Pa. State Senator Charged With Perjury

Mar 27, 07:40 PM

Current Headlines: A Pennsylvania state senator was charged Tuesday with lying about his gun, used by a teenage neighbor to commit suicide.

In addition to perjury, state Sen. Robert Regola was charged with reckless endangerment, allowing possession of a gun by a minor and false swearing, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported.

Regola, a Republican who represents Hempfield in the Pittsburgh area, was in the state capital, Harrisburg, when Louis Farrell, 14, shot himself last year. He told investigators that the gun was kept locked away in his room.

But a friend of his son testified that he had seen the weapon in Regola's son Bobby's room.

Farrell, who was friends with Bobby Regola, had a key to the house so that he could take care of the Regolas' dogs when they were away. His death was ruled a suicide earlier this month after an inquest.

Bobby Regola did not testify at the inquest, invoking the Fifth Amendment.

The family does, however, still have serious questions as to what happened in the woods that evening, and we don't believe that answer will ever be given unless and until Bobby Regola talks, a lawyer for Louis Farrell's parents said.