Bail revocation sought for missing Unity woman's acquaintance

Prosecutors want the acquaintance of a missing Unity woman to remain in jail because of two sets of new charges against him.

Assistant District Attorney Pete Flanigan said Tuesday that he plans to file a motion to revoke the bond for Thomas G. Stanko, 47, of Unity, in a 2017 simple assault case.

Attorneys had discussed possibly dismissing the case after restitution is paid, Flanigan said during a status conference.

"Those considerations and discussions are now off the table," he said.

Police arrested Stanko in July 2017 for punching a man at The Tin Lizzy bar in Youngstown, knocking out several of the victims' false teeth, according to court paperwork. He had been free on $500 unsecured bond in that case.

Attorney Dante Bertani said he would talk to Stanko about the new cases — one filed Friday and the second on Monday.

"I think the Commonwealth is dragging this case out" because of the new, unrelated matters, Bertani argued.

Stanko has denied involvement in the disappearance of Cassandra E. Gross, 51, who has been missing for more than a week. No arrests have been made.

He did not answer a reporter's questions Tuesday while being escorted from the Westmoreland County Prison to the courthouse.

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Police have searched two Unity properties belonging to Stanko, as well as a pond and an area near Twin Lakes Park where Gross' burned vehicle was found April 10. She has not been seen since April 7.

State police filed new allegations after searching a White Fence Lane home where Stanko's mother lives on Thursday. Court papers filed Monday accuse Stanko of having 28 guns at that home. Two of them had been reported stolen, according to the affidavit.

Stanko has not been arraigned on those charges.

Pittsburgh attorney David Shrager has said he believes those guns were mostly owned by Stanko's deceased father.

Stanko is not permitted to have a gun because of a 1993 arrest when he fired three shots into the home and vehicle of a former state trooper who lived in Latrobe, according to court records. He was sentenced in 1995 to 14-1⁄2 to 29 months followed by four years of probation on retaliation and related charges.

Also during Thursday's search, police found an all-terrain vehicle that was reported stolen in northern Pennsylvania in about 1997. State police said in court papers that they have trail camera photographs from a neighboring Unity property that show Stanko using the 1988 Yamaha ATV on April 1. Stanko is being held on $100,000 bond on a receiving stolen property charge. Shrager has said he hopes to have that bond reduced. An April 23 preliminary hearing is set.

Prosecutors also are seeking to have Stanko detained in a September 2015 case based on the new gun charges. He remains under court supervision for pointing a gun at the occupants of two vehicles that were at Unity Cemetery, next to his mother's home, for a memorial service.

"None of this has been given to me at this stage of the game," Bertani said. "This is the first that I'm finding out about any of this."

Bertani asked that the detainer hearing be continued.

"Either way, he's going to stay in jail for now," said Judge Tim Krieger.

Gross' family reported her missing last week.

Her dog, which is blind, was found along Beatty County Road in Unity.

Her red 2016 Mitsubishi Outlander was spotted by Norfolk Southern railroad employees along tracks in a wooded area near Twin Lakes Park. The SUV had been burned almost beyond recognition.

In the days after, troopers were seen searching Stanko's White Fence Lane and Macey Road properties.

Shrager has identified Stanko as Gross' "boyfriend." Her mother has told the Tribune-Review that she gave police the name of a man who had been bothering her daughter for the past few months. The pair were not in a relationship, the mother said. She declined to provide a reporter with the man's name.

Police are seeking information from anyone who may have seen Gross' SUV in the Twin Lakes area or any other unusual activity. The license plate is HLP-1411.

Anyone with information is asked to call state police in Greensburg at 724-832-3288 or 911.

Renatta Signorini is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach her at 724-837-5374, rsignorini@tribweb.com or via Twitter @byrenatta.