McClure Responds to Cusick Question About West Easton Work Release Facility

Yesterday, I told you that Northampton County Council member John Cusick questioned what was going on at the vacant work release facility in West Easton. Corrections Director James Kosura said there was no "immediate time" to re-open it. 

County Exec Lamont McClure had a more detailed answer at last night's Council meeting. He said the building is currently used for training by deputy sheriffs and corrections officers. "But I'm here to announce tonight that West Easton will be open next week."

McClure acknowledged that the facility was closed during COVID. The national public health emergency ended on May 11. McClure said that he was waiting for a new scanner to check inmates when they return from their jobs.

In other business, McClure announced that the County has received a $264,000 federal grant for solar panels at the Archives building. He expects this will produce enough energy that ot will both power the building and provide energy the county can cell. The county also has solar panels at the forensic center, which provides most of the energy consumed there.  

Cusick Asks Why County Pays Rent For Vacant Work Release Facility

West Easton wirk release center

At a NorCo Council Committee hearing yesterday, Corrections Director James Kostura was pitching the creation of some new positions at the jail when Council member John Cusick had this exchange with him:  

"How's the West Easton facility? What's going on with that?"

    - "Right now we have West Easton still remained secured at this time. I'm able to handle the numbers up at the main institution and we're looking down the road to possibly opening that up again."

"We're currently paying rent for that facility and it is unoccupied."

    - "That is correct."

"Ok, and there's no immediate timetable to use it?"

    - "Not at this time. I don't have an immediate time. No, sir."

Alright, thank you." 

Later in the meeting, Council member Ron Heckman asked Kostura how much rent is paid by the county. Kostura, understandably, was unable to say off the top of his head. 

Northampton County's work release facility in West Easton was closed during the COVID-19 outbreak. When it started up again last year, there apparently was no need to use the West Easton facility. 

Northampton County Council unanimously approved a five-year lease for the West Easton facility at its March 17, 2022 meeting for an annual rent of $436,000, with the rent increasing every year with the cost of living. The lease provides that if the county ends it, it must pay the full balance of the lease. 

Cusick's question exposed an area of possible waste of county resources. If there's no need for use as a work release facility, it could be used to temporarily house other county departments that need more room. 

His question is typical of the kinds of questions he has asked as a Council member. It's why he should be Controller. 

(Tomorrow I'll bring you the latest in Court Administrator Jermaine Greene's quest to get the juvenile justicve center staffed)

NorCo Gives $20k for West Easton Police Department

Pictured are Frank Brooks (DCED), the West Easton Police Chief, Tina Smith (DCED), Ken Kraft, Lamont McClure, James Kostura and Mayor Dan DePaul.

Yesterday, Lamont McClure and the Northampton County Department of Community and Economic Development presented a $20,000 check to the Borough of West Easton to help pay for their new police department located at 301 6th Street in West Easton.

In February, District Attorney John Morganelli gave West Easton $10,000 in drug forfeiture funds to help form a police department.

West Easton has had no police department since 1996 and currently relies on Pennsylvania State Police.

Tiny West Easton Starting a Police Department

West Easton Police Department

Throughout the Lehigh Valley, many geographically large municipalities like Upper Mount Bethel or Williams Townships, have no local police department. They rely on the state police. If the people who live in those communities have to wait 40 minutes for state police to respond to a complaint, so be it. These supposedly conservative townships have no problem in allowing impoverished cities like Allentown or Easton to subsidize what little coverage Pennsylvania State Police can provide. No law requires police protection, though most of us think government has a core obligation to do so. At a time when many local governments have forgotten why they're really there, one tiny community is bucking the trend. West Easton, whose population was estimated at 1255 in 2014,is forming its own police department. District Attorney John Morganelli is helping, too, with $10,000 in drug forfeiture money.

During a news conference at the site of the new police station, 301 Sixth Street, Mayor Dan DePaul introduced retired Pa. State Police SGT Robert Mehady. He served with the state police for 25 years,mostly out of he Belfast barracks. He served as a consultant to the borough as it considered the pros and cons of its own force.

That's something West Easton has done without since 1966. Between 966 and 2013, it contracted for police coverage with either Wilson Borough or Easton. Since that time, it has relied on the state police.

DePaul, Morganelli, Mehady and paint can

Though DA John Morganelli said he is "very satisfied" with the coverage provided by state police, he pointed to a recent activity in which state police were too busy to follow up on suspected drug activity occurring within the borough.

Calling West Easton a "great location for a small police department," Morganeli added that "folks like the idea of knowing police are nearby."

Chief Mehady  called West Easton a "tremendous community," a "little oasis" in the Lehigh Valley.

The department will actually be a hybrid police department staffed by the chief and two part-time officers. State police will still be patrolling the borough when local officers are off-duty.

Mayor DePaul said that $150,000 was budgeted for the new department in 2018 and 2019. It already has acquired three police vehicles, two of which were donated by Palmer Tp. He hopes to see the department function in a matter of months.

One shortcoming of state police coverage is that they refuse to enforce local ordinances regarding parking. Chief Mehady said that in just one swing through the borough, he spotted about 50 vehicles with expired inspections. Mayor DePaul added some of these cars are parked on borough roads for months at a time.

West Easton might ne an oasis to some, but is also the lair of Tricia Mezzacappa. She has flooded the tiny borough with incessant Rights-to-Know, has driven up legal costs and is in court with West Easton so frequently that its Solicitor has asked that she receive approval from a judge before she files any more actions.

Tricia Mezzacappa is certainly part of the reason Easton stopped providing police coverage. She has since that time made numerous unfounded complaints to state police. I suspect Chief Mehady will have his hands full. Nevertheless, I must applaud West Easton officials for doing something more wealthy communities have forgotten. They are serving their residents.

NorCo Responds to Concerns Over West Easton Work Release Faciliity

Matt Dees

Matt Dees is a West Easton Borough Council member. He also publishes an informative blog about one of Northampton County's smallest, yet most colorful, communities. In addition to being the home base of Tricia Mezzacappa, who recently started calling herself Tricia Phillips, it is also the location of a work release facility that is leased from Abe Atiyeh.

About a month ago, Dees had some beefs about the work release center.What bothered him most were the residents who leave the facility and fail to return. In addition, "[r]esidents of West Easton had complained of trash, the milling of facility residents outside the gate, cars suspected of being owned by facility residents parked on West Easton streets in violation of our ordinance, incidents of verbal abuse by visitors to the facility and other problems that had been on the rise for past few years."

Dees was before Council again on March 15 "to thank County Executive McClure for his quick response and direct involvement in seeking remedies."

Here are some of the changes McClure made "to a situation that had been festering for the last couple of years."   

- A direct contact number to work release administrators has been provided so that residents in the immediate area can call and have someone respond immediately to a problem caused by a facility resident or visitor.
- Facility residents will be used to police the gate area for litter.
- The procedure of picking up or dropping off facility residents has been changed to conform to the ordinance and minimize any inconvenience to area residents.
-The Mayor will be informed when a resident fails to return and he can decide whether the community should be notified.

Dees and most of  the borough council also attended a facility tour, and found that the guards were "professional and courteous."  After seeing the place from the inside, Dees had to wonder why anyone would fail to return.

"If my naval service had afforded me some of what I saw in the facility's barracks-like setting I might have done a full 20 years, rather than only five." 

Constable cRaZy Apparently Running For West Easton Boro Council Again

Tricia "Constable cRaZy" Mezzacappa is a two-time loser for a seat on West Easton's Borough Council. She's also lost a race for Northampton County Council, finishing dead last. But now that The Donald has managed to get himself elected president, she must think that America is leaning wing nut. So in her opening salvo in her third attempt to become a burgermeister, she's reverted to the same campaign style that has already cost her three elections. Defamation. She was at West Easton Borough Council on Monday night, demanding that Council member Matt Dees provide a release so she can obtain his DD-214 and determine how he was really discharged from the Navy after five years. You can see her exchange with Dees above.

A DD-214 is a document the military gives you when you separate. It proves that you served, and the circumstances under which you were discharged. Mine, for example, indicates I was Branded.

Mezzacappa, whose name translates to half a head in Italian, is no doubt engaged in a whisper campaign against Dees, her likely opponent..

Dees, who provides his own informative blog about all things West Easton, showed his DD-214 to a Council member whom Mezzacraycray admitted was believable, and asked him to indicate how he was discharged.

"Honorable."

She didn't believe him.

Dees has a troubled history with Constable cRaZy. In 2013, she called his employer and claimed he had hacked into her computer. She also charged that he may have broken into her house to steal a portrait of her pig that was no doubt painted by Norman Rockwell. She called him dangerous and suggested he was a pedophile. She also created several false identities on her now defunct blog to smear and even impersonate him. Dees' employer actually became concerned for his safety.

What kills me about this is that she herself has never served, but traduces a person who did.

She's also sued West Easton for a gazillion dollars.

Updated 1:50 PM: Constable cRaZy plays intimidation game with Dees. - Unhappy that her latest whisper campaign blew up in her face, Constable cRaZy has gone to Plan B - the police. This is another of her tactics. When things go against her, she contacts police to complain that she was threatened by the object of her venom. She called Pennsylvania State Police to complain that Dees had threatened her during the meeting and in his later story. That is obviously complete nonsense, but she uses intimidation tactics against those who dare challenge her. How would you feel to see a state trooper at your door for any reason?    

One question on my mind is why Matt Dees would bring his DD-214 to a borough council meeting. I lost mine long ago. Does Dees carry his with him everywhere he goes? Turns out he got word that Mezzacappa would be demanding proof that he really is an honorably discharged veteran, and decided to bring it with him to the meeting.

Constable cRaZy

I've avoided writing about West Easton's Tricia Mezzacappa for some time. Yes, I've finally collected in my defamation suit against her, but this story has nothing to do with me. It's about her most recent antics as Constable cRaZy.

Last November, Mezzacappa was running for West Easton Borough Council, a seat she had to know she'd never win. But she had a back-up plan. She and nine of her friends wrote her in as Constable. According to the Pa. Comm'n on Crime and Delinquency, she's certified, too, but thankfully, not to carry a firearm.

Constables serve papers for the minor judiciary and also maintain security at the polling place. But aside from working the polls in West Easton, I doubt any magisterial district judge in his right mind would give her any work.

In May, she was in front of West Easton Borough Council, and basically offered her services in having cars towed during snowstorms and handing out tickets. This is not what constables do, and West Easton passed, especially since she's suing them again.

Undeterred, she went out and got herself a uniform and even bought handcuffs.

Now she is taking it upon herself to scare the shit out of her neighbors.

Years ago, she was unhappy when Easton police refused to arrest a cabbie who beeped his horn while waiting for one of her neighbors> That neighbor also had the misfortune of being black. Both the neighbor and the cabbie told a police officer that Mezzacappa had used the word "nigger" in describing her neighbors. Mezzacappa told the police to do something, or she'd have Easton police removed once she got elected to Council.

Easton police no longer cover West Easton. Now Mezzacappa thinks she can enforce the law herself. After all, she's a constable.

As you can see below, she recently issued a warning to some poor bastard who was supposedly playing his car radio too loudly. Noting that she has the power to arrest for breaches of the peace, she warns that any further infractions "will result in actions being taken against those persons who fail to abide by this warning."

Mezzacappa also provided a copy of this warning to West Easton.

This is a perversion of a constable's role, as Mezzacappa will soon learn.

The guy should have told her he's a Trump supporter. As you might have guessed, she's a huge fan of The Donald, and led the Trump train in Pen Argyl's Labor Day parade, as you can see above.

Constable Tricia Mezzacappa Issues Warning by BernieOHare on Scribd

West Easton Appoints Council Vet To Replace Louis Niko

West Easton Borough Council has appointed Paul James to replace Louis Niko, who resigned earlier this month. James has previously served West Easton as a member of Council and as Chair of the Zoning hearing Board.

Tricia Mezzacappa, a constable who had threatened to seek Niko's seat, instead asked Council to appoint her as what I would call some sort of Code Enforcement or Parking Enforcement Officer, claiming she could issue parking tickets.

Blogger's Note: My source for this story is Matt Dees. I skipped the meeting. His story is located here.

West Easton Has Paid $18k in Legal Fees This Year

Holy Ghost, West Easton landmark

Blogger Matt Dees, who has been serving on West Easton's Borough Council since January, has had some interesting stories. Kelly Gross, daughter of Mayor Gerry, was ousted by voters last year in a shocker. She had been President of Council and was certainly its de facto Borough Manager. Though her heart was certainly in the right place, she had been publicly ridiculed and defamed for several years in some vicious screeds. Something inside her snapped, and she began reacting inappropriately with everyone.

When the new Council came aboard in January, they were not only beset by missing records, but missing computers as well. They were also plagued by false rumors that the Borough would discard its one and only public works employee, Dane Thatcher, in favor of one of their pals. They also had to contend with a final parting shot from Kelly Gross, in the form of publicly funded newsletter.

Under circumstances like these, where none of them really knew what was going on, you could expect high legal bills. Since the date of his appointment in January, Easton Attorney Steve Goudsouzian has been paid $18,443.87. Of that sum, $1,203.37 is for legal work involved in defending West Easton from the legal slings and arrows of Tricia Mezzacappa.

Her honeymoon with the new Borough Council was brief one, and a hearing is scheduled in June for her latest nonsense. She will lose, but so will the Borough because it will cost at least another $1,000 in attorney fees. .

There are several other loose ends from the Kelly Gross days. Goudsouzian told Council that  the goodbye letter from Kelly Gross "was of a personal nature." Yet taxpayers paid about $520 for it. She also managed last year to slip herself a check for $450 as "Acting" Emergency Management Coordinator, even though she has none of the training and was never appointed to that position by anyone.

On February 8, Goudsouzian was instructed to get the money back.

It is known that outside auditors had concerns about Kelly Gross' use of petty cash. That audit should be public soon. There is no suggestion of anything beyond sloppy bookkeeping and a lack of internal controls.

Finally, there's a strange insurance policy that Matt Dees tells me was approved by a prior Council in 2002. West Easton Borough Council members are only paid $900 per year. By law, they could be paid as much as $1,875. Mayor Gerry Gross is paid only $1,200, but could be paid as much as $2,500. Some Council members likely felt they were entitled to this benefit in view of their low salary..

In response to a Right-to-Know, West Easton has only been able to reconstruct records since 2012. Since that time, it has gone through four different insurance companies. It covered only some Council members, mostly because borough officials forgot to add and remove Council members as they changed.

In February, Council decided to stop paying on that policy, and it is currently in limbo.

Dees has done a commendable job of helping to create a West Easton Borough webpage, complete with minutes of meetings and a calendar of events.

One of these will be the replacement of Council member Louis Niko, who has resigned.  Council is expected to vote on a new Council member tonight.

Removing Kelly Gross has done nothing to end the shouting matches during meetings. Dan DePaul regularly interrupts and yells at other Council members, particularly Robert Lewis. Two Council members, Henry and Tom Nodoline, are suing each other. And historically, Wast Easton has always been a fractious board. The only real difference between now and then is that now, it gets almost no coverage in the local newspapers.

That's why I hope Matt Dees continues to video and blog about the government.

Three West Easton Council Members Sworn in By Judge Yetter

Though newly elected West Easton Borough Council members are traditionally sworn in by the Mayor, three of them chose to see a Magisterial District Judge instead. Yesterday, at 11 am, Magisterial District judge Rich Yetter administered the oath of office to Matt Dees, Robert Lewis and Henry Nodoline. later that evening, Dan DePaul was elected President and Ronald Nixon was elected Vice President in a two-hour meeting at which Mayor Gerald Gross defended his daughter's last minute letter, at taxpayer, expense, to borough residents. .  

Mezzacappa's Criminal Trial Scheduled For August

Tricia Mezzacappa may be a Republican candidate for West Easton Borough Council, but she's also a criminal defendant. She is accused of defrauding a secured creditor because she hid her 2008 RAV4 after it was levied on by the Sheriff, and refused to produce it at a Sheriff's Sale.  Magisterial District Judge Richard Yetter has already ruled there is sufficient evidence to send the matter for trial, and she had a pre-trial hearing today before Judge Craig Dally.

Represented by Public Defender Jim Connell, she has filed a motion to quash the charges on the basis that there was no levy. Of course, this is nonsense. Assistant DA Travis Weber counters that a levy is any assertion of title by the execution officer. It may consist of the sheriff's actual or constructive seizure of the execution defendant's property. That's what happened here, so I expect this motion will be denied.

Judge Dally has scheduled trial for August 4. If I understood him correctly at the pretrial, the case will be heard by Judge Leonard Zito, whom Mezzacappa has disparaged several times on her now defunct blog.

Given her defiance of judicial process, which includes an outright lie to a Deputy Sheriff, and her insistence on a jury trial, I have little doubt that she will go to jail AND be ordered to surrender the vehicle or pay its fair market value at the time I purchased it.

After the hearing, she could be seen lighting a cigarette, slipping on her walking shoes and hoofing it back to her home in West Easton.

There are several other Mezzacappa matters, and let me fill you in on them.

Fraudulent Transfer of home. - She fraudulently conveyed her home to her mother to prevent execution. Her mother, who has refused to convey the property back to her or to me, is believed to be an active participant in hiding assets. She filed a motion to dismiss a federal suit brought against her, seeking punitive damages and other relief. That motion has been denied.

Defamation judgment. - Mezzacappa's appeal of a $67,140 defamation judgment against her is scheduled to be heard by a panel of the Superior Court on June 24.

Defamation suits against me. - Mezzacappa has two defamation actions against me. In one matter, preliminary objections have been argued in Court. In the other case, pleadings are complete and I expect to file for summary judgment.

Defamation suit against Express Times. - She has also filed a defamation action against The Express Times, which has moved for summary judgment.

Updated 4:50 pm: Moving back to Jersey? That's what Mezzacappa has told a neighbor. She is remodeling the home for rental as apartments, with no inspections from West Easton officials. She reportedly will be moving in with her mother.

Thompson: Brown Wants to Increase Capacity at West Easton Work Release

According to Abe Atiyeh's Chief Operating Officer Mickey Thompson, NorCo Executive John Brown would like to increase the capacity at the West Easton Work release facility from 100 to 120. He would also like to include “low-level non-violent offenders” in addition to DUI offenders and deadbeat dads.

Currently, the census there is between 50 and 70, and Brown would like it to be more cost efficient.

No action was taken by West Easton Borough Council at their meeting on Monday night.

Source: The Real Voice of West Easton.

West Easton Borough Council Candidate Arraigned on Fraud Charges

West Easton Borough Council candidate Tricia Mezzacappa was arraigned yesterday afternoon on charges of defrauding secured creditors, as a result of her decision to hide her car after it was levied upon by the Sheriff's Office in December. That levy was made in connection with a $71,600 judgment I have against her for defamation. Mezzacappa has stated she would rather go to jail than turn over the car. She just might get her wish.

After a preliminary hearing in March, Magisterial District Judge Richard Yetter ruled there was sufficient evidence to hold the matter for court. Deputy Sheriff SGT Michael Orchulli testified that Mezzacappa approached him as he was making the levy. She asked him to release the car to her, and agreed she would meet the Deputy at the courthouse to pick up the paperwork. He did so, but Mezzacappa broke her word and never appeared. She instead hid the car, and failed to produce it at a Sheriff's Sale.

Her trial is currently scheduled for July 6.

In addition to this criminal prosecution, Mezzacappa's mother has been sued in federal court for her participation in fraudulent conveyances of Mezzacappa's real estate and assistance in hiding her car. Mezzacappa is also an Additional Defendant, along with Jim Gregory, in litigation against a radio station that incredibly permitted  and participated with the two of them when they conducted a series of defamatory broadcasts in 2013 that only ended with Gregory's arrest.

Naturally, Mezzacappa has filed two frivolous countersuits against yours truly. But in one of them, she actually admits she's a liar. She posts an apology, if you can call it that, made while my original suit was pending. I was unable to publicly discuss this admission before, but since she attached it as an Exhibit to one of her lawsuits and makes it an issue, I'll tell you what she says:

"I am a human being and reacted to Mr. O'Hare without thinking clearly. Perhaps I overstepped my bounds. I apologize to him for the comments I made. ... I went too far. ... Therefore, he has my most heartfelt apology."

She essentially admits the defamation, but has since claimed that was a lie.

She has still failed to turn over the car or sign over the deed to her home.

West Easton: Dees to Drop Bid For Four-Year Seat

Updated 7:10 pm to make more clear. 

Matt Dees, who has an informative hyperlocal blog about West Easton, is dropping his bid for a four-year seat on Borough Council. He and Ron Nixon were both running for four-year and two-year seats, and both believed this could create confusion among voters and allow someone else to slip in. So Dees will seek the two-year seat, and Nixon will seek the four-year seat. Here's how he explains it.

Our main goal is to ensure that Tricia Mezzacappa never sits on the West Easton Council and that might well happen if voters are confused by only one of us appearing twice in the general election. It is possible that voters might assume they can only vote once (either the 2- or 4-year seat), thus reducing the total votes received for each seat, or one seat garnering significantly more votes than the other, allowing Mezzacappa to slip in with her usual low vote total.

Both of us know that Mezzacappa doesn’t have the best interests of our borough in mind by running for West Easton Council. Her political party membership plays no role in our decision, but rather, it is her past history as a resident in our community.

Who would want a council member that wrote a letter to Wilson Borough urging they not consider providing police coverage for her own community and thinks a conspiracy against her was conducted with the help of Easton police? Who would want a council member that wrote a letter to the editor of The Express-Times that supports Rockne Newell, facing trial for ambushing and murdering elected representatives in Ross Township, in addition to writing that the survivors should resign?

We don’t.

Fraud Charges Against W Easton Boro Council Candidate Held For Court

Following a preliminary hearing on Monday afternoon, Magisterial District Judge Richard Yetter ruled there is sufficient evidence to send West Easton Boro Council candidate Tricia Mezzacappa to county court on charges of defrauding a secured creditor. She will be formally arraigned on May 14, If convicted, she faces a fine of up to $5,000, along with imprisonment for up to two years.

Judge Yetter's ruling followed the testimony of three witnesses, including NorCo Detective Frank Jordan, Northampton County Deputy Sheriff SGT Michael Orchulli and myself. The testimony established that I have a judgment against Mezzacappa and started execution proceedings against her personal property. SGT Orchulli observed her 2008 Toyota RAV4 parked near her home, and levied on it. While there, he was approached by Mezacappa, and he asked her to wait with him while the levy papers were brought to the scene. He instructed her she could not hide or dispose of the vehicle. Mezzacappa promised she would meet Sheriffs at the courthouse, and accept all paperwork there. She never showed, and disappeared with the car. SGT Orchulli posted the notice of levy at her house and photographed what he had done. I testified to purchasing the vehicle at a Sheriff's Sale and that Mezzacappa never appeared or produced the car. Detective Jordan presented paperwork from PennDOT showing that Mezzacappa owns the car. He also stated that Mezzacappa refuses to produce or reveal the car's location because the matter is in litigation.

Prominent defense attorney Jim Connell established on cross-examination that the writ of execution had erroneously listed a 2007 Toyota RAV4, and not 2008. That was actually Mezzacappa's mistake. In a previous attempt to have taxpayers foot the bill for her numerous and sundry lawsuits, she had described the vehicle as a 2007 model.

He also established that Mezzacappa had filed a claim for exemption. Because she refused to pay the required filing fee, that claim was rejected by the Sheriff.

Mezzacappa is under $5,000 unsecured bail.

Mezzacappa Files Defective Ethics Form in West Easton Council Race

One of the many people running for office is none other than Tricia Mezzacappa. She has filed nomination petitions for a slot on West Easton Borough Council. All candidates seeking elective office are required to file a copy of their Statement of Financial Interests, along with the petition. Mezzacappa has done so, but it's defective. She has failed to list a creditor.I know this because I happen to be that creditor.

Under the state Ethics Act, Mezzacappa is required to list the name and address of any creditor to whom she owes more than $6,500, along with the annual interest rate. She currently owes me $70,991.81, with an annual interest rate of 6%. She failed to list the debt.

According to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, a nomination petition may be challenged on the basis of a defective ethics statement like the one Mezzacappa filed. Hopefully, a West Easton Republican will step forward.

Wild West Easton Council Meeting Online

West Easton blogger Matt Dees has taken the time to post the video of the shouting match at West Easton's two-hour Borough Council meeting on Monday night. "I am not who I am because my Dad's the Mayor," stated President Kelly Gross after a shouting match between Tom Nodoline and Dan DePaul.

That was too much for common scold Tricia Mezzacappa, who has made some vicious claims about Gross and her father over the years, and went all the way to the Superior Court in an unsuccessful attempt to have Kelly prosecuted over a leaked firearms application. From the floor, she stood up and started yelling at Gross, even though she had already spoken during courtesy of the Floor. Though what she said was mostly incomprehensible as she stood up and briefly approached Gross before changing her mind, she did manage to call Gross a "felon" as she stormed out 50 minutes into the meeting.

There were also allegations that Dandy DePaul, irate about some sewer bill, slammed a door into a borough clerk.

The clerks in that borough need combat pay, it seems. Direct Link: http://youtu.be/tndeUUnaNRk

Expanded Guestlist Considered at West Easton Treatment Center

During yesterday's meeting of the Courts and Corrections Committee, prison officials acknowledged that they are entering into discussions with West Easton to expand the types of offenders housed at its West Easton treatment and work release facility. Currently, the only inmates permitted there are DUI and nonsupport offenders.

Corrections Superintendent Arnie Matos told Council that it costs $93.40 per day to house an inmate at the main jail. At West Easton, it's a little higher, costing $96.15. That price would drop to $69.13, however, if the treatment center was at its 100-person maximum.

As of April 23, there were 678 inmates at the main jail and 72 offenders at West Easton.

"We would be very careful about who we would send down there," Matos told Council member Hayden Phillips, in response to concerns that the wrong kind of person could interfere with rehabilitation.

Judge Dally: Mezzacappa Harassed Borough Clerk

Last Spring, West Easton's very own common shrew, Tricia Mezzacappa, decided to harass a borough clerk. This included threatening and abusive behavior, like constant kicking and banging at the doors to Borough Hall after being told to wait for a police escort. Mezzacappa also cyber-bullied this low-level worker. She'd break down in tears when her children would see Mezzacappa's online taunts and vicious name-calling. Justice has finally been done, thanks to Judge Craig Dally. Let me fill you in on the details.

At a June hearing before Judge Richard Yetter, Mezzacappa brought Jim Gregory as her cheerleader. That was before he was sent to state prison. The Clerk (I won't name her) testified about Mezzacappa's fantasies of putting a hollow point bullet through my skull. She also described a bizarre gun video made by Mezzacappa, containing words like "You better outrun my gun" and ending with a coffin and a picture of the West Easton web page.

"We're afraid of her," she said.

D'you think?

What seemed to bother this Clerk most is that her own children could see the hateful and hurtful things Mezzacappa has posted about her. That made no difference to Mezzacappa. Sensitivity is not her strong suit. Many of the taunts are still on her blog.

"I just would like it to stop," she told Judge Yetter. "It's relentless. I don't want to come to work now."

Judge Yetter imposed a $200 fine and told Mezzacappa he did not want to see her again.

The Clerk found another job in a Mezzacappa-free municipality.

So everyone lived happily ever after, right?

Wrong. Mezzacappa appealed her conviction. She then sought several continuances for "medical reasons" while appearing on Jim Gregory's short-lived radio show for at least one of them.

But her luck ran out yesterday.

Despite bringing in a Philadelphia lawyer who couldn't even get her first name right, the truth prevailed. Mezzacappa was convicted again, following a hearing before Judge Craig Dally.

Dally imposed a $300 fine, $100 more than Judge Yetter and the maximum permitted by law. She's got 60 days to pay it. She still hasn't paid off her first harassment conviction.

"I'm very relieved," the Clerk told me after it was all over. "Justice has been served."

Informative West Easton Web Page

Tiny boroughs like West Easton get scant coverage because daily newspapers simply lack the manpower to cover them. So it is nice to see resident Matt Dees take on the task himself at WestEastonPa.com. It appears the borough is close to hiring a chief for its newly formed police department, and has appointed Paul James to fill a a vacancy on borough council.