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Police & Fire
Eight Suspects Arrested In Berks County Human Trafficking Sting: DA Eight Suspects Arrested In Berks County Human Trafficking Sting: DA
Eight Suspects Arrested In Berks County Human Trafficking Sting: DA The Berks County District Attorney's Office reports eight arrests following a two-day human trafficking sting operation, officials announced.  On Monday and Tuesday, March 13 and 14, the DA's Human Trafficking Task Force seeded advertisements across "websites commonly used for sex trade," offering "sexual relations with minors at a predetermined location in Berks County," prosecutors said in a release.  Throughout the course of the two days, eight individuals showed up to the rendezvous site and were arrested, DA John T. Adams said.  “The harsh reality is that human tra…

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by Mac Bullock
Police & Fire
Suspect Charged With 2016 Killing Of Berks Biker Suspect Charged With 2016 Killing Of Berks Biker
Suspect Charged With 2016 Killing Of Berks Biker Nearly seven years after the fact, a suspect is charged with the 2016 murder of a motorcyclist in Berks County, District Attorney John T. Adams announced.  Darrell A. Johnson, a 37-year-old Pottstown resident, was charged with murder, robbery, aggravated assault, and related counts after he was taken into custody Tuesday, Feb. 28, the DA said.  According to investigators, Johnson was responsible for the botched robbery that killed 28-year-old Michael Shields on Aug. 6, 2016. Prosecutors say Shields and his friend were on the 600 block of East Ben Franklin Highway in Amity Township…

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by Mac Bullock
Police & Fire
Fentanyl, Cocaine Worth $4.3M Seized In Takedown Of Massive PA Drug Ring, DA Says Fentanyl, Cocaine Worth $4.3M Seized In Takedown Of Massive PA Drug Ring, DA Says
Fentanyl, Cocaine Worth $4.3M Seized In Takedown Of Massive PA Drug Ring, DA Says Nearly thirty people are facing criminal charges after authorities dismantled a "large-scale" operation that trafficked drugs from Mexico and Puerto Rico to Pennsylvania, with nearly $4.3 million worth of fentanyl and cocaine seized as evidence, authorities said. In an early-morning roundup on Thursday, Dec. 1, a total of 22 adults were taken into custody, said Berks District Attorney John T. Adams and Montgomery District Attorney Kevin R. Steele in a joint statement.  Posted by Berks County District Attorney on Thursday, December 1, 2022 Posted by Berks County District Attorney on T…

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by Mac Bullock
Police & Fire
18-Year-Old Shot Dead At Reading Student Housing Complex 18-Year-Old Shot Dead At Reading Student Housing Complex
18-Year-Old Shot Dead At Reading Student Housing Complex An 18-year-old man was shot and killed in Reading, authorities said. Diego Velazquez was shot around 12:50 a.m. at the Blady Road-Advantage Point off-campus student-housing development in Maxatawny Township, the Lehigh County Coroner's Office said. Velazquez's death, which occurred near Kutztown University, was ruled a homicide with an autopsy scheduled for Monday, Nov. 14. In addition to the coroner's office, this death is being investigated by the Pennsylvania State Police, Reading Station and the Berks County District Attorney's Office.

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by Cecilia Levine
Schools
Berks County Teacher Charged With Sexual Assault Of 13-Year-Old Student: DA Berks County Teacher Charged With Sexual Assault Of 13-Year-Old Student: DA
Berks County Teacher Charged With Sexual Assault Of 13-Year-Old Student: DA A Berks County middle school teacher has been arrested on accusations he groomed a 13-year-old student, sending sexually explicit photos and videos online — and sexually abused them in his car on at least one occasion, authorities said. Michael J. Conner, 38, a teacher at Central Middle School in Reading, used social media to engage with the student — a relationship that eventually turned sexual in nature, the Berks County District Attorney's Office said in a statement on Monday, Oct. 17. The tip came to authorities last month from a Childline referral from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania…

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by Mac Bullock
Police & Fire
Former NFL Player Killed In Pennsylvania Bar Shooting Former NFL Player Killed In Pennsylvania Bar Shooting
Former NFL Player Killed In Pennsylvania Bar Shooting Authorities have identified the 32-year-old man slain at a Berks County bar in the early morning hours of Sunday. Oct. 16 as former NFL cornerback Antonio Dennard.  Dennard was shot dead at Legends bar on North 5th Street Highway in Muhlenberg Township just after 3 a.m. Sunday morning, according to the Berks County Coroner's Office and a report by WFMZ. Officials said the official cause of death is pending further examination. An autopsy has been scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 18, the Coroner's Office added.  Muhlenberg Township police and the Berks County District Attorney's Office…

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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
Ex-PA EMS Chief Hit With New Charges After Second Hidden Camera Found, Authorities Say Ex-PA EMS Chief Hit With New Charges After Second Hidden Camera Found, Authorities Say
Ex-PA EMS Chief Hit With New Charges After Second Hidden Camera Found, Authorities Say A former EMS chief in Pennsylvania who used a hidden camera to record nearly a dozen victims — two of whom were minors — in the station's women's bathroom, will be facing additional charges after a second hidden camera was discovered inside his home, authorities said. Jason S. McCully, the former head of the Elverson-Honey Brook Area EMS department, was newly charged on Sept. 12, according to the Berks County District Attorney's Office. Investigators have accused McCully, 39, of secretly recording two women, including a juvenile, on a hidden camera in the bathroom of his home on the 2900 …

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by Nicole Acosta
Police & Fire
Trustee Convicted Of Stealing $100K From PA Bar With Expired Liquor License Trustee Convicted Of Stealing $100K From PA Bar With Expired Liquor License
Trustee Convicted Of Stealing $100K From PA Bar With Expired Liquor License A 51-year-old woman was convicted of stealing more than $100,000 from the Pennsylvania bar she worked at for more than a decade, authorities said. Vycky Macri, of Reading, was found guilty Friday, Sept. 9 of theft by unlawful taking and failure to make required disposition of funds, according to the Berks County District Attorney's Office. An investigation into Macri was launched in February 2020, after detectives received a complaint relating to the discovery of financial irregularities at the Shillington Social Quarters. Macri has been affiliated with the bar since 2008. During her …

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by Nicole Acosta
Police & Fire
PA Man Sentenced In DUI Crash That Killed Tow Truck Driver On I-78 PA Man Sentenced In DUI Crash That Killed Tow Truck Driver On I-78
PA Man Sentenced In DUI Crash That Killed Tow Truck Driver On I-78 A 31-year-old Pennsylvania man was sentenced to two to seven years in state prison for his role in a crash that claimed the life of a tow truck driver on I-78 in Berks County, authorities said. Allen Putman, of Johnstown, previously pleaded guilty to homicide by vehicle, endangering the welfare of children, and DUI for the July 21, 2020, crash that left 29-year-old Tyler A. Laudenslager dead, according to the Berks County District Attorney's Office. Laudenslager was working a roadside assistance call on the shoulder of the highway in Bethel Township when Putman's vehicle stru…

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by Nicole Acosta
Police & Fire
Berks County Man Charged With Raping Two Girls Over Course Of Several Years Berks County Man Charged With Raping Two Girls Over Course Of Several Years
Berks County Man Charged With Raping Two Girls Over Course Of Several Years A Berks County man was arrested on a slew of charges Wednesday, Aug. 17 for sexually abusing two girls over the course of five years, authorities said. James D. Fisher, 59, remained held Thursday, Aug. 25 in the Berks County Jail on an unrelated offense, the Berks County District Attorney's Office said. An investigation into Fisher began on Monday, July 11, after the Central Berks Regional Police Department received a complaint from two girls who claimed that they had been sexually abused by Fisher when they were seven years old, authorities said. The alleged sexual abuse happened bet…

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by Nicole Acosta
Police & Fire
Berks County Drug Dealer Busted With Heroin, Fentanyl, Crack Cocaine In Raid: DA Berks County Drug Dealer Busted With Heroin, Fentanyl, Crack Cocaine In Raid: DA
Berks County Drug Dealer Busted With Heroin, Fentanyl, Crack Cocaine In Raid: DA Thousands of dollars worth of heroin and fentanyl was seized along with bags of crack cocaine when police raided the home of an accused drug dealer in Berks County, authorities said. Eduardo Martinez, 43, was arrested following the warranted search of his Court Street home in Reading on Wednesday, Aug. 24, the Berks County District Attorney's Office said. An investigation began in July when detectives with the DA's office identified Martinez as a “street-level” to “mid-level” dealer who was selling heroin and/or fentanyl in the city, they said. Investigators later discovered…

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by Nicole Acosta