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Lancaster Man Uses Toddler As 'Pawn' While Resisting Arrest: Police
A Lancaster man is accused of using a toddler as a "pawn" while resisting arrest after trapping a victim in a bedroom and preventing them from leaving, Manheim Township police announced.
Derreck Michael Wilkins, 26, was charged with endangering the welfare of children, false imprisonment, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct, and harassment, according to the affidavit of probable cause obtained by Daily Voice on Tuesday, Jan. 28.
The incident occurred at approximately 11:15 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 14, 2025, at an apartment on the 1900 block of Oregon Pike, police said.
According to the af…
63 Chihuahuas, Teen Son Found In Feces-Filled PA Home, Couple Charged: Police
An Adams County couple is facing child endangerment and animal cruelty charges after authorities found their home covered in feces and urine with 63 Chihuahuas inside, Pennsylvania State Police announced.
Troopers responded to Ray Derita, 48, and Stephanie Derita’s, 47, home on Old Harrisburg Road in Straban Township on Friday, Feb. 7, for a domestic dispute. While there was no physical altercation, police said they immediately became concerned about the squalid conditions inside the home.
“The floor was covered in feces and urine, making it impossible to step anywhere without stepping in f…
PA Parents Sold NJ Heroin From Filthy Home With Kids Inside: DA
Two parents in Stroud Township are accused of selling heroin and fentanyl from their home while their young children lived in dangerous, squalid conditions, authorities announced on Friday, Feb. 7.
Jessica Walters, 35, and Robert Nochella, 35, were arrested after Monroe County detectives and Children and Youth Services discovered drug paraphernalia, scales, and packaging materials scattered throughout their home on Thursday, Feb. 6, officials said. Walters was reportedly withdrawing from fentanyl during the investigation, according to the criminal complaints.
The home, where Walters and Noc…
Premature Newborn Twins Starved By Pennsylvania Parents: DA
A Croydon couple is accused of starving their premature newborn twins to the point of severe malnutrition, Bucks County authorities announced on Thursday, Feb. 6.
Courtney Soyka, 32, and Marcus Maddela, 45, of Coventry Avenue in Bristol Township, have been charged with two counts each of felony child endangerment and conspiracy, according to the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office.
Investigators said the twins were born prematurely at 32 weeks on Oct. 7, 2024, and remained in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) until they were healthy enough to be released. But the parents allegedly…
PA Mom Breastfed Toddler While Using Meth, Selling Drugs From Home: DA
A Lancaster Township mother admitted to breastfeeding her toddler while using methamphetamine and marijuana, authorities announced on Friday, Jan. 31.
Kristina Kadian, 32, and Joseph Eberle, 45, are accused of selling meth from their home while the child was present, according to the Lancaster County Drug Task Force. Both were charged with felony possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, felony conspiracy, and felony endangering the welfare of children.
Detectives launched an investigation into Kadian and Eberle in December 2024, using undercover and confidential informants to p…
MD Man With 3 Toddlers Caught With Meth On US Rt 1 In PA: State Police
A Maryland man driving under the influence with drugs and children in his car has been arrested in Chester County, Pennsylvania State Police announced on Sunday, Jan. 26.
Wesley Simon, 25, of Whiteford, Maryland, was stopped by state troopers in a 2009 Toyota Yaris on US Route 1, south of State Route 841, in London Grove Township around 4:26 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 24, police said.
Simon was observed speeding and swerving within his lane, prompting the traffic stop, according to a release from the Avondale barracks. Upon exiting the vehicle for field sobriety tests, Simon attempted to conceal …
PA Mom Who Used Fentanyl-Laced Apple Juice In Murder-Suicide Plot Pleads Guilty But Ill
A Pennsylvania mother who claimed "God told her" to kill herself and her 8-year-old daughter with fentanyl-laced apple juice has pleaded guilty but mentally ill, authorities announced on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025.
Skye Naggy, 32, admitted to attempted homicide, aiding suicide, kidnapping, and child endangerment before Westmoreland County Common Pleas Judge Christopher Feliciani, nearly three years after her arrest in November 2022.
Naggy's plan unraveled after police discovered her and the child in a wooded area near Loyalhanna Lake. Investigators, who tracked Naggy's phone, also uncovered a…
Middletown Dad Wanted For DUI, Child Endangerment After Crash: Police
A Middletown man wanted for allegedly driving under the influence and endangering two young children during a crash has a previous DUI case still pending, Lower Swatara Township police announced on Saturday, Dec. 28.
Stone Bissland, 27, of Middletown, is accused of being under the influence of alcohol when he crashed at West Main and North Wood streets near Middletown on Friday, Dec. 13, at 7:07 p.m., police said.
Two children under the age of 3 were in Bissland's vehicle at the time of the crash, which left multiple people, including the children, injured and requiring hospital treatment, …
Crash Leaves 5-Year-Old Nonverbal With Brain Injury; High PA Mom Charged: Affidavit
A mother is facing charges after a crash in Fairview Township left her 5-year-old daughter with a brain injury, rendering her nonverbal and minimally responsive. Daily Voice obtained these court documents on Wednesday, Dec. 18.
Meghan N. Wise, 29, was driving on Nauvoo Road during heavy rain around 12:45 a.m. on September 22 when she failed to navigate a curve, causing her 2005 Nissan Murano to veer off the road. The car struck an embankment, dropped 10 feet, and flipped onto its side, court documents state.
Wise’s 5-year-old daughter, identified as K.P. in the affidavit, suffered a traum…
Middletown Mom Remembers Infant Daughter In Heartbreaking Obituary
The mother of an infant who died in a tragic co-sleeping incident on Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, in Middletown shared a moving tribute to her daughter in the weeks before her arrest announced by police on Tuesday, Nov. 26.
Jenna Beachley, 25, is facing charges of involuntary manslaughter and endangering the welfare of a child following the death of her two-month-old daughter, Azriel Marie Renee Beachley.
Azriel’s obituary, posted by Matinchek Funeral Home and Cremation Services, Inc., describes the infant as her mother’s source of unconditional love and healing.
“Azriel Marie Renee Beach…
PA Man Accused Of Shaking Infant Now Charged With Murder
The tragic case involving Eriezer Eddie Melendez Jr., 37, of Harrisburg, has escalated as the 3-month-old baby he was accused of shaking has died from her injuries, a source close to the family told Daily Voice.
The infant was removed from life support on Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024, at 6:30 p.m., and passed away at 10:35 p.m., according to family sources. As a result, Melendez now faces a Felony 1 Murder charge in addition to five other charges:
Felony 1: Aggravated assault – victim less than 13 years old and defendant 18 or older.
Felony 2: Aggravated assault – victim less than 6 years old a…
Baby Nearly Killed When Harrisburg Man Shakes Her: Affidavit
A Harrisburg man is accused of shaking a 3-month-old baby, causing life-threatening injuries, according to court documents obtained by Daily Voice.
Troopers responded to a call about a baby in cardiac arrest at a home on Canvasback Drive in Oliver Township on Thursday, Nov. 15, at 8:31 a.m., Pennsylvania State Police said in the affidavit of probable cause.
The baby, identified as "CR," was taken to Penn State Hershey Medical Center, where doctors found severe injuries, including extensive subdural hematomas, retinal hemorrhages, and bruising considered a sentinel injury, according to med…
PA Mom Charged For Giving Kids Guns, Teen Son Charged In Cousin's Murder
A Lancaster County mother is accused of giving her teenage sons access to guns used in a September shootout, police announced on Friday, Nov. 15. One of those sons has also been charged in his cousin's murder.
Brandi Whisman, 42, of New Providence, was arraigned Tuesday, Nov. 14, on charges of endangering the welfare of children and corruption of minors. Investigators said she gave her sons permission to take the guns whenever they wanted, providing a key and telling them where the firearms were located.
Her sons, Joshua Whisman, 16, and Alexander Whisman, 18, are accused of firing …
Man Who Watched Girls Changing Charged With Human Trafficking: Dauphin County DA
A man caught assaulting girls and watching them change their clothes has been convicted of human trafficking, the Dauphin County District Attorney’s Office announced on Friday, Oct. 11.
Kevin Alting, 52, pleaded guilty to criminal attempt to commit trafficking in individuals, unlawful contact with a minor, and indecent assault of a minor under the age of 16 before Judge Scott Arthur Evans on Thursday, Oct. 10, according to the DA’s release.
"Under Pennsylvania Law, engaging in a commercial sex act with a minor is Human Trafficking," the DA noted.
Alting’s charges stem from crim…
Cocaine, Meth Sold Out Of PA Italian Restaurant To Pay Child Support: Affidavit
A married Adams County couple sold cocaine and methamphetamine out the back of their family’s Italian restaurant, according to court documents obtained by Daily Voice on Thursday, Oct. 3.
Cristina Fazzolari, 38, the daughter, of popular Gettysburg restaurant, Mamma Ventura’s founders, was seen by police selling cocaine in Race Horse Alley behind the business in April, according to an affidavit of probable cause.
Fazzolari’s husband John Anderson, 46, was spotted overseeing the sale, the police explained in the affidavit.
The investigation began when Mamma Ventura employees tippe…
5-Month-Old Infant Takes Cocaine, Fentanyl Parents Got In PA Prison, Police Say
A 5-month-old baby girl was found with cocaine and fentanyl in her system that police believe her parents got in the Cumberland County Prison, according to multiple releases on Friday, Sept. 13.
David James Foor, 26, and Brandi Renee Keifer, 25, both of Carlisle were arrested on the charge of child endangerment on Monday, Sept. 9, by Middlesex Township Police.
The following day "it was discovered Foor [and Keifer] had brought in and possessed controlled substances while incarcerated at the Cumberland County Prison," the police wrote in two additional releases.
Additional details about…
Death Penalty Sought For Woman Accused Of Killing Pittsburgh Friend's Baby, Abusing Twin
The death penalty is being sought against a PhD student from New Jersey who is accused of killing an infant boy and abusing his twin brother in Pennsylvania, according to court records obtained by Daily Voice on Friday, Sept. 6.
Nicole Virzi, 30, a PhD student who graduated from Northern Highlands Regional High School, was charged with criminal homicide, aggravated assault, child endangerment, and more in connection with the incidents last June.
The Allegheny County District Attorney's Office filed a notice of intent to seek the death penalty in Virzi's case on Thursday,…
by
Cecilia Levine
PA Parents Sentenced: 'Treated Animals Better' Than 7 Children, Judge Says
A father and mother who forced their seven children to live in filthy conditions in a rundown trailer in Bucks County were sentenced to up to 16 years in Pennsylvania State Prison on child neglect charges, authorities said.
Shane Robertson, 48, and Crystal Robertson, 38, of West Rockhill Township, appeared Tuesday, Aug. 20 before Common Pleas Judge Charissa J. Liller, who called them “two of the worst parents I’ve ever seen in my life.”
“It is appalling that you would live in these conditions with your seven children,” Liller said. “You treated your animals better than you treated you…
Lititz Mom Calls 911 For Fire, Ends Up Arrested For Endangering Child: PD
A 26-year-old mom called 911 for a smoking baseboard heat she believed could cause a fire, and ended up getting arrested and charged with child endangerment, Lititz Borough of Police Department officials announced on Monday, July 1.
Maricruz Alvarado-Blanco, the 20 block of Main Street in Lititz, called 911 "regarding a baseboard heater smoking and creating a fire hazard" at 10:46 p.m. on Wednesday, June 26, according to the police release.
Police officers were called to investigate, and the following happened, as stated in the release:
"While inside the apartment, officers dis…
