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Marijuana Scavenger Hunt At Reading Park Leads To Deadly Shooting: Police Marijuana Scavenger Hunt At Reading Park Leads To Deadly Shooting: Police
Marijuana Scavenger Hunt At Reading Park Leads To Deadly Shooting: Police A teen was shot in the back after finding a stash of marijuana hidden in City Park, according to Reading police.  Rafael Tinoco-Villagomez, 19, was struck by gunfire on July 10 and died from his injuries at Reading Hospital, authorities said.  Two suspects, 18-year-old Luis Rios and 16-year-old Jasir Escoto, are in custody as of Friday, July 26, police wrote in a release.  All three attended an event advertised on social media about marijuana being hidden in the park, investigators believe. Tinoco-Villagomez found it and was chased by Rios and Escoto before th…

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by Mac Bullock
Police & Fire
Sex Offender Husband, Wife Face Child Pornography Charges: Berks County DA Sex Offender Husband, Wife Face Child Pornography Charges: Berks County DA
Sex Offender Husband, Wife Face Child Pornography Charges: Berks County DA A convicted sex offender and his Reading wife have been arrested on child pornography charges, according to the Berks County District Attorney's Office.  Dennis Deiter, 46, and Elizabeth Deiter, 34, both "admitted to utilizing their respective cellular telephones to view child pornography," prosecutors wrote in a release on Wednesday, July 24.  Detectives began investigating the pair after receiving a complaint from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, authorities said. The investigation led them to the Deiters' South 12th Street home where they e…

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by Mac Bullock
News
Reading Businessman Sold Fentanyl To Undercover Detectives, DA Says Reading Businessman Sold Fentanyl To Undercover Detectives, DA Says
Reading Businessman Sold Fentanyl To Undercover Detectives, DA Says Over a hundred fentanyl pills were seized in a Reading drug raid on Friday, July 12, according to the Berks County District Attorney's Office.  Gregory Borges, 60, was charged with drug and firearms offenses, prosecutors said.  Detectives began investigating Borges in May and made multiple controlled buys of fentanyl from his business Gshirt Inc. at 921 Penn Street, authorities wrote in a release.  "He was selling this lethal product and storing it at this location," the DA's Office said. Detectives obtained a search warrant for his business on Wednesday, July 10 and raided…

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by Mac Bullock
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Mugshot Released Of Berks Man Accused Of Killing Neighbor Mugshot Released Of Berks Man Accused Of Killing Neighbor
Mugshot Released Of Berks Man Accused Of Killing Neighbor A photo of the West Lawn man accused of Gregory Cammer's murder. has been released by authorities  Angel Adames is charged with first-, second-, and third-degree homicide, according to court records.  Adames allegedly shot and killed 55-year-old Crammer in a first-floor apartment at 2105 Penn Avenue on June 25, Spring police have said. The 56-year-old suspect lived in the apartment upstairs and was arrested at the scene, according to officials.  Google Maps (Street View)/Inset: Spring Township Police Dept. Crammer's obituary says he was a "loving husband and father" w…

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by Mac Bullock
News
Teen Who Escaped Detention Center Caught In Stolen Car In Levittown: PSP Teen Who Escaped Detention Center Caught In Stolen Car In Levittown: PSP
Teen Who Escaped Detention Center Caught In Stolen Car In Levittown: PSP The 16-year-old who climbed a fence at Berks County detention center over the weekend has been arrested, state police said Thursday, July 11. Dustin Lomas was taken into custody in Falls Township on Wednesday evening, July 10, troopers said. He was allegedly "an occupant" in a stolen car. Police said they took him to the Bucks County Youth Center. Lomas and 18-year-old Tyler Luntz escaped from Abraxas Academy in Morgantown on Saturday, July 6, troopers said previously. Luntz was arrested on Monday night, July 8 at a carnival in Tullytown where police said he was trying to blend in with …

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by Mac Bullock
Police & Fire
Back-To-Back Bank Robbery Suspect Arrested: Reading Police (UPDATED) Back-To-Back Bank Robbery Suspect Arrested: Reading Police (UPDATED)
Back-To-Back Bank Robbery Suspect Arrested: Reading Police (Updated) A suspect is in custody for trying to rob two Reading credit unions on Monday, July 8, according to city police.  Josue Rivera-Reyes was arrested Friday, July 12, authorities said in a release.  Police responded to a 911 hangup at Visions Federal Credit Union around 12:15 p.m. Monday, where a man had demanded money and said he had a gun, RPD wrote.  A short time later, Pagoda Federal Credit Union reported a "suspicious male" attempting a robbery at their location as well, authorities said.  Rivera-Reyes is charged with felony robbery and related counts, …

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by Mac Bullock
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PA Jehovah's Witness Member Sentenced For Sexually Assaulting Girl While She Slept: AG PA Jehovah's Witness Member Sentenced For Sexually Assaulting Girl While She Slept: AG
PA Jehovah's Witness Member Sentenced For Sexually Assaulting Girl While She Slept: AG A 56-year-old Pennsylvania man has been sentenced to prison for sexual assault of a girl that began more than 20 years ago, officials said. Luis Manuel Ayala-Velasquez, 56, of Reading, was arrested last year after a grand jury investigation where sexual assault charges were recommended against more than a dozen members of the Jehovah’s Witnesses faith, Attorney General Michelle Henry said. Ayala-Velasquez will serve 14 to 46 years in prison after pleading guilty earlier this year to five felony counts, including rape of an unconscious person, Henry said. He was sentenced Wednesday…

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by Cecilia Levine
News
Swimmer Drowns In Schuylkill River In Reading, Officials Say Swimmer Drowns In Schuylkill River In Reading, Officials Say
Swimmer Drowns In Schuylkill River In Reading, Officials Say One person died while swimming near Reading's Riverfront Park on Saturday, June 29, according to city officials.  Reading firefighters said the male victim was seen going into the water near "Penske Beach" and never came back out. Dive crews recovered his body and he was pronounced dead at this scene, first responders said.  Authorities did not report his name.  "Our thoughts are with the family and friends during this difficult time," City Hall said in a statement on Monday, July 1.  "The reality is that accidents occur, and sometimes, even under the best of circumsta…

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by Mac Bullock
Police & Fire
Pursuit Of Teen In Stolen Car Ends With Fiery Crash: Reading Police Pursuit Of Teen In Stolen Car Ends With Fiery Crash: Reading Police
Pursuit Of Teen In Stolen Car Ends With Fiery Crash: Reading Police A juvenile who led police on a chase in a stolen car has been charged, Reading Police announced on Monday, June 24.  Officers spotted the vehicle near North 3rd and Washington streets around 1:30 a.m. When they tried to pull it over, the 15-year-old driver fled into Muhlenberg Township where he lost control and crashed, according to officials. The car caught fire before police removed the driver from the vehicle, RPD said.  The teen is charged with unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, fleeing and eluding, and multiple traffic-related offenses. He is being charged as a juveni…

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by Mac Bullock
News
Severe Thunderstorm Warnings Issued In These NJ, PA Counties Severe Thunderstorm Warnings Issued In These NJ, PA Counties
Severe Thunderstorm Warnings Issued In These NJ, PA Counties The National Weather Service has issued severe thunderstorm warnings and warned of 60 mph winds across parts of New Jersey and Pennsylvania Friday, June 14. At 4:15 p.m., the NWS issued the warnings for Sussex and Warren counties in New Jersey, and Carbon, Monroe, Berks, Lehigh, and Northampton, in PA.  Newton, Washington, Jim Thorpe, Stroudsburg, Reading, Allentown, Bethlehem, and Easton, are also being warned of severe storms. The warnings are in effect through 5 p.m. Temps hit the 90-degree mark late in the afternoon, the NWS said. Storms were expected in the evening hours, a…

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by Cecilia Levine
News
Berks Coroner Seeks Next-Of-Kin For Late Reading Man Berks Coroner Seeks Next-Of-Kin For Late Reading Man
Berks Coroner Seeks Next-Of-Kin For Late Reading Man Officials are looking for the family of a man who died in Reading Hospital over the weekend.  Scott P. Campbell, 52, died from natural causes on Sunday, June 9, the Berks County Coroner's Office said. His last known address was the Hope Rescue Mission, 645 N. 6th Street, Reading. Anyone who can contact his loved ones is asked to call the Coroner at 610-478-3280. 

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by Mac Bullock
Traffic
Coroner IDs Reading Man Killed In Route 183 Crash Coroner IDs Reading Man Killed In Route 183 Crash
Coroner IDs Reading Man Killed In Route 183 Crash Officials have named the driver who died after a crash near Bernville on Thursday morning, May 30.  Daniel R. Schneider, 28, was headed south on the 6400 block of Bernville Road/Route 183 in Penn Township around 4:15 a.m., according to state police and the Berks Coroner's Office.  Schneider's Chrysler 300 crossed into the northbound lane and hit a Toyota Highlander head-on, troopers said. His car rolled onto its passenger side and came to rest in a ditch before catching fire, state police said.  Schneider, of Reading, was pronounced dead from multiple blunt force trauma with…

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by Mac Bullock