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Montco Woman Pleads Guilty To Delivering Deadly Dose Of Fentanyl: Lancaster DA Montco Woman Pleads Guilty To Delivering Deadly Dose Of Fentanyl: Lancaster DA
Montco Woman Pleads Guilty To Delivering Deadly Dose Of Fentanyl: Lancaster DA A Harleysville woman was convicted of bringing a 56-year-old the dose of fentanyl that killed them nearly two years ago.  Valerie Benatti, 29, pleaded guilty to drug delivery resulting in death on Wednesday, May 1, according to the Lancaster County District Attorney's Office.  Authorities said they were called to a home on the 100 block of Slackwater Road in Conestoga Township for a suspected overdose on Aug. 20, 2022. An autopsy later revealed the victim died from acute fentanyl toxicity, the DA's Office said.  Witnesses later told police that Benatti pr…

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by Mac Bullock
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PA Man Attempted Murder-For-Hire Plot, Illegally Bought Guns: AG PA Man Attempted Murder-For-Hire Plot, Illegally Bought Guns: AG
PA Man Attempted Murder-For-Hire Plot, Illegally Bought Guns: AG A Philadelphia man is accused of straw purchasing dozens of guns and paying one alleged customer to commit murder.  Richard Taylor, 37, is being held in lieu of a $5 million bail, according to the state Attorney General's Office.  Authorities said Taylor bought at least 31 guns and transferred them illegally to other people. He "told individuals he could get them as many firearms as they wanted because he did not have a criminal record," prosecutors said.  Twelve of those firearms have been recovered by police on Philadelphia streets, nine were seized during arrests, and 14 …

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by Mac Bullock
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Bull Attack Kills Farmer, US Army Veteran: Officials Bull Attack Kills Farmer, US Army Veteran: Officials
Bull Attack Kills Farmer, US Army Veteran: Officials A 52-year-old Pennsylvania man has been killed in a bull attack on his farm, authorities said on April 30. Richard “Rick” David Joy of Scrubgrass Road, Jackson Center died from his injuries from the bull attack on April 23, according to the Mercer County Coroner's office. Rick was doing routine work in his pasture when his bull became aggressive and attacked him around 11 p.m. on Tuesday, as explained by the Pennsylvania State Police. Rick was born in Pittsburgh and raised in Ohio, according to his obituary. "He graduated from David Anderson High School in Columbiana, Ohio, and joine…

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by Jillian Pikora
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Community Rallies For PA 3-Year-Old Hit By Truck Community Rallies For PA 3-Year-Old Hit By Truck
Community Rallies For PA 3-Year-Old Hit By Truck A week after he was struck by a box truck in Palmerton, loved ones say 3-year-old Bradley Beil's neighbors are rallying for his recovery.  In a GoFundMe set up to help with care costs, neighbors and friends have raised over $14,000 on behalf of Bradley and his parents, Brandy Norris and Kody Beil.  Fundraiser organizer and Bradley's aunt Danielle Norris said he is at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia where loved ones are keeping him company.  "Family has been reading stories to Brad, talking to him, and 'watching' his favorite movies and TV. We are also calling to…

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by Mac Bullock
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3 PA Kids— Including 5-Year-Old —Raped By Federally Convicted Pornographer: DA 3 PA Kids— Including 5-Year-Old —Raped By Federally Convicted Pornographer: DA
3 PA Kids— Including 5-Year-Old —Raped By Federally Convicted Pornographer: DA A York man — already in federal prison for child pornography charges — was convicted of child abuse in Lititz in less than 25 minutes, the Lancaster County District Attorney's office announced on Wednesday, May 1. George Wakeley, 62 of the 3400 block of Bull Road in York, was found guilty of 17 child abuse offenses on March 18, 2024, the DA's office detailed in the release. One of the children told the Northern Lancaster County Regional Police about the abuse in 2018 "before an extensive investigation resulted in charges being filed on November 21, 2022," as stated in the release. During t…

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by Jillian Pikora
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PA Sextortionist Sentenced After Swindling $150K From Victim: USDOJ PA Sextortionist Sentenced After Swindling $150K From Victim: USDOJ
PA Sextortionist Sentenced After Swindling $150K From Victim: Usdoj A Lebanon man has admitted to sextorting someone out of $150,000, according to a release by the US Department of Justice on Tuesday, April 30. The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that 35-year-old John Anthony Zayas was sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment by U.S. District Court Judge Sylvia H. Rambo on Wednesday, April 24.  Zayas previously pleaded guilty to "extortion by interstate communication" as stated in the release. In the fall of 2022, he had threatened to "publicize intimate photos and images of the victim" if they did not…

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by Jillian Pikora
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Federal Inmate In Pennsylvania Pleads Guilty To Assaulting Officer: USDOJ Federal Inmate In Pennsylvania Pleads Guilty To Assaulting Officer: USDOJ
Federal Inmate In Pennsylvania Pleads Guilty To Assaulting Officer: Usdoj A federal inmate in Schuylkill County pleaded guilty to attacking a correctional officer on Monday, April 29, according to prosecutors.  The US Attorney's Office said Carlos Rodriguez-Cruz, 33, punched a guard at FCI Schuylkill in Minersville last Oct. 6.  According to authorities, the guard found a homemade knife or "shank" during a search of Rodriguez-Cruz's cell.  Rodriguez-Cruz, formerly of Puerto Rico, faces up to eight years of imprisonment, supervised release, and a fine.  The guilty plea comes just a week after another FCI Schuylkill inmate pleaded guilty …

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by Mac Bullock
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New Historical Society In Bucks County Hopes To Save Revolutionary War Landmark New Historical Society In Bucks County Hopes To Save Revolutionary War Landmark
New Historical Society In Bucks County Hopes To Save Revolutionary War Landmark Members of the newly-formed Buckingham Historical Society are raising funds to one day turn General Greene's Inn into a public museum.  The Inn, 4705 York Road in Buckingham, served as General Nathaniel Greene's headquarters during the Revolutionary War, according to the Solebury Township Historical Society.  From there, General Greene is said to have ordered the flat boats used by George Washington in his 1776 crossing of the Delaware River.   "Our ultimate goal is to preserve the General Greene's Inn (...) and convert it into a historical park for the community,"…

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by Mac Bullock
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Black Bear Spotted In Upper Makefield Black Bear Spotted In Upper Makefield
Black Bear Spotted In Upper Makefield A black bear was spotted along Street Road in Upper Makefield early Monday morning, April 29, according to township police.  Authorities said the bear was between Lurgan Road and Windy Hollow Road. Residents who spot the bear don't need to call 911 unless there's an immediate danger, though the Pennsylvania Game Commission may seek to relocate it "if the bear does become a nuisance," police said.  According to the PGC, black bears are the only species of bear that calls Pennsylvania home. They are most active at dusk and dawn and will eat human food, garbage, bird feed, pet …

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by Mac Bullock
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Northeast Philly Lotto Player Wins 'Treasure Hunt' Game Northeast Philly Lotto Player Wins 'Treasure Hunt' Game
Northeast Philly Lotto Player Wins 'Treasure Hunt' Game A Pennsylvania Lottery player in Northeast Philadelphia must split their $138,457 prize, according to state gaming reps.  The lucky winner matched all five balls pulled in the Friday, April 26 drawing for the Treasure Hunt game — but so did a player in Butler County, lotto officials said.  Both players will receive a $69,228.50 prize.  The Philly ticket was sold at BP/Dunkin’ Donuts, 4046 Woodhaven Road.  Winners are not known until they claim their prize and their ticket is validated. Winners have up to one year from the drawing date to claim their priz…

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by Mac Bullock
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77-Year-Old Dies Weeks After Schuylkill County Fire: Coroner 77-Year-Old Dies Weeks After Schuylkill County Fire: Coroner
77-Year-Old Dies Weeks After Schuylkill County Fire: Coroner A man rescued from a house fire in Minersville has died from his injuries, the Lehigh County Coroner's Office said in a release.  Mario Ramirez, 77, suffered burns across more than a third of his body in the North 2nd Street blaze on April 14, officials said.  He died from complications at Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest on Sunday, April 28, according to the Coroner's Office. The manner of death was accidental.  In addition to the Coroner's Office, Minersville police are investigating. 

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by Mac Bullock
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Charming Life Ends In Horror For PA Family At Center Of Double Murder Charming Life Ends In Horror For PA Family At Center Of Double Murder
Charming Life Ends In Horror For PA Family At Center Of Double Murder What started as a dispute over dinner ended in horror for one Pennsylvania family, who appeared to lead an otherwise charming life on social media. Roger Lee Hanks has been charged with two counts of felony homicide and other murder charges after killing his wife, Judith, 75, and daughter, Emily, 37, over a "basic dispute" at the dinner table on Thursday, April 25, as previously reported by Daily Voice. Judith's Instagram page portrays a very different life from the events that unfolded in their East Marlborough Township home on Thursday evening, April 25. With lipstick on her lips or a gl…

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by Cecilia Levine