burn down the house before firing two or three shots inside it.
Read it in the Sept. 14 editionThu, Sep 10
Home Depot Theft Suspect Identified in Stroud Township.
Stroud Area Regional Police say they've identified the man suspected of stealing merchandise from the Home Depot at 150 Pocono Commons Dr. on Sept. 7, thanking the public for tips that helped crack the case.
Read it in the Sept. 10 editionTue, Sep 1
A Sword, a Sermon, and a Standoff.
Peter Wonsia, 30, of White Haven, was arrested Sunday, Aug. 30 after he tried to walk into Pocono Lake Bible Church's 10:30 a.m. service on Route 940 in Tobyhanna Township carrying a samurai sword, according to the Pocono Record.
Read it in the September 1 editionMon, Aug 31
Grand Theft License Plate.
Brian Sullin was arrested Aug. 27 on a theft from a motor vehicle charge after police say someone swapped a victim's license plate for a different, stolen one at the Crossings Premium Outlets on Aug. 12, CrimeWatch reports. Sometimes it really is that random.
Read it in the August 31 editionThu, Aug 27
Recovery Center Repeat Offender.
Casey Jones, 32, of Mount Joy, was trespassing at Pocono Mountain Recovery Center around 10:30 p.m. Aug. 20 after staff say he was throwing objects and acting erratically, per Newport Dispatch.
Read it in the August 27 editionTue, Aug 25
Road Rage Cover-Up.
William M. Miller, 27, of Middle Smithfield, was sentenced to 54 days to two years by Judge Stephen Higgins after pleading guilty to weapon possession, reckless endangerment, and evidence tampering for firing a gunshot into a woman's car door during a 2025 road rage incident...
Read it in the August 25 editionMon, Aug 24
The Self-Checkout Special.
Stroud Area Regional Police have a felony warrant out for Renato William Sullivan, 54, of East Stroudsburg, accused of scanning only a $4.98 item at self-checkout, then walking out of the Stroud Township Lowe's with a MIG welder and welder mask worth $1,232.48 loaded into a...
Read it in the August 24 editionThu, Aug 20
Poolside Trouble in Swiftwater.
Pocono Township Police charged Israel Awdren with indecent exposure and two additional counts after an Aug. 14 incident at the outdoor pool of the Swiftwater Hotel (2060 SR 0611), where officers say he exposed himself in front of other guests.
Read it in the August 20 editionMon, Aug 17
A Name for Friday's Fugitive.
We told you Friday that the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force had picked up a Stroudsburg-area man wanted for allegedly attacking a woman with an edged weapon at an apartment complex. Now we have the name: Israel Bracero, 43, of Stroudsburg.
Read it in the August 17 editionThu, Aug 13
Keep it in Your Pants.
An 18-year-old lifeguard, Collin Lagattuta, is facing charges after Pocono Mountain Regional Police say he exposed himself while on break at the Timber Trails Clubhouse pool in the Lake Naomi community on July 28, in view of the pool and lounging area.
Read it in the August 13 editionThu, Aug 6
The One That Got Away (In a U-Haul).
Pocono Township Police say 35-year-old Jesse Koplin-Hayes of Bushkill rented a cargo van from Steele's ACE Hardware in Tannersville on July 25 and simply never brought it back. The van eventually turned up with help from PSP Lehighton.
Read it in the August 6 editionWed, Aug 5
Shots Through the Walls.
Pocono Township Police say Shane B. Sonntag, 53, of Bartonsville, fired an AK-47 into the ground behind his house on the Fourth of July — and the bullet traveled through the woods and into a neighbor's home on Sycamore Drive, striking a dining room wall and a second-floor loft...
Read it in the August 5 editionThu, Jul 30
The Slow Wheels of Justice.
Pocono Township Police have filed retail theft charges against Alayjah J. Oneal after identifying her as one of two suspects in an Old Navy theft at the Premium Outlets. The store surveillance dates back to April 25; the charges were filed July 19, nearly three months later.
Read it in the July 30 editionMon, Jul 27
Cock-a-Doodle-Duh:
A Scotrun man is facing an aggravated cruelty to animals charge, a felony, after Pocono Township Police say he shot and killed a neighbor's rooster on Beaver Trail on July 21 because it kept waking him up every morning. There are quieter ways to get a rooster to sleep in.
Read it in the July 27 editionWed, Jul 22
He who is without sin.
The Bible makes clear that only “he who is without sin should cast the first stone.” This lesson was lost on a set of delinquents near SR 314 and Summit Road who, according to Pocono Township Police, spent the early morning hours of July 20 throwing multiple rocks at a passing...
Read it in the July 22 editionThu, Jul 16
Love Hurts.
A Stroudsburg woman has been sentenced after stabbing her boyfriend during a November 2025 argument at their shared apartment.
Read it in the July 16 editionTue, Jul 14
Swift Justice in Swiftwater.
Pocono Township Police say two masked men robbed the Sheetz in Swiftwater at gunpoint around 3 a.m. Sunday, grabbing an employee and ordering another to empty the register and hand over cartons of cigarettes. A witness followed their vehicle and gave police a description.
Read it in the July 14 editionFri, Jul 10
The Walking Stick Bill Comes Due.
A Chestnuthill Township man was sentenced this week for shooting a former tenant. On July 8, Joseph Wadas, 60, was sentenced to nine months to one year, 11 months and 30 days in prison by Monroe County Court of Common Pleas Judge Janet Jackson (Ms.
Read it in the July 10 editionTue, Jul 7
Wanted to Walk-In.
Randolph McCoy, 49, spent three weeks as a wanted man before deciding to just show up. Stroud Area Regional Police issued a warrant for McCoy on June 11 tied to a Jan.
Read it in the July 7 editionMon, Jul 6
SARPD Gets Their Man.
Stroud Area Regional Police arrested Kasan Khalil Hall-Williams, 30, on Friday, July 3, at 11:23 p.m. while he was allegedly attempting to light a mortar firework. The arrest served two outstanding warrants.
Read it in the July 6 edition