In Indiana County Court today, 27-year-old Matraca Vrana of Northern Cambria will be sentenced for her guilty plea to possession of drug paraphernalia, with agreement for non-prosecution for possession with intent to deliver and possession of a controlled substance.
That one charge is the only crime for which there is a conviction for an alleged robbery and shooting at the Days Inn in Burrell Township in July of last year. Vrana was present in the rented room at the hotel when her boyfriend, David McGinnis of Bolivar and Justin Libengood of Latrobe fought each other after state police said Libengood tried to rob McGinnis during a drug deal. The two men fled after shots were fired, leaving Vrana behind to be arrested when police arrived.
After about a week, both of the male suspects were taken into custody, but charges against McGinnis were later dropped and after some of the charges against Libengood were dropped, a jury acquitted him of the others last week.
Both Vrana and McGinnis face more serious charges in Westmoreland County, where Vrana is accused of taking part in a contraband smuggling scheme in which McGinnis is also charged as an inmate on drug charges at the Westmoreland County Prison.
Vrana is one of four defendants listed for sentencing today in Indiana County Court.
36-year-old David Williamson of Latrobe, will be sentenced for indecent assault, involving a minor victim in Blairsville last December.
47-year-old Jonathan Thoma of Blairsville, for disorderly conduct engaging in fighting. His case came back to the county after a Superior Court denial of his appeal of a sentence of twelve months on probation for a guilty jury verdict. He argued that because he was acquitted of false identification to police, he should not have been convicted of fighting with them when they attempted to take him into custody.
38-year-old Angela Marie Bronson of Ligonier will be sentenced for theft by failure to make required disposition of funds.
In addition to sentencing proceedings in Indiana County Court today, there are other cases coming before the bench. Judge Thomas Bianco will conduct Plea Court for four separate cases against 53-year-old Troy James Kromer of Punxsutawney.
He’s accused of arson in three fires set in 2018 and 2019 in North Mahoning Township: a pickup truck fire along Smith Road, a structure fire along Coolspring Road, and another pickup fire, between Smith and Coolspring roads. He is also charged with drug offenses and disorderly conduct in a fourth case.
Judge Michael Clark is scheduled to conduct a motions hearing for 33-year-old John Manna III, a White Township man who pleaded guilty in 2018 to statutory sexual assault of a minor more than eleven years old, and was sentenced to 12 to 24 months in state prison plus a concurrent three to 24 months for corruption of minors. He challenged his sentence and was denied, and now is challenging the supervision upon his release on parole.
Judge Clark will also conduct a non-jury trial for Brian Baker of Saltsburg, on a single charge of contempt for violating a court order or agreement.
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