"We caught the criminal!"

By TOM RUE

DAMASCUS - A scenario which police described as "bizarre", involving a Saturday night high-speed chase through Damascus Township by a dump truck and two pickups, resulted in two collisions, numerous hours of voluntary aid, and a citizens arrest>

Meanwhile, the only available state trooper in the county was elsewhere, responding to an accident.

The series of incidents began between 10:30 and 11:00 p.m. on April 25 when Edward Shylofski, 25, of Honesdale, began tailing Christina Detwiler of Beach Lake and David Gustin of Honesdale, according to Detwiler who was interviewed at the scene.

Detwiler said she was driving Gustin's '86 Nissan pickup, headed east on Route 652 near Peggy Runway, when she noticed someone following her for no apparent reason. "He was following us! He was high-beaming us and low-beaming us.

Shylofski, who was driving a 1977 red Ford diesel dump truck, then "pulled even with their vehicle, pushing them off the roadway," according to a report filed by State Trooper Anthony Faxio of the Honesdale barracks.

Gustin aid he got out of his truck to talk, when Shylofski tried to run him over.

Contacted by phone the following day, Shylofski had a different version of the night's events. Denying that he had tried to run Gustin over, he described how he was roughed up by a mob while out for a ride. "I was just going up the road minding my own business and this guy puts his hand out of the truck."

Shylofski made no mention of hitting Gustin's truck, and said he backed up his own vehicle when Gustin got out. Gustin "probably got scared or something," speculated Shylofski.

Gustin said he jumped back in, and he and Detwiler turned around and headed to a friend's residence. After parking in a driveway, she said, they saw Shylofski drive past in the dump truck several times, apparently trying to find them.

Shylofski admitted he followed Gustin and Dutwiler until he lost them. Then, he said, he followed an automobile, but lost it too. Soon, he noticed a '74 Chevy pickup truck chasing him.

Three friends of the pair -- Michael Diehl of Beach Lake, Jerry Olver of Honesdale, and David Stuart of Narrowsburg -- began pursuing the dump truck "in an effort to obtain a license number and the identity of the operator," according to police.

After a high-speed chase, Diehl said he pulled off the road and waited. Shortly thereafter, Shylofski returned ant "apparently intentionally rammed the Diehl vehicle, pushing it over a bank into a field," police said.

Shylofski claimed he backed into a driveway to turn around and go home, when he accidentally hit Diehl's truck.

Diehl and Shylofski's vehicle then gave out, and fluids began pouring into the road.

The dump truck was registered to Shylofski's father, Aloysius Shylofski of Honesdale. Diehl said he also was driving a truck owned by his father, Robert Diehl, of Damascus.

A citizens arrest was reportedly made by Diehl and several others, and Shylofski was detained until police arrived. According to one witness, he became so violent that the group found it necessary to bind his hands with a dog leash.

Again Shylofski's account differs. "I looked up again and three guys jumped out of the truck. When they came up to my truck, they put my arms behind my back and threw me on the ground," he alleged.

He said his hands were tied with a rope.

According to police communications operator Kathy Brewington, "It was a group detention. They all kind of blocked him in.

"We did the troopers' work. We caught the criminal!" Diehl proudly told The River Reporter.

Brewington said she did not think it took two hours, but admitted that the group may have had a long wait since the trooper on duty was responding to an accident on Route 191 in Lookout, around the same time.

According to Trooper Fazio's report, he had "not been able to determine the motivation for the bizarre series of actions and undertaken by [Shylofski, and was] awaiting further information before filing charges against the subject."

A Damascus ambulance worker said she was told that Shylofski vomited blood. But he was not admitted to the hospital, and denied he had been hurt.

In addition to Tusten Volunteer Ambulance Service, the Beach Lake Volunteer Fire Department responded to the call, as well as several members of the Damascus Volunteer Ambulance Corps.

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