PITTSBURGH — A high-ranking official at the state Department of Environmental Protection invested money in the natural gas industry for several years.

StateImpact Pennsylvania reports Monday that ethics filings show Jeffrey Logan, DEP's Executive Deputy Secretary for Administration and Management, owned investments in Cabot Oil and Gas, a natural gas index fund, and Westport Innovations, a major supplier of natural gas vehicle engines. StateImpact is a collaboration between radio stations WITF and WHYY.

DEP spokesman Eric Shirk says the department doesn't view the investments as a conflict of interest, but to avoid even the appearance of a conflict Logan no longer has the industry-related holdings.

It's not clear how much money Logan invested, since forms obtained under the state's Right To Know Law were heavily redacted.

PITTSBURGH — An eastern Pennsylvania police chief says a New Jersey state trooper asked one of his officers not to arrest him on shoplifting charges last month by mentioning he worked on New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's security detail.An attorney for 35-year-old William Carvounis, of North Brunswick, N.J., confirms the trooper has worked on Christie's security detail but denies he asked for special treatment. He also denies that Carvounis shoplifted items from outdoor retailer Cabela's in Tilden Township.But Tilden Police Chief William McEllroy tells The Associated Press, “That is absolutely what occurred.”Police say the trooper asked repeatedly for a break on charges involving merchandise worth about $268, saying he didn't want to lose his job.New Jersey.Watchdog.org first reported the arrest.