Tag:
Montgomery County District Attorney
Norristown, PA
News
Norristown Teacher Asked To Kiss 13-Year-Old Student Before D.C. Field Trip: Police
A former Pennsylvania middle school teacher who asked to kiss a 13-year-old student before a Washington, D.C. field trip will serve time behind bars, officials announced on Monday, April 6. John Richards, 57, of Newtown Square, was sentenced to nine to 23 months in prison, Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele explained. The investigation began on March 17, 2025, when a Norristown Police detective responded to Blockson Middle School after school officials, including Principal David Luger and School Resource Officer William Kane, reported concerns about Richards’ interacti…
King of Prussia, PA
News
$52K In Appliances, Tools Stolen By Organized Theft Ring In Montco, Suspect Caught In NJ
An organized retail theft group accused of stealing more than $52,000 worth of appliances and tools from Home Depot stores across four Pennsylvania counties has been dismantled, prosecutors announced on Friday, Aug. 22. Balvin Greene, 32, Terrell Jackson, 39, and Kristopher Heard, 38, all of Philadelphia, were arrested and charged with multiple felonies, including running a corrupt organization, organized retail theft, retail theft, conspiracy, and dealing in the proceeds of unlawful activity, according to Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele. From May 18 through Aug. 11, 202…
Royersford-Limerick, PA
News
Triple Fatal Crash: DA Clears Police In Limerick Chase Killing Owen J. Roberts HS Students
Montgomery County prosecutors have cleared Limerick Township Police of any wrongdoing in a June crash that killed three Owen J. Roberts High School students, District Attorney Kevin R. Steele announced on Wednesday, July 30. The deadly pursuit began at 9:06 p.m. on Tuesday, June 3, when police responded to a 911 call about a possible theft at the Target store on Ridge Pike in Royersford. A responding officer spotted a Toyota Camry leaving the lot without headlights and attempted a traffic stop with lights and sirens activated, Steele said. Instead of stopping, the vehicle accelerated westbo…
Lansdale, PA
News
Exclusive
: ‘This Can’t Stand’ Husband Demands Justice After Wife Killed In Crosswalk
A Pennsylvania man is demanding criminal charges be filed after his wife, Diane Kopena, a beloved community volunteer and New Jersey native, was fatally struck in a Lansdale crosswalk. The driver who hit her has only been cited for traffic violations. “You can’t take the life of a human being and it’s just OK. Just wipe the blood off your pickup and live on as if nothing ever happened,” said her husband, George Kopena, in an exclusive statement to Daily Voice. Diane, 71, died on Thursday, May 1, 2025—days after being hit at Columbia Avenue and Richardson Avenue on April 24. On Friday, J…
Norristown, PA
News
Final Suspect Arrested In Norristown Gang Killing Of Tahaj 'Pooh' Harrison
The last of three teens accused in the targeted killing of 20-year-old Tahaj “Pooh” Harrison in Norristown has been arrested, Montgomery County authorities announced on Wednesday, June 26. Jabril Morgan-Cook, 18, of Norristown, was taken into custody without incident after he was found hiding in a home in Pottstown Tuesday night, according to District Attorney Kevin R. Steele. He joins co-defendants Kaleem Roland, 16, and Naseem Worrell, 17, who were both charged earlier this month. Ambush On Corson Street Police say Harrison was killed around 9:43 p.m. on Friday, May 23, when three masked…
Norristown, PA
News
Man, 20, Found Shot Dead In Backyard Of Norristown Home: DA
A 20-year-old man was found fatally shot in the backyard of his Norristown home, authorities announced on Saturday, May 24. Tahaj Andru Harrison, 20, of Norristown, was found dead in the rear yard of his residence in the 600 block of Corson Street around 9:45 p.m. on Friday, May 23, according to Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele and Norristown Acting Police Chief James Angelucci. Police were alerted to the area by a ShotSpotter notification at 9:43 p.m., which indicated multiple gunshots had been fired near 639 Corson Street. When officers arrived, they discovered Harrison…
Abington, PA
News
Man Shot Dead By Abington Police During Domestic Incident: DA
Attorneys for the family of Wyleek Tinsley are demanding the release of body camera footage after the 19-year-old was shot and killed by Abington Township police during a domestic disturbance last month. The use of deadly force by officers in the March 6 incident was justified, Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele announced on Monday, April 14. But the Tinsley family and their legal team, including attorneys Joseph Marrone and Keir Bradford-Grey, say they still have no answers. Tinsley was shot inside an apartment at the Rosemore Garden Apartments in the Glenside section of Abin…
Norristown, PA
News
Montgomery County Court Records Tampered With, Stolen By 2 Staffers, DA Says
Two longtime Montgomery County court employees are accused of stealing thousands of dollars in cash payments for traffic and parking violations while altering court records to cover their tracks, prosecutors announced on Wednesday, Feb. 12. Lisa Anne Shopa, 58, of Havertown, and Patricia Althouse, 54, of Ardmore, worked at Magisterial District Court 38-1-07 in Lower Merion Township, where they allegedly manipulated payment records and pocketed fines, Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele said in a release. The alleged thefts surfaced during an internal review that began in S…
Norristown, PA
News
Suspects ID'd For Shooting Man In Face, Killing In Norristown: Montco DA
Marquan “Trey” Banks, 25, of Brookhaven, has been arrested for the first-degree murder of 37-year-old Jermaine Pierce in Norristown, Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele and Norristown Acting Police Chief James Angelucci announced on Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025. The shooting occurred on Saturday, Jan. 11, at 7:34 p.m. on the 500 block of Noble Street, as Daily Voice reported at the time. Pierce was found unresponsive with a fatal gunshot wound to the face, and an autopsy confirmed the manner of death was homicide. Detectives recovered four fired shell casings and two live rounds…
Hatfield, PA
News
NJ Fugitive Joshua Ronan Arrested For Attempted Murder PA
A New Jersey fugitive accused of beating a man with a brick in Hatfield, Montgomery County, PA, earlier this month has been taken into custody, authorities announced Friday, Nov. 22. Joshua Ronan, 30, of Lansdale, was arrested without incident at a female friend's apartment on East Main Street in Lansdale, according to Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele, Hatfield Police Chief William Tierney, and Lansdale Police Chief Michael Trail. Ronan is charged with Criminal Attempt-Murder and other offenses in the Nov. 5, 2024, attack on Mark Miller, 41, of Lansdale, authorities said. …
Cheltenham-Elkins Park, PA
News
PA Man High On PCP Charged In Fatal Crash: DA
A man on PCP was charged with vehicular homicide, the Montgomery County District Attorney announced on Thursday, Oct. 31. Cedric Galette, 47, was arrested following an investigation into the crash that killed Troy Rivera, according to the release. The fatal crash happened at the intersection of North Fifth Street and Cheltenham Avenue in Cheltenham Township on Wednesday, Sept. 18, the DA explained, noting that Rivera passed away in the hospital 10 days after the crash. Galette was discovered to have been driving 60 mph in a 30 mph with his 2007 Cadillac CTS's lights o…
Ambler-Blue Bell, PA
Politics
Bomb Threat Forces Closure Of GOP Headquarters In PA: State Police
The Montgomery County Republican Committee Headquarters was forced to close down following a bomb threat on Saturday, Oct. 26, according to the Pennsylvania State Police. "We’ve engaged with the (FBI, Montgomery County District Attorney), and local law enforcement in Whitpain Township investigating a bomb threat targeted at the Montgomery County GOP," state police said in a post on X, formerly Twitter. We’ve engaged with the @FBI, @MontcopaDA, and local law enforcement in Whitpain Township investigating a bomb threat targeted at the Montgomery County GOP. https://t.co/2bS0BNpK9U — P…
Douglasville-Birdsboro, PA
News
Man With Machete Shot Dead By Police In East Greenville: Montgomery County DA
A man barricaded in a basement with a hatchet and a machete following a fight with a teenager has been shot dead, the Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele announced on Sunday, Sept. 15. East Greenville Police were sent to a home in the 100 block of Cherry Street for a domestic incident called into 911 by an 18-year-old around 8:08 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 14, as detailed in the release. Officers "arrived to find a man barricaded in the basement of the home and threatening to harm law enforcement," as stated in the release. Numerous police agen…
Springfield Township, PA
Police & Fire
PA Woman Kills Teen By Crashing Stolen Car Through Red Light: Affidavit
A Philadelphia woman has been charged with killing another teenager after running a red light and crashing a stolen vehicle in Montgomery County, authorities said. Asiyah Sara Mowatt-Mays, 18, was charged with homicide by vehicle, aggravated assault by vehicle, receiving stolen property and other charges related to the July 29 crash that killed a 15-year-old boy and injured two others, authorities said. The fatal crash occurred at the intersection of Stenton and Evergreen Avenues in the Wyndmoor section of Springfield Township at 4:51 a.m., according to Montgomery County…
Norristown, PA
News
Convicted Child Rapist Extradited To PA From England: DA
A convicted child rapist was extradited to Pennsylvania from England after fleeing the country, authorities said. Gerard Zalewski, 41, skipped bail in April 2006 before his sentencing hearing on child rape charges, according to Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele and FBI Philadelphia Special Agent In Charge Wayne A. Jacobs. Zalewski was located 10 years later in Lancashire, England when he was convicted and sentenced to prison on charges similar to those he was convicted of in Montgomery County, they said on Tuesday, Aug. 27. An investigation r…
Lower Merion-Narberth, PA
News
Norristown Hospital Patient Charged With Killing Roommate Over Thrown Books: Affidavit
A 34-year-old man has been charged with murder after authorities said he strangled his roommate at Norristown State Hospital over the weekend. Kyle Samuels-Robey was sharing a room with 25-year-old Jacob Gonzalez at the state-run psychiatric facility when the incident happened on Sunday, July 14, Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele and Pennsylvania State Police Captain Gerard B. McShea said. At 9:30 p.m., a hospital security employee looked into the pair's room and saw both men lying on their beds, then told Gonzalez to go get his medications, Steele and McShea said.&nb…
Lower Merion-Narberth, PA
Police & Fire
Barber Fires 7 Shots, Kills Neighbor While On Phone With Dispatchers, Montco DA Says
A barber calling police on his neighbor shot and killed him while on the phone with dispatchers, authorities in Montgomery County said. Stephen Strassburg, of Hatboro, was on the phone with dispatchers when 41-year-old Maurice Byrd shot him just before 6 p.m. on Saturday, June 8, Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele said. Strassburg lives above Byrd's business, Razor Reese's Salon and Spa on North York Road, and the two apparently had been involved in an ongoing dispute, Steele said alongside Hatboro Police Chief Mark Ruegg. Responding officers found Strassbur…
Lower Merion-Narberth, PA
Police & Fire
Murder Suspect Dismissed By Police Left Cellphone At Sidewalk Scene In Montco: DA (
Details
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Harrowing details have been released in a Lower Merion weekend homicide. Tyreese Quinerley, 39, was erratically operating a green Chevrolet Express van speeing on City Avenue when it stopped for a red light at City and Cardinal avenues around 10:45 p.m. Sunday, April 14, Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele said. Quinerley, of Philadelphia, got out of the van, stood near the center of the roadway and fired two gunshots into his car, Steele said alongside Lower Merion Township Acting Police Superintendent Eugene J. Pasternak. A few minutes later, surveillance v…
Lower Merion-Narberth, PA
News
Young Mom, Toddler's Deaths Land Norristown Man Double Homicide By Vehicle Charges: DA
A 22-year-old man has been charged with two counts of homicide by vehicle for a crash that killed a young mom and her toddler, Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele and Upper Merion Township Director of Public Safety Thomas Nolan announced on Wednesday morning. Brayan Alejandro Gonzalez-Paez of Norristown has been charged with a slew of offenses for a high-speed crash on Valley Forge Park Road in Upper Merion Township that killed 20-year-old Anjelica Guadalupe Amaya Briceno and her 3-year-old daughter on Jan. 13, according to the affidavit of probable cause.&nbs…
Lower Merion-Narberth, PA
Police & Fire
PA Man Used Photo Of Son's Former Teacher In Soliciting Sex From 13-Year-Old, Affidavit Shows
Authorities have released chats between undercover officers posing as a 13-year-old girl and a Montgomery County man asking for sexual favors. Thomas Bowes, 39, of Lansdale, became the center of an investigation in October 2023, following a tip from the Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce, according to the criminal complaint obtained by Daily Voice. ** WARNING: The following news story contains disturbing and graphic information that depicts the sexual abuse of small children ** Montgomery County investigators created profiles on the social media app Whisper, and began engaging with…
Lower Merion-Narberth, PA
Police & Fire
Fight Over Cat Kills 85-Year-Old Pottstown Wife, Husband Coated In Blood: DA
A cat fight, more specifically a fight over a cat's veterinary care, left an 85-year-old woman dead in Pottstown on Tuesday afternoon, Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele explained. Barton Lewis Seltmann, 84, has been arrested for the homicide of his 85-year-old wife, Margaret Seltmann, as stated in court documents obtained by Daily Voice. Mr. Seltmann called 911 call to report "an unresponsive female" found in the 1900 block of North Keim Street at 2:26 p.m., the DA said. He added that the woman was "bleeding from the head" and their home was "ransacked," ac…
Lower Merion-Narberth, PA
Police & Fire
Man Kills Ex-GF At Home, Then Himself At PA Cemetery, DA Says
A man and a woman were found dead in an apparent murder-suicide on Monday, according to authorities. Randy Hill, 33, was found with an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound at Highland Memorial Cemetery and pronounced dead at 8:37 a.m., Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele and Pottstown Police Chief Mick Markovich announced in a joint statement on Oct. 16. Hill's ex-girlfriend, 30-year-old Symphony Blue was found dead from a gunshot wound in a bedroom at Hill's home in the 500 block of North Franklin Street at 10:29 a.m., according t…
Lower Merion-Narberth, PA
Police & Fire
Woman Waving Gun, 69, Shot Dead By Officer In Pennsylvania: DA
A 69-year-old woman was fatally shot by police after waving a gun and pointing it at responders in a Pennsylvania town. EMTs and Upper Moreland officers were called to the 100 block of Evans Avenue in Willow Grove Sunday, Oct, 8, around 5:05 p.m. on reports of a woman waving a gun outside of a home, Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele said. The woman pointed a firearm at EMTs and police issued commands for her to drop the weapon, but the woman did not comply. Instead, she pointed the gun at police, and was shot by an officer. Police immediately rendered aid to th…
Lower Merion-Narberth, PA
Police & Fire
Driver Charged In 7-Year-Old's Fatal Fall From Pickup Truck In MontCo: DA
A 48-year-old man is facing charges several weeks after a 7-year-old girl fell to her death from the bed of his pickup truck in Montgomery County, authorities said. Andres Marin, 48, of Plymouth Meeting, has been charged with involuntary manslaughter, homicide by vehicle, and related offenses in the Tuesday, Aug. 22 fatality, Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele said. The girl and four other neighborhood children, ages 6 to 11, were riding their bikes and scooters outside when they asked Marin, who was a neighbor, to give them a ride in the back of his white 1996 Subaru …
Lower Merion-Narberth, PA
Police & Fire
How JFK Airport Customs Agents ID'd Ghost Gun Manufacturing Ring Out Of Suburban Philly Home
Three men from Montgomery County have been arrested for their roles in trafficking and manufacturing ghost guns and suppressors, authorities said. Tony Phan Ho, 32, ran the operation out of his Hatfield home with help from Rithga Ngoy, 36, of Hatfield and Michael Phan Nguyen, 32, of Lansdale, Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele said. A search of Ho’s property found all of the tools needed to privately manufacture firearms, numerous AR-15 rifle parts, firearm sights, firearm sight tools, a Polymer80 tool kit, weapon mounted lights, a Glock pistol barrel, a Sig Sauer…
Lower Merion-Narberth, PA
Police & Fire
Girl, 7, Dies In Fall During Ride In Back Of Neighbor's Pickup: MontCo DA
A 7-year-old girl died in a fall from a neighbor's pickup truck in Montgomery County this week, authorities announced. The girl had been playing outside when a man in their Plymouth Township neighborhood gave them a ride in the back of his Isuzu Elf pickup truck on Tuesday night, Aug. 22, Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele said. As the driver turned a corner at the intersection of Jolly and Harvard Roads in Plymouth Township, the 7-year-old fell out of the truck, the DA said alongside Plymouth Township Police Chief John C. Myrsiades. The girl was rushed to the hospita…
Lower Merion-Narberth, PA
Police & Fire
PA Employee Embezzled $1.2 Million From Furniture Store, DA Says
A high-ranking employee at a Pennsylvania furniture business is accused of embezzling more than $1 million from the company, authorities say. Linda Mansi, 53, of Tuckerton, New Jersey, is charged with multiple felonies from Arnold Office Furniture and Sunline Supply in Bridgeport, said Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele's Office in a release Friday, July 28. Jay and Jordan Berkowitz, the owners of the stores, approached police in February about a "significant theft" from the company's coffers, the DA said. The Berkowitzes claimed Mansi — an employee sin…
Lower Merion-Narberth, PA
Police & Fire
PA Realtor Strangled Son With Dad's Belt Over Financial Woes Before NJ Capture: DA
Heartbreaking details have been released in the death of an 11-year-old Pennsylvania boy, whose mom strangled him with his father's belt as he slept before her arrest in New Jersey, authorities announced. Matthew Whitehead, of Horsham, had been crying on and off all day Monday, April 10, over his family's alleged financial difficulties, and slept in the master bedroom with his mom, Ruth DiRienzo Whitehead, according to police papers released by Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele's office. The following morning, Tuesday, April 11, the boy's father, Daniel Whitehead, and realize…
Lower Merion-Narberth, PA
Police & Fire
Cemetery Celebration Turns Deadly: Gunfire Kills 1, Wounds Another In Suburban Philly
A 29-year-old Philadelphia man was killed and a 33-year-old man seriously injured after more than 30 shots were fired during a "birthday celebration" at a 2013 shooting victim's grave in a Montgomery County cemetery on Saturday, March 18, authorities said. The group had gathered at the grave of Tyrek Fairel in Whitemarsh Memorial Park around 3:05 p.m., when gunfire rang out, Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele and Horsham Police Chief Scott Fida said. Daniel Elijah Hawkins was struck and killed by gunfire, while Arian Davis suffered gunshot wounds to his jaw, …
Lower Merion-Narberth, PA
News
Woman Who Went On Racial Tirade At PA Pizzeria Facing Charges
A 55-year-old woman who went on a racial tirade in a Montgomery County pizzeria is facing charges, authorities said. Rita Bellew, of Hatboro, has been charged with ethnic intimidation and harassment following her rant that went viral at Amy's Pizzeria on Feb. 23 in Hatboro last week, Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele and Hatboro Police Chief James E. Gardner said. "The video shows Bellew berating the staff of the restaurant with a profane, racially fueled tirade. Bellew was apparently triggered, at least in part, by a Spanish broadcast being shown on television in the rest…
Lower Merion-Narberth, PA
Police & Fire
Arizona Man Caught With $1.6M Of Fentanyl In Montco: DA
More than $1.6 million worth of fentanyl on its way to be distributed across greater Philadelphia was intercepted by police at a Montgomery County motel on Wednesday, according to authorities. Jorge Valdez-Rosas, a 22-year-old from San Luis, Arizona, was caught red-handed with a duffle bag containing five kilograms — or 5,000 grams — of the synthetic opioid, said Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele. Police began investigating Valdez-Rosas after learning that a drug trafficking organization with ties in the US and Mexico was in the middle of moving large…
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