Colleagues of missing Centre County District Attorney Ray Gricar described him yesterday as an astute, precise, thorough man and a top-notch prosecutor.

Gricar, 59, has been missing since last weekend. He was last heard from at 11:30 a.m. Friday when he called girlfriend Patty Fornicola to tell her he was taking the day off from work to go for a drive.

District Justice Daniel Hoffman, who has known Gricar since he became district attorney in 1985, said Gricar has always presented great cases at preliminary hearings.

"He can present a preliminary hearing as well, or better, than anybody," he said. "Logical, concise and precise would be the three words to describe him."

Hoffman said he worked with Gricar when he was a State College police officer and when he became a district justice.

"I had over 350 drug cases with him as a police officer," he said. "He was always a professional, very astute prosecutor. He never lost one of those cases."

The Bellefonte Police Department, State Police at Milton and the FBI are currently conducting an investigation into Gricar's disappearance.

During Gricar's absence, First Assistant District Attorney Mark Smith has taken over the duties of the district attorney.

State College Police Chief Tom King said he has known Gricar for 24 years, since King moved into the State College area.

"He's a very capable prosecutor, very committed and dedicated to victims," King said. "He's a really good guy."

Centre County Sheriff Denny Nau said he knows Gricar as a "career prosecutor," who does "his job very well."

"His life was very private. He seemed very focused on his work," he said. "When he was at work, he was meticulous and well-organized. He was really dedicated to his job."

King added that he knows Gricar professionally and socially through different retirement dinners for police officers.

"At times, we would be [together] at different social functions," he said. "He's fun to be around, a really pleasant guy."

State College Police Department Sgt. Mark Argiro said that as a police officer, he was confident in Gricar's handling of cases.

"In my opinion, he was very thorough and always prepared for court," he said.

"Especially with violent crime, he was unwavering. It sent a serious message," Argiro added.

King said the recent $5,000 reward offered for information on Gricar is another tool for police to gain information.

"Any case you want information on, it's not unusual to offer a reward. It's appropriate [for this case]," he said. "Police want any information available about this case."

Nau said the investigation conducted by the Bellefonte Police Department and Pennsylvania State Police is looking at "everything" surrounding the disappearance, including possible medical conditions or criminal activity.

"They're not zoning in on one thing. They're trying to cover all the bases," he said.

"[There are] no concrete leads that will take them in one specific direction," Nau added.