CLEARFIELD – The former mayor of Osceola Mills who allegedly fired shots near two men in a parking lot saw her two-day trial postponed Thursday after both of her accusers failed to show up.
Clearfield-based state police say around 9 p.m. March 14, 2022, they received a phone call from the case’s defendant, Ida L. Reams, 52, of Osceola Mills.
She reported that two men were claiming she was harassing them and she wanted troopers to know that wasn’t true.
However, the two men both told state police they had been playing Pokemon Go in the lot when they encountered Reams, who was “clearly intoxicated.”
Reams allegedly fired a gun approximately five times in the lot on the corner of Curtin and Lingle streets in Osceola Mills.
She was initially charged with two counts each of aggravated assault, simple assault, terroristic threats and reckless endangerment as well as driving under the influence.
The aggravated assault charges were withdrawn at the preliminary hearing because the men have been extremely uncooperative and so prosecutors were lacking sufficient proof they were in fear of serious bodily injury or death and other case details like the exact proximity of the shots to both men.
In January, Reams appeared before President Judge Fredric J. Ammerman as she had agreed to plead guilty to misdemeanor terroristic threats and two counts of reckless endangerment.
This agreement was in exchange for a time-served plea of seven days to one year in county jail, according to a previously-published GANT News report.
At this point upon review of case information, Ammerman advised counsel that he wanted to take it under further consideration prior to sentencing.
In March, Reams was in court again to plead guilty to two misdemeanor counts each of terroristic threats and reckless endangerment with a sentence of four months of home detention.
Ammerman rejected the plea, according to the previous report, and scheduled her case for jury selection.
Reams was scheduled for a two-day trial beginning Thursday; however, District Attorney Ryan Sayers informed the court both of Reams’ accusers were no-shows, and he was unable to proceed.
He said Reams’ first accuser—Johnathon Meeker—was served his subpoena in-person by state police on Sept. 9, butt last week informed the DA’s office he didn’t plan to show up because he had to take his significant other to medical appointments both days in Altoona.
Sayers said state police twice attempted to serve Reams’ second accuser, Richard Barger, at his listed Osceola Mills address with negative contact.
A trooper did reportedly speak with Barger by phone Sept. 19, at which point he refused to provide his updated address and indicated he had no plans of showing up for trial.
Sayers explained that state police chose not to locate Barger due to an internal e-mail—dated July 31—from their station commander who warned troopers of Barger’s release from state prison.
The e-mail described Barger as a threat to law enforcement, having made comments that it would be “suicide by cop” before he ever returned to prison.
Sayers said both men have been extremely uncooperative from the very beginning a year-and-a-half ago, and his plans had been to proceed to trial Thursday with testimony from one accuser, Meeker.
But after he was a no-show, Sayers requested a continuance and for issuance of a bench warrant so Meeker could be held in county jail until the case could proceed to trial.
Reams’ attorney, Joshua Maines of Clearfield, said the case has been long and strenuous enough for his client, and asked Ammerman to deny the continuance and for the case to proceed on the DUI charge.
Ammerman agreed the case has been “up and down” and “back and forth” but granted the continuance and scheduled the case for jury selection Oct. 12 with a trial date to be determined.
There was a bench warrant issued for Meeker’s arrest for his failure to show up, but Sayers said one couldn’t be issued for Barger as he was never actually served his subpoena.
The men were “hostile” from the beginning, reiterated Sayers when he discussed the case with local media following court.
“The commonwealth was aware, and [previously] offered a plea with that in mind, and the judge rejected it knowing that.”
Sayers remains open to a plea but said it would be up to the judge, and the defense would also have to be agreeable.
“We gave the judge the top of the standard range—and consecutive—on the top four counts,” Sayers said. “He rejected it when we can’t do anymore than that.”
For each count of the terroristic threats and reckless endangerment, Sayers said the standard range is probation to one month. “We did a plea to four months.”
Currently Reams’ bail is set at $50,000, which court documents indicate she posted March 21, 2022.
According to media reports, Reams was the mayor of Osceola Mills for eight years, with her term ending in December of 2021.