SUNBURY -- Demolition has been halted on a building “relevant” to the defense of accused double-murderer Michael A. Harrell.
Sunbury Revitalization Inc. was scheduled to demolish the home at 224-226 N. Fourth Street this week to rid the city of an eyesore and a safety hazard.
It did not occur to SRI board members that the building where Crystal M. Scholl-Gordon and David A. Moore were killed in January 18, 2008 would be needed intact for the murder trial, according to SRI immediate past president Cory Fasold.
“Nobody talked to me about it,” Northumberland County District Attorney Anthony Rosini said Tuesday.
Rosini said he is “comfortable” that photographs have preserved the scene of the crimes, but the defense might have a different opinion. Minutes after being informed of the pending demolition, Rosini called Sunbury Police Chief Steve Mazzeo and asked him to halt the demolition.
“He doesn’t want it destroyed for obvious reasons,” Mazzeo said. Mazzeo said Fasold talked with Rosini Tuesday afternoon and agreed to hold off, at least until the prosecutor and defense agree the building’s demolition would not impinge on Harrell’s civil rights.
The pending demolition was a surprise to defense attorney Edward Rymsza of Williamsport. Tuesday he said the building is “relevant” to the case. He said he could not talk about the case because he is under a “gag order.”
Rosini said if the building is demolished he would be interested in it’s careful monitoring because “the murder weapon was never found.”
Fasold, who is charge of the demolition, said the SRI felt the project was something “it should do and can do.”
The crime scene “never crossed my mind” he said. “If you own a place,” he said, “nothing” should stand in the way of your demolishing it.
The non-profit agency bought the property from a bank, “cheap,” he said, and relieved the bank of having to pay taxes on it. He declined to reveal the price that was paid for the property. There are estimates for the cost of the demolition, but he said that is not something he wants to reveal at this time.
SRI President Janet Yonkoskie could not be reached for comment Tuesday, despite numerous calls to the SRI office where, Fasold said, a board meeting was taking place.
Sunbury Code Enforcement Officer Michael Rhoads said the demolition “went through the proper permit process,” including satisfying asbestos concerns. He said he was concerned about safety issues exclusively and did not anything else into consideration.
Rhoads said the code office would monitor the take-down of the building, making sure it was done in a proper manner, the foundation was filled in and utilities on the property removed.
He said the building, as it sits, is a safety hazard.
SRI had announced that “heavy equipment” would be brought in Tuesday and demolition would begin in the following days.
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Robert Inglis / The Daily Item
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Demolition halted on site of double murder
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