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.

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%…

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:

http://www.pottsmerc.com/general-news/20150308/pottstown-crime-affected-by-shorthanded-department-increase-in-drug-trade

Montgomery County District Attorney Press Conference In Pottstown

Pottstown Warrant Sweep Yields 20 Arrests

Montgomery County District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman, Pottstown Borough Police Chief F. Richard Drumheller and Montgomery County Sheriff Russell Bono announce a warrant sweep leading to numerous arrests.

On April 23, 2015, Pottstown Police spearheaded a warrant sweep in the Pottstown area. The following agencies also participated in the sweep: Montgomery County Sheriff’s Department, Montgomery County Detectives Bureau, Pennsylvania State Parole, Montgomery County Adult Probation and Pottstown Borough Code Enforcement.

Twenty people were arrested during the sweep. The sweep also led to a search warrant, which law enforcement served at 25 North Franklin Street, Apartment 309. The search revealed crack cocaine, marijuana, cash, and two firearms. The guns that were located were a .22 caliber Intratech handgun and a sawed-off 12 gauge shotgun. Ammunition for both guns was also located during the search.

Additional marijuana, paraphernalia, and cash were seized during the arrests.

The following people (20) are charged with offenses:

Darryl Branch Jr. – Felony Drug Charges
Aurice Andrews – Felony Drug Charges
Devon Vogelsang – Felony Drug Charges
Christopher Saunders – Felony Drug Charges
Barry Moore – Felony Drug Charges
Ryan Hildebrand – Felony Drug Charges
Darryl Sutton – Robbery / Montgomery County Probation Detainer
Bryson Bridges – Robbery
Stacey Bowers – Chester County Bench Warrant
Daniel Ledford – Berks County Bench Warrant
Ebony Womack – Philadelphia Bench Warrant
Spencer Kinyanjui – DUI Warrant / Montgomery County Bench Warrant
Dustin Duval – Drug Charges / Montgomery County Probation Detainer
James Lewis – Montgomery County Bench Warrant
Brandon Wade – Montgomery County Bench Warrant
David McCorkle – Drug Charges / Montgomery County Bench Warrant
Damien Cody – Montgomery County Bench Warrant
JUVENILE – Robbery
Jared Santos – Montgomery County Bench Warrant
Lushan Goodlett – Felony Drug Charges

Pottstown PD and other law enforcement agencies are currently looking for twelve additional people for felony warrants for drug trafficking. These warrants are the result of a several month-long investigation into street level drug sales in the Pottstown area. The following people are wanted by the Pottstown Police. Anyone with information on their whereabouts is asked to contact Pottstown Police at 610-970-6570.

Malik Attaway
Paris Eleby
Ameer Harris
Darnell Henderson
Kalido Hendricks
Avery Johnson
Kevin Overby
Corey Jackson
Juan Pimentel
Damien Ramirez
Tyree Wingate
Andre Womack

UPDATED: Police Officer Injured In Pottstown Traffic Stop, Suspect Shot By Police After Chase

Pottstown, PA – A Lower Pottsgrove Township police officer was injured and a suspect was shot Thursday night after a traffic stop gone awry.

The officer was making the traffic stop on East High Street in the borough at approximately 8:45 p.m. when a male suspect driving a blue BMW sport utility vehicle did not yield to police signals. The pursuit began at East High Street and Heritage Drive and continued westbound into the 1400 block of High Street where the officers had gotten the vehicle cornered and stopped, according to Lower Pottsgrove Police Chief Michael Foltz.

The officer, whom police have not yet named, then got out of his car to approach the driver.The driver then allegedly hit the officer with the car and the officer began shooting at the vehicle, Foltz said.

Read more:

http://www.pottsmerc.com/20150417/updated-police-officer-injured-in-pottstown-traffic-stop-suspect-shot-by-police-after-chase

Two Arrested In Death Of Pottstown Man

Montgomery County District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman and Pottstown Borough Police Chief F. Richard Drumheller announce the arrest of Richard Collins and Mariah Walton for first degree murder, conspiracy, and related offenses. These arrests are the result of a joint investigation into a homicide, which occurred in the area of Washington and Beech Streets, Pottstown Borough.

On Friday, March 20, 2015 at 11:27 AM, the Pottstown Borough Police Department responded to Washington and Beech Streets for an unresponsive person. The victim, Artie Bradley, age 38, of Pottstown was pronounced dead at the scene. On Saturday, March 21, 2015, an autopsy was performed on the body of Artie Bradley at the Montgomery County Morgue. The autopsy revealed that Bradley died as a result of multiple gunshot wounds. The manner of death was ruled homicide.

The Pottstown Borough Police Department and the Montgomery County Detective Bureau conducted a lengthy investigation, incorporating witness accounts, video surveillance, and various other technological tools they were able to piece together the murder of Artie Bradley. The investigation uncovered an existing relationship between Bradley, Collins and Walton. In the months leading up to Bradley’s murder, Collins and Bradley had a falling out over money.

The soured relationship between Collins, Walton, and Bradley culminated on March 20, 2015 when Collins and Walton were called to assist in an altercation against Bradley’s paramour. This altercation provided Collins and Walton the opportunity to facilitate a confrontation between Collins and Bradley, resulting in Collins fatally shooting the victim, Bradley.

The defendants will be arraigned at Magisterial District Judge Scott Palladino’s Court, which is located at 1 Security Plaza, Suite 101 in Pottstown at 12:30 today.

The cases will be prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Samantha Cauffman.

Two Shooting Victims — One Fatal — Found In Plymouth Were Shot In Norristown

NORRISTOWN, PA – A 28-year-old man who was shot in Norristown Monday night was discovered mortally wounded in Plymouth Township, according to a press release issued by the Norristown Police Department and the Montgomery County District Attorney’s office.

Police were called to the 1200 block of Locust Street at 8:52 p.m. and discovered shell casings and other evidence at the scene. Norristown police said two people were shot. The release stated that while police were investigating, the victim was found in Plymouth Township.

Read more:

http://www.timesherald.com/general-news/20150407/two-shooting-victims-x2014-one-fatal-x2014-found-in-plymouth-were-shot-in-norristown

DA: Ex-Wife, Her Family Members Killed By Military Veteran And Suspect Bradley William Stone In Montco Murder Spree

Authorities are still searching for the gunman who left six people dead in three Montgomery County shootings this morning, but a SWAT team has stormed a Pennsburg home in search of the suspect.

The Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office said police are looking for 35-year-old Bradley William Stone, of Pennsburg, in the killings. Three others were seriously wounded, officials said.

All of the victims have a “familial relationship” to Stone, prosecutors said. They were identified at a 6 p.m. press conference as Stone’s ex-wife, her sister and her sister’s husband, the sister’s teenage daughter, Stone’s former mother-in-law and a grandmother. A teenage son of the ex-wife’s sister was injured in the mayhem that occurred at two separate homes in two towns early this morning.

Montgomery County Court records show Stone had been entangled in divorce proceedings with his wife, Nicole A. Stone, since early 2009. The divorce was finalized in December 2012. Less than two weeks ago, he filed an emergency motion for custody.

Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/news/Police_SWAT_team_responding_to_Lansdale_shooting.html#4EeDx5kfdmipQzgc.99

Pottstown Shooting Death Ruled Homicide

POTTSTOWN, PA — The victim of a fatal shooting Thursday night has been identified.

Steven Mitchell, 20, was found dead in a car in the 400 block of Jefferson Avenue.

Mitchell died from a single gunshot wound to the torso, according to Dr. Walter Hofman, the Montgomery County Coroner. Hofman was not able to confirm where Mitchell lived.

Mitchell’s death was ruled a homicide, Hofman said.

Read more: http://www.pottsmerc.com/general-news/20140606/update-pottstown-shooting-death-ruled-homicide

Douglass (Montgomery) Official IDs Fellow Supervisor As Subject Of D.A. Investigation

Location of Douglass Township in Montgomery County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

DOUGLASS TOWNSHIP (MONTGOMERY COUNTY) — The name of the township supervisor being investigated by Montgomery County Detectives was made public this week — by another supervisor.

At the May 19 board of supervisors meeting, Vice Chairman Anthony Kuklinski said publicly that fellow Supervisor Fred Ziegler is the subject of the county investigation first reported in the Feb. 25 edition of The Mercury.

In February, Township Solicitor Paul Bauer confirmed that the township had referred a matter concerning one of the elected supervisors to the Montgomery County Detective Bureau, but refused to name the supervisor.

Bauer did not return phone messages left at his office Thursday and Friday.

Read more:  http://www.pottsmerc.com/general-news/20140523/douglass-mont-official-ids-fellow-supervisor-as-subject-of-da-investigation

Contractor Gets $1.6M, Apology From Montgomery County DA’s Office

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Montgomery County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office has agreed to pay $1.65 million to settle claims that District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman brought unfounded theft charges against a Radnor building contractor at the behest of a church that counts prominent county officials among its members.

As part of the agreement, confirmed by the contractor’s lawyers Tuesday, Ferman apologized to Walter Logan, a man whose alleged crimes she once described as “particularly despicable” and “really very low.”

Those words, delivered to a TV news crew, came hours after her office charged Logan in 2009 with bilking hundreds of thousands of dollars from Salem Baptist Church of Jenkintown after a contract dispute.

In a statement to Logan as part of their agreement, and released Tuesday by his attorneys, Ferman struck a different tone.

Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/news/breaking/20140426_Contractor_gets__1_6M__apology_from_Montco_DA_s_office.html#QRERrQv5H04R55Bk.99

Teen Charged As Adult With Attempted Abduction And Rape In Lansdale Park Headed For Trial

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Montgomery County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

LANSDALE, PA — A 16-year-old El Salvadoran citizen charged as an adult with the attempted knifepoint abduction and rape of a woman in front of her three young children at a Lansdale park earlier this month waived his preliminary hearing Tuesday, while prosecutors added another charge to the long list of criminal counts he’s facing and Lansdale detectives revealed more information about the teen.

Handcuffed, clad in a red prison jumpsuit and wearing a sullen expression, Gerson Portillo-Guardado was led by Lansdale police into District Judge Harold Borek’s Lansdale court early Tuesday morning, and after conferring briefly with Ayla O’Brien, his public defender, with the help of a translator — as he does not speak English, police said — Portillo-Guardado waived all charges filed against him for trial in connection with the alleged Jan. 13 incident.

Just prior to the hearing, the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office charged Portillo-Guardado with felony attempted kidnapping on top of the 10 charges already filed against him at his Jan. 13 preliminary arraignment — a list that includes felony attempted rape and felony attempted sexual assault, as well as misdemeanor charges of simple assault, unlawful restraint, recklessly endangering another person, disorderly conduct and more.

Read more: http://www.timesherald.com/general-news/20140128/teen-charged-as-adult-with-attempted-abduction-and-rape-in-lansdale-park-headed-for-trial

Charges Filed Against 2 In Pottstown King Street Commons Murder

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Montgomery County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

POTTSTOWN — Police filed charges against a pair of Philadelphia men for the Friday morning murder of George Hashimbey, 22, at the King Street Commons apartments.

Khaleef Jones, 21, and Daquan Hamilton, 20, will both face charges filed Sunday by Pottstown Police in connection to the alleged murder that also left another victim in an area hospital with gunshot wounds.

The second victim was not named but was identified as a 23-year-old man by the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office.

Jones and Hamilton were both officially charged Sunday by the Pottstown Police, according to court documents, which listed the case, as of 4:30 p.m., as “inactive.”

Read more: http://www.pottsmerc.com/general-news/20131230/charges-filed-against-2-in-pottstown-king-street-commons-murder

Investigation Continuing Into Homicide At Pottstown Apartment

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Montgomery County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

POTTSTOWN, PA — One man was killed and another man injured early Friday in a middle of the night shooting in the King Street Commons apartments at King and Charlotte streets.

The victim was identified Friday as George Hashimbey, 22, who was pronounced dead at the scene, according to Montgomery County Coroner Dr. Walter Hofman.

Court records obtained by The Mercury show Hashimbey with addresses in Pottstown and in Philadelphia.

Hofman said Hashimbey died of a gunshot wound to the stomach and chest area. Hofman ruled the death a homicide after the autopsy was completed Friday.

Read more: http://www.pottsmerc.com/general-news/20131227/updated-pottstown-shooting-victim-identified

FOX29 Investigates Local Property Manager

FOX29 investigative reporter Jeff Cole interviews Katy Jackson, a Pottstown civic activist, while trying to get to the bottom of why Affinity Property Management Company, formerly located on High Street in downtown Pottstown, owes their clients thousands of dollars.  The office closed in May.

To watch this segment, click here: http://www.myfoxphilly.com/story/23939642/fox29-investigates-local-property-manager#.UoGxgbf9ra0.facebook

Official: West Pottsgrove Murder Victim Was Shot In The Back

Location of West Pottsgrove Township in Montgomery County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

WEST POTTSGROVE TOWNSHIP — In the day following the shocking murder of a 19-year-old taken by gunpoint from his West Pottsgrove home, who exactly that young man was remains a complicated question.

Kareem Ali Borowy died in the grass at the side of the 2100 block of Sanatoga Station Road Sunday around 2:30 p.m., not long after the abduction from the house on the 1200 block of Manatawny Street.

Montgomery County First Assistant District Attorney Kevin Steele said an autopsy conducted Monday morning determined Borowy died from a gunshot wound to the back.

The manner of death was ruled a homicide, he said.

Several readers told The Mercury that Kareem was the adopted son of Ruth Borowy, who reportedly adopted Kareem and his three siblings — two sisters and a brother — out of Philadelphia and brought them to the Boyertown area.

Read more:  http://www.pottsmerc.com/article/20130506/NEWS01/130509526/official-west-pottsgrove-murder-victim-was-shot-in-the-back#full_story

2 Charged In Shooting Death Of Pottstown Man

The following press release was just issued by the Montgomery County District Attorney regarding murder charges of the March 22 shooting in Pottstown:

Montgomery County District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman and Pottstown Police Chief Mark Flanders and Captain F. Richard Drumheller announce the filing of murder charges against Michael Hinton and Maurice Andrews Jr. for the shooting death of Victor Enrique Bonilla Baez, also known as Vincent Taylor.

On Friday, March 22, 2013, at approximately 2:17 a.m., Pottstown Police responded to the 300 block of Jefferson Avenue for the report of a gunshot victim.  Upon arrival police found Victor Enrique Bonilla Baez lying on the street outside of Brian’s Café.  Baez had suffered multiple gunshot wounds to his torso.  Baez was rushed to Pottstown Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead shortly after his arrival.

On March 22, 2013, Doctor Erica Williams, a Forensic Pathologist, performed an autopsy on Victor Enrique Bonilla Baez.  Following the autopsy, Doctor Williams opined that the cause of Baez’s death was multiple gunshot wounds and the manner of death was homicide.

Read more: http://www.pottsmerc.com/article/20130410/NEWS01/130419952/2-charged-in-shooting-death-of-pottstown-man

Pottstown Codes Deptartment Gets Reprimanded By State

Location of Pottstown in Montgomery County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Editor’s note:  This made the Mercury’s 2012 Top Stories list…always good to keep the shenanigans in Pottstown on our minds!  Be vigilant!

POTTSTOWN, PA — The state agency which oversees code and inspection functions in Pennsylvania has issued a “formal warning” to the Pottstown Codes office for a number of violations, including allowing inspections to be conducted by personnel not certified to perform those inspections.

In a letter issued Oct. 2, the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry informed the codes office manager, Maria E. Bleile, of the results of its complaint investigation.

The letter outlines eight complaints regarding inspections at both commercial and residential properties, ranging from Pottstown Memorial Hospital, to the Salvation Army to four residential properties.

Issues ranged from inspectors conducting “plan reviews” and inspections without the proper certification; to no records of reviews or certain inspections being conducted at all; to missing dates in inspection reports.

Read more:  http://www.pottsmerc.com/article/20121224/NEWS01/121229767/pottstown-codes-dept-gets-reprimanded-by-state

Pottstown Borough Authority Adopts New Policy In Wake Of Water Theft Case

POTTSTOWN,PA — If a silver lining could be said to exist in the case of the landlord accused of stealing borough water at multiple properties, it could be said that it brought the problem to the attention of the authorities.

Or, in this case, the Pottstown Borough Authority.

In June, landlord Frank McLaughlin of East Coventry was arrested  by Pottstown police and charged with theft of services after devices designed to by-pass water meters were found inside multiple properties he owned.

That case is still working its way through the courts, but the borough authority’s board wasted no time in acting at its Nov. 27 meeting and adopting a policy designed to minimize the loss once such a by-pass device has been discovered.

Read more:  http://www.pottsmerc.com/article/20121202/NEWS01/121209923/pottstown-borough-authority-adopts-new-policy-in-wake-of-water-theft-case#full_story