Pennsylvania State Police release

Easter weekend statistics

MIFFLINTOWN — Pennsylvania State Police released statistics on Thursday from the Easter holiday in Pennsylvania. Police reported:

In 2025, over the three-day holiday, there were 532 crashes with six people killed, 95 injury-related crashes and 45 driving under influence crashes with no deaths. That compared to 490 crashes with seven deaths in 2024, with 71 injury-related crashes, 55 DUI-related crashes and three DUI-related fatal crashes.

With regard to enforcement, there were 281 DUI arrests, 2,976 speeding citations, 52 child seat citations, 321 seat belt citations and 7,789 other citations. That compared to 337 DUI arrests in 2024, with 5,346 speeding citations, 70 child seat citations, 557 seat belt citations and 10,733 other citations.

These statistics cover only those incidents investigated by the Pennsylvania State Police and do not include incidents to which other law enforcement agencies responded.

Lewistown man arrested for bench warrant, facing more charges after neighbor dispute

LEWISTOWN — A 40-year-old Lewistown man, who was arrested for Lewistown Police Department officers for an active bench warrant, could be facing additional charges for criminal mischief and ethnic intimidation, according to a release issued on Friday.

At 7:24 a.m. on April 18, officers were dispatched to the 300 block of West Fifth Street in Lewistown after a resident, who police said was black, woke up to find a soup can outside their residence with a racial slur on it, the report said. The resident had an altercation with a neighbor the night before, the report said, and officers spoke with the neighbor, Nathan Kinsey, who admitted to calling his neighbors racial slurs. Kinsey said the argument was over a shared driveway that his neighbors are parking in, but Kinsey denied writing the message on the soup can, the report said. Kinsey was found to have an active bench warrant for his arrest, was taken into custody and dropped off at the Mifflin County Correctional Facility in Lewistown, the report said.

Officers returned to this location at 10 a.m. as Kinsey had been released from jail and he returned to his residence where he argued with his neighbors, the report said. Surveillance video showed that Kinsey then went onto his porch and damaged his neighbor’s vehicle by throwing an object at it, the report said. Officers requested the neighbors to get an estimate for damages, which will determine the grading of the criminal mischief offense, the report said.

Charges pending against Lewistown man after domestic incident

LEWISTOWN — Charges including driving while under the influence (DUI), recklessly endangering another person are pending against Jon R. Hornbaker, 63, of Lewistown, as the Lewistown Police Department awaits toxicology results, according to a release issued on Friday. Officers responded to Green Avenue near South Main Street in Lewistown at 6:28 p.m. on April 18 for a report of an injured female lying in the roadway, the report said. Officers located a 61-year-old female, who was bleeding profusely from her head and had a disfigured shoulder injury, the report said. Officers spoke with the parties involved and learned Hornbaker was traveling on East Fleming Avenue when there was a domestic dispute, the report said. A female passenger traveling with Hawbaker was trying to exit the vehicle as he was pulling up to the intersection of South Main Street, the report said. Hornbaker was observed trying to pull the female back into the vehicle, and he failed to stop for the stop sign and he quickly accelerated onto South Main Street with the female still trying to exit the vehicle, the report said. Hornbaker turned onto Green Avenue where the female jumped out of the moving vehicle, the report said.

Officers said they spoke with Hornbaker, who had a strong odor of alcohol coming from him, the report said. The female was transported to the hospital by FAME EMS for treatment, while Hornbaker conducted field sobriety testing and he showed several indicators of impairment, the report said. Hornbaker was transported to the police station for a blood draw, conducted by a law enforcement phlebotomist, the report said.

Officers extinguish residential fire on

South Main Street in Lewistown

LEWISTOWN — Lewistown Police Officers were dispatched to 915 S. Main St. in Lewistown for a report of a residential fire at 1:40 p.m. on April 19, according to a release issued on Friday. Officers discovered that the fire was contained within a stove and used an extinguisher to put it out, the report said. The fire department responded and assisted in ventilating the smoke out of the residence, the report said.

Lewistown teenager facing charges

for possessing firearm

LEWISTOWN — A 19-year-old Lewistown teenager could see charges forthcoming for possessing a firearm when he was not lawfully allowed to, according to a release issued by the Lewistown Police Department on Friday. On April 20, Lewistown Police Department officers responded to a domestic dispute on Forsythe Street and learned that Vincent Benveniste was allegedly in possession of a shotgun when he was not lawfully allowed to, the report said. Detectives reviewed his criminal history and Benveniste was adjudicated delinquent for an offense relating to possessing weapons on school property that statutorily prohibited him from legally being able to possess a firearm, the report said. At 3:50 p.m. on April 21, officers seized a semi-automatic 12 gauge shotgun from Benveniste and also discovered that he attempted to purchase an AK-47 from a local gun dealer, which was denied, the report said. This purchase was referred to the Mifflin County District Attorney’s investigator for investigation, the report said.

Detainer issued for area woman for

violating terms of probation supervision

LEWISTOWN — Lewistown Police Department officers responded to the Nittany MinitMart in Lewistown at 4:14 p.m. on April 21 for a report of a publicly intoxicated female, according to a release issued on Friday. Officers located Justice Blessing, 29, address unknown, who appeared to be highly impaired from drug consumption, the report said. Blessing was found to be in possession of hypodermic needles, methamphetamine, pieces of narcotic medications, psilocybin mushrooms and other drug paraphernalia, the report said. Probation issued a detainer for Blessing for violating terms of her supervision, the report said. Blessing complained that she needed emergency medical services (EMS) for a head injury then proceeded to smack her head multiple times off the divider inside the patrol vehicle, the report said. EMS was summoned and Blessing was transported to the hospital for treatment, the report said, and custody of Blessing was transferred to probation.

Lewistown man charged with drug

possession and paraphernalia

LEWISTOWN — Charges were filed against Ryan R. Pupo, 48, of Lewistown, for possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia after Lewistown Police Department officers stopped a vehicle he was traveling in at 55 N. Pine St. in Lewistown at 2:02 p.m. on April 22, according to a release issued on Friday. Police stopped the vehicle after license plate reader alerted them to a suspended registration, the report said. Officers detected an odor of marijuana coming from within the vehicle, and Pupo, who was a passenger, said he smoked marijuana before entering the vehicle, the report said. Pupo was observed to be wearing an ankle monitor, which he reported was a bail stipulation, and officers obtained consent to search the vehicle and located a baggy of marijuana in the vehicle which was labeled as having come from California, the report said. Pupo claimed ownership of the small box where the marijuana was located, the report said.

Lewistown man cited for trespassing,

scattering rubbish and lodged at jail

LEWISTOWN — A 25-year-old area man was cited for trespassing and scattering rubbish and could face charges related to the possession of drug paraphernalia, according to a release issued by the Lewistown Police Department on Friday. Trenton Sheaffer, address unknown, was found by Lewistown Police Department officers trespassing and littering at 305 S. Pine Road, Lot 5, in Lewistown at 2:28 p.m. on April 22, the report said, as well as allegedly being

highly impaired from drug consumption. He had a large amount of personal items spread across the property and he acknowledged that he did not have permission to be at this location, the report said. Officers cited him for trespassing and scattering rubbish and when he put on a jacket and a hypodermic needle fell out of his pocket, the report said. Due to Sheaffer not having a place to go and him being in impaired in public, he was transported to the Mifflin County Correctional Facility in Lewistown where he was lodged pending arraignment on charges of possession of drug paraphernalia, trespassing, and scattering rubbish, the report said.