Pennsylvania Mayor Imprisoned For Shooting At Pokémon Go Players

Former Osceola Mills Mayor Ida Reams has been sentenced to serve up to a year in prison for threatening and shooting at two Pokémon Go players in March last year.

Confronting The Players

The ex-mayor reportedly confronted the players while she was under the influence in the parking lot of a local food bank.

The men were engaged in a round of Pokémon Go – in which players search for animated virtual characters using their mobile phones GPS capability – outside an adjacent Veterans of Foreign Wars post when Reams came out and challenged them.

During her confrontation with the players, Reams called the police herself and threatened the individuals. The police operators heard Reams threaten to kill them followed by two gunshots before the call was disconnected.

Facing Legal Trouble

Reams' previous attempts to secure a plea deal had been unsuccessful, and this latest sentencing resulted from a protracted judicial process marked by disagreements between Clearfield County District Judge Fredric Ammerman and District Attorney Ryan Sayers. Earlier, Judge Ammerman rejected two agreements that would have resulted in a much lesser sentence for Reams.

Ammerman resolved the case by sentencing Reams to prison for between four months and a year and an additional 18 months probation. He conceded that while he wasn't fully satisfied with the agreement, it was the best possible outcome considering the circumstances.

According to Joshua Maines, Reams' attorney, she will report to prison on 11 January.

What Happened To The Victims?

The victims, however, had been hostile to the prosecution and were reluctant to testify. They told the police that Reams, clearly intoxicated, had shouted at them, chased them in her car, and fired four or five shots from a revolver.

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