Police Officer Stabbed in Linesville
Linesville – A Conneaut Lake Regional Police Officer was stabbed on Thursday morning. According to the Pennsylvania State Police, Officer Landon Caldwell responded to a domestic disturbance call at a laundromat at around 4:00 a.m. Thursday morning. While there, he was allegedly attacked by 42-year-old John Mitchell of Jamestown. During the encounter, Officer Caldwell was stabbed, but still managed to gain control of and arrest Mitchell. Officer Caldwell was taken to Meadville Medical Center for immediate treatment and then transported to UPMC Hamot for further treatment. Mitchell has been charged with attempted homicide and other crimes.
Holiday Cheer in Crawford County
Meadville/Linesville – If you’re looking to get into the Holiday spirit, this is an excellent weekend to do it. There are a number of Holiday Events going on, including Merry Meadville today and through the weekend – the Christmas Tree lighting is tonight around 6:00 p.m. and the celebration continues until 8:00 p.m. tonight. There will be extended shopping hours at many downtown boutiques, horse-drawn carriage rides, and more. Conneaut Lake’s Ice House Festival takes place Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. with lots of local holiday shopping, ice sculptures, Christmas Caroling, and more. Also on Saturday, at 1:30 p.m., Meadville 1825 will host its final event of the year at the Unitarian Church of Meadville; the Holiday Cheer Sing-Along. The sing-along will be followed by a wrap-up of the 1825 project with a year-in-review and then a chili and cornbread luncheon with dessert and mulled apple cider.
Woman Hit by Truck Dies
Grove City – In Mercer County, a 68-year-old woman was struck and killed by a pickup truck near Grove City last Wednesday. The Pennsylvania State Police reported on Thanksgiving Day that a woman named Mellissa Biddle died at Grove City Hospital from severe injuries she sustained when she was hit by a pickup truck from behind. Melissa was walking along a country lane named Center Church Road when she was struck by an 89-year-old man. The Pennsylvania State Police are investigating.
State Closes YMCA Childcare in Conneaut Lake
Conneaut Lake – The YMCA has been stripped of its license to operate child care at Conneaut Lake Elementary School after a child reportedly wandered off in mid-November. The Pennsylvania Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) says that on the afternoon of November 18th, a five-year-old non-verbal child wandered away from an after-school program, and that it was not reported by the YMCA in violation of state law. Human Services and OCDEL learned about the incident from a complaint filed a day later. Inspectors arrived by the 20th, and letters informing parents of the closure arrived by the 21st.