Posted on 04/17/2005 3:19:56 AM PDT by Born Conservative
BELLEFONTE, Pa. - Police on Saturday found the car of Centre County's top prosecutor but no sign of the missing man, who failed to return home from a drive the day before, authorities said.
Bellefonte Police Chief Duane Dixon said state police found the red and white Mini Cooper belonging to District Attorney Ray F. Gricar, 59, of Bellefonte, at about 6:30 p.m. in a dirt parking lot on the outskirts of Lewisburg in Union County.
Gricar had taken Friday off from work and was last heard from in a cell phone call at about 11:30 a.m. that day, during which he said he was heading toward Lewisburg, about 45 miles away from Bellefonte.
Dixon said there were no signs of foul play but state police in Milton were processing the car for evidence. He said the owner of an antiques store across the street from the lot said Gricar may have been at the shop earlier Saturday.
Dixon said he planned to head to Lewisburg on Sunday to look at a surveillance tape from the store and talk to the owner. A police dog might be brought to the parking lot to try to pick up a scent, he said.
"It helps. At least we have a good idea of where to look," Dixon said.
Authorities said in a news conference earlier Saturday that there had been no activity on Gricar's cell phone or credit cards. Police said no recent threats had been made against Gricar and none of his cases appeared likely to be involved.
Authorities also said they did not know of any medical issues, although Gricar had been working hard lately and had told others that he felt tired.
Pennsylvania authorities issued a bulletin to six neighboring states, later expanding it nationwide, but Dixon said it had resulted in few tips. Earlier, they used a state police helicopter Saturday to search Gricar's last known general location.
Gricar's longtime girlfriend, Patty Fornicola, a clerk in the DA's office who filed the missing person's report at about 11:30 p.m. Friday, attended the news conference but declined comment afterward.
Gricar was last seen wearing a blue fleece-type jacket, jeans and sneakers.
Gricar, the county's district attorney for 20 years, recently decided not to seek a sixth term and said he planned to retire in December at age 60. He inherited a part-time office when first elected in 1985 but campaigned successfully to make the job full-time.
Among the more high-profile cases he handled was the prosecution of a 21-year-old woman who opened fire with a hunting rifle on Penn State's campus in 1996, killing one person and wounding a second.
Lots of woods and mountains in PA. A lot of places a (body)person could get lost.
...sure....
That reminds me, what ever happened in the case of the prosecutor murdered while fishing? Was the perp ever caught?
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