All Hell Breaks Loose In Pottstown Over The Weekend….Again

Pottstown Borough Hall

Apparently, the inmates are running the asylum in good old Pottstown.  Several shootings, one fatal stabbing and a gas leak happened over the weekend. Sounds like your tax dollars are hard at work. Apparently, council is adding $6 million to the budget bringing it to $44 million.  Frankly, that should include a dozen more police officers and somebody should be reaching out to county and state officials for help.  This mess needs cleaned up once and for all.  It’s the same crap, in the same part(s) of town, over and over again.  We all know it’s drug related, gang related or a turf war etc…  Hey, Ma, “Pass the Section 8 housing please.  I want a heapin’ helpin’ so I can smother it in drugs.”  Happy Thanksgiving, Pottstown style.  Who needs mashed potatoes and gravy ;).  We sure know who the turkey is!

If you check out the Mercury, you can read all about it: http://www.pottsmerc.com/ or https://www.facebook.com/pottstown.mercury.

I can tell you people are scared.  They are afraid to take out their trash at night, drive through town at night etc…  The comments on Facebook by residents are upsetting to read.  You can feel the anger, fear, frustration and almost panic in their comments.  Some think it’s hopeless.

So I say to you, pack the council chambers for meetings and express your outrage to the people who hold the purse strings and can actually do something about it.  Pressure them to clean up Pottstown. They will cave in and do something if enough people complain.  But if the same 20 people show up at meetings every month they pass all this off as a few malcontents and naysayers causing problems. They are more interested in speed traps and tourism than public safety.

There is a bigger problem here than the leadership is willing to admit.  The “keep a lid on the powder keg” strategy has been an #epicfail and proactive policing needs to happen.  Stop putting lipstick on a pig and start throwing money at a huge public safety issue!  People are dying, isn’t that enough motivation?????

Psychologists: Hribal Planned To End Rampage With Suicide

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

Alex Hribal, who felt “alienated” and “ostracized” at Franklin Regional High School, planned on ending his life to cap off a rampage when he stabbed and slashed 21 people at the Murrysville school, a psychologist testified Friday morning.

“He was planning on this being the end of his life,” Dr. Bruce Chambers told Westmoreland County Judge Christopher Feliciani.

Chambers was called as a witness by attorney Patrick Thomassey, who is seeking to have Hribal transferred from the juvenile detention center in Hempfield to a mental health facility.

Thomassey contends the mental condition of the 16-year-old, who suffers from schizophrenia and depression, is deteriorating.

Read more: http://triblive.com/news/westmoreland/6849648-74/hribal-hearing-court#ixzz3EREfTwrj
Follow us: @triblive on Twitter | triblive on Facebook

UPDATE: Wilkes-Barre Police Investigate Reported Stabbing At Sherman Hills

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

WILKES-BARRE, PA — Police are investigating a reported stabbing Friday night at the crime-plagued Sherman Hills apartment complex in Wilkes-Barre that left the victim in critical condition.

A 911 supervisor said the stabbing was reported at 7:30 this evening at Building 320 on North Empire Court. One male was transported to Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center in Plains Township, the supervisor said.

According to a release from Wilkes-Barre police, the victim had a severe laceration to his neck and was transported to a local medical facility.

A representative from Sherman Hills ordered members of the news media off the private property shortly after their arrival.

Read more: http://www.timesleader.com/news/local-news-news/50070675/UPDATE:-Wilkes-Barre-police-investigate-reported-stabbing-at-Sherman-Hills#.U9z_GfRDsxI

Police: Franklin Regional Suspect Said He Had More To Kill

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

A frightening, handwritten note found in the locker of Alex Hribal was dated April 6, three days before he allegedly slashed and stabbed 21 people in a hallway at Franklin Regional High School.

Hribal, a 16-year-old sophomore, wrote, “I can’t wait to see the priceless and helpless looks on the faces of the students of one of the ‘best schools in Pennsylvania’ realize their precious lives are going to be taken by the only one among them that isn’t a plebeian ,” according to a police affidavit.

Investigators on Friday filed 17 more counts of attempted homicide against Hribal, of Murrysville. He was charged as an adult hours after the attacks.

Based in part on the note, Murrysville Sgt. Charles Tappe and Westmoreland County Detective Robert Weaver filed a new complaint on Friday with 21 attempted homicide charges.

Read more: http://triblive.com/news/adminpage/6008319-74/hribal-faces-regional#ixzz300cbMiQn
Follow us: @triblive on Twitter | triblive on Facebook

Lengthy Investigation Ahead In Wake Of Franklin Regional Knife Attack

Map of Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, United States Public School Districts (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Police anticipate a time-consuming investigation of the events leading to the stabbings of 21 students and a security guard at Franklin Regional Senior High School on Wednesday, Murrysville police chief Thomas Seefeld said this morning.

During a news conference at 6 a.m, outside the high school, Chief Seefeld, joined by Westmoreland County emergency management spokesman Dan Stevens and Franklin Regional schools Superintendent Gennaro Piraino, said all evidence had been removed from the corridor of the high school where the stabbings occurred.

“The crime scene has been processed and now witnesses and victims will be interviewed,” the chief said. “Our investigation will be lengthy.”

The chief, asked about the victims of the knife attack, said he had been told that one student had to be taken back to surgery about 1 a.m. today. He didn’t identify the person or the hospital where the person is being treated.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/local/westmoreland/2014/04/10/Lengthy-investigation-ahead-in-wake-of-Franklin-Regional-knife-attack/stories/201404100265#ixzz2yUmc4KXQ

Pennsylvania Ranks 4th In Black Homicide Victims, Latest Stats Show

Map of Pennsylvania (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

PENNSYLVANIA ranked fourth nationwide in black homicide victimization in 2011, according to an organization that ranked the state second in the previous year.

The Washington, D.C.-based Violence Policy Center, which released the new study Thursday, said the latest figures show that Pennsylvania had 29.02 homicides per 100,000 black civilians in 2011.

A study released by the same nonprofit group last year ranked Pennsylvania second in 2010. The state was ranked third in 2009.

In 2011 — the latest year for which FBI statistics are available — blacks accounted for half of all homicide victims nationwide, yet represented 13 percent of the U.S. population.

Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/news/Pa_ranks_4th_in_black_homicide_victims_latest_stats_show.html#SIwjH48fKP1kXpBA.99

The Latest Bloviation From Tom Hylton

Mr. Hylton’s latest “advertorial”, which appears in today’s Pottstown Mercury, would lead us to believe that the most pressing danger to Pottstown residents is car accidents.  Hmmmmm.  I also live in Pottstown Borough but fortunately in a different neighborhood than Mr. Hylton.  Being a resident of this community I also have some insight into what goes on in this burg (although in a more limited capacity than Mr. Hylton, of course).

To think that after the events of the last several weeks, capped off by a historic summit at Invictus Ministries, our greatest threat is car crashes and accidents leads me to wonder if Mr. Hylton lives in Pottstown.  Especially since the events leading up to and after the meeting at Invictus Ministries are in his supposed neighborhood.  Maybe he’s been out-of-town being a keynote speaker?

I do not believe the topic of conversation at Invictus Ministries was car crashes. I could be wrong, but I do not think so.  I had to leave early but from all accounts it was not a topic of concern to residents.

I am certainly not afraid to live here.  I go downtown frequently for events.  After living in and around Pottstown for almost 30 years I am no worse for wear.  However, to say that crime in Pottstown is the same as other towns around us indicates no research was done to support that statement.  Ignoring the current wave of shootings and stabbings is irresponsible.  This problem will not fix itself!

Here is a crime index for selected cities/towns in our area that I researched on City-data.com.  I think the figures speak for themselves.  Car crashes are not included in the crime statistics.  Auto theft, yes.  Auto accidents, no.  Nice try Tom.  A score of 350 – 700 is considered moderate.  Over 700 is considered high.

City	2009
City-data.com Crime Index
US average	319.2
Royersford	242
Spring City	177.9
Birdsboro	135.4
Emmaus	131.1
Pottstown	454.7
Norristown	543.5
Coatesville	567.2
Downingtown	301.5
Easton	303.7
Boyertown	150.4
Reading	547

 

Phoenixville                               167.8 (2008)