No settlement in wrongful arrest lawsuit

Vinosky falsely accused of making threats to HASD

The federal judge presiding over a civil rights lawsuit brought by a former student intern with the Hollidaysburg Area School District has been informed that an attempt to resolve the case by mediation failed this past week.

The intern, Scott M. Vinosky, has sued two employees of the school district for wrongly identifying his voice as the one leaving threatening messages on the phones of five district schools in late November 2019.

He also is suing several law enforcement officers for false arrest and malicious prosecution based on the information provided by the school officials.

Police filed a criminal complaint against Vinosky and placed him in the Blair County Prison for a night. However, he was soon released from custody and charges were dismissed after a former Hollidaysburg area student, Javier A. Cantos Jr., admitted to making the calls.

Cantos is presently incarcerated for the offenses.

The Vinosky lawsuit, filed by attorneys Ronald P. Carnevali Jr. and Toby D. McIlwain of Johnstown, is seeking damages for false arrest and malicious prosecution under both federal and state law, and for intentional infliction of emotional distress.

Attorneys for school district employees Maureen Letcher and Hully Hoover and for State Police Sgt. Jesse G. Moyer, Allegheny Township Police Chief Leo Berg and former Hollidaysburg Police Chief Rodney B. Estep, as well Hollidaysburg Officer Allen Fochler, are fighting the civil charges and contending they are protected by immunity from lawsuits.

U.S. District Judge Stephanie L. Haines recently ordered that both sides attempt to settle the case by participating in a mediation conference. Attorney John Noble of Greensburg served as the mediator.

Noble has informed Haines the case has not been resolved.

Haines has ordered that fact discovery is to be completed by June 1 with a status conference on June 30.

Vinosky was a student at Indiana University of Pennsylvania and was in the process of completing an internship required for a master's degree.

After being with the school district for four months, Vinosky, according to the lawsuit, "became aware of information from a student that, as a mandated reporter under the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, he determined was necessary to report to Pennsylvania's ChildLine."

After consulting with an employee of the school's guidance department, he maintains he was "reassured" the information was to be reported to ChildLine.

He filled out the paperwork and called ChildLine from an office in the school.

He claimed in the lawsuit that he was terminated from his internship for filing the report with ChildLine on Nov. 19, 2019.

On Nov. 20, voicemail messages of a threatening nature were left at five Hollidaysburg schools.

According to the lawsuit, while a Hollidaysburg police officer was listening to the message at the high school, two school employees allegedly identified the voice as Vinosky's.

He persistently denied any connection to the calls.