Current Conditions
55°F - P/SUNNY
FAMILY ESCAPES FIRE: A family of three safely got outside when a grease fire erupted in the kitchen of their home in the 1100 block of St. Joseph Street shortly after 6 p.m. Friday, a city firefighter said.
Brian Klugh, a battalion chief with the Lancaster Bureau of Fire, said the owner of the home responded correctly by using cookware to smother the fire instead of throwing water on it.
"One of the reasons it wasn't worse was the owner put a lid on it, literally," Klugh said. "It really saved a lot of damage."
Klugh reported $6,000 smoke and fire damage to the home, a microwave and cabinets.
CAR BREAK-INS: Police are asking car owners to lock their vehicles in the wake of several thefts that happened in West Hempfield Township last week. Items including GPS units, cell phones, iPods, cash and a Motorola Blue Tooth were stolen last week from unlocked vehicles parked along three streets in West Hempfield Township, police said.
Police, who responded to reports of the thefts at 6:30 a.m. Monday, said 10 to 12 cars were entered in the 3800 block of Sterling Way, the 3600 block of Falcon Court and the 3600 block of Peregrine Circle.
Police urged motorists to lock their vehicles and to avoid leaving valuables inside. Police also advised people to record the serial numbers of small electronic devices, such as GPS units, and to engrave personal identification numbers on the devices to help investigators track them.
CRASHES: Two pickup trucks were involved in a crash at River Road and River Corner Road, Conestoga Township, around 9:30 a.m. Saturday.
Southern Regional Police did not have identities or the number of people involved but injuries were reported to be minor. A police officer with Southern Regional described the crossroads as a "very bad" intersection.
•A vehicle accident with entrapment was reported by county radio dispatchers at 4:05 p.m. Saturday at Beaver Valley Pike and Eagle Drive, Providence Township.
State police at Lancaster did not have any further details Saturday evening.
•A man backing out of a parking space Thursday afternoon at a restaurant at 100 S. Centerville Road accidentally hit the accelerator and drove his Jeep Grand Cherokee up and over a car behind him, Manor Township police said.
Harry Breniser, 3500 block of Columbia Avenue, accidentally hit the gas instead of the brakes, police said; his Jeep struck an unoccupied vehicle owned by Lester Sweigart, Lititz, and then hit a parked vehicle owned by Mary Good, Lancaster.
No injuries were reported in the 12:55 p.m. accident. The Jeep was drivable but the Sweigart vehicle was towed, police said.
•Three motorists escaped injury Thursday when a car collided with a Peterbilt tractor-trailer backing into a driveway in the 2300 block of Route 222, Fulton Township, police said.
Merle D. Kilby, 76, Lititz, and passenger Louise D. Warfel, 73, were northbound at 6:15 p.m. when Kilby's car struck the trailer of a truck driven by Andrew H. Weaver, 44, Lancaster, troopers said.
Kilby was given a citation, police said.
•Elizabeth Shank, Ephrata, was taken to Ephrata Community Hospital after a two-car collision at 4:50 p.m. Thursday in the 1500 block of Division Highway, Earl Township, New Holland police said. Hospital officials had no information on Shank Saturday evening.
Shank was trying to make a left turn when the back of her vehicle was hit by a vehicle operated by Sanford Martin, Ephrata, police said.
•Vehicles driven Myrta Santiago, 45, Leola, and Ruth Rivera, 48, Lancaster, collided about 6:25 a.m. Wednesday in a parking lot in the 300 block of South Custer Avenue, New Holland police said.
•State police at Lancaster reported that a vehicle, make unknown, driven by an unknown driver failed to negotiate a right curve Saturday in the roadway at Route 272 and Pennsy Road and almost struck a guard rail.
Police said the driver then lost control, rotated clockwise and began to slide. The vehicle then slid into the eastern shoulder of the roadway and then slid north into a yard in the 600 block of Pennsy Road, where it struck a Do Not Enter sign. The vehicle then struck a stop sign, police said.
The vehicle continued to slide onto Pennsy Road when it came to rest partially in the right lane and partially in the northbound berm. The driver fled the scene, police said; no further information was available. The incident happened at 4:20 p.m.
ATTEMPTED BURGLARY: State police are investigating an attempted burglary in Caernarvon Township at Mountain Top Construction, 1937 Main St., overnight Wednesday. Someone tried to pry open the front door with an unspecified tool, but could not enter and nothing was taken, police said.
COPPER STOLEN: A Martic Township man reported the theft of a large amount of copper from his home in the 100 block of Frogtown Road between 6:30 p.m. Thursday and 8 a.m. Friday, state police said.
DRUG VIOLATION: Frank Perez Jr., 19, of the 500 block of Rockland Street, was charged with possession of a small amount of marijuana after he was arrested on a summary warrant in the 200 block of South Queen Street at 5:28 a.m. Friday, city police reported.
DUI ARRESTS: Kenneth Daniel Schwerin III, 28, Drumore, was arrested for driving under the influence at 1 a.m. Saturday on Route 272, a quarter of a mile south of Pennsy Road, Providence Township, state police at Lancaster said.
•Bryan S. Dean, 28, of Fox Hollow Drive, Pequea, was arrested for suspected driving under the influence of alcohol Saturday morning. According to Southern Regional police, his vehicle struck a mailbox and a utility pole in the 3200 block of Main Street, Conestoga Township, at 5:05 a.m.
•Keith Aaron Parmer, 39, Lancaster, was stopped for erratic driving at 3:22 a.m. Saturday on Lincoln Highway East, just east of Soudersburg Road, East Lampeter Township, state police at Lancaster said. He was arrested and charged with driving under the influence, troopers said.
•Cain A. Frankhouser, 21, Willow Street, was stopped at 3:49 a.m. Saturday in the 200 block of Hartman Bridge Road, Strasburg Township, and arrested for driving under the influence, state police at Lancaster said.
FIGHT: A 30-year-old man and a 17-year-old boy, both from New Holland, were arrested for fighting with each other at 3:50 p.m. Friday in the 100 block of West Main Street, New Holland Borough police said. The boy was cited for harassment. A harassment citation was to be mailed to the man, Eric Prudhomme, police said.
HARASSMENT: Angel L. Torres, 34, of the 400 block of North Mary Street, was cited for harassment at 9:11 a.m. Friday after an incident in that block, city police reported.
•Hernan Campos-Fernandez, 24, of the 400 block of South Queen Street, was cited for harassment at 1:02 p.m. Friday, according to city police.
PFA VIOLATION: State police at Lancaster reported Saturday that Geoffrey Heskett, age and address unknown, was charged for a protection from abuse order violation after he sent text messages to a woman approximately 100 times and left about 15 voice mails. The incident happened between Oct. 29 and Nov. 4, police said.
PUBLIC DRUNKENNESS: Kayla A. Miller, 21, of the 900 block of Lindsay Lane, was arrested for public drunkenness at 11:37 p.m. Friday in the 400 block of North Prince Street, city police reported.
•Lynette P. Grassia, 26, of the 100 block of Oak Road, Conestoga, was arrested for public drunkenness at 10:48 p.m. Friday in the 600 block of East End Avenue, city police said.
WARRANT ARREST: Jeanette Torres, 34, of the 300 block of Stonemill Road, was arrested on a listed driving-under-the-influence warrant at 2:12 a.m. Friday after an incident in the 300 block of South Duke Street, city police said.
