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PA Son Who 'Chose Drugs' Killing Mom For Her Purse Sentenced Up To 80 Years
An Adamstown man who confessed to killing his mother in a dispute over her purse and fleeing in her car has been sentenced to 35 to 80 years in state prison, Lancaster County officials announced on Tuesday, Nov. 12.
Zachary Thomas Gift, 28, pleaded guilty to third-degree murder, robbery, two counts of strangulation, and theft by unlawful taking in connection with the March 19, 2023, death of his mother, Lois Gift, 62. Investigators say Gift strangled and smothered Lois in their home on Grant Road in Adamstown around 11 p.m. that night after an argument escalated. According to police, he stol…
Actors Robert De Niro, Sam Waterston Rally For Harris In Harrisburg
Governor Josh Shapiro, joined by Robert De Niro and Sam Waterston, led a "New Way Forward" rally in Harrisburg on Monday, Nov. 4, urging Pennsylvanians to vote Democrat on Election Day, Nov. 5. The event underscored Vice President Kamala Harris’ proposals to lower costs and protect rights versus Donald Trump’s “Project 2025” agenda, which speakers claimed would add $4,000 in annual costs for Pennsylvania families and enforce a nationwide abortion ban.
De Niro, who had surprised Eagles fans by appearing at a tailgate in Philadelphia to campaign for Harris just days earlier, lent his support t…
Undercover Bust: 5 People Seeking Sex With Teens Met By Detectives In Berks County, DA Says
Five people seeking sex with teens have been arrested in an undercover Berks County sting, authorities said.
All five individuals responded to an ad, posted on Monday, Jan. 19 by detectives, offering sex with 14- and 15-year-old juveniles at various locations in Berks County, the county district attorney's office announced.
The individuals agreed to meet up and have sex with the "teens," but instead were met by detectives and promptly arrested, District Attorney John T. Adams said.
The following arrests were made, according to Adams:
Richard Keene, 70, of Reading, charged with Traff…
Fake CIA Agent Attempts Bank Robbery In Ephrata, Police Say
A burglar got a fake Central Intelligence Agency badge and attempted to rob Ephrata National Bank, area police announced on Sunday, April 16, 2023.
Sean P. Quick, 55, of Ephrata "initially claimed he was a Department of Defense employee, but eventually admitted he was not a federal agent and was attempting to access a relative’s safety deposit box" on March 20, 2023, at 10:20 a.m., area police stated in the release.
When Ephrata Police were contacted by Ephrata National Bank security personnel said "a male was in the bank, displaying a Central Intelligence Agency badge and attem…
Seven Victims Of RM Palmer Explosion Identified Ahead Of Memorial Vigil
Authorities have identified the seven victims killed in the RM Palmer chocolate factory explosion last week in Reading.
The victims were identified by the Berks County Coroner's Office in the Philadelphia Inquirer as:
Xiorky "Chany" D. Nunez, 30, of Reading
Susan H. Halvonik, 63, of Upper Providence Township
Michael D. Breedy, 62, of Marion Township
Diana M. Cedeno, 44, of Reading
Judith Lopez-Moran, 55, of Reading
Amy S. Sandoe, 49, of Ephrata, who was the HR director
Domingo Cruz, 60, of Reading, who worked in the production department, per his obituary.
The manner and cause of death fo…
PA Son Kills Mom Over Purse, Crashing While Fleeing In Her Stolen Car, Police Say
A 26-year-old Lancaster County man confessed on Wednesday, March 22, 2023, to the police that he strangled his mom during a fight over her purse, then took her keys out of her purse, stole her car and fled, police say.
Many friends of 62-year-old Lois Gift thought her absence from events she regularly attended was very odd so they called the Ephrata police and requested a welfare check on Monday, March 20, 2023— that's when her body was discovered at her home on Grant Road in Adamstown, according to the police release following the confession.
The coroner determined her cause of death…
Award-Winning Ephrata Nurse Dies, Husband Seriously Hurt In ATV Crash: Authorities
An award-winning labor and delivery nurse from Ephrata has died and her husband remains in the hospital following an all-terrain vehicle crash in Tell Township, on Saturday, March 11, 2023, Pennsylvania State Police said in a release the following day.
The passenger, and decorated local nurse, 34-year-old Amanda L. Hoffert, was pronounced dead at the scene of the ATV crash at Black Hollow Road just south of Village Hill Road at 6:25 p.m., state police explained in the release.
Her 36-year-old husband, Bret Hoffert, had been driving the 2013 Honda Rancher north when he left the roadway fo…
ER Patient Kicks Nurse In Face At Hospital In Ephrata, Police Say
An emergency room patient has been charged after he kicked a nurse in the face at WellSpan Ephrata Community Hospital, police say.
Ethan D. Sorensen, 22, of Ephrata, injured the nurse and also damaged a hospital room door by punching a window during the incident on December 7, 2022, at 2:42 p.m., according to a release by area police in January 2023.
He was out on $35,000 in bail for aggravated indecent assault of a child and indecent exposure in March 2022 at the time of the incident, court records show.
He has been arrested for this incident and another assault on Dec. 17 ac…
