** Colorado paramedic, who vanished in July, still missing; police say case has gone cold
** Pennsylvania teen sentenced to probation for assault, ambulance theft, high speed police chase
UNITED STATES NEWS
** Colorado detectives in Lakewood have now declared the case of missing paramedic Eric Pracht, 25, cold, some three months after he mysteriously disappeared. CBS Denver (Tom Mustin/November 2) quoted Lakewood PD spokesman Steve Davis as saying despite leads coming in daily, none have turned up any trace of the Park County practitioner. Pracht vanished July 22nd after an argument with his girlfriend at his Lakewood home. Police say he left the premises barefoot, and without his car, but said he would be right back. Witnesses said he did not take extra clothing or cash. Both human and canine searches of the area nearby have turned up nothing. Pracht’s cellphone, bank account, and credit cards have also shown no activity. By way of jump starting the case, Pracht’s family is offering a $10,000 cash reward for information about his whereabouts.
** A Pennsylvania teen who stole an ambulance and led police on a high speed chase last year has escaped jail by being sentenced to only 2 years probation. That is the word from The Times Leader (Joe Dolinsky/November 2) which said Nanticoke resident Destiny Noella McNeil, 19, pleaded no contest Friday to felony theft, fleeing, and simple assault. According to the newspaper, McNeil’s ambulance odyssey began after she hit a man in the head with a brick September 4, 2015. She then climbed into a parked ambulance, prompting a police pursuit and a subsequent crash. By way of mitigation, McNeil’s lawyer said she suffered from schizophrenia with both auditory and visual hallucinations. As part of a plea deal, 12 other charges, including aggravated assault x 2, were dropped. Restitution was ordered to the tune of $45,116 to insurer Gladfelter Claims Management.
