Lackawanna County District Attorney's Office

11/02/2026

Substance abuse and illegal drug activity can have consequences that extend to families and entire communities.

Children can be exposed to unsafe environments. Families can experience financial and emotional hardship. Drug trafficking can also contribute to other criminal activity.

Prevention starts with education, awareness and early intervention. Know the signs. Start conversations. Know where to turn for help.

Find resources here:

10/31/2026

🎃 Happy Halloween, Lackawanna County!

Whether you're taking the kids trick-or-treating, heading to a Halloween party or spending the evening in your neighborhood, take a few extra minutes to plan for a safe night.

🍬 For trick-or-treaters: Stay with your group, use sidewalks and crosswalks, carry a flashlight and check treats before eating them.

🚗 For drivers: Slow down in residential areas and watch carefully for children crossing the road. Halloween brings more pedestrians onto our streets, especially after dark.

🍻 If you're drinking: Have a plan before the first drink. Designate a sober driver, arrange a rideshare or find another safe way home. Do not drink and drive.

Let's keep Halloween fun, safe and responsible throughout Lackawanna County. Make memories, not headlines. 🎃👻

10/28/2026

Criminals can use stolen personal information to commit fraud or identity theft.

Protect yourself:

🔐 Use strong, unique passwords
📱 Be cautious with suspicious messages
📄 Shred documents containing sensitive information
💳 Monitor bank and credit accounts
🔎 Review statements regularly
🚫 Don't share sensitive information unless you know who you're dealing with

When something feels suspicious, stop and verify. Find resources to support a crime: [🔗 in comments].

10/27/2026

10/27/2026

Well done to our partners at the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General. Thank you for helping us keep the City of Scranton and Lackawanna County safe !

Two Scranton men face charges after police said they were in possession of more than 1,000 grams of co***ne sent from Puerto Rico.

10/26/2026

Young people need connection, support and a place where they feel they belong.

Parents, caregivers and mentors can help by:

🔹 Encouraging sports and activities
🔹 Supporting education and career goals
🔹 Knowing who young people spend time with
🔹 Talking openly about peer pressure

Prevention starts with connection.

10/24/2026

📍 The Women's Resource Center of Northeastern Pennsylvania provides confidential support, safety planning, emergency shelter, counseling, and additional resources for victims.

The Lackawanna County District Attorney's Office also works closely with victim advocates and community partners to help connect victims with available services.

If someone is in immediate danger, call 911. Find more resources at the 🔗 in comments.

10/22/2026

🚨Thank you, Scranton City Council!🚨

Last evening, Scranton City Council unanimously passed an ordinance regulating Kratom in the City.

We appreciate your leadership in recognizing the serious and growing risks that kratom products especially concentrated products containing 7-OH (7-hydroxymitragynine) pose to young people.

These products can have powerful opioid-like effects, including slowed or suppressed breathing, and may lead to dependence, addiction, and withdrawal. They are often sold without the testing, labeling, age restrictions, and other safeguards required for regulated medicines, leaving families uncertain about what they contain and how potent they may be.

Our city and county have already experienced several medical emergencies and at least one overdose death connected to this issue. This is not a theoretical concern, it is an immediate and serious public health threat. Growing legislative and legal action at the state and federal levels further underscores the urgent need for local leadership to act.

A special thank you to Councilman Patrick Flynn for having the foresight to recognize this danger early and helping bring attention to the issue before it received broader statewide and national recognition.

We are grateful for Council’s leadership, commitment,
continued partnership and effort to protect young people and our entire community.

Thank you to everyone who made this possible and put the health and safety of our children first.

10/21/2026

Parents and caregivers can help by staying involved in their children's online lives.

💡 Know which apps, games and platforms they use
👉 Review privacy and safety settings together
❌ Teach children not to share personal information, photos or passwords
📸 Talk about AI tools and how they can be misused

AI can make it easier to create realistic images, videos, audio and messages. Children should understand that someone could use technology to impersonate another person, create misleading content or manipulate images.

Parents should also remind children that conversations with AI tools are not the same as conversations with a trusted adult. Children should never rely on an AI chatbot when they are dealing with something that makes them feel unsafe or uncomfortable. They should talk to a parent, guardian, teacher or another trusted adult.

Most importantly, keep the conversation going. The best online safety tool is communication.

10/20/2026

🚨 MAN SENTENCED TO UP TO 30 YEARS FOR LOOKING UP CHILD PO*******HY AT THE SCRANTON PUBLIC LIBRARY 🚨

John Dudkiewicz, 51, of downtown Scranton, has been sentenced to 15 to 30 years in state prison for attempting to possess child po*******hy and related offenses involving his use of computers at the Scranton Public Library.

Library staff reported that he used a public computer to search for and view sexually explicit images and videos involving young children. Investigators documented more than 40 searches. Library records and surveillance footage helped identify him, and the release states that Dudkiewicz admitted to officers that he conducted the searches and viewed images of children. He was on federal supervision for a prior child po*******hy offense at the time.

The court also designated Dudkiewicz a sexually violent predator. He will be required to register with Pennsylvania State Police for the rest of his life under SORNA.

Thank you to the Scranton Police Department, including Officers Jacob Thomas and Matthew Zawatski, for their investigation; to the Scranton Public Library and its employees for recognizing the conduct, preserving evidence, and promptly contacting law enforcement; and to Deputy District Attorney Bo Loughney for prosecuting the case.

Our top priority continues to be removing pedophiles and those who possess, manufacture, and distribute child po*******hy from our community.