Arts and Entertainment

Administration of justice faculty member narrates 'Cold Case Beaver County'

BEAVER, Pa. -- LaVarr McBride, instructor, program coordinator and internship supervisor in administration of justice at Penn State Beaver, Penn State New Kensington and Penn State Shenango, is the narrator of the Times’ new online program, “Cold Case Beaver County.”

The monthly program began in July and will explore more than 25 unsolved murders in Beaver County with the hope of solving the cases. The first episode investigates the cold case of Industry Township resident Patty Patton, age 4, who was found dead on March 21, 1956.

Viewers will follow detectives and criminologists who have worked on the cases for years, sometimes decades, as they reopen files, seek new evidence, share previously unpublished photos and undisclosed facts, and provide information and insights offered by victims’ families and friends.

Previously, McBride was an assistant professor at Weber State University, Ogden, Utah, and served as the program’s director of criminal justice at Weber State University, Davis Campus. He has worked in criminal justice for more than 30 years and has served as a training specialist with the Office of Defender Service, Washington, D.C.; pre-sentence investigator for federal courts; probation officer; parole officer; correctional officer; and a consultant as a Defense Initiated Victim Outreach Specialist for federal and state cases.

McBride joined the Penn State faculty in 2011 and teaches upper- and lower-level administration of justice courses as well as specialized courses in serial murderers, interrogation, and victimology, which is the study of relationships between victims, offenders and the criminal justice system.

His first book, "Through a Convict’s Eyes: An Overlooked View of the Criminal Justice System,” was published last year and is a first-hand account of former prisoners who shed their pasts to become productive members of society. He is working on a second book on victimology, “Finding Their New Normal.” His article, “Officer Suicide,” appeared in the National Federal Probation and Pretrial Services Association Publication.

The Times is Beaver County’s only daily newspaper. The program is available at www.timesonline.com.

McBride holds a multidisciplinary master’s degree in economics, public administration, and sociology from Utah State University and a bachelor's degree in criminal justice with a minor in psychology from Weber State University. He can be contacted at lwm13@psu.edu or 724-773-3898.

LaVarr McBride, Penn State administration of justice instructor, is the narrator for "Cold Case Beaver County," a new online investigative series. Credit: Penn State / Penn StateCreative Commons

Last Updated August 11, 2014