Man charged in Dickson City homicide
A Dickson City man was charged with homicide Friday in a case dating back to January.
Anthony Ruffino, 44, is charged with criminal homicide and tampering with evidence.
According to a criminal complaint:
Ruffino called 911 at about 11 p.m. on Jan. 30 to report that Mary Harvey had fallen and hit her head.
Ruffino told dispatchers there was a lot of blood, but that Harvey — with whom he had been temporarily staying — was still conscious and breathing.
Emergency medical personnel took Harvey, 69, to Geisinger Community Medical Center in Scranton.
Ambulance service personnel called police and said that Harvey’s injuries did not appear to have come from just a fall.
The next morning, Jan 31, at 9:26 a.m., Lackawanna County Coroner Tim Rowland told police Harvey died while in surgery at Geisinger CMC.
On Feb. 1, an autopsy determined the cause of Harvey’s death as blunt force trauma to the head and the manner as homicide.
Police questioned both Ruffino and his mother, Elaine Peters, regarding the incident and cleanup of the scene following Harvey's death during their investigation, the criminal complaint states.
On May 15, Peters pleaded guilty to two counts of hindering prosecution.
Ruffino remains at the Lackawanna County Prison, without bail.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for 9 a.m. June 4 before District Judge Christopher J. Szewczyk.
