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Child Porn Crackdown: PA Trio Nabbed In Major Bust, DA Says
Three Berks County men have been arrested and charged in separate child pornography investigations, authorities said Friday, June 20.
The arrests of Christopher Escobar-Ledesma, 29, of Kutztown; Michael W. Leininger, 64, of Laureldale; and Michael E. Ransier, 72, of Exeter Township, follow a trio of tips to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), the Berks County District Attorney’s Office said.
The tips flagged disturbing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) shared online. Investigators traced each case to different web platforms — Google, Bing, an…
PA Dad Murders Son Over Cat; Watches Religious Videos For 12 Hours Before Calling 911: DA
A Pennsylvania father has been convicted of murder after he shot and killed his son during a bizarre argument over a cat and a car — then sat in the home for nearly 12 hours watching religious videos before calling 911, court documents detail.
John Francis Gustites, 67, of Sheppton, was found guilty on Wednesday, June 11 of Third-Degree Murder, Aggravated Assault, Recklessly Endangering Another Person, and Simple Assault in the death of his 42-year-old son, John Andrew Gustites, according to Schuylkill County District Attorney Michael O’Pake and court records.
🔫 The Shooting
The dead…
Lebanon Man Charged In Deadly Fentanyl Delivery After 32-Year-Old Found Dead, DA Says
A Pennsylvania drug dealer is facing charges after police say he delivered the fentanyl that killed a 32-year-old man.
Rafael Angel Rivera-Ortiz, 40, of South 10th Street in Lebanon, was charged on Friday, June 6, with drug delivery resulting in death, according to the Berks County District Attorney’s Office
On March 29, 2024, officers with the South Heidelberg Police Department responded to a home on West Penn Avenue in Robesonia for a reported death. Inside, they found signs of drug use, including fentanyl and related paraphernalia, authorities said.
The victim, a 32-year-old man, was pr…
$23.5K Immigration Scam Busted: Harrisburg Woman Accused Of Duping Local Family
A Harrisburg woman pocketed $23,500 from a man trying to bring his family from Vietnam to the U.S.—then vanished, Swatara Township police detailed in court documents obtained by Daily Voice on Thursday, June 5.
Gracie Deguia-Reed, 54, is accused of orchestrating an immigration sponsorship scheme that unraveled over five months. The victim told police he made several cash payments—$7,500, two installments of $3,000, and a final $10,000—in hopes of helping six relatives emigrate to the U.S.
Text messages and hand-written receipts provided by the victim show Deguia-Reed claimed she could spons…
Taylor Swift's Neighbor, Distinguished PA Educator-Turned-Art Dealer Pleads Guilty In Art Scam
A former Hill School admissions director and neighbor of pop icon Taylor Swift pleaded guilty to selling fake artwork he falsely claimed was created by some of the world’s most legendary artists, federal authorities announced on Tuesday, June 3.
Carter P. Reese, 77, of Reading, admitted in federal court on Thursday, May 29, to wire fraud and mail fraud for a two-year scheme that duped customers into buying forged works he said came from Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and others, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
Once respect…
Kutztown Man Faked Landlord Role To Steal $14K From Opioid Housing Program: Berks DA
A Kutztown man posed as a landlord to steal thousands of dollars meant to help recovering addicts get housing, Berks County District Attorney John T. Adams announced on Thursday, May 22.
Kody A. Kirkland, 32, forged documents, faked pay stubs, and filed phony applications to cash in on the State Opioid Response (SOR) Rental Assistance Program, according to county detectives. The taxpayer-funded program, managed by the Treatment Access and Services Center, Inc. (TASC), was created to help people struggling with addiction keep a roof over their heads.
Instead, investigators say Kirkland turne…
Ping Pong-Sized Hail, 70 MPH Winds Threaten North Jersey, Lehigh Valley
A Severe Thunderstorm Watch is in effect until 8 p.m. Tuesday, May 6, for parts of New Jersey and Pennsylvania, the National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center said.
Residents in Philadelphia, Trenton, Allentown, Reading, and across North and Central Jersey are impacted, the NWS said.
“Isolated thunderstorms have developed over portions of the region,” the National Weather Service said in a Tuesday afternoon update. “The primary threat will be for hail and damaging winds across eastern PA and northern/central NJ.”
Threats include:
Scattered hail up to ping-pong ball size
Wind gusts …
$750K Stolen From Family, Friends In Financial Scam: Berks DA
A Berks County man is accused of embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars from family and friends over the course of more than a decade, authorities announced on Monday, April 7.
Santiago J. Torres, 41, of Sinking Spring, has been charged with 17 counts of Felony Theft by Deception, 11 counts of Felony Identity Theft, 11 counts of Felony Forgery, and seven counts of Felony Access Device Used to Obtain or Attempt to Obtain Property, according to Berks County District Attorney John T. Adams.
Detectives launched an investigation in August 2024 after multiple victims came forward with concer…
Allentown Inmate With Criminal History Dies By Suicide At Lehigh County Jail: Coroner
An Allentown man with a lengthy criminal history of drug and fraud-related offenses has died by suicide while incarcerated at Lehigh County Jail, authorities announced on Friday, March 14.
Forest M. Touchberry, 31, was found unresponsive in the facility before being rushed to St. Luke’s Hospital, Sacred Heart Campus, where he was pronounced dead at 3:29 p.m. on Thursday, March 13, according to the Lehigh County Coroner’s Office.
An autopsy confirmed the manner of death as suicide, the office said.
Originally from Allentown and most recently living in Philadelphia, Touchberry had been e…
Pinned By Falling Metal Pallets, Man Killed At Berks County Manufacturing Facility: Coroner
A Schuylkill County man was killed in a workplace accident after being pinned by falling metal pallets at East Penn Manufacturing in Berks County.
Stephen Rapp, 48, of South Manheim Township, was pronounced dead at 8:41 p.m. on Tuesday, March 11, in the emergency department at Lehigh Valley Hospital–Cedar Crest, the Lehigh County Coroner’s Office said on Wednesday, March 12.
The fatal incident happened at 102 Deka Road in Lyon Station around 7:49 p.m. when the metal pallets fell on Rapp, causing mechanical asphyxia, officials said. His death has been ruled an accident.
East Penn Manufactur…
Registered Sex Offender In Reading Caught Sharing Child Porn On Facebook:DA
A convicted sex offender in Berks County was busted with hundreds of child pornography files, including images and videos he shared on Facebook, authorities announced on Thursday, Feb. 27.
Daniel R. Kromer, 60, of Reading, was already a lifetime registered sex offender in Pennsylvania when investigators uncovered his online activity, the Berks County District Attorney’s Office said.
Kromer’s criminal history includes convictions for involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and indecent assault, both in December 1999. The charges stemmed from incidents on January 1, 1994, and April 15, 1999, r…
$5K In Fentanyl, Cocaine Seized During Reading Drug Bust; Two Women Arrested
Two Reading women were arrested after a Berks County Drug Task Force raid uncovered fentanyl, cocaine, and drug paraphernalia worth $5,000, officials said.
Susan Rich, 46, and Autumn Yerger, 42, were taken into custody around 6 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 26, after detectives executed a search warrant at their apartment on the first floor of 311 N. 9th Street, according to Berks County Chief County Detective Michael Gombar.
The bust followed a two-month investigation sparked by complaints of drug sales at the address, officials said.
Detectives seized:
4.3 grams of suspected fentanyl;
18 bundle…
37 Bags Of Cocaine, Stun Gun Seized In Berks Drug Bust, West Lawn Man Charged: DA
A Berks County man was caught with crack cocaine and a stun gun after authorities executed a search warrant, officials announced on Tuesday, Feb. 11.
Juan Carlos Soto-Arizmendi, 31, of West Lawn, was arrested after an undercover investigation led to a drug bust in Shoemakersville, according to the Berks County District Attorney’s Office.
Detectives with the Berks County Drug Task Force had been investigating Soto-Arizmendi since August 2024. On Dec. 11, authorities served a search warrant on him, his vehicle, and his cell phone in the 300 block of Logistics Drive, uncovering a stash of dr…
