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Police & Fire
MOST WANTED: Child Beater Sought By Police In PA MOST WANTED: Child Beater Sought By Police In PA
Most Wanted: Child Beater Sought By Police In PA A man who pleaded guilty to aggravated assault of his child is wanted by the police.  Joseph Allen Hafner violated the terms of his probation in 2021, court records show. A warrant was issued by the Adams County Sheriff's Office on June 14, 2023.  Hafner beat his child, who was less than 6 years old in Sept. 2017, according to court dockets. He pleaded guilty to the related charges in Oct. 2019. He was sentenced to serve 15  to 30 months of confinement, followed by three years of probation, not to contact the victim or their family, pay various fees, and attend a drug and/or …

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by Jillian Pikora
News
Support Surges For Montco Teacher Battling Rare Infection Support Surges For Montco Teacher Battling Rare Infection
Support Surges For Montco Teacher Battling Rare Infection After a beloved Montgomery County elementary school teacher and father-of-two was hospitalized with a rare bacterial infection, his neighbors and loved ones organized to raise thousands of dollars to aid in his fight.  Eric Hetrick, a first-grade teacher at Upper Providence Elementary School in Royersford for 20 years, has been hospitalized with Meticillin-Sensitive Staphylococcus Aureus (MSSA) since May 25, loved ones said on GoFundMe. Since then, he's undergone open-heart surgery, battled multiple complications, and is being monitored to determine if he'll need a brain operation, say…

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by Mac Bullock
Police & Fire
Bar Fight Leaves Man, 31, Dead In Montgomery County: DA Bar Fight Leaves Man, 31, Dead In Montgomery County: DA
Bar Fight Leaves Man, 31, Dead In Montgomery County: DA A fight that broke out at a Montgomery County bar ultimately left a 31-year-old man dead overnight, prompting a homicide investigation, police said. Michael Thomas Sides, of Ardmore, was rushed to the hospital after being stabbed at Cricket Avenue and Cricket Terrace around 1:30 a.m. Saturday, June 10 in Lower Merion, Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele said. Sides was pronounced dead just before 2:30 a.m., Steele said alongside Lower Merion Township Police Superintendent Michael J. McGrath. Early indications are the stabbing occurred following an earlier altercat…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
MontCo Man Stole From Ambulance Service While Serving As Chief Of Operations: Police MontCo Man Stole From Ambulance Service While Serving As Chief Of Operations: Police
MontCo Man Stole From Ambulance Service While Serving As Chief Of Operations: Police A Montgomery County man is facing 65 counts for various violations on accusations he stole from an ambulance service for years while serving as chief, authorities said. Garry Roy Schmoltze Sr., was being held on $5,000 unsecured bail in connection with the alleged thefts, which came to light by members of the Gilbertsville Area Community Ambulance Service in July 2022, the Douglass Township Police Department said. Schmoltze served as the Gilbertsville Area Community Ambulance Service's chief of operations from 2009 to 2022, police said. "In July of 2022, it was discovered by the …

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Philly Area Teacher Posed As Teen On Snapchat To Get Nudes From Teens: Feds Philly Area Teacher Posed As Teen On Snapchat To Get Nudes From Teens: Feds
Philly Area Teacher Posed As Teen On Snapchat To Get Nudes From Teens: Feds A Montgomery County teacher ran several social media accounts where he posed as a teenage girl to victimize minors, officials say.  Thirty-one-year-old Jeremy Schobel of Philadelphia, who teaches English at Harriton High School in Lower Merion, is charged with multiple federal crimes, FBI agents said in charging documents.  According to a criminal complaint filed Thursday, June 8, investigators believe Schobel was posing as a 17-year-old on an app called Yubo to contact underage victims. From there, authorities said Schobel directed the conversation to Snapchat, where he aske…

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by Mac Bullock
Police & Fire
Worker Kidnapped At Gunpoint During Break In Montgomery County Worker Kidnapped At Gunpoint During Break In Montgomery County
Worker Kidnapped At Gunpoint During Break In Montgomery County A Montgomery County employee was sitting in their car on break when an armed robber kidnapped him, authorities say.  It happened in Upper Moreland on Thursday, June 1, township police said in a release. The worker, an employee at a business on Turnpike Drive, was relaxing in his car when a gunman hopped in the backseat at around 5:45 a.m., the department wrote.  The robber stole the victim's phone and wallet, then forced him at gunpoint to drive back to his (the victim's) Philadelphia home, police said. There, the robber stole "money and belongings" from the victim's family before…

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by Mac Bullock
Police & Fire
Montco Thieves Cut Through Fence To Steal Motorcycles, Cops Say Montco Thieves Cut Through Fence To Steal Motorcycles, Cops Say
Montco Thieves Cut Through Fence To Steal Motorcycles, Cops Say Police in Montgomery County are searching for a trio of thieves who cut through the fence at an auction house to steal a pair of motorcycles over the holiday weekend.  It happened at Insurance Auto Auction, 396 E. Schuylkill River Road in Upper Merion, township police wrote in a statement. Authorities were called by an employee on Monday, May 29 after the worker noticed three unauthorized people were on the property in surveillance footage from over the weekend.  The men were gone by the time the employee arrived, police said, but a "large portion of their fencing" had been sliced…

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by Mac Bullock
Obituaries
Montco Teen Shot Dead In Philly Was Looking Forward To Summer Job, Loved Ones Say Montco Teen Shot Dead In Philly Was Looking Forward To Summer Job, Loved Ones Say
Montco Teen Shot Dead In Philly Was Looking Forward To Summer Job, Loved Ones Say A Montgomery County teenager who was shot and killed in North Philadelphia over the weekend was looking forward to summer vacation, loved ones say. He was 16 years old. Keivon Abraham of Abington was found with a gunshot wound to the chest on the 2400 block of North Clarion Street early on Monday, May 29, city police told Daily Voice. No arrests have been made in connection with his death and investigators have not revealed a suspected motive, the outlet says.  Loved ones say the teen was a sophomore at Abington High School. The campus community observed a moment of silence on Tuesday…

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by Mac Bullock
Police & Fire
Thieves Snagged $100K In 'High-End' Merchandise From King Of Prussia, Cops Say Thieves Snagged $100K In 'High-End' Merchandise From King Of Prussia, Cops Say
Thieves Snagged $100K In 'High-End' Merchandise From King Of Prussia, Cops Say Police in Montgomery County are looking for two men who they say made off with $100,000 in "high-end" goods at the King of Prussia Mall.  Upper Merion Township Police say the two pictured suspects stole six figures worth of merchandise in at least seven separate heists from multiple shops in the mall.  "Suspect one" is identified by police as 35-year-old Anthony Lee Abner of Philadelphia. "Suspect two" is 32-year-old Brian Lee Hughes of Philadelphia, the department added.  Anyone with information on their whereabouts is asked to call UMPD at 610-265-3232 or su…

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by Mac Bullock
Police & Fire
Suspect Charged With Revenge Shooting That Killed Innocent Bystander In Norristown: DA Suspect Charged With Revenge Shooting That Killed Innocent Bystander In Norristown: DA
Suspect Charged With Revenge Shooting That Killed Innocent Bystander In Norristown: DA Months after a bystander was gunned down in a shooting on a Norristown street, authorities say they've arrested the person who pulled the trigger.  Damien Wilson, 19, was taken into custody by US Marshals in West Philadelphia early on Thursday, May 25, officials announced.  @USMS_Philly Fugitive TF arrested Montgomery County homicide fugitive Damien Wilson in the 200 block of N. Cecil Street in Phila. @MontcopaDA and @Norristownpd sought Wilson for the Oct. 2022 murder of a 47-year-old man who was shot and killed in the 800 block of Arch Street. pic.twitter.com/D3GPhLTgzg — USMS Philade…

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by Mac Bullock
Police & Fire
ATM 'Skimming' Device Found At Chesco Wawa: Police ATM 'Skimming' Device Found At Chesco Wawa: Police
ATM 'Skimming' Device Found At Chesco Wawa: Police Authorities in Chester County are warning Wawa shoppers to double-check their bank statements after an illegal skimming device was discovered on an in-store ATM.  It happened in Caln, township police said. A service technician located the device on a PNC Bank ATM at the 3025 Lincoln Highway Wawa, the department wrote in a release.  Investigators believe the skimmer was installed sometime between 3 p.m. on Sunday, May 14, and 2 p.m. on Monday, May 15. The device, authorities say, is thought to be able to read the debit card number and record the PIN entered by the user.  With…

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by Mac Bullock
Police & Fire
Montco Mom Missing Since April Is 'Endangered,' Police Say Montco Mom Missing Since April Is 'Endangered,' Police Say
Montco Mom Missing Since April Is 'Endangered,' Police Say A Montgomery County woman who has not been seen since late last month is believed by authorities to be "endangered," and police are asking residents to keep an eye out.  Christi Troiano, 56, of Souderton, was reported missing by family members on April 25, borough police wrote in a release.  "According to her family, Christi left her home in the early morning hours and indicated that she may intend to harm herself," the department said.  Troiano is known to frequent the New Jersey shore, Atlantic City, and various parks in Bucks County, police said. Investigators say they have tried to pin…

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by Mac Bullock