January 13, 2015 - ChaddsFordLive.com

Police: 1 cosmetics thief nabbed after chase

Since September, Pennsylvania authorities have been on alert for a group of thieves targeting CVS pharmacies in multiple states, allegedly stealing at least $85,000 worth of merchandise — mostly high-end cosmetics.

On Monday, Jan. 12, the Westtown-East Goshen Regional Police Department responded to the CVS in the 1500 block of Paoli Pike after receiving information that two suspects were in the area; one was subsequently taken into custody, a department press release said.

As officers arrived at the scene, they saw one of the men entering the suspects’ vehicle. As officers approached, the subject drove out of the parking lot onto Boot Road. When officers attempted to stop the vehicle, the suspect’s vehicle struck one of the police vehicles and a pursuit ensued, the release said.

The pursuit proceeded through various jurisdictions and involved members of several police departments, including East Whiteland, Willistown, West Chester, West Goshen, and Tredyffrin. The chase ended when the subject traveled up Saratoga Drive, a cul-de-sac in East Goshen Township, and onto the property of a private residence. Elijah Beckham, 28, whose last known address was Middletown, Del., was taken into custody without further incident, the release said.

Further investigation at the CVS store indicated that the other suspect had been inside the store prior to police arrival and fled on foot. Police said evidence at the scene indicated the two men had been in the process of committing another retail theft before fleeing, leaving behind $2,900 worth of items. A search of the area for the second suspect with the assistance of K-9s from the Chester County Sheriff’s Department came up empty, the release said. ,

Police said the pair is part of a group responsible for stealing at least $85,000 worth of merchandise from CVS stores since September in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland and Delaware. During one theft, a CVS employee was assaulted; the suspect who was not apprehended should be considered potentially armed and dangerous, the release said.

Beckham was arraigned on various warrants on Tuesday, Jan. 13, and his bail was set at $45,000 cash, police said. He was unable to post it and was remanded to the Chester County Prison pending a preliminary hearing, which has not yet been scheduled, according to court records.

Westtown-East Goshen Police Chief Brenda Bernot said authorities believe the same group of individuals is responsible for other thefts in Chester County; however, since multiple groups are currently involved in these types of thefts, she said further investigation would be needed to establish a definitive link. “We will be sharing our information with law enforcement agencies to maximize the amount of crimes cleared with this arrest,” she said.

Records show Beckman also faces charges in Lower Merion, Upper Darby, Abington, Tredyffrin, Whitpain, Radnor, Marple and Bensalem Townships.

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School board ponders school tax hike

Local News

It’s not etched in stone, but Unionville-Chadds Ford School Board directors are considering an increase in school taxes for the next academic year.

The board approved a proposed preliminary budget during its Jan. 12 work session. As it stands now, the millage rate for Chester County residents would be 27.52 mills, while the rate for Chadds Ford residents — the only Delaware County residents in the district — would be 23.34 mills. Current school taxes are 26.44 mills in Chester County and 22.2 mills in Delaware County.

(A mill is a tax of $1 for every $1,000 of assessed property value.)

Business Manager Robert Cochran said the reason for having a preliminary budget is for the district to determine whether or not it needs to go to a referendum in order to enact the millage necessary to fund its programs.

The proposed millage increases exceed the state’s Act I index of 1.9 percent — 4.08 percent for Chester County, 5.14 percent for Delaware County — but the district can avoid a referendum by taking advantage of allowable exceptions, according to Cochran.

He said those exceptions, which are expressed in dollars instead of mills, are for monies going toward special education and retirement fund contributions. That combined amount is $1.4 million.

Cochran said the areas for exceptions are growing faster than the current Act I index.

“If we do not, as a district, present to the state, as a preliminary budget, a budget that requires the use of the exception dollars, the state will not approve us having them,” he said.

The business manager added that the district doesn’t have to use those dollars come June when the final budget is approved, but having them in the preliminary budget, “gives the board the opportunity to use them if you choose.”

Superintendent John Sanville interjected, “The only door that we are closing tonight is [going to a] referendum.”

The total budget, as proposed, anticipates revenue at $79.9 million and expenses at $80.9 million.

Cochran said the reserve portion of the assigned fund balance would be used to offset that deficit.

“Once we use that up, it’s to be a balanced budget ongoing from that point forward,” he said.

The timetable for the board’s eventual adoption of a final budget is to approve a preliminary budget on Feb. 17, have a proposed final budget in April, have hearings on that proposal in May, and then adopt the final budget in June.

It’s at that June meeting when the final millage rates will be set. Rates could be lower than the ones currently proposed, Cochran said.

About Rich Schwartzman

Rich Schwartzman has been reporting on events in the greater Chadds Ford area since September 2001 when he became the founding editor of The Chadds Ford Post. In April 2009 he became managing editor of ChaddsFordLive. He is also an award-winning photographer.

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Juan Rosa Candelaria of Oxford

Obituaries

Juan Rosa Candelaria, 94, of Oxford, died at his residence on Tuesday, Jan. 13. Has the husband of Juana Rosa Machado who died in 2006, and with whom he shared 47 years of marriage.

Born in Barcelona, Puerto Rico, he was the son of the late Eulalio Rosa and Dionisia Candelaria.

Juan enjoyed reading his Bible and preaching the Word.

He is survived by his nine children, Lolita Avila, Carmen Cortez Perez, Isabel DeShields, Ernesto Rosa, Antonio Rosa, Maria Luisa Maisonet, Ada Salcedo, Juan Rosa Colon and Julian Rosa, 27 grandchildren and 33 great grandchildren, two great-great grandchildren, and a host of nieces and nephews.

You may visit with his family and friends from, 10 to 11 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 17, at the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses, 3470 Gap Newport Pike (Route 41) in West Grove. (In Chatham, PA). His funeral service will follow at 11. Burial will be in Union Hill Cemetery in Kennett Square.

Online condolences may be made by visiting www.griecocares.com

Arrangements by the Kuzo & Grieco Funeral Home, Kennett Square, PA.