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Berks County Detectives

Police & Fire
Man, 82, Shoots Wife In Head With .22 Caliber Rifle: Berks County DA Man, 82, Shoots Wife In Head With .22 Caliber Rifle: Berks County DA
Howard Boltz Arrested For Shooting Wife: DA An 82-year-old Berks County man was arrested after shooting his wife in the head with a .22 caliber rifle, the Berks County District Attorney's Office said. Howard “Philip” Boltz, of Bethel, called police to report that he had just shot his wife in their home on Airport Road at 9:10 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 4, according to the district attorney's office. Police found an 84-year-old woman in the residence with a gunshot wound to her head, the district attorney's office said. She was taken to Penn State Hershey Medical Center in stable condition. Boltz was arrested and charged with Criminal Atte…

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by Merriell Moyer
Police & Fire
Skull Found In PA Pond Was That Of 2004 Attempted Murder Suspect, Officials Say Skull Found In PA Pond Was That Of 2004 Attempted Murder Suspect, Officials Say
Skull Found In Berks Pond ID'd As Roger Hart: Prosecutors A human skull discovered in an Amity Township pond has been identified as belonging to a missing attempted murder suspect, Berks County prosecutors say.  The skull was found by a child in a body of water near Pine Lane in April 2022, the District Attorney's Office wrote in a release Wednesday, Jan. 31. Two follow-up searches of the pond turned up no other human remains, authorities said.  Investigators believed the skull was that of Roger Hart, a former Pottstown resident who went missing in 2004 after he was charged with trying to kill his wife at their home. Hart fled the s…

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by Mac Bullock
Police & Fire
'Large-Scale' Drug Traffickers Wanted In Berks County: DA 'Large-Scale' Drug Traffickers Wanted In Berks County: DA
'Large-Scale' Drug Traffickers Wanted In Berks County: DA Two members of an alleged Berks-based "large-scale drug trafficking organization" are still on the run, according to the District Attorney's Office.  Of the 29 men charged as part of the DA's "Operation Knockout" last month, all except for 44-year-old Jeffrey Kanelos and 34-year-old Moises Franco are in custody, authorities said.  Both men are Reading residents and face multiple felony charges including corrupt organizations and conspiracy, said officials.  Roughly $1.5 million in cocaine, fentanyl, methamphetamine, and other drugs were seized from properties across Berks Co…

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by Mac Bullock
Police & Fire
29 Charged, $1.5 Million In Drugs Seized In Massive Berks County Raid: DA 29 Charged, $1.5 Million In Drugs Seized In Massive Berks County Raid: DA
29 Charged, $1.5 Million In Drugs Seized In Massive Berks County Raid: DA Several dozen people face criminal charges and a purported $1.5 million in drugs have been seized as part of "Operation Knockout" in Berks County, according to District Attorney John T. Adams' Office.  The operation targeted a "large-scale drug trafficking organization" based in and around Reading with alleged ties to "a Mexican cartel," said prosecutors.  Police said they began investigating individual dealers in early 2023 but sought court approval for electronic surveillance after they "determined that these individuals were part of an even larger organization." …

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by Mac Bullock
Police & Fire
Child Porn Arrests: 3 Current, Former Reading Residents Charged Child Porn Arrests: 3 Current, Former Reading Residents Charged
Child Porn Arrests: 3 Current, Former Reading Residents Charged Authorities have announced three child porn-related arrests out of Berks County. Between May and September 2022, the Berks County Detective’s Office received three separate referrals from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) involving Child Pornography file sharing utilizing various internet/web applications, Berks County DA John T. Adams said. Each investigation ultimately linked the defendants to the specific internet/web accounts being utilized to file share in child pornography. Search warrants seized at each defendant's home turned up numerous images and video…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Pair Of 'Juveniles' Shot In Berks County: Police Pair Of 'Juveniles' Shot In Berks County: Police
Pair Of 'Juveniles' Shot In Berks County: Police Two young men were hospitalized with gunshot wounds after being attacked on a Berks County street late Saturday night, according to authorities.  It happened in Douglass, township police wrote in a release. A pair of "juvenile males" were walking along the 1200 block of Reading Avenue just before midnight on Saturday, June 10, the department said.  Responding officers found one victim with a gunshot wound to the gut and another with injuries to the knee and shoulder, per the release. The two were rushed to Reading Hospital and Trauma Center where police say they are "expected to b…

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by Mac Bullock
Police & Fire
'Operation Special Delivery': Berks Crew Smuggled $4M Of Cocaine Through The Mail, Police Say 'Operation Special Delivery': Berks Crew Smuggled $4M Of Cocaine Through The Mail, Police Say
'Operation Special Delivery': Berks Crew Smuggled $4M Of Cocaine Through The Mail, Police Say A dozen people face criminal charges in connection with an ongoing scheme to mail cocaine from Puerto Rico to Berks County, according to authorities.  During the course of "Operation Special Delivery," a task force of Berks detectives and federal agents seized roughly $4 million worth of cocaine from 19 packages sent through the US Postal Service, said county authorities in a release.  Eleven of the 12 suspects are currently in police custody, detectives said.  The investigation began last August when the Postal Inspector's Office found "kilogram quantities" of cocaine being regularly shi…

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by Mac Bullock
Police & Fire
Police Shoot Wanted Man After Vehicle Strikes Officer Outside Reading Wawa: DA Police Shoot Wanted Man After Vehicle Strikes Officer Outside Reading Wawa: DA
Police Shoot Wanted Man After Vehicle Strikes Officer Outside Reading Wawa: DA Police shot a wanted man in Reading on Wednesday, Sept. 14, after an officer was struck by the car he was driving, authorities said. Officers on patrol around 4:45 p.m. saw Emanuel Padilla Tirado, 31, driving a 2012 Chevrolet Malibu, which was later parked at the Wawa on the 400 block of Lancaster Avenue, according to the Berks County District Attorney's Office. Investigators had been searching for Padilla Tirado and were aware that there was an active felony warrant for his arrest.  He had been wanted on aggravated assault charges stemming from a shooting that happened on Sept. 9 at …

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by Nicole Acosta
Police & Fire
Human Skull Found In Berks County: Police Human Skull Found In Berks County: Police
Human Skull Found In Berks County: Police A human skull was found in Berks County over the weekend, authorities said. The remains were discovered in a retention pond on Pine Lane on Saturday, April 30, Amity Township police said. The Keystone Water Rescue, Berks County Coroner's Office, Berks County Detectives, Pennsylvania Canine Search, and Rescue Team, Amity Fire/Rescue, and Monarch Fire Police all responded to the scene. The investigation remains ongoing.

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by Nicole Acosta
Police & Fire
Berks Man Admits To Raping, Sexually Assaulting Boy For Years: DA Berks Man Admits To Raping, Sexually Assaulting Boy For Years: DA
Berks Man Admits To Raping, Sexually Assaulting Boy For Years: DA A 30-year-old man from Reading admitted to raping and sexually assaulting a child for years, authorities said. An investigation began on Jan. 16, 2022, after detectives with the Berks County District Attorney's Office received a report from the Reading Police Department regarding the sexual assault of a 14-year-old boy, they said. The victim told a witness that he was most recently sexually assaulted by Luis Torres-Gonzalez in January, detectives said. He also added that he was raped by Torres-Gonzalez when he was younger, according to the DA's office. Torres-Gonzalez told detect…

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by Nicole Acosta
Police & Fire
Cocaine, Heroin, Fentanyl Seized From Reading Man In Drug Raid, Authorities Say Cocaine, Heroin, Fentanyl Seized From Reading Man In Drug Raid, Authorities Say
Cocaine, Heroin, Fentanyl Seized From Reading Man In Drug Raid, Authorities Say Several packets of cocaine, heroin, and fentanyl were seized in the arrest of a Reading man for his alleged role in "drug activity," authorities said. Juan Alberto Alicea-Burgos, 44, in July was identified by the Berks County District Attorney’s Drug Task Force as a known drug dealer to Reading residents, officials said. He was arrested by Berks County Detectives on August 6 at his home in the 200 block of Hudson Street. A search warrant turned up $8,000 worth of drugs and more, authorities said. The total search found: One Glock 9mm semi-auto handgun (under further investigati…

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by Nicole Acosta
Police & Fire
DA: 5 People Arrested For MontCo, Philly, Berks, Lancaster County Gun Trafficking Ring DA: 5 People Arrested For MontCo, Philly, Berks, Lancaster County Gun Trafficking Ring
DA: 5 People Arrested For MontCo, Philly, Berks, Lancaster County Gun Trafficking Ring Five Pennsylvanians were arrested for operating a straw purchase gun trafficking ring in Montgomery, Philadelphia, Berks, and Lancaster counties, authorities said Friday. Daveese Smith, 21, of Norristown; Darell Smith, 25, of Philadelphia; Maliqa Jack, 25 of Pottstown; Donaya Williams, 22, of Philadelphia; and Tanisha Allen (AKA Tanisha Smith), 42, of Norristown are accused of illegally obtaining and reselling 14 firearms, according to the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office. Some of the suspects were arrested and charged in February when DA Kevin Steele initially announced th…

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by Nicole Acosta
Police & Fire
DA: Reading Man Arrested For Heroin, Fentanyl Trafficking Sold Drugs To Fatal Overdose Victim DA: Reading Man Arrested For Heroin, Fentanyl Trafficking Sold Drugs To Fatal Overdose Victim
DA: Reading Man Arrested For Heroin, Fentanyl Trafficking Sold Drugs To Fatal Overdose Victim A Reading man arrested on suspected heroin and fentanyl trafficking was arrested on additional charges after learning he sold drugs to a routine customer who fatally overdosed in 2020, authorities said. In February 2020, the Berks County District Attorney’s Drug Task Force initiated a drug investigation into Ramon Belen, 59, and obtained search warrants for him and his two addresses in the 600 block of Bingaman Street, according to Berks County Detectives. On Feb. 26, detectives served the search warrants and seized approximately 1,000 packets of heroin/fentanyl, nine firearm…

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by Nicole Acosta
Police & Fire
Berks Man Posed As Young Boy To Get 10-Year-Old Girl To Send Nude Photos, Authorities Say Berks Man Posed As Young Boy To Get 10-Year-Old Girl To Send Nude Photos, Authorities Say
Berks Man Posed As Young Boy To Get 10-Year-Old Girl To Send Nude Photos, Authorities Say A 23-year-old Berks County man was arrested on various charges after he posed as a young boy online to coerce a 10-year-old girl to send him nude images, authorities said. An investigation ensued after the girl's father reported on May 28 that he discovered the sexually explicit conversations between his daughter and Dennis Heckrote, of Sinking Spring, dating back to when the girl was 8-years-old, according to Chief County Detective Michael J. Gombar. In a June 1 interview, the girl told Berks County Detectives that she messaged someone on TikTok and Discord, who she believed was …

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by Nicole Acosta
Police & Fire
AG: 4 Philadelphia Men Arrested Following Morgantown Gun Show Investigation AG: 4 Philadelphia Men Arrested Following Morgantown Gun Show Investigation
AG: 4 Philadelphia Men Arrested Following Morgantown Gun Show Investigation Four Philadelphia men were arrested following a Morgantown gun show investigation that uncovered a ghost gun trafficking operation, authorities announced. Authorities seized five fully assembled ghost guns, four 80% receiver kits, one 80% receiver, one Smith and Wesson revolver, extended magazines, and more than 1,000 rounds of ammunition, according to Attorney General Josh Shapiro. Ghost guns typically start as “80% receivers” that are often sold in kits without background checks. They can be easily and quickly put together, lack serial numbers so they cannot be traced, and, once full…

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by Nicole Acosta