ERIE — A northwestern Pennsylvania woman pleaded guilty to causing her 6-year-old son's death while driving drunk on her birthday.

Erin Howard, 26, of Corry pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and related charges in the June 14 death of Samuel Carpenter. He was sitting in the front seat and not wearing a seat belt when the car slammed into a creek bank near Corry.

Howard also pleaded guilty to escape.

MEADVILLE — A man pleaded guilty to setting fires that destroyed an amusement park ballroom and damaged a church.Nickolas Dean Pope, 20, of Hartstown pleaded guilty to two counts of arson on Thursday in Crawford County Court.He set fire to the 164-year-old Harmonsburg Presbyterian Church on Jan. 13, causing $180,000 in damage. He also set a Feb. 1 fire that destroyed the 99-year-old Dreamland Ballroom at Conneaut Lake Park, causing an estimated $1.5 million in damage.