Mercer man sentenced in woman's death

MERCER, Pa. -- A man who failed to summon help for a woman who died in his home, then concealed her body, was sentenced to three to 12 years in jail by Mercer County Common Pleas Court Judge Michael Wherry on Friday.
Richard Hodge, 44, of West 10th Street, Greenville, had pleaded guilty in September to one count of abuse of a corpse and two counts of corruption of minors, all misdemeanors.
According to court documents, Hodge failed to summon emergency help for a 22-year-old Jefferson, Ohio, woman, when she became ill at his home last May.
According to a police affidavit, a person who wished to remain anonymous had reported to a clergyman, who later went to police, that the woman was using cocaine at Hodge's residence when she had a seizure and died.
Hodge, the only adult present, did not summon help, but instead allowed a 15-year-old boy to perform cardio-pulmonary resuscitation on her.
After an hour of CPR failed to revive her, according to the affidavit, Hodge allowed the boy and another boy, age 16, to help him transport the woman's body in the back seat of a motor vehicle to Andover, Ohio, where he dumped it on the ground. Hodge subsequently returned and buried the woman's body.
Hodge failed to notify the woman's husband or any family member of her death, and the woman's husband later reported her missing.