Nesquehoning officer Steven Homanko, who earlier this month was involved in a fatal crash while on duty, has been put on unpaid administrative leave.

During the Nesquehoning Borough Council meeting Wednesday, council approved a motion placing Homanko on leave until the completion of the crash investigation by Pennsylvania State Police.The leave was effective immediately.Council President David Hawk said Homanko, who is employed as a part-time patrolman with the borough, has not worked any shifts since the crash due to his medical condition.State police have not indicated when the investigation will be done, Hawk said.Council was told it could be several weeks.The crash involving Homanko occurred just before 6:30 p.m. May 12, when he lost control of his cruiser on Route 209 between Nesquehoning and Jim Thorpe while attempting to stop a yellow Dodge Neon.The Neon was owned by Michael Cardone of Lehighton, and was being driven by his girlfriend, who has not yet been named.After losing control, Homanko's cruiser struck a vehicle in the oncoming lane, killing the passenger, 69-year-old Carola Sauers, and severely injuring her husband, Michael, 64, who was the driver.Michael, a Pleasant Valley elementary teacher, is still hospitalized at St. Luke's Bethlehem campus, recovering from his injuries.Police from several departments converged on Jim Thorpe and stopped the Neon. The woman driving was given field sobriety tests, then she and her passenger, Michael Cardone, were released. The car was impounded.Cardone, who has been charged in the past by Homanko, told the Times News no charges were filed against either of them after the stop, and that police had not been chasing the car.Details surrounding the crash have yet to come to light. The state police accident reconstruction unit is working to piece together what happened.Councilman Michael Sniscak Jr. also reported that the borough has to submit pictures and other necessary information to its insurance provider on the police cruiser that was damaged in the crash.Homanko, 25, was hired by the borough in December 2012, and also works part time for the McAdoo Police Department.McAdoo has not taken any action on Homanko, according to a spokesman at the borough police department this morning.In related police matter, council voted on two actions to hire part-time police officers.• Officer Joshua Tom, who is employed as a full-time officer in Lansford, was approved to serve as a part-time officer in Nesquehoning, on the condition of receiving his up-to-date medical records.• Officer Christopher Conarty was also approved to serve as a part-time officer on the condition that he complete all hiring prerequisites.Council also voted to advertise for more part-time police officers to help fill open positions.Sniscak asked if the borough would apply for a federal program that pays 75 percent of a new full-time police officer's salary for three years."I think we should apply for the grant and bring our force back to the way it was," he said.Mayor Samuel Kitchko said he thought the grant was for furloughed officers lost because of budget problems, but the borough could try and see what happens.Kitchko also reported the monthly police activity report.Total money received for the money was $3,937.99. Police issued 81 citations, 60 were traffic citations and 21 were nontraffic related citations.Officers also responded to a total of 469 incidents during the month and drove cruisers a total of 4,603 miles.