Trials postponed for teens accused of damaging West Deer parks

Summary trials for three 19-year-olds accused of damaging several West Deer sports fields by doing donuts on them in a pickup in November have been postponed until March.

Township police charged Ethan Adamiak, Devin Andrew Colucci and Dalton James Shoop with criminal mischief in December, about a month after the damage was discovered at Nike Site and Bairdford parks.

Their summary trials had been scheduled for Thursday in front of District Judge Tom Swan. They were rescheduled for March 19, in part, because the township wants time to get bids from contractors for repairs to the damaged fields, according to West Deer police Chief Jon Lape.

Charges against the teens could be upgraded to more serious misdemeanor or felony charges based on how much the repairs cost.

Preliminary estimates from the township put the repair costs at more than $40,000, Lape said.

Lape said images found online helped police identify the suspects.

“Social media is a blessing sometimes,” he said.

Lape said Colucci was driving the pickup used to damage the fields, while Adamiak and Shoop were passengers. He said the pickup drove around in circles on the soccer and lacrosse fields at Nike Site Park and the soccer field, outer lawn and parking area of the baseball field at Bairdford Park.

Richard Witchko, an attorney representing Shoop, declined to comment Friday. No attorneys were listed in court records for Adamiak and Colucci. Court records did not list street addresses for the teens.