Tag Archives: crime
Homicide By Vehicle Arrest In Lower Providence Truck Crash
Montgomery County District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman and Lower Providence Police Chief Francis Carroll announce the arrest of Edwin Olivo for Homicide by Vehicle and related charges arising out of an April 27, 2015 motor vehicle collision on South Park Avenue in Lower Providence Township, Montgomery County.
Along with Homicide by Vehicle, the defendant is also charged with Accidents Involving Death While Not Properly Licensed, Recklessly Endangering Other Persons, and multiple summary violations of the Vehicle Code.
An investigation by Lower Providence Township Police and the Montgomery County Detective Bureau revealed that on the morning of the fatal crash, the defendant failed to properly secure the trailer component of his tractor-trailer before setting out from a business in Reading, Berks County. Shortly before 6:00 AM, the defendant was driving on South Park Avenue and failed to maintain his northbound lane of travel. When the defendant quickly attempted to turn back into his own lane, the improperly secured trailer detached from the defendant’s truck and struck the front of an oncoming vehicle travelling in the opposite direction. This vehicle was another tractor-trailer being driven by the victim, Jermon Jeffers. The impact of the trailer into the oncoming truck severed the cab from the tractor, causing traumatic injury to Mr. Jeffers, who was pronounced dead at the scene.
In addition, at the time of the crash the defendant was using a Pennsylvania driver’s license that he acquired when his original New York driver’s license was about to be suspended.
The collision closed this area of South Park Avenue for two days while state and local emergency crews cleaned up the chemicals that both vehicles had been transporting.
The case will be prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Douglas Lavenberg and Richard Bradbury.
The defendant was arraigned yesterday before Magisterial District Judge Cathleen Kelly Rebar. A preliminary hearing is pending.
Victims Of The Charleston Tragedy
This appeared on Facebook so I can’t verify that it’s 100% accurate but I think it’s important to put a face on this senseless act of violence.
Those who lost their lives at Emanuel AME Church are:
• Cynthia Hurd, 54, a manager with the Charleston County Public Library system.
• Ethel Lance, 70, a retiree who recently worked as a church janitor
• Rev. Clementa Pinckney, 41, a South Carolina state senator and pastor at the church
• Susie Jackson, 87, a longtime member of the church
• Depayne Middleton Doctor, 49, former Charleston County community development director
• Sharonda Coleman-Singleton, a church pastor, speech therapist and a high school girls’ track coach
• Myra Thompson, 59, a pastor at the church
• Rev. Daniel Simmons, Sr., 74, another pastor at the church
• Tywanza Sanders, 26, a 2014 graduate of Allen University, where Pinckney was also an alum.
Remember their names. And remember the 5-year-old that survived because her grandmother instructed her to play dead.
Police: Suspect Had Over 1,000 Heroin Packets, Hid Some In His Body
BUTLER TOWNSHIP, PA — What started as a traffic stop ended with a man facing drug charges after police found over 1,000 packets of heroin in his vehicle.
Some of those packets were found in his rectum.
Oliver E. Rivera, 22, of Drums, faces charges of possession with intent to deliver, possession of a controlled substance and use/possession of drug paraphernalia.
Police say they stopped a vehicle that Rivera was driving at 12:35 a.m. on June 10 for traffic violations. During the stop, police say they observed indicators of drug trafficking and discovered more than 1,000 packets of heroin in Rivera’s vehicle.
Read more: http://www.timesleader.com/news/blotter-local-news/154077840/
2 Arrested After Shots Fired In Wilkes-Barre Tenant/Property Manager Dispute
WILKES-BARRE, PA — Two people were arrested after shots were fired during a landlord-tenant dispute, city police said.
An investigation of a report of shots being fired in the area of 113 Blackman St. early Friday afternoon revealed that the incident stemmed from an argument at 64 Bradford St., which is located nearby.
Police said Tanisha Goggins, 30, of 64 Bradford St., and her guest, Nicholas Crooks, 27, of Brooklyn, New York, had been involved in a dispute with Goggins’s property manager, and that Crooks allegedly pointed a gun at the property manager.
Read more: http://www.timesleader.com/news/blotter-local-news-news/154057141/
Comparing Towns: Norristown Police Tactics Focus On Community
Editor’s note: The difference is that when Norristown searches for new employees, they actually hire the best qualified people instead of just moving people up and perpetuating the same bad policies like Pottstown (under the guise that Pottstown is so complicated nobody could come in and “figure it out” in less than a couple years). Sorry, new ideas are needed. Congrats to Norristown for being proactive and embracing change. Apparently, it’s working!
Pottstown and Norristown are the two largest urban areas in Montgomery County and share many of the same challenges, particularly when it comes to crime.
In the wake of the wave of violence in Pottstown which culminated in last month’s arrests of more than 30 people involved in an apparent gang war, a community meeting about crime was held recently in Norristown that focused on what police and authorities are doing now, and how citizens can help.
Norristown Police Chief Mark Talbot Sr. has been asking that question since he took over leadership of that department two years ago, and he’s starting to see answers get results.
In the last two years, major crimes in Norristown have dropped by 20 percent.
Read more:
Suspect In Throat-Slashing, Attempted Murder Of Woman Apprehended In Wilkes-Barre
WYOMING, PA — One of three suspects wanted in the October 2014 attempted murder of a woman in Bear Creek Township has been taken into custody.
State police at Wyoming said they and Wilkes-Barre city police apprehended Jerone Moore, at a residence on North Washington Street, Wilkes-Barre, at about 3 p.m. today.
Police said they received a call on Oct. 5, 2014, reporting a naked, bloody female on Aleeda Road in Bear Creek Township.
The victim suffered a 3-inch-deep laceration from her trachea to her ear. She was transported Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center in Plains Township for treatment.
Read more: http://www.timesleader.com/news/local-news-news/153858219/
Individual Shot At Sherman Hills, Reportedly Being Treated At Hospital
WILKES-BARRE, PA — Police responded to reports of a shooting tonight at the Sherman Hills apartment complex.
The shooting was reported at 320 Empire Court in the crime-troubled complex.
Initially police could locate neither the shooter or the victim.
A Luzerne County 911 dispatcher confirmed that police, ambulance and fire officials were on site in response the report.
Read more: http://www.timesleader.com/news/local-news-news/153819063/
Citizens Action Committee For Pottstown Schedules Another Public Meeting With Montco District Attorney’s Office
Another meeting with Assistant D.A.’s Kevin Steele and Jason Whalley is set up for June 1st, Pottstown Borough Hall, 100 E. High Street, 3rd floor at 7PM
THE LAST TURN OUT WAS FANTASTIC. LET’S MAKE IT HAPPEN AGAIN.
Hopefully we will have another great turnout with an active audience.
I would really like to focus in on additional things that the DA/PPD can be doing to help the residents with their efforts.
• A willingness to pursue property forfeiture (landlords renting to drug dealers and other criminals in Pottstown)
• A standardized form for recording and reporting suspicious/criminal activity if there are any other items that you are aware of or that any people that you have been speaking to think we should be pushing for, please comment or message us.
This is a form that we think could be a good choice for Pottstown. When details matter there needs to be a good reporting method for crime.
http://www.accesskansas.org/…/Is%20That%20House%20a%20Drug%…
The Pottstown Police Department
On May 19 at approximately 9:40 pm the PPD responded to the Adult Book Store located on West High St. for a report of a robbery. The suspects were described as three black males wearing black clothing. One suspect fled north toward W. King St. the other two fled on foot toward Berks St. Anyone that may have information in regard to this robbery is asked to contact the Pottstown Detectives Division at 610.970.6574.
Pottstown Crime Affected By Shorthanded Department, Increase In Drug Trade
POTTSTOWN, PA – There is a fairly simple reason why violent crime in Pottstown seems to have been on the rise in 2014.
The police were short-handed.
“At the beginning of 2014, we were down by 15 officers,” said Pottstown Police Chief Richard Drumheller.
“As a result, we had to pull people off the drug detail and, not surprisingly, we saw an increase in the drug problem,” he said.
Read more:
George Secures Dem Nod For Wilkes-Barre Mayor
WILKES-BARRE, PA — Tony George won the Democratic nomination for mayor in Tuesday’s primary election.
The four-candidate Democratic primary included George, 63, former Wilkes-Barre police chief and current city councilman; George Brown, 64, who retired from a career in business management for international companies and is a current councilman; Darlene Duggins-Magdalinski, 46, a community activist who founded the advocacy group “United We Stand Divided We Fall;” and Brian Kelly, 67, who retired from IBM Corporation as a senior systems engineer and currently works as an information technology consultant.
George will face off against Frank Sorick, 42, Republican, realtor and president of the Wilkes-Barre City Taxpayers Association, in the Nov. 3 general election. Independent nominees/candidates could also still join the general election race.
Democratic Mayor Tom Leighton is not seeking a fourth term for the city’s top position, which currently pays $84,779 per year.
Read more: http://citizensvoice.com/news/george-secures-dem-nod-for-w-b-mayor-1.1884847
Wilkes University Student Wins Democratic Nod For Wilkes-Barre City Council
WILKES-BARRE, PA — Beth Gilbert, a 20-year-old Wilkes University student, easily won the Democratic nomination for City Council in District C, saying voters wanted youth and change in city government.
And change will come, as three of the five council members will be new come 2016, along with a new mayor and a new controller, according to unofficial results.
Gilbert, who will be a senior next year studying political science and international studies, said she felt it was her time to seek political office.
“I didn’t want to wait four more years to run,” Gilbert said Tuesday night. “I’m young and I think voters wanted younger people, new faces, to serve on City Council.”
Read more: http://www.timesleader.com/news/local-news/153590457/
Obama Set To Praise Camden Policing; ACLU Has Concerns
President Obama is expected to speak at 3 p.m. in Camden, where administration officials say he will praise the work of the Camden County Police Department in establishing better ties with the community.
Camden is a “good example of a community that’s putting innovative strategies in place to advance community policing,” Cecilia Muñoz, director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, said in a conference call with reporters Sunday.
Obama chose to visit Camden because of its emphasis on community policing to reduce crime, Muñoz said. She noted that Camden County Police Chief Scott Thomson had testified at one of the task force’s hearings in February.
Camden also is participating in Obama’s “My Brother’s Keeper” initiative, which the president launched last year to address persistent opportunity gaps for boys and young men of color.
Montgomery County District Attorney Press Conference In Pottstown
Hazelwood: Almono Gives Neighborhood A Shot At Recovery
Salvation sits just across the railroad tracks from Alex Bodnar’s Hungarian restaurant on Second Avenue in Hazelwood.
It doesn’t look like much now, just acres and acres of vacant land, graded but idle. But the redevelopment potential of the 178-acre site has raised the hopes of the struggling city neighborhood.
“The good Lord is answering my prayer,” Mr. Bodnar beamed as he stood in the kitchen of his restaurant preparing a bowl of goulash.
For much of the last century, the Monongahela riverfront site has been closely tied to the neighborhood’s fortunes. For decades, the massive coke works that dominated the land brought prosperity. Jobs were plentiful and Second Avenue teemed with grocery stores, shops and restaurants.
Read more:
Wilkes-Barre Mayoral Candidates Talk Crime
WILKES-BARRE, PA — The five mayoral candidates sat before about 200 citizens Monday evening in the ballroom of Wilkes University’s Henry Student Center to lay out their platforms and answer questions on their plans if elected.
The Wilkes-Barre Downtown Residents Association, a nonpartisan organization, held the two-hour long forum, the first of which to bring all city mayoral candidates together before the public. Eileen Kenyon, coordinator for DRA, said the association sponsored the event to give people in the area a chance to come and listen to what the candidates had to say.
“We have to elect a mayor, and we hope this will let them make an informed decision,” she said.
Each candidate gave a brief opening statement before association members moderated a question-and-answer session during which they broached such topics as unpaid pensions of city employees, how to attract wage-earning residents, their assessments of city hall and city resources, and crime.
Read more: http://citizensvoice.com/news/wilkes-barre-mayoral-candidates-talk-crime-1.1875532
Wilkes-Barre Stabbing Suspect Arrested
A Wilkes-Barre man was detained in central Pennsylvania on Sunday following a motor vehicle crash for his alleged involvement in a double stabbing that occurred a few hours prior.
William MacBlain, 29, was taken into custody for reportedly stabbing his roommate, Howard Jakaboski and Jakaboski’s girlfriend Nicole Schneider on Sheridan Street early Sunday morning, police said.
According to an affidavit filed by city police, a report came in around 7:30 a.m. of a male covered in blood standing on the front porch of 77 Sheridan St. Police said his face was entirely covered from an apparent head injury.
The male victim, Jakaboski, told police that his roommate, MacBlain, entered his bedroom while he and his girlfriend, Schneider, were sleeping. Jakaboski said MacBlain began to stab both victims multiple times until the knife broke, according to a report.
Read more: http://citizensvoice.com/news/wilkes-barre-stabbing-suspect-arrested-1.1875356
Wilkes-Barre Shooting Victim Spoke Out About Drug House
WILKES-BARRE, PA — A mechanic who frequently reported criminal activity near his home was gunned down in front of his residence on Willow Street early Friday morning.
Neighbors reported hearing multiple gunshots just after 3:30 a.m. in the area of 62 Willow St., where police found the body of 49-year-old Donald Bachman Jr.
Bachman was pronounced dead at the scene at 4:25 a.m. by Luzerne County Deputy Coroner Tom Moran.
An autopsy by forensic pathologist Dr. Mary Pascucci revealed Bachman died of multiple gunshot wounds. His death was ruled a homicide, Moran said.
Read more: http://www.timesleader.com/news/home_top-local-news/153245723/
Arrest Warrants Issued For 18 Street-Level Drug Dealers In Luzerne County
KINGSTON, PA — A year-long investigation of street-level illegal drug sales resulted in the arrest warrants for 18 people on Thursday.
Teams of undercover drug agents with the state Office of Attorney General and Luzerne County Drug Task Force and police in Edwardsville and Kingston swept the West Side serving arrest warrants at many residences, including one in Wilkes-Barre, beginning at 7 a.m.
As of late Thursday afternoon, 13 people were in custody.
After having their pictures and fingerprints taken at the Kingston Police Department, those arrested were taken one-by-one to be arraigned by District Judge Paul J. Roberts on drug trafficking offenses.
Read more: http://www.timesleader.com/news/home_top-local-news-news/153232072/
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