Recent Pennsylvania State Police incidents: fraud, crashes, and assault charges detailed
Avondale Barracks
A 62-year-old Kennett Square man was the apparent victim of identity theft, according to the Avondale police barracks. The victim reportedly told police that two fraudulent bank accounts had been opened in his name without authorization. Police are investigating.
Police from the Avondale barracks are also investigating a case of identity theft at Crosslands retirement home. No other details were provided except that this victim was a 72-year-old man.
Angela S. Leonard, 52, of West Chester, was cited for an improper left-hand turn on Feb. 11 at the intersection of E. Street Road and Route 82. According to the report, Leonard was making a left from E. Street Road to Route 82 but failed to yield to an oncoming vehicle and was struck.
Kennett Square Police Department
Police said Edgar Romero-Romero, 36, of Kennett Square, was arrested on a variety of charges, including harassment and making terroristic threats on Feb. 10. According to the police report, officers were dispatched to the 500 Block of Center Street for a fight. When they arrived, they found Romero-Romero in the hallway of the apartment building, who stated the male subjects inside the apartment wanted to fight him, but, after further investigation, police discovered Romero-Romero was the aggressor in the incident. The report said he had kicked down a bedroom door, kicked one subject while they were in bed, and was threatening to kill that individual.
A 38-year-old man from Glen Burnie, Md., was arrested for carrying a concealed weapon in Chadds Ford Township on Jan. 20. Police identified the man as James Henry Johnson. According to police, the man was stopped for an illegal U-turn at Route 202v and Dilworthtown Road. It was determined that he was carrying two concealed firearms without a valid concealed carry permit in Pennsylvania and was arrested.
Police said Matthew J. Smolens, 34, of Glen Mills, was cited for driving too fast following a two-car crash on Route 202 near Smithbridge Road on Jan. 7. According to the report, the crash happened when Smolens rear-ended another car that had stopped for a red light at the intersection.
Car Care Auto and Tire was the victim of wire fraud, police said. According to police, the perpetrators bought a total of eight tires worth approximately $4,736, who then picked up the tires from the business and requested to buy another eight tires. The business had received a notification that the payment was fraudulent and was charged back. PSP Media is currently investigating.
DSW Shoes was ripped off on Jan. 10. A suspect wearing a grey hooded sweatshirt and black pants stole four pairs of men’s Nike V5 RNR sneakers valued at $369.84
State police from the Media barracks are investigating a case of identity theft at Mari Grove. An unknown person posed as being from Norton Security, requesting that money refunded in the amount of $29,000. The victim provided his bank account information.
Avondale Barracks
Shane M. McMunn, 19, of Kennett Square, was cited following a one-car crash on Baltimore Pike on Jan. 2, police said. According to the report, McMunn was traveling south in the left lane, but lost control while trying to merge into the right lane and crashed into the curb.
Police said Ashton S. Krug III, 20, of West Chester, was cited after a one-car crash on Upland Road in East Marlborough Township on Feb. 1. Police said Krug was eastbound on Upland when he failed to negotiate a left turn due to excessive speed. The car left the roadway, striking a guard rail and utility pole before flipping over onto its roof. The driver fled, but was later found at his residence.
A 28-year-old woman from Chester, not identified in the report, was arrested for DUI in East Marlborough Township on Jan. 16
Kennett Square Police Department
Police said Gildardo Vasquez-Morales, 34, of Kennett Square was arrested a variety of charges, including assault, strangulation, and endangering the welfare of children following a domestic dispute on Jan. 31. According to the report, upon contact with the female victim, officers observed facial and neck injuries such as handprints and finger outlines around her neck, consistent with injuries to someone being strangulated and scratched around her chest, neck, and face. Vasquez-Morales was taken into custody and transported to Central Booking at Chester County Prison.
Police Log January 7: Shoplifting, Crashes, Arrests
Lululemon got ripped off again. No suspects were referenced in the Jan. 1 shoplifting, but five items were stolen with an estimated value of $948.
Gail M. Force, 77, of Chadds Ford, was injured in a two-car crash at the intersection of Route 1 and Webb Road on Saturday, Jan. 3. She was also cited, police said. According to the report, the second car was traveling south in the left lane on Route 1 while Force was trying to make a left onto Webb. Both drivers sustained suspected severe injuries and were transported to Paoli Hospital.
Police said they filed multiple citations against Dustin O’Brien (no age or municipality given) on Dec. 26 after his car, a Ford Mustang, was found in the woods on Featherbed Lane near Conchester Highway. O’Brien reportedly told police that he was traveling east on Featherbed but too fast for the weather conditions. As a result, the vehicle slid, crossed over the opposing lane, left the roadway, and struck a tree. The vehicle was at final rest approximately 10 feet into the woods on the left-hand side of the road, facing westbound.
Police said they arrested Michael Siwinski, 36, of Bear, Del., for drug possession. Police said they initiated a traffic stop on Sharpley Drive in Concord Township on Dec. 26 and determined Siwinski was driving under the influence of drugs. No reason for the stop was mentioned in the report.
Two 52-year-old Chadds Ford women were arrested on harassment charges following an altercation at Painters Crossing on Dec. 18. No details were given except to say that a fight had broken out between neighbors.
Cody Dyer, 32, of Aston, was arrested for DUI in Chadds Ford Township, according to police. The arrest came on Dec. 20 after a traffic stop for vehicle violations in the 1300 block of Baltimore Pike.
Police said they arrested Bruce Reed, 60, of Elsmere, Del., for shoplifting at Wegmans on Dec. 21. No other details were given in the report.
Avondale Barracks
Haley R. Wilks, 30, of Landenberg, was cited for failing to stop at a red light, causing a Dec. 20 accident on Baltimore Pike at Onix Drive in East Marlborough Township, police said. According to the report, Wilks was driving south in the right lane of Baltimore Pike but failed to stop for a red signal and struck the other car, which was traveling northbound on Route and was turning left onto Onix. No injuries were reported.
Recent Pennsylvania State Police incidents: thefts, accidents, and investigations summarized
Pennsylvania State Police
A 75-year-old man from Medias, not identified, was arrested for trying to steal $466 worth of merchandise from Wegmans on Nov. 5. According to the report, the unnamed suspect left the store with a full cart without paying, but he was stopped in the parking lot by the store’s loss prevention team.
A 59-year-old woman from Kennett Square, Diane L. Plummer, was injured in a one-car crash on Webb Road in Chadds Ford Township on Dec. 29. According to the police report, Plummer was driving north on Webb, just north of Atwater, when she lost control of her vehicle and was swerving to avoid a deer.
Avondale Barracks
Police are saying speed was the cause of a two-car crash on Parkersville Road in Pennsbury Township on Dec. 23. Yu Zheng, 56, was cited, according to the report. According to police, Zheng was traveling in the right lane on E. Baltimore Pike and making a right turn onto Parkersville Road when he slid and struck another vehicle that was stopped at the stop sign on Parkersville. Police said Zheng was traveling too fast for the existing conditions. No injuries were reported, but both vehicles were towed.
Lucian J. Junto, 83, of Perryville, Md., was cited for careless driving following a two-car crash on Baltimore Pike in Pennsbury Township on Dec. 2, police said. Both Junto and the other driver were transported for treatment of injuries. According to the report, Junto was traveling northbound on Baltimore Pike, driving at a high rate of speed without its headlights on. The other car was traveling southbound on Baltimore Pike as it entered the left turning lane and was struck while making a left onto Hickory Hill.
Feature image for Chadds Ford Live’s Pennsylvania State Police reports, guiding readers to local crash details, DUI arrests, traffic citations, and patrol activity that impact daily life.
December 17 Pennsylvania State Police Media Barracks
•Andrew J. Sullivan, 42, of Aston, was cited following a one-car crash at the intersection of Garnet Mine Road and Bethel Road in Concord Township, police said. Sullivan and his 73-year-old passenger were both injured and transported to Paoli Hospital. The accident happened at 8:20 a.m. on Nov. 10. The report said Sullivan was northbound on Bethel Road when he had a seizure and struck a utility pole. He was cited for operating a vehicle with no valid inspection.
•Police said Colleen P. Delacy, 43, of Aston, was cited for failing to stop at a red light on Conchester Highway at Fellowship Drive in Concord Township on Dec. 9. According to the police report, Delacy was driving west on Conchester when she failed to stop at the light and struck a vehicle that had a green light on Fellowship.
•State police from the Media barracks are investigating a report of a suspicious person on Dec. 9. A report said an unknown person knocked on a door on Patricia Lane at 9 p.m., asking the resident to lend a pair of sweatpants for a prison visitation. The resident declined, and the person departed.
•Police are investigating a reported wire fraud theft at Maris Grove. The victim, an 82-year-old woman, was scammed out of $1,000.
•Speed was cited as the cause of a one-car crash at Route 202 and Oakland Road in Chadds Ford Township on Nov. 23. Police identified the driver as 22-year-old Jonathan E. Denenno of Garnet Valley. According to the report, Denenno said he was driving without traction control in the left lane of 202 and lost control of his car, causing him to strike the guide rail on the left shoulder. No injuries were reported. The accident happened on Nov. 23 at 9:43 p.m.
•Police said Leilaine T. Godeiro De Souza Aquino, 30, of Riverside, N.J., was cited following a two-car crash on Cheyney and Glenview roads in Concord Township on Nov. 24. According to police, Godeiro De Souza Aquino made a left onto Glenview Road without ensuring it was safe to do so. As a result, the front of her vehicle struck the front of another car.
Avondale Barracks
•Police said Marlie R. Sloan, 18, of Cochranville, was cited for following too closely after a three-car crash on E. Baltimore Pike and School House Lane in East Marlborough Township on Dec. 11. According to the police report, Sloan was driving north in the right lane of E. Baltimore Pike but was following too closely to the vehicle in front. She hit that car, which, in turn, struck the vehicle in front of that, which was at a full stop. No injuries were reported.
•A 36-year-old man from Kennett Square, not identified in the report, was arrested for DUI after he drove his vehicle into a creek on Burrows Run Road in Kennett Township. Police said they observed indicators of alcohol-based impairment. Two other people, a 70-year-old man and a 69-year-old woman, both from Chadds Ford, were in the vehicle, but no injuries were reported.
•Zachary R. Stewart, 26, of West Chester, was arrested for DUI following a one-car crash on Lenape Road near Street Road in Pocopson Township on Dec. 6, according to police. The report said Stewart was driving north on Lenape when he failed to make a sharp left curve while looking at his phone.
•Police arrested a 21-year-old man from Wilmington, not identified, for DUI following a traffic stop on Nov. 17. Police said they made the stop because of traffic code violations.
Kennett Square Police Department
Raymundo Martinez-Ramirez, 42, of Wilmington, was charged with indecent assault, endangering the welfare of children, and corruption of minors, according to police. These charges are the result of an investigation involving Martinez-Ramirez having inappropriate contact with a minor child. Charges were filed with District Court 15-3-04, and an arrest warrant was issued on Dec. 12.
Local Pennsylvania State Police updates: investigations, accidents, and charges detailed
Pennsylvania State Police
Police are investigating a report of a counterfeit $100 bill. Troopers said they were contacted by the Oasis Family Fun Center on Lacrue Avenue in Concord Township on Nov. 13.
Avondale Barracks
A one-car crash left a 31-year-old Middletown woman with a citation for careless driving. Police identified the driver as Chelsie Ann Mata. The accident happened on Dec. 2 shortly after 9 p.m. This crash occurred on at approximately 9:08 p.m. in the area of North Chatham Road/Ramee Road in West Marlborough Township. According to the report, Mata was driving south on N. Chatham and told police that she couldn’t see the curve because it was dark. As she approached the curve, police said, she then slid off the left side roadway and hit a tree. No injuries were reported.
Police said they arrested a 44-year-old man from Kennett Square (not named in the report) on assault charges after he kicked several EMTs following a one-car crash on Silver Fox Road in East Marlborough Township. Police said the man was intoxicated on psychedelic mushrooms. The incident happened on Nov. 29 at 3:38 p.m.
State police arrested a 32-year-old man from Huntington Valley for drug possession. According to the report, police stopped the driver after he failed to stop at a red light on E. Baltimore Pike.
Vicki J. Lehenky, 67, was cited for not properly clearing an intersection when her car was struck by another vehicle, police said. The accident happened on West Street Road at its intersection with Parkerville Road in Pennsbury Township. According to police, Lehenky was traveling north on Parkerville Road when she stopped at a properly posted stop sign to turn right onto West Street Road. However, she didn’t properly clear the intersection before entering and was struck by the other car.
Police said Matthew J. Buckley, 44, of Lincoln University, was cited following a one-car crash on E. Baltimore Pike near Cherry Lane in East Marlborough Township. According to the report, Buckley was traveling west on Baltimore Pike when he began to experience convulsions, seizures, and hallucinations. He attempted to stop the vehicle on the side of the road, but because of his seizures, he lost control of the vehicle. As a result, the car crashed into and over a guardrail, where it came to a final uncontrolled rest position in the bushes off the right side of the road. Buckley didn’t suffer any physical injuries, but was transported to Christiana Hospital in Delaware for further medical evaluation of his seizures.
Kennett Square Police Department
Police said Paige Blake, 32, fell asleep at the wheel of his car at the intersection of S. Union Street and E. Cypress Street in Kennett Square on Dec. 4. Officers had to knock on the windows of the 2012 Chevrolet he was in multiple times before Blake came to and stepped out of her vehicle. Indicators suggesting intoxication were observed, and field sobriety tests showed impairment. She was taken into custody for suspicion of DUI and refused a chemical test of her breath. Blake was processed and later released at her residence. Charges were filed in District Court 15-3-04, and this incident is pending a preliminary hearing.
A criminal complaint was filed against Samantha Skerchock for making false reports to police. According to borough police, Skerchock made false statements against her former husband, claiming he had pushed her out of the way during a custody exchange. However, police said that after further investigation, that statement proved to be untrue. Based on Skerchock’s repeated, consistent false statements, including a written statement that knowingly implicated her ex-husband in the crimes of harassment and assault, which did not occur and are contradictory to the video evidence,
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