• Scam Alert: Pennsylvania State Police are cautioning residents about a scam involving phone calls from people pretending to be from the IRS. They demand money with a threat of arrest. Police say the calls are fraudulent. Callers have also left voice mail messages asking for a return call. Do not call them, and do not issue any money. Anyone who receives such a call or voice mail should contact the attorney general’s office at 717-787-3391.
• Police also want to warn residents about an increase in counterfeit $50 and $100 bills that has plagued other areas of the state. Incidents have occurred during the past week in West Whiteland Township and the Borough of West Chester. State police from the Avondale barracks also reported a case involving a fake bill that was passed at a store for an inexpensive item so that the buyer could receive non-counterfeit change. Trooper Samantha Minnucci said retailers should check currency carefully – comparing the bill to others, feeling the texture and the strip that runs along the bill, and checking for watermarks, especially if they receive a large bill for a small purchase.
• A Pennsbury Township resident was the victim of identity theft, according to a state police report. Police said the victim’s Social Security number was used to file a fraudulent tax return.
• A Concord couple was also a victim of identity theft. They filed their tax return only to be told their return had already been filed.
• State police from Troop K, Media barracks, are investigating a burglary at the Concord Plaza on Route 202. Police said a dry cleaner reported the shop’s front door was smashed and the cash box missing. Investigating troopers found the same had happened to a hair salon in the plaza and a nail salon had its front door damaged. Surveillance video from the hair salon showed a hooded, masked and gloved man using a hammer to gain entry. The suspect fled, but police do not know whether it was on foot or in a vehicle. The incidents took place between 1:50 and 2:06 a.m. on March 10.
• Police are also investigating a retail theft at Staples in Concord Township. They are looking for a white male in his mid to late 30s with short dark hair and a short beard. He’s being sought in connection with the theft of a $700 laser printer. The suspect fled in a purple minivan, police said.
• State police from the Avondale barracks are investigating an attempted burglary at Liberty Mushroom in East Marlborough Township. Troopers responding to a report of a burglary at 1:36 a.m. on March 7 found a damaged front office door, but said the suspect fled when the alarm sounded.
• Kyle Anthony Donahue, 22, of Wayne, was arrested for public drunkenness at the Sunoco station on Route 202 in Chadds Ford Township on March 19, according to a police report. The report said he was taken into custody at 2:49 a.m. after troopers responded to a call regarding an intoxicated man at that location.
• State police said Karen Deann Slaymaker-Bingham, 47, of West Grove, was apprehended for retail theft on March 10. A police report said the accused attempted to remove $100 worth of merchandise from the Walmart in East Marlborough Township.
• Allison Rose Lee, 34, of Wilmington, was arrested for DUI on Route 1 at Brinton Lake Road shortly before 1 a.m. on March 7, according to a police report.
• Charges were pending against two men apprehended during a drug investigation in Concord Township on March 7. A police report said Adam Dean Shanko, 19, of Garnet Valley, and Gavin Ruben Alburg, 20, of Wilmington, were found in possession of a controlled substance and paraphernalia at Chevers Drive and Arment Drive at 10:44 p.m.
• Police said Paul Joseph Pfeil, 37, of Blackwood, N.J., was arrested for DUI after a traffic accident on Route 1 and Evergreen Drive shortly before 1 a.m. on March 12.
• Robert McLaughlin, 50, of Wilmington, was arrested for DUI following a traffic stop on Route 202 at State Line Road, a police report said. The incident happened at 12:24 a.m. on March 12, according to the report.
• Robert A. Hurst, 26, of Chester, was cited for driving too fast following a three-vehicle accident in which he received a minor injury, state police said. According to the report, Hurst was driving behind two other vehicles on Conchester Highway near Matson at 4:49 p.m. on March 12 when the lead cars slowed for traffic. Hurst could not stop in time, police said, and he hit one car, which then hit another.
• Eli Rodriguez, 28, of Kennett Square, was arrested for DUI on March 7 in East Marlborough Township, according to a police report. The report said troopers from the Avondale barracks were responding to a 9:24 a.m. phone call regarding someone driving erratically on Cedarcroft Road near Route 82. Upon investigation, police determined Rodriguez to be under the influence of a controlled substance.
• A Rose Valley woman was cited for driving at an unsafe speed after she lost control of her Ford pickup truck in West Marlborough Township on March 21. State police from Troop J, Avondale barracks, said Leah C. Berman, 19, was driving west on Route 842 at Mill Drive when she lost control on the snowy and slushy road and struck a tree.
• State police from the Avondale barracks are looking for the driver of a silver, newer-model, Mercedes convertible with Oregon registration starting with 84 for an alleged road rage incident. Police said the incident occurred at the intersection of Marshall Bridge and Kaolin roads in Kennett Township on Saturday, March 21, at 9:50 p.m. The driver was described as a white, non-Hispanic male, about 5-foot-10, with gray hair. Anyone with information is asked to call Trooper Caputo at 610-268-2022.
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