MAJOR CASES
DATE: Thursday, December 15, 2011
A approximately 5:30 PM, Lower Paxton Township Police responded to the 100 block of Beaver Rd. in the Paxtonia Area of the Township for a report of shots fired. Responding units discovered a victim on the ground just outside a rooming house at 127 Beaver Rd. who had been shot numerous times. Officers and South Central EMS provided care to the victim and he was transported to Hershey Medical Center where he was pronounced dead. Dauphin County Crisis Response Team members responded to assist with the hunt for the gunman who was last seen entering that building. Residents were cleared from the rooms. Detectives began questioning witnesses and taking statements. Based on information derived from those interviews, Purnell Rudolph Nelson, 39 years of age, one of the residents of the rooming house, has been charged with Criminal Homicide. He was arraigned this morning by Magisterial District Judge Joseph Lindsey and taken to Dauphin County Prison. The victim, who also resided at the rooming house, is identified as Travis Vogelsong, 31 years of age. Vogelsong had recently moved to Lower Paxton Township from the Shermansdale area of Perry County. The motive for the shooting is unclear at this time but witnesses did hear an argument between the two men just before the shots were heard.
Friday, November 4, 2011
During the early months of 2010, the Lower Paxton Twp. Police Department started recognizing that there was a pattern to burglaries happening in and around the Forest Hills subdivision. Upscale homes where the residents were on vacation or away for several days were being forcibly entered and jewelry stolen. Although burglaries happen all the time, based on both MO and victim profile these appeared to be the work of a person or group that was targeting the area. Over time, other mid-state departments began contacting Lower Paxton Detectives when it appeared that they were also experiencing the same burglaries in their jurisdictions. Numerous leads were followed and suspects interviewed. Patrols were increased in the neighborhoods and dialogue begun with the residents who increased their vigilance and called in an unprecedented number of suspicious person and vehicle calls. Covert surveillances were begun at the end of this summer utilizing night vision equipment and stationary cameras. On Friday morning, October 28th, Ofc. David Shifflett of the Patrol Division, was on such a surveillance when he observed two individuals wearing camouflaged clothing and carrying pry bars sneaking around behind the buildings on N. Victoria Way. Ofc. Shifflett began following them on foot and deploying assisting units to affect a capture of those persons. Dean Thomas Barnes, 23 years of age, of Somerset, PA and Cody Allen Weidner, 21 years of age, of Topton, PA were captured a short distance away and arrested for Loitering and Prowling at Nighttime, Attempted Burglary and Possessing Instruments of Crime. Detectives from the Criminal Investigation Unit were immediately called out to begin working on these individuals as suspects in the vacation style burglaries. Both Barnes and Weidner were arraigned by Magisterial District Judge William Wenner who set bail on both at $500,000. Detectives have been able to link Weidner to burglaries in Lower Paxton Township back to December of 2009 and were able to identify another individual, Brian Keith Crammer, 46 years of age, of Hamburg, PA who is the partner of Weidner. At this time, it appears that Barnes had no further involvement in these burglaries. This morning, a search warrant was served at Crammer’s home with the assistance of the Pennsylvania State Police SERT team. Crammer was taken into custody and Detectives seized a quantity of property from the home.
This investigation has solved approximately 35 burglaries in Lower Paxton Township and a large quantity of burglaries in Susquehanna Township and burglaries in Cumberland County, York County and, likely, other counties. At this point in time, it appears that between 100 and 200 burglaries will be solved and the investigation is ongoing.
DATE: Friday, October 7, 2011
Lower Paxton Twp. Police responded to GEM Jewelry, 4707 Jonestown Rd. for a reported robbery that had just occurred. Upon arrival, police learned that the store had been the victim of a take-over style robbery. Three men with handguns had ordered the two employees and two customers onto the floor of a back room at gunpoint before removing a large quantity of jewelry and cash from the display cases in the main showroom area. The robbers also stole the wallets from each victim. They then fled out the back. No one was physically injured in the incident.
Update:
Dontae Eugene Robinson was arrested in Texas on a warrant charging him with multiple counts of Robbery and weapons charges. He was extradited back to Dauphin County is awaiting trial. The other two perpetrators have been identified as Luis N. Rodriguez and Vincent Courts. Lower Paxton Twp. Police are being assisted by the U.S. Marshall’s Fugitive Task Force in attempting to locate both.
DATE: Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Lower Paxton Township Police have charged a Hall Manor man with Robbery for an incident early in the morning in the Brook Apartments. A Perry County man told police that he was standing on King George Dr. awaiting the arrival of a taxi when he was approached by a male who pointed a handgun at him and demanded cash. The victim threw his wallet on the ground and ran away. The victim then called 911 and began following the suspect while providing the information to the dispatcher. Susquehanna Township Police who were assisting located the suspect at Colonial Rd. and Elmerton Ave. Brandon Lee Pearsall-McNealy, 18 years of age, was arrested after being identified by the victim and was charged with Robbery. The wallet was recovered but the handgun was not.
DATE: Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Lower Paxton Twp. Police are investigating an armed robbery of the Arby’s Restaurant, 4310 Union Deposit Rd. that occurred at about 11:42 PM. The restaurant, open only for drive-thru, had two employees on duty at the time. They were surprised by a Black/Male wearing a ski mask who was holding a handgun partially hidden in a blue and black backpack. The robber forced the employees to empty the cash drawers and the safe into the backpack before fleeing in an unknown direction. One of the employees was struck in the back of the head by the robber but did not require medical treatment. The description of the perpetrator is:
Black/Male in his twenties
Dark complexion
Black hoodie
Black Ski Mask
Blue and black backpack
Last updated 30-03-2012
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