ALTOONA, Pa (WTAJ) — There has been a spike in crime this week on the local level.
Around midnight Tuesday, an Altoona teen was murdered in an alley way near Jefferson Park by three other juveniles.
Teens Owen Southerland, Logan Persing and Damien Green admitted to luring 15-year-old Devon Pfirsching to the area via Snapchat, where Southerland shot and killed him in a botched robbery attempt.
Thursday afternoon was another day that sent a shock through the community when a Bellwood-Antis assistant wrestling coach was arrested by state police for sex crimes.
Police say that 39-year-old Ryan Blazier had been sexually abusing an eight year old girl for over five years, along with allegedly touching the boys he coached on his team on campus property.
Furthermore, a late night fire on Monday claimed the lives of two well respected citizens in the DuBois area.
Firefighters say that Louis Corona and Wendy Hibbert died of smoke inhalation after Corona fell asleep with a lit cigarette in the home.
In lighter news, a K-9 officer in Tyrone was able to get a ballistic vest on Monday after a generous donation from a Non Profit Organization and anonymous donor helped fund it.
Also, “Cocoa with the Popo” is currently going on at Greenbean Coffeehouse until 7 p.m.
The event is meant to teach kids under the age of 18 about how officers serve their community.
Keep an eye out for next week’s top stories.