"Inside Edition" Sorts Fishy Facts Over ’05 Fatal Wayne County Crash (The Express Times)June 5, 2008
The death of a local woman received national media attention Wednesday night, when syndicated television show “Inside Edition” profiled the 2005 car accident that killed Diane Glynn.
The segment focused on Dean O’Halloran, the 25-year-old Scranton man who was the other driver in the crash that killed Ms. Glynn, 45, of Hawley, an English teacher at the University of Scranton.
“When we got information from (Glynn family attorney) Mark Tanner, something didn’t seem right about the facts,” said Larry Posner, an investigative producer with “Inside Edition.”
The show’s crew spent about six weeks “on and off” investigating the case and traveled to Scranton in April, Mr. Posner said.
It interviewed witnesses and family members, including Ms. Glynn’s adult daughter, Kerry Glynn.
Citing April 15, 2005, blood work from Community Medical Center’s emergency department, Mr. Tanner maintains Mr. O’Halloran’s blood-alcohol level was 0.149 percent at 11:17 a.m. — about two hours after he crossed lanes along Route 590 and hit Ms. Glynn’s car on that same day. A laboratory report from the hospital supports Mr. Tanner’s contention.
Mr. O’Halloran is the stepson of Pennsylvania State trooper Sgt. Michael McTavish.
Mr. Tanner calls the link between Sgt. McTavish and Mr. O’Halloran, “at this point, the only conclusion you can reach,” for police not charging Mr. O’Halloran in the crash.
“Either they just completely missed all this, or they deliberately missed all this,” Mr. Tanner said of the investigation. “Either way, it’s inexcusable.”
The Times-Tribune attempted to contact Mr. O’Halloran on Wednesday at a city home where he was living in the spring, but received no answer.
Both state police and Wayne County District Attorney Michael P. Lehutsky have maintained that the investigation continues.
“It remains open at this point,” said Jack Lewis, state police public information officer.
“The investigation is continuing and until it is completed there is nothing more to say at the moment,” Mr. Lehutsky wrote in an e-mail to The Times-Tribune.
He also described “Inside Edition’s” interview as an “ambush.”
During the segment that aired Wednesday, Matt Meagher, an investigative correspondent for “Inside Edition,” asked Mr. Lehutsky, “Is there a cover- up going on?”
“No, I think that’s a ridiculous question,” the district attorney responded.
Mr. Lehutsky also told Mr. Meagher the case wouldn’t be dealt with through “some kind of media blitz.”
“That’s not where I do my work,” he said on camera.
Mr. Tanner, meanwhile, said he is “disgusted” with the way the case has been handled.
“I think the exposure is necessary, because otherwise, it’s going to go away over time,” Mr. Tanner said. “And if it goes away, it’s going to reinforce the notion you can get away with this stuff.”
Contact the writer: mreiter@timesshamrock.com
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