The Bellefonte Police Department announced yesterday that a $5,000 reward is being offered for information about missing Centre County District Attorney Ray Gricar.

Police said yesterday that the reward has been offered by a donor who asked to remain anonymous.

A tip received by police and a suicide that police previously thought might have been connected to Gricar's disappearance have also been investigated and ruled out.

Police said there is no connection between Gricar's disappearance and the suicide of an unnamed person the district attorney had contact with through his job.

A press release yesterday said that the investigation resulted from comments the individual had made prior to his suicide, but no other details were available yesterday.

Bellefonte Cpl. Daniel Holliday said police in Bellefonte and Montgomery County, Md., also investigated a reported Gricar sighting in Maryland, but ruled that out yesterday.

Yesterday, two employees of the antiques shop where Gricar's car was found Saturday said they are nearly
certain they saw him in the store that day.

Craig Bennett, owner of Street of Shops, Lewisburg, said he saw Gricar at noon Saturday waiting outside of the Remember When Café, which is currently being constructed inside the market.

"I'm relatively certain, 95 percent sure, he was here at noontime on Saturday," Bennett said.

Though it is "difficult to say with absolute certainty," Bennett said Gricar appeared to be waiting for someone outside the café for about five to 10 minutes.

Gricar was last heard from when he called his girlfriend, Patty Fornicola, to tell her he was traveling on Route 192 at about 11:30 a.m. Friday. His Mini Cooper was found in the Street of Shops dirt parking lot at 6:30 p.m. Saturday.

Brad Alvey, who owns Remember When Café, said he also told police that he believes he saw Gricar at the Street of Shops around closing time on either Friday or Saturday evening, after police showed him a photograph of the district attorney.

"I have recognized him in the building," Alvey said. "He was in an OK mood. I didn't talk to him."

Bennett said family members have said that Gricar often visited the Street of Shops and Lewisburg Roller Mills Marketplace, both owned by Bennett and located within five blocks of each other.

Bennett said he did not talk to Gricar Saturday, nor could he recall speaking with Gricar in the past, since the market receives about 20,000 customers each month.

"It could be very difficult to try to nail that down," he said.

Bellefonte police have been looking into leads for the past two days, Holliday said.

However, an officer at the Bellefonte Police Department, who would not give his name, said Bellefonte police were not directly involved in the search for Gricar yesterday but were investigating other aspects of the case.

"Right now, none of our personnel are personally out there," he said. "You have different responsibilities delegated to different people."

Police said they have determined that Gricar did not make any purchases at the Street of Shops either Friday or Saturday by using a credit card or check. However, a cash transaction would not have been recorded, Bennett said.

Market surveillance tapes showed no sign of Gricar, Bennett said.

He added that said he could not recall any strange occurrences on Friday or Saturday that could be connected to Gricar's disappearance.

Holliday said the police are still using helicopters and boats to search for Gricar in Lewisburg and along the Susquehanna River.

"We've been looking at all possible leads," he said. "We can't rule out any scenario."

"There wasn't anything suspicious or unusual about him or the vehicle," Holliday added.

Anyone with information on this case is encouraged to call Bellefonte police at 353-2320.