WILKES-BARRE Court Briefs. A Glen Lyon, Newport Township, woman pleaded guilty Wednesday to charges relating to an incident in which police say they found a 2 year old boy in a car parked behind a residence in Wilkes-Barre. See Newspaper Police Blotters for more information!

Scammers posing as PPL workers in Wilkes-Barre. A PPL Utilities spokesperson warned customers not to fall victim to a popular scam, a day after a family in the Heights section was approached by three people they suspected of posing as PPL employees. Utility spokesman says its employees do not visit home without prior notification!
Wilkes-Barre Times Leader July 14, 2011.

Wlkes-Barre City Council on Thursday, April 28, 2011, unanimously approved an ordinance banning the sale and consumption of synthetic drugs in the city, especially the chemicals commonly called bath salts. The ordinance, approved on its second reading, will take effect in 10 days and will supercede the emergency ordinance passed on April 14, 2011. The penalties outlined in the ordinance call for a fine up to $500 and/or incarceration of up to 30 days, upon conviction. The action comes three days after a Luzerne County judge issued an injunction permanently banning the sale of bath salts in Luzerne County. President Judge Thomas Burke signed the injunction after a hearing Monday morning that was requested by District Attorney Jackie Musto Carroll.

It is now illegal for anyone to sell, trade, or exchange synthetic bath salts in Luzerne County. Conviction carries jail term of up to two years, a fine of $5,000 and civil penalties. (First reported at noon on Monday, April 25, 2011.)

ATTENTION NEWPORT TOWNSHIP RESIDENTS RE 911!!

The Newport Township police chief is recommending most calls be made directly to 911 instead of the township number because it is faster, the lines are recorded for safety and liability reasons and the 911 center documents the time a citizen calls, the time the police are dispatched, the time the police arrive and the time the police clear the call, as well as all persons’ names that are run for warrants or suspended driver’s licenses and vehicle registration information. By the time the officer is clear from the call and arrives back at police headquarters, that information has been faxed to NTPD for their report. It is recommended 911 not be used for requests for accident reports, incident reports, general police questions or information, reporting of stray animals, firework complaints, parking complaints and abandoned vehicles.

911 IS NOT FOR EMERGENCIES ONLY anymore! How do I know? Well information I gleened from the chief and my attendance at a 911 presentation by the Wilkes-Barre Crime Watch Coalition.