Thursday, January 11, 2007

Probe shifts to woman's workplace

Warrant is 5th since Rye Twp. resident's slaying

By CHRIS A. COUROGEN

Police are now looking at the work computer, software and other items belonging to a woman whose attorney acknowledges is a focus of the investigation into the slaying of Elaine Pierson.

State police obtained a search warrant from Cumberland County Court on Tuesday for items at Highmark Inc.'s East Pennsboro Twp.'s offices involving Rochelle Laudenslager, 45, of Lower Paxton Twp., or Pierson.

Laudenslager is Highmark's Director of Western Regional Professional Services. She is on a leave of absence.

This is the fifth search warrant involving Laudenslager obtained by investigators looking into the death of Pierson, 48, of Perry County.

While police have not called Laudenslager a suspect, Laudenslager's attorney, George Matangos, has acknowledged that investigators are looking at his client. "I am confident the focus will have to go elsewhere to find who killed Miss Pierson," he said.

Police earlier obtained warrants to search Laudenslager's home, her two cars and the Gratz home of her mother. Like the most recent warrant, the documents stating the probable cause for the search have been sealed by the court.

A spokeswoman at the state police barracks in Newport said police had no new information to release yesterday and would not comment on the latest warrant.

"I wouldn't be surprised [at the latest search]. That is wholly appropriate in cases like this," Matangos said.

Matangos has speculated that Laudenslager attracted investigators' interest because of her arrest in Reno, Nev., on Oct. 15 on misdemeanor domestic battery charges. Reno police reports state Laudenslager allegedly struck her sister on the head with a frying pan as her sister slept. The charges were dismissed on a prosecution motion.

Prosecutors said in a motion that Laudenslager's guilt could not be established beyond a reasonable doubt and that she was not competent at the time of the incident because of "numerous psychiatric issues." Washoe County, Nev., court records show Laudenslager was involuntarily committed to West Hills Hospital in October and discharged Nov. 1

Laudenslager's mother previously said her daughter was involved about four years ago in a relationship with Pierson.

Laudenslager was with the group of searchers who found Pierson's body Saturday at the bottom of an embankment off Idle Road on the Perry County side of Blue Mountain, just off of Lambs Gap Road.

Pierson's body was about three miles from her Rye Twp. home.

CHRIS A. COUROGEN: 255-8112 or ccourogen@patriot-news.com

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