Arrest made in '91 death of Poconos camp counselor

HONESDALE, Pa. - A Virginia man has been charged with killing a camp counselor who was sexually assaulted and shot once in the head while on a hike in the Poconos 18 years ago, authorities said yesterday.

Jeffrey J. Plishka, 46, of Onley, was arrested in the 1991 murder of Laura Ronning, 24, of St. Petersburg, Fla., said Wayne County District Attorney Michael Lehutsky. Ronning was working at Camp Cayuga near Honesdale when she disappeared July 27, 1991. Her partially clad body was discovered the next morning.

Authorities soon became suspicious of Plishka, but it was not until an interview this year that investigators were confident enough to make an arrest, Lehutsky said. During the interview, Plishka denied doing anything to Ronning, but twice told police, "I hope I didn't kill that girl," according to court documents. He also asked the investigators what he should do if he later remembered doing something. - AP