Latest news with #PottsvillePolice
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Yahoo
Police pursue stolen Acura, driver jailed on multiple charges
POTTSVILLE — A man police say was driving a stolen Acura is in Schuylkill County Prison after a pursuit in the city recently. On April 28, state police were notified of a stolen 2023 Acura Integra, which was seen in the city at N. Wolfe and East Market streets. Police said the driver, Christopher Schoffstall, violated numerous traffic laws before fleeing on foot after stopping behind a local convenience store. An occupant also exited the vehicle, police said. Schoffstall refused commands by the officer, including to stop running and show his hands, which led to him being Tazed. A Pottsville Police officer assisted in his arrest. Police say Schoffstall, who was driving on a suspended license, had methamphetamine on him. He is charged with felony receiving stolen property, fleeing or attempting to elude an officer and other offenses. Bail was set at $100,000. Unable to post, he remains in Schuylkill County Prison. A preliminary hearing is set for 10 a.m. May 12 in Magisterial District Judge James Reiley's courtroom, Pottsville. Police said three passengers were in the vehicle, and two of them had outstanding warrants.
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Warrant issued for former Pottsville Sewer Authority director Joe Spotts
TAMAQUA — An arrest warrant has been issued for Joseph Spotts, the former executive director of the Greater Pottsville Area Sewer Authority and former member of the Humane Fire Company. Spotts, 65, has been charged by Pottsville Police with felony theft by unlawful taking and receiving stolen property after he allegedly stole $2,100 from a skills machine money box at Humane Fire Company over a span of three weeks The warrant was issued about 1:30 p.m. Friday, according to an employee of Magisterial District Judge Stephen Bayer's office in Tamaqua. The Humane Fire Company notified Pottsville Police about the theft, records show. Spotts was seen on camera taking the money, according to the police report. He then paid back the money on March 22, police said. Spotts told officers that he returned the money to the fire company after applying for a loan, police said. AJ Alves, president of the Humane Fire Company, said it removed Spotts as a member, which he had been for 48 years. Spotts later resigned as head of the sewer authority. He was also active on several city boards. Mayor Mark Atkinson said he took steps to remove him from all city-appointed positions after When Pottsville officials found out about the theft charge against Spotts. Among those were director of emergency management and a member of the Pottsville Redevelopment Authority. Dan Kelly Jr. is the acting director of the emergency management until he can be officially appointed at Monday's city council meeting, Atkinson said. Spotts also resigned as head of the city Democratic party, Dorothy Botto confirmed Thursday. A meeting will be held to see who is interested in being the next head of the party, Botto said.
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Yahoo
Pottsville city official faces felony theft charge
POTTSVILLE — The executive director of the Greater Pottsville Area Sewer Authority has been suspended from his job and was removed from several city boards and the Humane Fire Company amid a felony theft charge, authorities confirmed Thursday. Joe Spotts, 65, has been charged with felony theft by unlawful taking, and receiving stolen property, according to Pottsville Police. Spotts told police he borrowed the money and intended to pay it back, according to the police report. Reached Thursday, Spotts said via text message that he had no comment. AJ Alves, president of the Humane Fire Company No. 1, said the police were notified Tuesday about an incident involving Spotts. He did not elaborate. 'He's no longer a member,' Alves said, referring to a motion taken by the fire company to remove Spotts as a member, which he had been for 48 years. In all, $2,100 was stolen from the Humane Fire Company from a skills machine money box over a span of three weeks, according to police. Spotts was seen on camera taking the money, according to the police report. He then paid back the money on March 22, police said. Police said Spotts told officers that he returned the money to the fire company after applying for a loan. He didn't have a response to why he didn't apply for a loan in the first place, police said. Pottsville Mayor Mark Atkinson, who is a member of the Phoenix Fire Company, confirmed that Spotts was interviewed by the police. Atkinson said he is 'disappointed' with the recent developments. 'The city took very swift action to remove him from all positions,' the mayor said. Spotts was the director of emergency management and a member of the Pottsville Redevelopment Authority. Dan Kelly Jr. is the acting director of the emergency management until he can be officially appointed at Monday's city council meeting, Atkinson said. City council will also need to fill Atkinson's spot on the redevelopment authority, he said. Dorothy 'Dottie' Botto confirmed Thursday that Spotts has resigned as head of the city Democratic party. She said he wrote a letter to Thomas Campion, treasurer of the city Democratic party. A meeting will be held to see who is interested in being the next head of the party, Botto said. Barry DeWitt, chairman of the sewer authority, said Spotts was suspended with pay earlier this week. A special meeting was scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Thursday at the sewer authority headquarters in city hall for personnel matters. 'We were told a police report will be forthcoming,' DeWitt said, adding, 'We are trying to be very transparent to the public.' Spotts had been the executive director of the Greater Pottsville Sewer Authority since Oct. 30, 2024, when he was unanimously hired at a salary of $110,000 per year, plus benefits. Prior to being named executive director, Spotts was a project manager earning $105,000 a year. The Pottsville resident has extensive experience in the industry, having worked nine years for D.G. Yuengling & Son as an environmental health and safety manager, and before that, as an operations manager with Miller Environmental in Reading. In that role, he oversaw 11 projects in Berks and Lehigh counties with a staff of 20 people.
Yahoo
05-02-2025
- Yahoo
Arson suspect charged with attempted murder
Attempted murder charges have been filed against Tyre Dunn, 36, who already faces arson charges in connection with a city house fire Jan. 17. Mark Musella, prosecutor for Bergen, New Jersey, announced in a press release the charges were filed Jan. 31 against Dunn for two counts of first degree attempted murder, armed burglary, two counts of second degree aggravated assault; possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose; resisting arrest and obstruction, according to a Feb. 3 press release. The new charges relate to Dunn's arrest in New Jersey, where authorities tracked down the wanted fugitive. A task force of officers from Pottsville Police, the Schuylkill County District Attorney's Office, Pennsylvania State Police, the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) followed Dunn to Lodi, New Jersey, where he was eventually arrested. His address is listed as York County, according to the release, but he remains in Schuylkill County Prison after his Jan. 27 arrest. State police ruled arson as the cause of a house fire Jan. 17 at 678 N. Second St. and an adjoining home. The early morning blaze injured three people and displaced four, causing extensive damage to both homes. Police said Dunn lit two Molotov cocktails — using bottles of Starbucks Frappuccino — and threw them at 678 N. Second St. One incendiary device landed near the front door, while the other appeared to hit a wire hanging in the street, police said. The suspect's son sustained minor burns and broken bones after jumping from a second floor window. A vehicle used in the commission of the Jan. 17 arson was located near the intersection of Pasadena and Christopher streets in Lodi, New Jersey, according to a release from Pottsville Police Chief John R. Morrow. Thanks to surveillance set up on the vehicle, at approximately 1:15 a.m., Dunn emerged from a house on Pasadena Street and got into the driver seat of the vehicle, according to the release. 'Dunn began to flee the scene in the vehicle and while doing so, struck an FBI vehicle, which caused the door to strike an FBI agent and momentarily pin him between the door and door opening,' according to the release. 'Dunn fled on Pasadena and crashed into a fence where he then fled on foot,' the release reads. Dunn was found in a storage shed a short time later, according to the release. Upon being located, Dunn began to swing a pick ax at officers, striking an agent in the back. No serious injuries resulted from the incident,' according to the release. Dunn was transported back to Pennsylvania and arraigned on his original state charges: Aggravated arson, arson, possessing explosive/incendiary material, reckless burning or exploding, causing a catastrophe, criminal mischief, risking a catastrophe, aggravated assault, terroristic threats and aggravated cruelty to animals, according to police. He also is charged with misdemeanor offenses of simple assault, failure to prevent a catastrophe, recklessly endangering another person, propulsion of missiles onto roadways, cruelty to animals, owning, selling, manufacturing or transferring incendiary devices, possessing an instrument of crime and making repairs/ selling offensive weapons, police said.
