Now that I've finally caught up with the "priority stuff" (the Criminal Days in the borough and some outstanding Common Pleas Court stuff), it's time to expand the world of this blog by adding Goshen District Court (15-2-03), which covers Thornbury, West Goshen, and Westtown, to the list of Criminal Days that will be covered by this site. Here now is coverage of the past two Criminal Days from Goshen.
On June 14, Flag Day, only one preliminary hearing took place in front of Senior District Judge Susann Welsh, who is presiding over 15-2-03 after the retirement of District Judge J. Peter Winthur, whose seat will be filled at election this November. The lone case to come out of the Flag Day hearing was the Commonwealth vs. Michael Tillman, 39, of West Chester, who was charged with DUI, Accident Involving Damage to an Attended Vehicle, and Careless Driving. (15-2-03, CR-0000130-07)
At the hearing, the victim testified that at 15:07 on April 13, she and two passengers were en route to the Phillies game that night when she was stopped at the traffic light on 202 at Matlack Street. Her car was then rear-ended by a Hummer. The driver of the Hummer then allegedly fled the scene on South Matlack, heading into the borough. Another person called the 9-1-1 center to report the incident, while the victim began to follow the defendant, eventually leading to a nearby apartment complex.
P/O Wesley Holman of the West Goshen Police Department then testified that upon recieving a report of the incident from dispatch, he responded to the parking lot of the West Chester Commons apartment complex at Rosedale and Matlack. He later tracked down the Hummer in question at the South Campus Aparment complex on the WCU campus. P/O Holman saw the vehicle driving about 6-to-8 feet towards him, at which point he parked his patrol car at an angle and ordered the defendant out of his car at gunpoint, assisted by Sgt. Robert Herzog of WCU Police.
Once Tillman was out of his vehicle, P/O Holman observed that the defendant had bloodshot eyes, slurred speech, and had fallen several times. At that point, Tillman was transported to CCH for blood testing to determine his intoxication level. The tests revealed that Tillman's BAC was .284, four times the legal limit for intoxication.
Based on the evidence presented, Judge Welsh held Tillman for trial on all counts; he remains free on $1,000 unsecured bail.
Of the remaining 9 cases listed, six defendants waived preliminary hearings, one case was withdrawn following compliance with an agreement, and the other two cases were continued...
This past Thursday's Criminal Day at Goshen proved to be more active than the previous week's. Of the 16 cases listed, 3 defendants had preliminary hearings, 2 defendants failed to appear for court, 5 cases were waived to Common Pleas Court, 1 case was withdrawn, and the remaining 5 were continued. All three of the hearings were DUI-related...
The first hearing was the matter of Commonwealth vs. Jeffrey Spano (15-2-03, CR-0000159-07). Spano, 28, of West Chester, faced charges of DUI and speeding stemming from a traffic stop performed by Sgt. William Camlin of the WGPD. Sgt. Camlin testified that he was on a traffic post on the 800 block of West Chester Pike at around 23:52 on May 7 when he observed a white Chevrolet SUV heading eastbound on the Pike travelling 61 mph in a 35 mph zone. Spano was stopped 3 blocks east of Sgt. Camlin's traffic post, where he administered four field sobriety tests and was taken to CCH for blood work. The defendant's BAC was determined to be .15, slightly less than twice the legal limit. The defendant was held for trial on all counts, and remains free on his own recognisance...
In the second hearing, Commonwealth vs. David Kilgore (15-2-03, CR-0000156-07), P/O John Liss of WGPD testified that he was dispatched to the report of a car vs. building MVA on the 100 block of North Five Points with unknown injuries. Upon arrival, P/O Liss saw a Ford Ranger which had struck the "M" building of the apartment complex, with the vehicle running and Kilgore allegedly inside the vehicle. He saw two empty beer cans in the center console of the truck and on the floor of the vehicle, with more beer behind the driver's seat. The defendant allegedly attempted to drive off before he was removed from the truck and placed under arrest. According to a report from the PSP Lima labs, Kilgore's BAC was reported to be .24. P/O Liss testified that he was unable to locate any other occupants or potential victims nearby. Kilgore was held on all charges, and remains free on $5,000 unsecured bail.
The final hearing was towards the end of the session, as the matter of Commonwealth vs. Christopher Harper (15-2-03, CR-0000269-06) was heard. Harper faced charges of DUI, Possession of Drug Paraphanalia, Driving Under a Suspended License, and Careless Driving. During his hearing, P/O Brian Griesser was dispatched to an MVA reported serious on US 202 southbound in the area of the 322 bypass. Upon arrival, P/O Griesser saw a Ford Fusion with moderate damage after striking a dirt embankment. He allegedly saw the defendant behind the wheel of the car, where he was unresponsive upon the officer's arrival.
P/O Griesser then testified that he saw an open cigarette pack containing 2 syringes in plain view, located in the driver's side door. Harper was removed from the vehicle by GFAC and Medic 91 and was transported to CCH. Harper reportedly became more responsive once he was in the ambulance, where he allegedly told the EMS personnel that he was under the influence of cocaine, which was later confirmed by the blood work taken following the accident. It was later determined that the vehicle Harper was allegedly driving was a rental car reported missing, though no charges were reportedly filed in that matter.
Harper was held on all counts; bail in this matter had been set at $500, however Harper is presently serving a 11 1/2-to-23 month jail term at Berks County Prison after pleading guilty to a count of Theft by Unlawful Taking from an incident in Robeson Twp on September 21, 2006 (CP-06-CR-0005004-2006).
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