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Man wanted in Florida death investigation arrested in Westmoreland County
By Andrew Havranek,
13 days ago
A Florida man is behind bars in Westmoreland County in connection to a death investigation in Cape Coral, Florida.
John William Tolbert was wanted as a person of interest in the April 16 death of his brother, Francis, at their home on April 16.
Family members initially believed Francis Tolbert was suffering a medical emergency, and EMS responded for a cardiac arrest.
“When detectives got on scene a man had a faint pulse and had bleeding from the back of his head. Upon further investigation, they found a gunshot casing in the home,” said Lisa Greenberg of the Cape Coral Police Department.
Police said Tolbert was in the home with his brother and then suddenly drove off an hour before EMS was called.
“As far as I know it was not John who made that call,” Greenburg told Channel 11. “I’m not sure who exactly made that call, but it was not John.”
Two weeks and nearly 1,200 miles later, State Police in New Stanton arrested him as he was driving westbound on the Pennsylvania Turnpike.
He now faces a manslaughter with a weapon charge for the death of his brother.
Police said state troopers saw a Chevy Impala with New Mexico plates driving westbound on the Turnpike on Tuesday.
Troopers haven’t said why they ran the plates, but when they did, they found they were not registered to the car they were on, and they were connected to a death investigation in Florida.
Troopers say they took him into custody without incident. They believe Tolbert was just driving through.
“I don’t know if he was just running or if there was a connection to a specific area he was headed to,” Greenberg said. “I’m not aware of any connection to the Pennsylvania area.”
Police in Cape Coral are thankful for the tips they received in the last two weeks and for the quick actions of state troopers in Westmoreland County.
“The synergy of the law enforcement agencies working together is a huge deal, and we’re always grateful for our law enforcement partners in helping us in cases like this,” Greenberg said.
Tolbert is being held in the Westmoreland County Prison. A detective from Cape Coral is in the area, but it is unknown when they will take Tolbert back to Florida.
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