Walton man charged with manslaughter

Mar. 17—A Walton man has been charged with manslaughter after an investigation into a December domestic dispute.

Delaware County Sheriff Craig S. DuMond announced Friday, March 17, that deputies and members of the Delaware County Sheriff's Office Criminal Investigation Division arrested Vincent Balsamo, 71, of Walton, on an indictment warrant for manslaughter after a three-month investigation.

According to a media release, Balsamo was allegedly involved in a domestic incident that resulted in the death of April Kestner, 52, of Honesdale, Pennsylvania at Balsamo's residence in the town of Walton in December 2022.

DuMond said Kestner was injured during the domestic dispute and "died several weeks after being hospitalized. She died as a result of those injuries. It's a sad situation."

A search warrant was also issued for Balsamo's residence on Friday and investigators and deputies seized additional evidence pertaining to the case during the search, the release said.

According to the release, the indictment warrant charged Balsamo with one count of second-degree manslaughter, a class C felony, one count of second-degree assault, a class D felony and one count of second-degree reckless endangerment, a class A misdemeanor.

Balsamo was transported to the Delaware County Correctional facility pending a court appearance, the release said.

DuMond said the investigation is "still ongoing and additional charges are likely."

He said it's been a while since the department last investigated a manslaughter case, but wasn't at his computer to say when that was. "It's not something that regularly occurs in Delaware County," he said.

DuMond said in the release that anyone with additional information can call the sheriff's office at 607-832-5555.