Amanda Becker

An Ephrata woman charged with stealing a vehicle is also facing assault charges.

An Ephrata resident in the 500 block of East Main Street reported to police April 4 that his Dodge mini-van was stolen sometime overnight. He named Amanda Becker, 20, of Ephrata as a suspect. Becker was an overnight guest of the victim’s daughter.

Becker appeared at District Judge Russell’s office, 609 East Main St. in Ephrata for a preliminary hearing on a prior unrelated charge at 1:50 p.m. April 4. Becker was unable to post bail set on the prior charge. When Becker was taken into custody by police, she kicked a police officer and was charged with assault.

Becker was interviewed about the vehicle theft. She admitted to the theft and provided police with the location of the stolen vehicle. She was charged with theft of the vehicle.

Becker is currently incarcerated in Lancaster County Prison on multiple charges.

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The Ephrata Police Department reported the following:

DISORDERLY CONDUCT – Police were called for a disturbance in the area of 44 Akron Road, Ephrata, at approximately 9:19 p.m. March 31. Citizens reported screaming, yelling and banging of objects in that area. Police found Christina Keller, 32, and David Ravel, 35, both of 44 Akron Road, Ephrata, engaged in a loud verbal altercation to the rear of the properties. Keller and Ravel are to be cited for disorderly conduct for disturbing the neighborhood; both will be sent a summons for the offense.

WARRANT – Police conducted a vehicle stop in the area of East Main Street and Pleasant Valley Road, Ephrata Township, April 2 and discovered the driver to be wanted out of Chester County. Police stopped a gold-colored sedan driven by Santos A. Rosa, 35, of Talmage (WestEarlTownship) and found Rosa to be wanted out of Parkesburg, ChesterCounty, on drug charges. Rosa was taken into custody without incident and turned over to Parkesburg Police. Also in the vehicle was a 17-year-old LancasterCity male listed as a runaway from LancasterCity; he was turned over to Lancaster City Police Department to be returned home.

BURGLARY – Police investigated an early morning burglary at a business in the Cloister Shopping Center in the 100 block of North Reading Road, Ephrata Borough, at 5:35 a.m. April 4. A suspect defeated the lock on a back door and took a small amount of cash from the office.

THEFT – A registration plate was taken from a vehicle parked at a business in the 1100 block of South State Street April 4.

CRASH – Kelsey Copenhaver, 18, of Stevens was driving a Volkswagen Jetta north at 9:27 p.m. April 6 on Route 272 and attempted to make a left turn onto Academy Drive. He turned into the path of Robert Chang, 19, of Ephrata, who was driving a Toyota Celica, and going south on Route 272. Both vehicles were towed from the scene. Chang and his passenger were taken to LancasterGeneralHospital for injuries.

THEFT – A resident in the 400 block of North State Street, Ephrata Borough, reported April 7 that someone entered their residence via an unlocked window during the last two weeks and stole jewelry valued at approximately $9,900.

The Northern Lancaster County Regional Police Department reported the following:

CORRUPTION – Police responded to the 2100 block of West Main Street in Ephrata at 2:31 p.m. April 5 and served an outstanding bench warrant on Jason Lloyd Shirk, 33, of that address. Shirk was taken into custody and to the Lancaster County Prison without incident. Shirk was also charged with corruption of minors/ furnishing alcohol to minors after he was investigated for allegations of child abuse after he had sexual contact with a 16-year-old female. Shirk also provided the female with beer and vodka.

The Northern Lancaster County Regional Police Department serves Warwick, Penn and Clay townships.

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Three members of an Ephrata family have been placed on probation for subjecting an infant boy to live in a filthy mobile home, along with more than 100 animals.

William, 24, and Pearl Herman, 25 &tstr; the boy’s parents &tstr; each will serve three years on probation, while the boy’s grandfather, Robert Herman Sr., will serve two years, according to an Intelligencer Journal article.

All were charged last year with misdemeanor child endangerment when investigators found the 1-year-old boy living in “deplorable conditions.” The men also were charged with animal cruelty.

The mobile home contained 105 animals in all, including parakeets, pigs, dogs, turtles, chickens, a dead rabbit and a chinchilla.

Robert Herman Sr. said at a previous court hearing the family had planned to buy a farm and temporarily housed the animals in a mobile home in the 800 block of East Main Street, the article said.

All three pleaded guilty; the parents were sentenced last month.

Assistant District Attorney Christine L. Wilson, who prosecuted the case, said urine and feces were on the floors and splattered on walls.

Officials wore Haz-Mat gear inside to investigate the home, Wilson said.

The child is living with the parents in another home.

Many of the animals were relocated to homes by Lancaster County Animal Response Team, according to Wilson.

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Brittany Lee Taylor

A store clerk and her two friends robbed a convenience store in Ephrata April 10.

Ephrata police are seeking Brittany Lee Taylor, 23, Anthony Joseph D’uva, 25, and Damion Lee Good, 24, all of Ephrata.

Police were dispatched to the convenience store in the 500 block of West Main Street, Ephrata Borough, at 2:32 a.m. A patron found the Pricetown Ephrata Gas and Food Mart, open, but vacant.

Store management responded and reviewed surveillance video. Police said the on duty night shift clerk (Taylor) and two male friends removed $12,590 worth of merchandise including cigarettes, smokeless tobacco products, health and beauty products, automotive fluids, and food from the store without paying for them. The trio also removed $1,453 in cash from the registers and safe.

Police have been unable to locate the trio and have obtained arrest warrants charging them with felony retail theft, theft by unlawful taking and conspiracy.

Family and friends of the suspects are known to reside in Ephrata, Manheim, Luzerne County and Beachwood, N. J. Anyone with information on the location of these suspects is asked to contact police at 733-8611.

Damion Lee Good

Anthony Joseph D’uva

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The Ephrata Police Department reported the following:

PERSON STRUCK -An 11-year-old female was struck by a west bound vehicle when the child walked into the 900 block of Rettew Mill Road in Ephrata Township at 3:30 p.m. April 11 without looking for approaching vehicles. The child was taken to the hospital with minor injuries.

BICYCLIST STRUCK -A 17-year-old male was struck when he rode his bicycle from the sidewalk into a vehicle turning onto Cloister Avenue at Martin Avenue at 5:12 p.m April 11. The male was taken to the hospital with minor injuries.

CRASH -The driver of a vehicle northbound in the 100 block of Church Avenue suffered a sudden medical condition and drove into the back of a parked vehicle at 9 a.m. April 13. The driver complained of neck pain and the parked vehicle was towed from the scene.

DISORDERLY CONDUCT -Justin Michael Eichelberger, 31, was cited with disorderly conduct after he created a loud disturbance outside his residence at 911 Ivy Lane in Ephrata Township by yelling and breaking things at 10 p.m. April 13.

DUI -Marshall F. Drobnak, 22, of 48 Colonial Crest Drive, Lancaster, was arrested on suspicion of DUI after he crashed a pickup truck into a light pole at 1702 W. Main St., Ephrata Township, 11 p.m. April 13. Drobnak was the only occupant of the vehicle and was not injured in the crash. Charges are pending blood test results.

RETAIL THEFT -Loss prevention employees reported a male walked out of the Walmart, 890 E. Main St., Ephrata Township, April 11 with a pair of boots that he did not pay for. Police located the male in the parking lot and identified him as Chester Floyd, 33, of Lancaster. Floyd was issued a citation for retail theft.

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A three-vehicle accident in Ephrata Township injured five people Monday night, according to police.
Frieda Schmidt, public relations manager at Lancaster General Health, said Tuesday that Reuben Weaver III, 62, of Ephrata was in critical condition and Roseann Martin, 29, of Newmanstown was in serious condition from the accident that occurred at 7:10 p.m. at Schoeneck and Springville roads. Schmidt said that Inderpal Kaur, 28, of Ephrata was treated and released.
The names of two passengers were not released by Ephrata Police, so the hospital could not report on their conditions.
Police said a vehicle driven by Kaur pulled from a stop sign westbound on Springville Road and struck a pickup truck being driven north on Schoeneck Road by Martin.
The collision sent Martin’s truck into the southbound lane of Schoeneck Road where it struck a car driven by Weaver.
Weaver and Martin were both entrapped and sustained serious injuries.
All three drivers, and two passengers in Martin’s truck, were taken to Lancaster General Hospital for treatment.

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An arrest has been made regarding two burglaries that occurred at Kmart in Ephrata Township.
Timothy J. Schittler, 23, and from the 500 block of North Plum Street in Lancaster City, is charged with two counts of burglary and two counts of theft by unlawful taking.
Police said the investigation began last year when the first burglary occurred in the early morning hours of June 3, 2013. During the burglary, the suspect forcefully entered the store and stole numerous items of jewelry. The second burglary occurred in the early morning hours of March 25. During that burglary, the suspect forcefully entered the store and again stole numerous items of jewelry. The total amount of jewelry stolen during both burglaries is estimated to be approximately $71,000.
The police requested the help of the public through Crime Stoppers and received information that assisted investigators. On April 25, Ephrata Police, assisted by Lancaster City Police and Lower Pottsgrove Police (Montgomery County) arrested Schittler. He is currently being held at the Lancaster County Prison. The accused in this case is innocent until proven guilty in the court of law.

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A boiler explosion that killed a 27-year-old Ephrata man Friday at a Berks County firm was accidental, but the exact cause is still under investigation, officials said Monday.

Jacob John Lopez, a father of two young sons and a 2006 Cocalico High School graduate, died early Saturday, hours after the incident at Timet, a titanium plant in Morgantown Business Park near the Pennsylvania Turnpike.

Jacob  John Lopez

The explosion erupted from a boiler using titanium for production, state police Trooper Thomas Finn wrote in a press release. He said a state police fire marshal investigation yielded nothing criminal about the incident.

The boiler that exploded is 20 to 25 feet in diameter with walls 5 or 6 feet tall, according to state police.
Several employees were in the area when the blast occurred.
Lopez reportedly was discovered by rescue crews, trapped beneath a piece of equipment.
Dr. Bruce Sensenig, superintendent of the Cocalico School District, confirmed Lopez’s graduation in 2006. He said Lopez attended the Willow Street Career and Technology Center during his senior year.
“They (Lopez’s high school principal and counselor) report he was a very popular and well liked student while attending Cocalico,” said Sensenig. “This is a sad and tragic event.”
Lopez was born in Lansdale and is the son of John and Terry (Morgan) Lopez of Denver. He was the fiance of Kelly J. Tshudy and was the father of two sons.
He had been employed by Timet for three years.
A visitation will be held Thursday at 10 a.m. at Mt. Zion Baptist Church, 3 Denver Road, Denver, followed by a funeral service at noon. Interment will be in Mellinger’s Union Cemetery.
According to the Reading Eagle, police responded to Timet for a report of an explosion at 10:59 p.m. Friday in the plant’s melt shop. There was no fire when police arrived at 11:05 p.m.
Two other plant employees were injured in the explosion and taken to Reading Hospital. Their names and conditions were not available.
Timet, a manufacturer of titanium-based metal products, has locations worldwide. The company has not yet released a damage estimate.
The incident is being investigated by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
OSHA investigations typically can take several months.

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Dog law officers responded last week for the third time to a property owned by serial dog hoarder Barbara E. Dienner.
The Pennsylvania SPCA’s action in seizing 19 dogs March 27 from Dienner’s property on the 800 block of Ballstown Road brings the total number to more than 110 dogs removed from her custody since 2012, according to court records.
Dog officers on Dec. 16 removed 62 dogs from deplorable conditions inside and out of Dienner’s property located about half way between Lititz and Ephrata in Rothsville, Warwick Township.

While no charges have been filed yet from the March 27 raid, a clerk from District Judge Edward Tobin’s office said charges are expected be filed there.

Tobin on Feb. 18 finalized sentencing Dienner on the Dec. 16 incident where she pled guilty to 62 counts of summary animal cruelty.

According to court records, Dienner was ordered to undergo a psychological evaluation.

Tobin’s office on Tuesday referred questions about that case to the SPCA.

Court records note that Dienner had “180 days to complete psychological evaluation and avail herself of any recommended treatment.

Proof must be submitted by August 14, 2015 or full fines/costs will be assessed.”

In November 2011, the Bureau of Dog Law filed misdemeanor charges against Dienner for operating an illegal kennel on a property in Gordonville. In that case, which was adjudicated in Feb 2012, Dienner pleaded guilty to 37 counts in all, relating to dozens of dogs investigators found last year at her home in the 200 block of Queen Road.

Dienner agreed to pay a $1,150 fine and surrender all but five of her dogs, according to a court order. She was also charged in 2011 with operating an illegal kennel on her property in Gordonville.

“Unfortunately it does not appear that the previous charges and penalties were a sufficient deterrent for Ms. Dienner. Too often in our work we find repeat offenders,” responded Pennsylvania SPCA CEO, Jerry Buckley.

In Tobin’s Feb 15 ruling, Dienner was ordered to pay a $50 fine on the 62 counts and is prohibited from owning more than one spayed/neutered dog for 90 days from the court date for each count. She was cited for unsanitary confinement and lack of necessary veterinary care.

Dienner’s pattern of disobeying authorities and the court are well documented, according to newspapers reports.

Dienner was cited more than a dozen times in the summer of 2011 for animal cruelty and related offenses. During one visit to the home, officers served Dienner with a cease-and-desist order, according to an affidavit of probable cause.

When the officers returned months later, Dienner hadn’t obeyed the order, the affidavit shows. Finally, in November 2011, the Bureau of Dog Law filed misdemeanor charges for operating an illegal kennel.

Similar to the animals seized in the most recent raids, the dogs removed from Dienner’s residence in 2012 were smaller breeds, such as miniature poodles, poodle/spaniel mixes and terrier mixes,

Patrick Burns is a staff writer for The Ephrata Review. He welcomes your questions and comments and can be reached at pburns.eph@lnpnews.com or at 721-4455.

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Police continue to search for a man who pulled off a daring mid-day bank robbery in downtown Ephrata last Thursday.

The man entered a small walk-up area at the Ephrata National Bank branch drive-thru at 42 E. Main St., Ephrata police Lt. Thomas Shumaker said Tuesday.

A man assumed to be in his 20s entered the inside counter around 2:25 p.m. on July 16, displayed a small black handgun and demanded money from a teller.

The man then fled the bank on foot with an undetermined amount of cash, police said.

The Ephrata National Bank is just across the street from the bank’s historic main office on Main Street and near several other businesses.

Police said the suspect is a 5-foot-11 white male who wore a black-and-white plaid, button-down long-sleeve shirt, and a red baseball cap. A dark colored bandanna partially covering his face.

Also found at the scene was a broken piece of wood, 18 inches long and two inches wide, which appears to be from a fence or some type of outdoor wooden furniture or structure, police said.

While a surveillance photograph of the robbery suspect was released, the photo has not led to successful tips about his identity or whereabouts.

Shumaker said Ephrata Police on Tuesday were still tracking down leads and asking for the public’s help in apprehending the suspect.

A map showing the distance between the two bank that were robbed.

The robbery evokes memories of one that occurred at the Ephrata National Bank in Earl Township in March.

Ephrata National Bank released similar photos of both robberies, which occurred exactly four months apart and took place exactly four miles apart along Route 322.

Public comment on social media criticized the quality of the photos released by ENB as being out of focus and grainy.

Shumaker refused to speculate on any connection between the two cases or that the March 16 robbery could have inspired the one in Ephrata last week.

A security camera caught this image of the bank robbery that took place in East Earl in March.

New Holland Police continue to investigate the March 16 case where a robber entered the ENB at 935 N. Railroad Ave. at 9:30 a.m. on a Monday. That suspect handed the teller a note and did not display a weapon.

Customers were inside, but no one was injured.

In each case, the robber got an undisclosed amount of cash.

While the Ephrata robber escaped on foot, the one in East Earl ran across Route 322 and entered the passenger side of a dark green, four-door vehicle, possibly a Volkswagen. The car’s driver was waiting for him, and the vehicle was last seen going north on Wanner Road.

Anyone with more information regarding the suspect or the piece of wood is asked to call Ephrata police at 733-8611.

Patrick Burns is a staff writer for The Ephrata Review. He welcomes your questions and comments and can be reached at pburns.eph@lnpnews.com or at 721-4455.

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The Ephrata Police Department is in pursuit and asking for the community’s help as they chase after a cure for breast cancer throughout the month of October.

Cops in Pursuit of a Cure is a fundraiser started by the department and staff that benefits the PA Breast Cancer Coalition.

Police Chief William Harvey said this came about when he was approached by staff members who wanted to do a project that benefited women and also showed the police department in a positive light.

“There is so much negativity going on throughout the United States today with police work and we wanted to do something positive and good to help others, other than in our traditional roles,” Harvey said. “They came to me with the idea of raising money for breast cancer and, of course, October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, so we reached out to the PA Breast Cancer Coalition.”

Harvey said they had a meeting with the PBCC, learned how they could raise money and awareness, and the project took off from there.

The project was started less than a month ago by Karen Leisey, Stephanie Fasnacht and Nadine Carpenter. Lt. Chris McKim was also instrumental in getting things started. The threesome also said they appreciate all the support the department has given.

The official kickoff was the Ephrata Fair parade.

“Our goal is to raise $5,000 by Oct. 31,” Leisey said.

Leisey said the PA Breast Coalition’s mission is: “Finding a cure now, so our daughters won’t have to.”

“We kind of jumped on that and added granddaughters since some of us have granddaughters,” she said, “and I’m sure every single one of us that works here has been touched by some kind of cancer, whether they have personally dealt with it or have a relative that has.”

Leisey said they also chose the PA Breast Coalition because all the money will stay local.

According to information from the coalition, it is a statewide organization based in Lebanon with a board of directors, a staff of eight and a network of volunteers across the state. The PBCC exists to help the 12,000 women in Pennsylvania who will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year, to support the families of the 2,200 women who will lose their battle and to serve as a resource for the hundreds of thousands more women currently living with the disease.

They accomplish this through statewide educational programming, legislative advocacy and breast cancer research grants.

The threesome shared their personal reasons for starting the project.

“I lost my mother to breast cancer almost 25 years ago and I watched what this horrid disease did to her, what it did to her body and what it did to her emotionally,” Leisey said. “I also watched what it did to my dad and what it did to my whole family. So I’m doing it in memory of her.”

Simple words had a powerful effect on Fasnacht.

“After reading their (the PA Breast Cancer Coalition’s) slogan, ‘finding a cure now, so our daughters won’t have to,’ that really got to me. To help that happen, I’m going to try. That really affected me when I read that.”

Carpenter’s life has also been affected by cancer.

“My life was touched by cancer and I have granddaughters,” she said, “so I’m looking out for them.”

To make a donation, visit the website pbcc.me/epd. There will be a dropdown menu. You can select an individual team participant or the police department to make a donation. The amount will show up there and toward the department’s total goal, which is $5,000.

You can also donate by check; cash is not accepted. Checks should be made out to the Pennsylvania Breast Coalition and mailed to the police department at 124 S. State St., Ephrata, Pa. 17522.

As for if this will become an annual fundraiser, that depends on the success of this year’s event.

“We are hoping this is the start,” said Fasnacht. “We could possibly do it again or another cancer. Or maybe something like domestic violence.”

It is also depends on the community’s response.

“No amount is too little,” said Leisey.

For questions, call 738-9200 then press zero.

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A Lititz woman struck by a vehicle Monday evening while walking her dog in Lititz died early Tuesday morning.

Karen D. Grover, 55, died after receiving life-saving efforts, including CPR administered by emergency responders at the scene and surgery at Lancaster General Hospital, said Brett A. Hambright, spokesman for Lancaster County District Attorney Craig Stedman.

Grover was struck around 5:45 p.m. as she crossed the 400 block of Woodcrest Avenue in the southbound lane, where the posted speed limit is 35 mph.

Edward T. Blazer, 83, Myerstown, was driving the vehicle. Hambright said Blazer stopped at the crash scene immediately and cooperated fully with police.

Although no charges have been filed so far, Lititz Borough police are still investigating.There will be no autopsy, officials said.

Grover’s dog sustained injuries and survived after treatment at an animal hospital.

Police ask anyone who witnessed the incident to contact them at 664-1180.

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The East Cocalico Police Department reported the following:

WARRANT: Police stopped a vehicle driven by James Becker, 31, Wernersville, for a traffic violation in the 2100 block of North Reading Road Nov. 18. After offering a fictitious name and date of birth, proper identification was made and it was discovered that bench warrants were in existence out of both Lancaster and Montgomery counties for Becker. He was turned over to Lancaster County sheriff deputies. He also faces charges of marijuana possession and providing false identification to law enforcement.

BURGLARY: Police arrested Joseph Carothers, 36, Denver, and charged him with burglary, theft, criminal mischief, simple assault, and recklessly endangering after he broke in to a residence in the first block of North Reamstown Road in East Cocalico Township at 8:35 a.m. Nov. 19. He was arraigned before District Judge Nancy Hamill and committed to Lancaster County Prison in lieu of $150,000 bail.

BURGLARY: Unknown persons entered a garage in the 200 block of North Sixth Street in Denver Borough Nov. 22. Items taken include a Yamaha motorcycle, a shotgun, and a cordless tool kit. The value of the items stolen is approximately $7,000.

ASSAULT: Police are investigating an assault that occurred in the 100 block of East Main Street in Adamstown Borough Nov. 23. Donald Yerger, 41, Reading, states that he was assaulted by Patrick E. Worley, 46, Adamstown. The investigation is ongoing.

The post Cocalico area police log appeared first on Ephrata Review.

Trash hauler fined for early morning pick-ups

Ephrata Police have cited Joseph A. Colon of Columbia, for violating an Ephrata Borough ordinance for early.

Police cited him for collecting trash at 4:30 a.m. on Tuesday  Dec. 1.

Ephrata Borough’s ordinance restricts  trash haulers  to begin trash collection before 5 a.m.

Ephrata Police recently received several complaints from citizens in the area of a local restaurants in the 1000 block of South State Street regarding excessive noise due to a local trash company picking up business’ trash prior to 5 a.m. and causing a disturbance.

Ephrata Police reported: A local trash hauler truck being driven by Joseph A. Colon, at 4:30 a.m. Tuesday, engaged in off-loading a business dumpster in the 1000 block of S. State Street prior to when the ordinance allows.

Colon will be sent a summons for the ordinance violation, police said.

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Local and federal law enforcement officials are trying to find out who set off a pipe bomb near an apartment building in Akron, sending shrapnel flying through one of the occupied units.

“There is no doubt that this detonation could have inflicted serious bodily injury or death,” Akron Borough police Chief Tom Zell said Monday.

No one was injured in the Nov. 27 blast.

Explosive specialists were called in from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

The pipe bomb was detonated shortly after 4 p.m. in a wooded area behind an apartment complex in the first block of North 10th Street, the chief said.

A metal component of the bomb was later found inside one of the apartments, near a hole in its bedroom wall. There was also damage to another wall the bedroom, Zell said.

The resident was not injured.

Police said they do not believe the victim was targeted.

Police searched the area near the blast but could not find anyone or any other evidence, Zell said. A neighbor reported seeing a young male running from the wooded area right after the detonation.

Zell said there was a reason police delayed in reporting the incident that was important to the investigation. He declined to give any details.

Police ask anyone with information to call them at 717-859-6600.

Tipsters also may call Lancaster City/County Crime Stoppers at (800) 322-1913 or anonymously text LANCS plus your message to 847411 (TIP411).

Ryan Robinson is a staff writer at LNP.

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Authorities believe shooter slipped past police twice on Nov. 9

by PATRICK BURNS

Officer Kenneth Lockhart is credited with the arrest Thursday of the man who police said fired a hand gun that just missed a resident of the 200 block of Church Avenue in broad daylight on Nov. 9.

 

Omar Colon, 26, of Lancaster, had been on the run since that day when Ephrata PD named him as the suspect.

Colon, who police said fled in a vehicle from the alley behind the 200 block of Church Avenue just after 12:30 on Nov. 9,  had also managed to slip police who attempted to stop him in Manheim Township on the same day.

 

Charges filed against Colon by Ephrata Police

Colon was captured by the Lancaster Bureau of Police and turned over Thursday to the Ephrata Police Department.

The shooting suspect was unable to post $50,000 bail and was committed to Lancaster County Prison.  

District Judge Tony Russell arraigned Colon in Ephrata Thursday on charges of aggravated assault, reckless endangerment, possession of firearm prohibited and firearms not to be carried without a license. 

 

Police said Colon on Nov. 9 fought with a man and exchanged punches after noon before firing a weapon he was not licensed to carry. The victim, whom Colon shot at, walked toward a Church Avenue residence and called 9-1-1.

 

Ephrata PD immediately inspected the crime scene searching for bullets. The shooting occurred in a residential area not far from a day care, church, and Our Mother of Perpetual Help Elementary School, whose students  typically play in the schoolyard around the time of the shooting.

Manheim Township police on Thursday also filed charges against Colon relating to a Nov. 9  an incident on Route 222 as part of a speed enforcement program. Police said the vehicle was traveling 74 miles per hour in a 55 mph zone and the driver eluded officers when they tried to stop the car.

Manheim Township Police charges against Colon

Colon is charged  with fleeing and eluding police, reckless driving, careless driving, driving under suspension and speeding.

 

 

 

Colon was convicted of dealing drugs, court records show. In 2011, he pleaded guilty to manufacture, delivery or possession with intent to manufacture or deliver an illegal drug. He was sentenced to five years of probation.

 

 

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Anthony R. Dickersheid is accused of beating his girlfriend’s daughter – Oct. 14 inside a School Court home, when he had sole custody of her, according to police.

Police say Anthony R. Dickersheid Beat Child – is charged with causing a 6-year-old girl’s brain bleed, and other injuries, in an October beating at the child’s home.

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Ephrata Borough Police Department reported the following:

DUI: Police were called to the 100 block of West Fulton Street, Ephrata Borough, around 8:15 a.m. Jan. 18 for a female driver passed out in the driver’s seat of a vehicle. Police arrived to find Sasha Adams, 24, last known address: Quince Drive, Reading, passed out in the vehicle with a three year old male in the back seat. Adams was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol or controlled substance, endangering the welfare of a child, and possession of various controlled substances. The child was unharmed and turned over to a grandparent. Adams was taken to Lancaster County Central Arraignment where she was released on $5,000 unsecured bail.

DISTURBANCE: Police responded to Sheetz Convenience Store, 891 East Main St., Ephrata Township, for a disturbance in the parking lot created by an intoxicated person at 12:52 a.m. Jan 13. As police arrived, the suspect was leaving in a vehicle. Police attempted to stop the suspect, but he sped away. When the vehicle was stopped in traffic near the intersection of East Main Street and Spring Garden, the suspect ran from his car. After a brief struggle, police arrested and charged Derek Alan Manz, 21, Manheim, with fleeing and attempting to elude police, resisting arrest and public drunkenness. Manz was incarcerated on a probation violation.

HIT-AND-RUN: Police are investigating a hit-and-run accident that occurred Jan. 13 at 4:55 a.m. in the 200 block of Lincoln Avenue, Ephrata Borough. A champagne-colored Chevrolet struck the rear of a legally parked Expedition. Vehicle body parts recovered at the scene indicate that the suspect vehicle is either a 2006-11 Chevrolet Impala or a 2006-07 Chevrolet Monte Carlo. Anyone with information about the hit-and-run vehicle is asked to contact police at 733-8611.

THEFT: Police arrested Paul J. Wisniewski, 23, 6th Street, Lititz, for access device fraud, theft and drug possession following an incident at the Ephrata Walmart at approximately 9:30 p.m. Jan. 13. Police were contacted by a female who reported Wisniewski used her bank card to acquire money from her bank account when he was not authorized to do so. Wisniewski was found in the 800 block of East Main Street when he attempted to re-contact the victim. Wisniewski was taken into custody without incident and found to be in possession of a controlled substance. Wisniewski was charged with access device fraud, theft by unlawful taking and possession of controlled substance and taken to Lancaster County Central Arraignment.

DOMESTIC DISPUTE: Police were called to the 1600 block of Apple Street Jan. 16 around 1:09 a.m. for a domestic dispute. Police arrived and found that Kimberly Schoener, 41, no known address, had reportedly punched the victim in the face several times while the victim was driving a vehicle that Schoener was a passenger in. Schoener was arrested and charged with simple assault. The victim did not require medical treatment for facial injuries. Schoener was taken to Lancaster Central Arraignment and was released on bail.

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The Denver Volunteer Fire Company end of the year report lists a total of 205 calls for service in 2015. An average of 13 firefighters responded to each call.

The average response time was 3.5 minutes, meaning that a fire truck was on its way to a call in less than four minutes after being dispatched by the county 911 center.

Firefighters logged 1,461 hours of service for fire calls in 2015. In addition, firefighters participated in 2,110 hours of training. This includes mandated refresher courses and certification courses for new firefighters.

The value of property saved in fire calls in 2015 was almost $3 million. Actual property loss was $173,000.

Officers for 2016 include: Fire Chief Shannon Hilton, Deputy Chief Shawn Hilton, Assistant Chiefs Matt Martzall and Josh Mertz, Captain Dave Harrower, Lieutenenant Dean Fry, and Fire Police Captain Ron Petery.

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The East Cocalico Police Department reported the following:

DUI: Jonathan E. Davis, 40, the first block of Zartman Mill Road, Lititz, was charged with two counts of DUI and careless driving after a crash that occurred in the 200 block of South Fourth Street in Denver Borough. On Dec. 8, 2015, at approximately 3:36 p.m., Zartman lost control of his vehicle while traveling southbound and struck a parked vehicle on the northbound side of the road. Investigating officers determined that Davis was impaired and he was arrested. A toxicology report indicated that Davis was under the influence of marijuana at the time of the crash. Testing showed that Davis had active levels of marijuana, as well as levels of marijuana metabolites in his blood.

CHARGES FILED: John F. Wanner Jr., 49, Nassau, Del., was arraigned on charges of unauthorized use of automobiles and other vehicles Jan. 28 following an investigation that began Oct. 8, 2015, in the 1200 block of Swamp Bridge Road in West Cocalico Township. It is alleged that on that date, Wanner borrowed his girlfriend’s 2001 Mitsubishi Eclipse and drove it to Delaware. Despite several phone calls from the victim and the investigating officer, Wanner refused to return the vehicle. The vehicle was eventually recovered Nov. 11, 2015, in Lewes, Del., by the Delaware State Police. Charges were filed Dec. 2, 2015. Wanner was released on bail pending the outcome of the case.

WANTED: Police are looking for the whereabouts of Thomas Newton Rose, 27, in regards to a felony warrant for access device fraud. Rose is wanted for taking two company credit cards from Durawood Products, located at 18 Industrial Way in Denver. Rose used those cards to make unauthorized purchases totaling more than $35,000. A warrant was issued for Rose after he failed to show up for his arraignment. Rose is believed to be in the Manheim or Lititz area. Anyone with information on Rose or his whereabouts is asked to contact Detective Keith Neff or the East Cocalico Township Police Department at 336-1725. Callers may remain anonymous and do not have to give their names.

CRASH: A crash occurred as a vehicle lost control negotiating a left turn in the 500 block of Holtzman Road, East Cocalico Township, Jan. 20. The vehicle left the right side of the road and rolled. The driver was treated on scene by Reinholds Ambulance and medic unit. He refused treatment. The vehicle was towed from the scene.

WARRANT: Christopher Cozzone, 43, was taken into custody on a warrant from the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office after an hour long stand-off at 36 E. Church St., East Cocalico Township, Jan. 20 at 11:32 p.m. Custody was transferred to a county deputy.

CRASH: A crash occurred when a vehicle lost control on the snow-covered road while negotiating a left turn in the 600 block of West Swartzville Road, East Cocalico Township, Jan. 22 at 6:32 p.m. The vehicle left the right side of the road and struck a stone wall and utility pole. There were no injuries reported. The vehicle was towed from the scene.

HARASSMENT: Brandon Reyes, 21, Denver, will be charged with harassment (physical contact) stemming from an incident that occurred at 371 Main St., Denver Borough, Jan. 23 at 5:44 p.m.

INCIDENTS: The East Cocalico Police Department handled approximately 40 calls for service that were storm/weather-related.

The Ephrata Borough Police Department reported the following activity in Adamstown and West Cocalico Township:

DUI: Police responded to a one-vehicle accident in West Cocalico Township on Wollups Hill Road near the intersection of Steinmetz Road at 9:30 p.m. Jan. 26. Nathan John, 40, Denver, lost control of his van, which struck a snow bank and rolled over. John was not injured and was arrested for DUI.

WARRANT: Police arrested John Choinski Jr. on an outstanding theft warrant Jan. 28 at approximately 11:45 a.m. in the first block of South King Street, Stevens (West Cocalico Township). Police filed theft by unlawful taking charges against Choinski in February 2015 but Choinski absconded before he could be apprehended on the charge; he had fled to Virginia. Police, acting on a tip, found Choinski at an apartment in the first block of South King Street, Schoeneck/West Cocalico Township. Choinski was taken into custody without incident and arraigned before District Judge Tony Russell. He was released on $5,000 bail.

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