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TUESDAY,. MAY-27, 1969Sentence Deferred In Man’s SlayingBv CHARLES V. McGURK Courier Times Staff WriterSentencing of Mrs. Winifred F. Loar, Washington Crossing mother of three daughters who pleaded guilty to a charge of Involuntary manslaughter yes. icrday In Bucks County Court, was deferred to permit a pre-sentence investigation.Mrs. Lear, 28. entered her pica before President Judge Edward G. Biester Sr. A charge of murder In the July 2, 1968 death of Vernon Berger, 31-ycarold Yardley Mechanic who was shot by Mrs. Lear, was dropped. 'Mrs. Lear took the stand In her own behalf yesterday afternoon and explained how she took the shotgun and fired it through the bedroom windowof her home on Oakdale Ave. at four prowlers who had banged on the door.__Water Firm Raising RatesHARRISBURG (UP!) - The Philadelphia Suburban Water Co.. Bryn Mawr. has been authorized to increase its rates by $3,358,642 annually.The boost, approved Monday by the Public Utility Commission, is $884,851 or 5 per cent below the amount initially sought.The commission allowed thehike following a three . month investigation, H said Suburbancould make the rate changes upon giving its 199,859 Montgomery. Bucks. Chester and Delaware County customers one day's notice.The company also was allow ed to end a 5 per cent prompt payment discountShe said she did not want to hurt anyone but wanted to scare them away. Noting that she her three children and her mother-in-law, Mrs. Pcari r Lear who lives with the family “were scared,” the defendant said she first eaUed police, then called her husband, Lowell, a nlgtitshift employee at ;CoW Spring Blcachery. Yardiey, **0 told her to fire the shots. ;Under cross examination' by assistant district attorney John Collins, Mrs. Lear said'she knew three of the men but was not able to identify them iti her yard about 2:40 ajn.on June s because It was hazy and dark.She said she had known Jer-gen, John Donnelly and Doug, las Jenkins “around Yardley” but said she did not ‘know the fourth man. Waller Yates. Jen-kins', who, works at the Cold Spring Blcachery, and Donnelly, testified' yesterday morning’ Yates whereabouts are apparently unknown.Donnelly and Jenkins told the court the four of them had b'een drinking, first at the Continental Hotel, Yardley, and laler al'the Cross Country Bar on Route I, Falls Township. They said,they decided to go to the Learresi-dence but after knocks oii;tbe door went unanswered, they decide to leave, and were scaredoff by die shotgun blast. . •Bergen, who was the driver »f the car parked in the Lear driveway, was hit in the face by one of the blasts. He died m Mercer Hospital, Trenton,- on July 2.Lowell Lear corroborated; his wife’s story of frequent visits by prowlers and said he at-one time swore out a complaint against a man. not identified in court who was never prosecuted, he said, Mrs. Lear said'she several times had identifiedBergen as being among ;the prowlers. No dale has been set for sentencing. ‘
Newspaper Details
Bucks County Courier Times
Levittown, Pennsylvania, US
Tue, May 27, 1969
Page 4
Full Page
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Anonymous
USA 12 Apr 2020
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