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…Retired Emporium teacher arrested for child porn…Scam investigated in McKean County…Bad roads blamed for recent accidents….Smethport woman arrested for disorderly conduct…Republican senator proposes energy office…

Cameron County

A retired Cameron County English teacher was arrested Wednesday on allegations that he possessed child pornography. Laurence McGraw, 73, of 156 BoMar Drive, Emporium, was charged by the Attorney General’s Child Predator section with 10 counts of sexual abuse of children — possession of child pornography, all second-degree felonies, and one count of criminal use of a communication facility, a third-degree felony. McGraw was arraigned Wednesday afternoon before District Judge Barry Brown and remanded to jail in lieu of $100,000 bail. Authorities say  the child predator unit received a cyber tip  on Dec. 9, involving an image of child pornography that was viewed at a certain IP address, which was already under investigation by the unit. The IP address was registered to McGraw. At 8:51 a.m. Wednesday, agents served a search warrant at McGraw’s home shared with his wife Nanette An agent spoke to Laurence McGraw, informing him of a search warrant for illegal internet activity. At first he agreed to speak to the agents, but changed his mind and asked for an attorney according to reports.

McGraw is scheduled to appear at a preliminary hearing on March 9 before Brown. For 29 years, McGraw was the head coach of Cameron County wrestling. He was inducted into the PIAA District 9 Wrestling Hall of Fame. He also coached six years for the Pa. Amateur Wrestling Federation and was head coach of the Pa. 2001 Cadet National Freestyle Team Champions.

McKean Coounty

State police at Lewis Run are investigating an ID theft victimizing a 50  year old Mt. Jewett man. The victim reported involvement in a Verizon scam and police remind the public to be vigilant regarding such scams.

Both drivers escaped injury in a collision Tuesday afternoon in Otto Township. State police said the collision occurred when 19 year old Jacob Coffman of Rixford who was traveling west on Route 646 tried to make a right turn at a high rate of speed, crossed the center line and collided with a Ford Econoline driven by Michael Oglivie of Duke Center. Both vehicles were disabled and had to be towed from the scene.

A Clarion woman was arrested for possessing untaxed cigarettes. The suspect’s name was not released but police say she was pulled over on the Buffalo/Pittsburgh Highway in Lafayette Township February 13 for traffic violations and found to be in possession of the smokes.

A 59 year old Smethport woman was arrested by Lewis Run state police for disorderly conduct for an incident at 3:00 am February 21 on Allan Street in Keating Township. The suspect was reportedly observed screaming outdoors.

Two Port Allegany residents escaped injury in a weather-related accident last Friday in Liberty Township. State police said Crystal Bauserman was going west on Route 6 a few minutes after 8:00 am when her Mitsubishi Lancer hit a patch of ice and collided with an embankment before coming to rest on the shoulder of the westbound lane. Bauserman and  her passenger Kyle Books were using seatbelts and avoided injury.

Elk County

One Weedville driver was slightly hurt in a weather-related collision last Wednesday morning in Jay Township. According to Ridgway state police Donna Baughman was going  east on River Road during a snowstorm and tried to make it up the top of the hill when the back end of her 1999 Chevrolet Blazer veered into the opposite lane just  as Sarah Piccolo applied the brakes on her Mitsubishi Outlander while descending the hill. Police reported there were a couple of inches of snow and ice causing Piccolo’s SUV to slide into Baughman’s car. Piccolo was taken to Penn Highlands Elk for treatment of minor injuries. Baughman was not hurt. Both units had to be towed away.

Statewide

State Sen. Gene Yaw (R-23) this week announced his plan to establish an Independent Energy Office (IEO) within the Commonwealth.According to an analysis conducted in November by the U.S. Energy Information Association (IEA):

    Pennsylvania’s marketed natural gas production, primarily from the Marcellus Shale, reached a record 7.6 trillion cubic feet in 2021, and the state is the nation’s second-largest natural gas producer after Texas. Pennsylvania is the third-largest coal-producing state in the nation after Wyoming and West Virginia, and it is the second-largest coal exporter to foreign markets after West Virginia.

    In 2021, Pennsylvania ranked second in the nation after Illinois in electricity generation from nuclear power.

    Over half of Pennsylvania households use natural gas as their primary home heating fuel, and the state’s 48 underground gas storage sites–the most for any state–help meet regional heating demand in winter.

    Pennsylvania is the second-largest net supplier of total energy to other states, after Texas.

Yaw noted the IEO would be modeled after Pennsylvania’s Independent Fiscal Office (IFO), which was created by Act 120 of 2010, and Act 100 of 2016.  The IFO does not support or oppose any policy it analyzes, and discloses the methodologies, data sources and assumptions used in published reports and estimates.

For more state-related news and information, visit Senator Yaw’s website at www.SenatorGeneYaw.com or on Facebook and Twitter @SenatorGeneYaw.