Merged Celebrity Ghost Hunter Ryan Buell Arrested for Fraud

[Ernie M]

CORRECTION: There were four reporters who had information or articles linked to in this thread. I incorrectly posted there were three reporters.

The four reporters and where their reporting was either mentioned or linked to in this thread are:

1. Diane Wilson / WTVD, an ABC affiliate station
2. Catherine Townsend / Investigation Discovery’s CrimeFeed website. Investigation Discovery is owned by Warner Bros. Discovery.
3. John Albrecht, Jr. / Erie Echo (now defunct). Possible Penn State University alumnus
4. Jeremy Hartley / Then-reporter for Centre Daily Times centredaily.com

I have to post some information about John Albrecht, Jr, and Jeremy Hartley, and why their reporting was/is relevant to Ryan Buell's case(s), as well as provide context for all four reporters as to the significance and current relevance, to such things which may include and not be limited to:

• Buell's case(s)
• Centre County Courthouse issues
• Penn State University issues
• My interactions and communications with some of those reporters

Some things to keep in mind:

• None of the reporters reported on the resolution of Buell's case(s).
  
• None of the reporters posted court documents housed on Centre County Courthouse's online, WEBIA (Web Information Access) system.
  
  The WEBIA system is run by Centre County (Pennsylvania) government. You had to either go to the Centre County Courthouse and use one of the public access computers in the Prothonotary's Office, or pay for access to the WEBIA system. If you pay for WEBIA access, your first name, last name, an email address, and payment information did-or-would-have, likely been logged possibly by the Accounting Clerk, or Centre County Treasurer. You can see the WEBIA access form in this link to the Centre County Government WEB Information Access (CCG WEBIA) application form.
  
• Does/did the person (reporter) have skin in the game?
  
• Does/did the person's/reporter's employer have skin in the game?

I am not a professional paid reporter. Some people may (or may not) consider me an observer, courtwatcher, community correspondent, info hub captain, or, documenter. Whatever someone may choose to call me, I will present information, that so far, none of the four reporters mentioned above, have told you. Some of those reporters I shared information with, and they didn't make that information public.

There is a lot of information to present. I'm trying to be clear and concise. This is taking a long time. Part of this in a way can be consider a longitudinal study. And yes, after all these years since the beginnings of Buell's cases...this is (still) relevant and in the public interest.

Posted by Ernie Marsh on Wednesday, 03 Jan 2024, at approximately 9:13 AM (EST).

 

[Ernie M]

I was going to add information about two of the four reporters who had articles linked to in this thread before delving into Buell's court proceedings and how I was treated.

But I want to make clear the significance, relevance, and the past-current-future issues, about a foundational principle, Family of Origin.

FAMILY OF ORIGIN issues

"Family of origin" in a general definition, refers to the family we were born or adopted into. It's the people who raise us and who we spend most of our childhood with. (I took that definition pretty much verbatim from a Focus on the Family Canada website). I will add to that definition, later in another post.

It's not important that the particular website had the definition I used. Besides, I need to expand the definition of Family of Origin, as it relates to Ryan Daniel Buell, his involvement with the TV series, Paranormal State, and broken systems.

I am working on my definition of family of origin, and will post it soon.

This is also difficult for me to do. I used the word "delving" earlier in this post. Delving is a good thing. I had a traumatic experience when someone did something when they took actions against me, to prevent me from "delving" into something. What that person did to me was wrong, harmful, and painted me in a false light.

Part of why I've taken so long to get the information out is...this is very painful. I've tried so many times to talk about things and was dismissed.

Writing and talking and eventually making new videos...is therapeutic.

But soon I will post my definition of family of origin issues, and how it relates to Ryan Buell, (alleged) paranormal, broken systems, and how I was treated, how Ryan Buell was treated, and much, much, much more.

 

[Ernie M]

I'm still working to refine my definition of family of origin, but a basic definition remains...

FAMILY OF ORIGIN: It's the people who raise us and who we spend most of our childhood with. Those people may or may not be, the individual’s biological family.

Family of origin people play a significant role in interpersonal dynamics. Those dynamics can lead to later patterns of behavior.

If certain behaviors are reinforced—not extinguished—that can lead to the likelihood that problematic patterns of behavior will re-occur. And, not only will problematic patterns of behavior re-occur, but they can and will potentially get worse.

Put another way, don't reinforce bad behavior or it will reoccur at a greater rate.

Behavior has POSITIVE and NEGATIVE issues:
Duality of circumstance shows that a person wants to avoid the negative, OR, get something positive. This leads to the likelihood that the behavior will re-occur because it was reinforced.

As I work on a better description of family of origin, I want to make clear it also involves issues of reinforcement.

These are my attempts to give explanations, demonstrations, and practical exercises, as to the rise of prominence of Ryan Buell, the TV series Paranormal State, how Buell and his cases were treated at the Centre County Courthouse, how I was treated at the Centre County Courthouse, and other issues including broken systems of which some include but are not limited to Penn State University, and the media.

Some background information:

Ryan Buell has been portrayed as the Director, of the Penn State Paranormal Research Society, student organization.

That is false for two reasons.

False #1: Penn State Paranormal Research Society was never granted Permanent Status as a student organization.

A&E TV also portrayed some Penn State alumni as students, even AFTER a March 28, 2008, email showing the Penn State Paranormal Research Society was placed on "inactive" status.

False #2: Buell couldn't be Director of the Penn State Paranormal Research Society because he wasn't enrolled as a full-time student during the filming of Paranormal State.

Don't look for a copy of any film agreements between Penn State University and A&E TV Networks. Penn State is a land-grant university and doesn't have to publicly disclose the film agreement. So we don't know when A&E first contracted with Penn State to film what would become the A&E TV Network series, Paranormal State.

Some background on the Penn State Paranormal Research Society club:

One problematic issue that plagued the club was getting, and keeping, enough members.

During an attempt to form the club, there was a person who signed-on to be a member. That attempt saw about half the people not to sign on for another attempt to form the club.

But the apparent next attempt to form the club, a cousin of Buell's signed on to be a member. I hypothesize that the other person I mentioned, was likely a friend of Buell's cousin. The reason to have the cousin and other person sign on as members is to try and get enough members to form a club.

And I have to hypothesize again, but if I'm correct, Buell's cousin who signed on, may be the daughter of Buell's mom's younger sister. The father of Buell's cousin, I hypothesize, was a then (during Buell's court cases) Special Agent with the DEA. Penn State has since hired Buell's uncle.

I consider the information as public, and in the public interest. I found the uncle's name simply by reading an online news article, and, public Penn State internet articles.

So a lot of people believe there was a Penn State Paranormal Research Society student organization (club), when in fact, there was no club.

So I have to better relate how this may or may not, be tied into Buell, Buell's family, Penn State, Centre County Courthouse employee behavior by some employees, the entertainment industry, and how I was treated.

 

[Ernie M]

2024 May 18. Correction to definition of family of origin and issues of reinforcement theory:

In my previous post, I posted that "...problematic patterns of behavior will re-occur". While that's true, it should be said that all types of behavior—not just problematic behavior— can reoccur.

I should have written something like,
If certain behaviors are reinforced—and not extinguished—that can lead to the likelihood that patterns of behavior will reoccur.

And continuing with how behaviors relate to family of origin, and reinforcement, it needs to be clear that problematic patterns of behavior reoccur, but can get worse.

Put another way, don't reinforce bad behavior or it can reoccur at a greater rate.

People push boundaries.

In cases of problematic patterns of behavior, people might not face consequences for their problematic patterns of behavior. And if there are little-to-no consequences for bad/problematic patterns of behavior, it is highly likely that problematic patterns of behavior will reoccur, and will get worse.

Family of origin issues, reinforcement theory, and broken systems, are some of the issues that specifically relate to Ryan Daniel Buell, Buell's family, Buell's rise to prominence, Buell's court cases, and, how I was treated.

Certain People, Places, and Things, have committed certain acts that benefited them, and harmed others.

It has been very difficult for me to get even this far. A number of People, Places, and Things, have made some things difficult, and/or impossible. And, I have/had, to struggle to overcome some personal issues.

In 2008 I created a ParanormalStateIllustrated dot com, a website to illustrate false, misleading, and inaccurate information—including fabricated information— portrayed on the A&E TV Network series, Paranormal State. I didn't think the show treated some of the people shown as Paranormal Research Society 'clients', right. I didn't think some of the 'clients' should have been on the show. I have to update that website, and more on that later in posts.

In this Forum, I've been posting chunks of information. My ultimate goal is to Combine the chunks into an illustration of the tangled web of People, Places, and Things, as it pertains to family of origin issues, reinforcement theory, and broken systems, as some of the issues that specifically relate to Ryan Daniel Buell, Buell's family, Buell's rise to prominence, Buell's court cases, and more, and how I was treated.

 

[Ernie M]

I need to make corrections and additions to some previous posts at some point.

Reasons for making corrections and additions include but may not be limited to:

• New information became available
• I accidentally wrote some incorrect things. But I will point out examples where other media outlets have portrayed incorrect (false) information, and where they haven't made any corrections or additions. It's important to understand the differences between what I incorrectly wrote, versus what different media outlets have presented.
• Illustrate some strategies and tactics used to conceal and manipulate as a form of propaganda that can benefit others, at the detriment of others (like what I've experienced first-hand).

Also, I will be comparing and contrasting issues connected to Ryan Daniel Buell, with another case currently in the Centre County Courthouse, pertaining to Penn State student and hockey star Gavin McKenna.

FWIW: The McKenna Project "New Heights" episode premiers tonight (May 21, 2026) on TNT and TruTV, at 11:30 p.m. ET, after Game 1 of Eastern (hockey) Final.

Some issues at hand in the Buell cases, and Gavin McKenna's case are:

• Did Ryan Buell get preferential treatment during his cases from 2016-2017?
• Did/is Gavin McKenna get preferential treatment?
• Penn State is known as a land-grant institution and is not considered a Commonwealth agency. It is run by a Board of Trustees. For the most part, Penn State is exempt from Pennsylvania's Right-to-Know Law. This means various Freedom of Information requests don't apply to certain University records. So don't expect to find out how much Ryan Buell was paid pertaining to Paranormal State tv show. Don't expect to know what the film contracts between A&E Television Networks involved, when they were signed. Don't expect to find out how much Gavin McKenna was paid to attend Penn State. FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act), and HIPPA (Health Insurance and Accountability Act) will shield a lot of insight (and typically, rightly so) from being able to fully understand what is true, what is false, and what may contain instances of both true and false issues, but those that may be distortions, as in biased.
• To what extent has Penn State influenced court cases and public perception of its students, or employees?
• Did I face detrimental treatment and/or harm while at the Centre County Courthouse while exercising my right to freedom of the press? I don't work for a news or media company. I want to post information in part as to events and things as to how people treat other people. Often with a psychological explanation. How people grift, or rip others off.
• Did one or more people use private information as a basis to smear me by painting me in a false light?

-Ernie Marsh
Posted on 21 May 2026, about 3:56 p.m. EDT.

My full legal name is Raymond Ernest Marsh. My friends and most everyone call me Ernie. I live in South Park, in Allegheny County, in the Greater Pittsburgh Area, in Pennsylvania.

I got the runaround at the Centre County Courthouse on 11 May 2026 regarding the Gavin McKenna case.

 

[Ernie M]

I GOT THE RUNAROUND at the Centre County Courthouse on May 11, 2026.

An 8:00 a.m. Criminal Pre-Trial Conference, in Courtroom 1, Monday, May 11, 2026, for Gavin McKenna, with Judge Julia Rater, was published on the Court Docket online through https://ujsportal.pacourts.us/. This pertains to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania v. GAVIN McKENNA, Court of Common Pleas of Centre County, Criminal Docket Number CP-14-CR-0000248-2026. As far as I can tell, no Pre-Trial Conference took place on May 11.

Around 8:50 a.m. Inside Courtroom 1:

I asked a security guard (a Deputy Sheriff) who I should talk to in the Well to verify if the Gavin McKenna case was scheduled to be in Courtroom 1 that morning. The Deputy Sheriff asked some of the court administration employees who were seated or standing nearby.

They said, See [Criminal Court Coordinator Name 1].

Deputy Sheriff pointed out [Criminal Court Coordinator Name 1] to me.

I asked the Deputy Sheriff if it was okay for me to walk into the Well to talk with [Criminal Court Coordinator Name 1]. Yes.

I asked [Criminal Court Coordinator Name 1] if the Gavin McKenna Criminal Pre-Trial Conference was on the Docket this morning, in Courtroom 1.

I don't know. Go see [Criminal Court Coordinator Name 2] in Courtroom 2, they'll know.

(Note, previously: On April 8, 2026, at about 12:50 p.m. in Courtroom 3, [Criminal Court Coordinator Name 1] told me that Gavin McKenna had a scheduled Criminal Pre-Trial Conference. I wrote that scheduled Criminal Pre-Trial Conference, in my 1/2" black 3-ring notebook binder, on the Criminal Docket page I had printed out. After leaving Courtroom 3 where Judge Rater was to be later, I walked to the Prothonotary office in the Courthouse to get a copy of publicly-available documents for the Gavin McKenna Criminal Docket Number CP-14-CR-0000248-2026. To be clear, [Criminal Court Coordinator Name 1] knew back on April 8, there was a Criminal Pre-Trial Conference).

I quickly walked out of Courtroom 1 to go to Courtroom 2.

Around 8:57 a.m. front door of Courtroom 2:

[Criminal Court Coordinator Name 2] comes to the front door of Courtroom 2. They were likely sent a text to alert them I was going to see them.

I introduced myself and asked [Criminal Court Coordinator Name 2] if the Penn State student, hockey player Gavin McKenna case was on the court docket today.

I don't know, replied [Criminal Court Coordinator Name 2]. Go see the prosecuting (deputy) district attorney or his (Gavin McKenna's) attorney.

[Criminal Court Coordinator Name 2] didn't say the names of the prosecuting (deputy) district attorney, or McKenna's attorney.

So I walked around the hallways of second floor of the courthouse to find Centre County District Attorney Bernie Cantorna.

Around 9:00 a.m. at a bench in the hallway adjacent to Courtroom 2:

After walking the hallways asking various lawyers if they saw District Attorney Bernie Cantorna, one lawyer, in the hall by the Attorney Room at the back of Courtroom 1, pointed to Bernie. Cantorna was sitting on a bench down the hallway, adjacent to Courtroom 2. Bernie was talking with a young man. I waited. There conversation stopped.

I introduced myself to DA Bernie Cantorna. Told Bernie my name. Where I'm from. I wanted to observe and write about the Penn State student, hockey player case.

I asked Bernie Cantorna if the Gavin McKenna Criminal Pre-Trial Conference was on the court docket today.

I'm not going to post what Cantorna told me. But I will say Cantorna did not answer yes-or-no if the McKenna Criminal Pre-Trial Conference was on today's Docket. I will say that District Attorney Cantorna replied with a question.

I asked District Attorney Bernie Cantorna a simple question other than the effect: Was the Gavin McKenna case on the Court Docket today?

Cantorna replied with a question! In a cocky attitude, Cantorna goes on to tell me to talk to his (Gavin McKenna's) attorney.

Cantorna didn't tell me the attorney's name. But I knew who McKenna's criminal defense attorney was. I met that attorney back in 2017. They asked me to leave the Centre County Courthouse. I was attending court proceedings of another Penn State student. I got the sense those court proceedings were part of a scheme. A scheme that involved a former Penn State Student, Penn State, biased media interests, lawyers, and Centre County Courthouse employees.

Around 9:06 a.m. inside the Attorney Room behind Courtroom 1:

I asked Gavin McKenna's lawyer about the Criminal Pre-Trial Conference. I won't post the lawyer's response.

Around 9:10 a.m. – 11:43 a.m. inside Courtroom 1:

I listened to cases in front of Judge V. Oliver inside Courtroom 1, until about 11:43 a.m when court administration people in the Well, and everyone walked out.

Around 11:45 a.m. inside Courtroom 1:

[Criminal Court Coordinator Name 1] was still in the room. I asked if court was done. Yes. Criminal Pre-Trial cases are done.

Around 11:47 – 11:50 a.m. inside Courtroom 1:

Two people talked with me. I won't post what all was said, but someone knowledgeable about the morning cases said they were not aware of the Gavin McKenna case.

One person left. I thanked them. The other person stayed and talked with me.

I showed them the page in my notebook binder that I printed out from the ujsportal.pacourts.us portal; Commonwealth of Pennsylvania v. GAVIN McKENNA, Court of Common Pleas of Centre County, Criminal Docket Number CP-14-CR-0000248-2026. I pointed out that McKenna was to have Pre-Trial Conference. At 8:00 a.m. in Courtroom 1 before Judge Julia R. Rater. But that didn't happen. Judge Oliver was in Courtroom 1. Court proceedings started somewhere on or around 9:00 a.m. before Judge Oliver, not Judge Rater.

The person asked why I was here.

I told them I wanted to compare and contrast two criminal court cases that involved Penn State students and to see if they received preferential treatment. I didn't use the term "case fixing," but I get the sense that the Gavin McKenna case, and Ryan Daniel Buell cases from 2016–2017 were examples of case fixing. And I lost money on hotel stays, and gas when I went to attend court proceedings for Buell, and now May 11, 2026 pertaining to Gavin McKenna– that were on the court docket– but proceedings that never happened.

SUMMARY OF 11 MAY 2026 RUNAROUND at the Centre County Courthouse

Criminal Pre-Trial Conference at 8:00 a.m. in Courtroom 1, was posted online on the ujsportal.pacourts.us portal, that Criminal Docket Number CP-14-CR-0000248-2026 was scheduled before Judge Julia Rater. Judge Oliver was in Courtroom 1 that morning, not Judge Rater.

[Criminal Court Coordinator Name 1] I wanted to verify if the Criminal Pre-Trial Conference took place at 8:00 a.m., or at 1:00 pm.––someone may have changed the time on the Important Notice of Required Court Appearances. [Criminal Court Coordinator Name 1] told me they didn't know if the McKenna case was on the court docket. They told me to go Courtroom 2 to talk to [Criminal Court Coordinator Name 2].

[Criminal Court Coordinator Name 2] told me they didn't know if the McKenna case was on the court docket. They told me to talk to the prosecuting district attorney or McKenna's attorney.

District Attorney Bernie Cantorna didn't answer my question if the McKenna case was on the Docket. Cantorna replied with a question, and told me to talk to McKenna's attorney.

Jason Dunkle, McKenna's attorney told me [response].

I haven't been able to verify if any court proceeding took place on May 11, 2026. I left the courthouse May 11, 2026, around 12:00 pm.

MAY 13, 2026, 8:43 a.m. PHONE CALL TO COURT ADMINISTRATION:

I called the Centre County Court Administration office to see what happened on May 11, 2026 pertaining to the Gavin McKenna, Penn State hockey player, Penn State student, case. [Criminal Court Coordinator Name 2] answered. Three times I asked if they knew what happened regarding the Gavin McKenna case that was supposed to happen at 8:00 a.m. in Courtroom 1.

I didn't say this to the coordinator, but I stayed in a hotel room that cost about $429 (room costs about doubled due to it being during three days of Penn State graduation ceremonies), spent about $38 for some delicious authentic Mexican food and a fountain drink Coke, plus gas money and tolls to drive the three-ish hours up, and three-ish hours to drive home. The May 11 courthouse visit cost me about $600.

[Criminal Court Coordinator Name 2] gave two similarly-worded answers, to the effect that there's no further information to offer at this time.

MAY 27, 2026. About 2:26 a.m. I checked the ujsportal for any updates. The last "ENTRIES" were dated 04/02/26 pertaining to Arraignment Waived.

Depending on how one might count the days, it could mean that 11 business days have passed since the scheduled Pre-Trial Conference was supposed to have taken place, and no new information has been posted regarding that Criminal Pre-Trial Conference, or any other action such as a continuance.

-Ernie Marsh
Posted on 27 May 2026, about 3:03 a.m. EDT.

My full legal name is Raymond Ernest Marsh. My friends and most everyone call me Ernie. I live in South Park, in Allegheny County, in the Greater Pittsburgh Area, in Pennsylvania.