K 9

The K-9 police unit of Winslow Township gave demonstrations June 3 during a visit to the Littlest Angels Nursery School, at Church and County House Roads. The unit is composed of three dogs - Caesar, Magnum and Ruger - and their masters. The K-9 unit gives about 60 demonstrations during a year's time.

The township Planning Board delayed action last night on the Police Department's plan for a new kennel for its K-9 patrol, but said it had no major bones to pick, just a few minor concerns. Sgt. James Evans, head of the K-9 patrol, said that he expected the department to submit a revised site plan for the kennel within several days, and that it would address the board's concerns over fencing, landscaping and some other technical points. With the Planning Board not scheduled to meet again until Dec. 13, Evans said he would ask for a special meeting to approve the revised plan so work could begin soon.

Zeke was only 6 the summer of 1984, when he sniffed out two burglars in the crawl space of a Lansdale department store and wrestled one to the ground with his teeth. The capture of those two suspects solved 22 area burglaries. But his biggest coup came two years later, in 1986, when he nosed out a professional burglary ring that had been plaguing small towns in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware. The "bug-eyed" canine cop was honored posthumously Sept. 1 by the Hatfield Township Police Department.

A federal court jury found yesterday that Philadelphia police Officer Stephen Gubicza did not violate the civil rights of an Elkins Park man when he permitted his police dog Stormy to attack the man during a 1983 arrest in Center City. The jury deliberated about an hour before reaching its verdict in the lawsuit filed by Roosevelt James Patterson, 33, who had sought $165,000 from the city and the officer. The suit charged false arrest, use of excessive force and civil rights violations by Gubicza.

The date: February 1989. Plymouth Township police, with the assistance of a drug-sniffing dog from Norristown, raided a trailer on Main Street. The haul: 157 bags of cocaine, two bags of methamphetamine, and other drugs and drug paraphernalia. The date: May 1990. Three times during a series of burglaries in Plymouth, a police dog was called in. But by the time it arrived from a neighboring municipality, the burglar was long gone. "We're very appreciative" of the other departments bringing dogs to Plymouth, said Police Chief Joseph R. Cross.

A SOUTH JERSEY man who starred on the gridiron years ago threw away his freedom Tuesday night when he hurled a prized police K-9 into oncoming traffic, police said. Police in Gloucester Township, Camden County, said that their decorated K-9, Schultz, a 3 1/2-year-old German shepherd named after beloved Philadelphia Flyers enforcer Dave "The Hammer" Schultz, had clamped down on Skyler Robinson's arm after a robbery Tuesday night and held tight as they struggled toward busy Route 42. Robinson, 20, a former standout running back in high school, swung Schultz into the southbound lanes while his handler watched, and the dog and Robinson were struck by a vehicle, police said.

The accomplice in a Chinese-takeout robbery that ended with the death of a police dog in November accepted a plea deal Monday. Evan Scotese, 20, of Washington Township, pleaded guilty to robbing the Gloucester Township restaurant and is expected to be sentenced to six years in prison under the deal. Scotese had faced additional charges of aggravated assault and conspiracy under an eight-count indictment presented by a Camden County grand jury in June. Skyler Robinson, a former football standout at Washington Township High School, awaits trial for his alleged role in the robbery and death of the police dog, which was run over during the police chase.

He comes from a broken home, goes by the unsavory name of "Blackjack," and frequently associates with criminals. But, to many, he's a hero. On Monday, after barking and yowling his way through the Pledge of Allegiance, the German shepherd was honored by the Medford Township Council. Blackjack and his handler, Patrolman Brian Berg, were recognized by the council after the pair had collected their 12th award for meritorious service, the regional Outstanding Canine Award for 1985 by the United States Police Canine Association.

When suspected kidnapper Gary Botto, 36, of Northeast Philadelphia, was arraigned early Saturday morning before a Bucks County district justice, he apparently expected to be released on bail. After all, his mother had showed up at the 12:30 a.m. proceeding with $10,000 in cash, the amount required for his release on charges that he had kidnapped and beaten a Langhorne woman, according to Middletown Township Detective David Kemmerer. But then a drug-sniffing police dog named Baron foiled the plan.

The Philadelphia Police Department is looking for a few good dogs. The department, which relies on the public to donate dogs for the K-9 unit, has recently had trouble getting enough four-legged officers to pair off with the two-legged officers training in the K-9 unit. Lt. Robert Shuster, who is in charge of K-9 training at the Police Academy, 8501 State Rd., said he had some ideas why there have been fewer dogs donated to the department in recent years. "If a person has such a large dog and considers giving it away, they usually do so long before the age (one to three years)

Logan, a 7-year-old, bomb-sniffing German shepherd, was the pride of the Folcroft Borough Police Department until he was diagnosed with a progressive spinal condition that left him unable to walk. He was euthanized in November. Now the Delaware County department is trying to raise $18,000 to replace what it sees as an essential member of the force. But as Folcroft plans for another dog, other small departments in the area are opting to drop their canine programs, which they find too costly.

A man suspected of firing at police this morning was taken into custody after a manhunt in the city's East Germantown section. Actually, some hunting by dogs - the police K-9 Unit - helped find the man after several shots was fired about 6:30 a.m. on the 300 block of East Elwood Street, police said. He was arrested a block away, in the 300 block of Shedaker Street. The suspect was allegedly caught breaking into a car when he produced a weapon. No officers fired back, and no one was injured, but all traffic was closed off from Germantown to Stenton Avenues as police, including SWAT units, flooded the area.

A 42-year-old man was arrested today in the fatal stabbing of a Gloucester County woman with whom he had a history of domestic violence, officials said. The Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office said the killing Thursday night of Kim Barnum, 43, was the first homicide in the county this year. Officers with the prosecutor's fugitive unit, assisted by local police and K-9 teams found suspect Mark Holloway in an abandoned trailer in the Colonial Estates mobile home park in Monroe Township.

HOUSTON - The teenage boys were about to come to blows in the hallway at Yates High School over $10 one had purloined from the other's pocket - as a prank, he protested. Willie Demby Jr. - all 6-foot-2, 235 pounds of him - quickly cooled down the dispute. Demby, 44, is a school police officer for the Houston Independent School District, academy-trained and armed with a gun, a baton, and pepper foam. He could have arrested the offending student, but he didn't see the need - "98.5 percent of policing is conversation, 1.5 percent is physical," said Demby, who views mentoring students as an important part of his job. With its armed and highly trained school force, Houston offers a substantially different model of school policing than Philadelphia, where leaders are pondering how to cope with widespread school violence.

PHILADELPHIA Castro to be jailed early? Federal prosecutors today will determine whether Daniel Castro, disgraced ex-police inspector, should be jailed immediately or report Nov. 15 for his five-year sentence for conspiring to commit extortion. After his sentencing last week, Castro reportedly lashed out in front of reporters, holding up photos of a victim and an FBI informant saying that they deserved as much exposure and punishment as he did. Prosecutors argued that Castro was intimidating the victims and that his bail should be revoked.

A serial bank robber from Philadelphia was indicted by a federal grand jury yesterday for robbing eight area banks in July, in a spree that spanned Center City, Kensington and South Philadelphia. John Digman, 48, was charged with bank robbery and attempted bank robbery for the heists between July 11 and 27, 2011, said United States Attorney Zane David Memeger. Digman was captured August 1 in Trevose at the Lincoln Motel on Route 1, whose clientele was recently described in an Inquirer story as "nasty" by a desk clerk.

The accomplice in a Chinese-takeout robbery that ended with the death of a police dog in November accepted a plea deal Monday. Evan Scotese, 20, of Washington Township, pleaded guilty to robbing the Gloucester Township restaurant and is expected to be sentenced to six years in prison under the deal. Scotese had faced additional charges of aggravated assault and conspiracy under an eight-count indictment presented by a Camden County grand jury in June. Skyler Robinson, a former football standout at Washington Township High School, awaits trial for his alleged role in the robbery and death of the police dog, which was run over during the police chase.

A 4-year-old boy died after suffering a gunshot wound Thursday afternoon in the city's Kensington section, police said. Around 4:30 p.m., police responded to a report of a boy bleeding from the head inside a house in the 600 block of East Clementine Street, police said. When they arrived, they found Javier Merle Jr. with a gunshot wound to the head. "He's still breathing," an officer told police dispatchers. The scene, with a large number of emotional people gathering, was chaotic enough to prompt officers to twice call for an assist to get more police to respond.

PITTSBURGH - A post-mortem exam shows a police dog died of heatstroke after being left in his handler's parked squad car for nearly four hours, according to a western Pennsylvania police chief. New Castle Police Chief Thomas Sansone isn't identifying the officer who was handling Chico, the 6-year-old Dutch shepherd that died Saturday. The dog was found unresponsive in the car parked outside the station about 45 miles northwest of Pittsburgh. The Lawrence County district attorney is also investigating to determine whether criminal charges are warranted, Sansone said.

The body of Sarah Townsend was recovered from a pond in a Burlington Township park Friday afternoon, ending a five-day search for the Florence teenager that drew national attention. Townsend, 18, went missing Monday after leaving for school about 7 a.m., authorities said. A few hours later, her boyfriend discovered her car next to Sherman Pond in Green Acres Park, a short distance from where her body was found. An autopsy is to be performed Friday. The Burlington County Prosecutor's Office would not say when results would be released.