KULPMONT - A Mount Carmel woman was placed in Northumberland County Prison after falsely reporting that a homicide had occurred.
Marcie A. Howerter, 30, of 338 S. Beech Street, was arraigned Wednesday on charges of false alarms to agencies of public safety, false reports to law enforcement authorities, possession with intent to use drug paraphernalia, disorderly conduct, public drunkenness and violation of the borough's synthetic drug ordinance.
The arraignment came before Magisterial District Judge Hugh A. Jones and after Howerter's preliminary hearing Wednesday, where a charge of possession of drug paraphernalia was ordered bound to Northumberland County Court.
Kulpmont Police Chief Richard Wilson III reported in an affidavit of probable cause that he was dispatched to a Chestnut Street home to meet with Howerter on a homicide that occurred outside of Kulpmont, and that she feared for her own safety, stating that she would also be killed.
Arriving at the residence, Wilson met with Howerter's sister, Karen Weaver, who told him that Howerter was talking hysterically about a murder and that she was a known drug abuser. After Howerter refused to come downstairs, Wilson went upstairs to find her hiding. She began yelling at him to get away from the window because "they" were coming to kill her. Howerter told the chief "they" had shot and killed her cousin, Shawn Weaver, and dumped his body on Snake Road.
When asked who "they" were, Howerter kept saying, "Rob and Courtney."
According to the affidavit, Howerter exhibited many signs of being under the influence of bath salts, including extreme paranoia and hallucinations. Prior to police arriving, Howerter told her sister to get down on the floor because "Rob" was in the backyard. She allegedly told police she did take bath salts, but no other drugs that day.
Wilson took Howerter into custody and observed a folding pocket knife in her rear jeans pocket. A search also revealed a plastic device used to snort and store drugs, with white bath salt powder residue inside.
As Howerter was being evaluated my EMS workers, Mount Carmel Township Police Chief Brian Hollenbush went to Weaver's residence to determine he was alive.
Howerter was also arraigned Wednesday on charges of burglary, two counts of criminal trespass and charges of resisting arrest, simple assault and criminal mischief after an Oct. 24 incident on South Walnut Street, Mount Carmel.
Mount Carmel Borough Police Cpl. Christopher Buhay reported in court documents that Howerter broke into the home of Timothy and Leslie Leso and got into a fight with Timothy Leso after he tried to stop her.
After police took her into custody, Howerter told police she had "used everything" today, not getting specific, and that she was thrown from a car, people were chasing her and for police to get their guns ready.
She was placed in Northumberland County Prison on $10,000 straight bail for those charges as well.