News, Entertainment, Enlightenment
Yoda Endorses Chesco GOP — Yoda –the K-9 who put the bite on multiple murderer Danelo Cavalcante after he climbed out of horrifically mismanaged Chester County Prison, Aug. 31, and wandered the woods of Southeast Pennsylvania for two weeks — has come out strong for the Chesco GOP ticket in the Nov. 7 election.
Watch it here:
What we’re waiting upon is for some progressive Democrat to post that it really isn’t the dog saying those words.
That will make our day.
Hat tip Bunny Welsh.
What Happened To Zeeke And Moose? — Nine months after taking office Chester County Sheriff Fredda Maddox announced the acquisition of Zeeke and Moose to her department’s K-9 unit.
This would have been in September 2020.
Well Zeeke and Moose are no longer there along with most of the units other dogs.
Whatever happened to them? Flyers are being placed around the county
If the K-9 unit had been fully staffed Danelo Cavalcante would not have had his two-week vacation.
On the other hand, Ms. Maddox can’t even keep the human side of department filled.
She’s trying for a promotion to Common Pleas Court judge, Nov. 7, and running as her successor is hand-picked Kevin Dykes.
Running against Dykes is Roy Kofroth. Ms. Maddox is one of 12 candidates for five open seats for for judge. If you want competency don’t vote for the Democrats.
What Happened To Zeeke And Moose?
Missouri Escapee Arrested In Chesco — Mario Che-Tiul who escaped from a Missouri jail was arrested today, Sept. 21, in Chester County, Pa. in Avondale.
He was facing charges of child molestation.
What was he doing in Chesco?
It sure is a long way from the Show Me State.
Did the word go out on the criminal grapevine that Chesco was a nice, woke place to hide out considering murderer Danelo Cavalcante managed to bust out of Chesco’s prison and spend two weeks on the lam?
Sheriff Louderback Supporting Roy Kofroth — AJ Louderback, who served five-terms as sheriff of Jackson County, Texas until his retirement in December 2021, will be special guest at a reception for Roy Kofroth who is running for Chester County sheriff.
It should be a no-brainer that Kofroth wins but there are many voters who have no brains.
Or hearts or lungs, for that matter.
Kofroth is running against Kevin Dykes who is the hand-picked successor of Fredda Maddox, whose single term has been an unmitigated disaster. More than anyone she may have been responsible for murderer Danelo Cavalcante’s two weeks of freedom.
Ms. Maddox is running for county Common Pleas Court judge.
The election is Nov. 7.
Kofroth’s reception is 5-8 p.m., Oct. 1 at the Maplecroft Building, 500 S. Whitehorse Road, Phoenixville, Pa 19460.
Tickets are $100 or $150 a couple with discounts for law enforcement and first responders. See flyer below.
RSVP deadline has passed but email WinPa23@yahoo.com if interested in meeting Sheriff Louderback who has been outspoken about the border crisis.
Sheriff Louderback Supporting Roy Kofroth
Ex-Chesco Warden Pushed Out By May Escape — Former Chester County Warden Ronald M. Phillips was pushed out due to Igor Vidra Bolte’s escape in May.
And the county prison had a K-9 program that ended in 1986.
County Commissioner Joshua Maxwell revealed these bits at today’s (Sept. 20) meeting of the prison board.
The board consists of the county commissioners, District Attorney Deborah Ryan, Sheriff Fredda Maddox, the county controller and the president judge of Common Pleas Court.
Phillips started at the prison in 1983 and worked his way up the ranks. He began a leave of absence in July and officially retired Aug. 30, the day before Danelo Cavalcante’s escape.
He was replaced by Howard Holland, who had been police chief of Downingtown where Maxwell had been mayor.
Was there a search for Phillips’ replacement or was Holland merely ordained? That’s assuming Holland gets the permanent job as he is now merely interim warden.
We asked this earlier. Police and correction skills are not necessarily interchangeable and if Bolte’s escape caused Phillips to lose his job, is Holland’s in jeopardy?
Probably not considering the reception he got at today’s meeting.
Anyway, Maxwell conceded the prison has been short staffed with 60 of the 300 positions not being filled. He also admitted information about Cavalcante’s escape was woefully delayed from being transmitted to the community.
He said there were plans to return a K-9 program to the prison.
It has been widely noted that if the county Sheriff Department had maintained its highly regarded one, Cavalcante would have been rounded up within hours.
The program, however, was allowed to whither when Fredda Maddox was elected to the office in 2019.
By the way, the Sheriff Department is down 40 deputies.
Why is Chesco having so much trouble keeping people?
Ms. Maddox, a Democrat, is stepping down as sheriff in a bid to become a Chesco Common Pleas Court judge. The election is Nov. 7.
Bunny Welsh, who was Ms. Maddox’s predecessor, pointed out that it took her 10 years to develop the K-9 unit. She noted that it doesn’t just take highly trained dogs but highly trained handlers who will work unexpected hours.
The board approved, in response to the escape, a design phase for prison renovations with TranSystems. Proposed renovations include are enclosing the eight exercise yards, adding a sally port, and removing the basketball hoops as they are a liability issue along with a security one.
The TranSystems presenter noted that an enclosed yard would prevent drones from dropping contraband to the inmates.
The cost was estimated at between $2.5 and $3.5 million and the job will take six to nine months.
Also a temporary barrier will be installed where Cavalcante made his escape.
Holland addressed the board from the floor saying plans are in place to add razor wire to where Bolte escaped but there are construction delays. He said there also plans to add metal fencing where Cavalcante broke out.
He said he wants to add 50-75 cameras for $70,000 along with eight people to watch them. Holland says he plans to have more drills. He said wants an alarm system on an outside fence, drones and drone operators, oh, and a K-9 unit.
He said if he these programs Cavalcante would never have escaped.
On the other hand, if the prison was fully staffed and had more than one guard watching the exercise yard he probably wouldn’t have escaped either.
Before public comments, the audience was specifically told not to bring up the Sheriff Department K-9 unit.
Sally Mininger (sp) from Tredyffrin noted the hero of the Cavalcante matter was Border Patrol dog Yoda and then said Bunny Welsh had great program but was gutted when Freda Maddox took over as sheriff. She said there were but two dogs left when Cavalcante escaped at which point she was told to stop talking about the Sheriff Department’s K-9 unit.
She ended by saying it wouldn’t be necessary to reinstate the program if it had been gutted “in 1986 or whenever.”
Guy Ciarrocchi of Tredyffrin said commissioners failed the community. He wanted to know if the prison would start taking murderers until fully staffed or at least keep them in isolation.
Shelia Learner (sp) of Westtown said she never came to these meetings but is livid.
“You had one job to do . . .” she said. “And you failed it. You are not doing a good job and I think you have to think that this is not job for you.”
Daryl Cooper (sp) of East Marlboro Township said the board ratified two major proposals without the expertise to understand them. He did, however, complement Maxwell on his expressions of empathy at the start of the meeting.
A Malvern woman criticized Sheriff Maddox and Commissioner Marian Moskowitz for being almost invisible during the escape.
Ex-Chesco Warden Pushed Out By May Escape
Ex-Chesco Warden Pushed Out By May Escape
Was There A Search To Replace Chesco Warden?— Former Downington Police Chief Howard Holland was running Chester County Prison when Danelo Cavalcante broke out Aug. 31 which was the day after the official retirement of Warden Ronald M. Phillips.
Phillips had been at the prison since 1983 and had been deputy warden under his predecessor Ed McFadden, who retired in 2020.
He had been on administrative leave since July.
Was he just using up his vacation time? Or was it something else?
Holland was serving with the title interim warden. While having a long career in law enforcement, he does not appear to have experience in running a prison.
Why was he tapped for the job? Was there no one in the prison’s administration who could have stepped in? Was there a search? Could Phillips have been asked to hang on a little longer for the county to start one?
Or was it because Holland worked with Chesco Commissioner Josh Maxwell, while Maxwell was mayor of Downingtown and Maxwell liked him, and nobody considered the requirements of the job?
If so, that’s one more pretty big strike against those running Chester County.
Was There A Search To Replace Chesco Warden?
Suit Seeks Lifetime Ban On 2 Chesco Commissioners — Chesco resident William R. Borton, Sept. 11, filed a petition for declaratory judgement in the county’s Common Pleas Court that Chester County commissioners Marian Moskowitz and Joshua Maxwell be forever banned from holding public office in Pennsylvania.
Ms. Moskowitz and Maxwell in their role as members of the Board of Elections certified the Nov. 8, 2022 election while petitions for recounts were outstanding, says Borton in his filing.
Judge Jeffrey Sommer scheduled a hearing, Nov. 21, and the Election Board was immediately informed via a hand-delivered copy of the order.
Election law expressly states that boards of elections may not certify while recount petitions are pending.
Ms. Moskowitz and Maxwell filed a request on Nov. 23 asking the court to dismiss the petitions but Sommer scheduled a hearing on Dec. 5.
Regardless, the board certified the election on Nov. 28 despite Commissioner Michelle Kichline’s vehement dissent out of concern that it would be a violation of election law.
Her dissent can be seen here starting at 1:08:20
Borton, in his filing says a recount could have been done in a day.
Sommer dismissed the recount request on Dec. 12, and those seeking them appealed to Commonwealth Court, which overturned Sommer’s decision.
Ms. Moskowitz and Maxwell then appealed to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court which vacated the Commonwealth Court decision without a hearing.
Justices Sallie Updyke Mundy and P. Kevin Brobson dissented. Justice Mundy noted that the action of the court broke with its traditional process.
Borton wants the lifetime ban based on Section 1851 of the state election code which provides that Any person who shall, while a candidate for office, be guilty of bribery, fraud or willful violation of any provision of this act, shall be forever disqualified from holding said office or any other office of trust or profit in this Commonwealth.
This should especially apply to members of election boards, he says.
Ms. Moskowitz and Maxwell are seeking re-election this November.
The docket number is 2023-067732-M.
Citizens Berate Chesco About Prison Problems, Cavalcante Manhunt –The Chester County Commissioners ‘subject this morning, Sept. 14, was naturally yesterday’s capture of Danelo Cavalcante.
Cavalcante had been terrorizing the area for two weeks since his Aug. 31 escape from the county prison in Pocopson.
Commissioner Michelle Kichline expressed hope that Yoda, the K-9 that captured the escaped murderer, could attend a meeting of the board.
The audience wasn’t buying the cuteness. Cavalcante would have been nabbed within hours if the county had not gutted the Sheriff Department’s highly regarded K-9 squad it had a mere three years ago.
About 40 were in attendance when comment time arrived and this did not count those watching on the web.
One woman noted that if the county had used the money they spent on the manhunt to fix the problems that arose at the prison — such as short staffing and demoralized guards — the escape would never have happened.
Several, including Bobbie Surrick (sp) of East Bradford, asked why Chesco was a sanctuary county, which means a county that does not prosecute violations of immigration laws.
Another woman noted that if Chesco cooperated with immigration authorities, Cavalcante would have been deported immediately after ex-girlfriend Deborah Brandao filed a protection-from-abuse order. Her children would never have had to watch her brutal stabbing death.
Jennifer Farnum (sp) said a illegal was set on fire and killed by two other illegals in Chester Springs. She said the matter got no publicity.
One woman said the ReadyChesco alert system failed miserably during the prison break/manhunt.
Most of these comments came via Zoom and all were supposedly restricted to agenda items.
We had to leave before those who wished to comment on general items had their chance.
The Chesco public is not happy with its government.
Forrmer Chesco Deputy Matt Mendenhall and Nero. Once upon a time Chesco had an excellent K-9 squad.
Bunny Welsh Gives Insight On Cavalcante Escape — Former Chester County, Pa. Sheriff Bunny Welsh appeared, today, Sept. 6 on WWDB‘s Don’t Back Down and AM 990’s Chris Stigall show to describe the ongoing effort to capture Chesco prison escapee and multiple murderer Danelo Cavalcante, who has now been on the lam for a week.
The escape has made international news.
Cavalcante escaped from the prison, Aug. 31, after being convicted 15 days earlier for the April 2021 stabbing of Deborah Brandao, his ex-girlfriend. He was sentenced to life in prison.
Cavalcante, who entered the country illegally, was also wanted for murder in his native Brazil.
While we missed the Stigall show, we heard her tell Don’t Back Down hosts Stan Casacio and attorney Andy Teitelman that a plea in Portuguese from Cavalcante’s mother for him to surrender is being broadcast from aircraft over southern Chesco. She noted that men and women in law enforcement are diligently searching the area in the 90-plus heat all the while wearing body armor and carrying full equipment.
She said that Cavalcante, who is only about 5-feet tall, is believed to have some survival training, which is helping him avoid arrest.
Ms. Welsh said that Cavalcante’s prison shirt has been found.
She noted that if the Chesco Sheriff Department kept its K-9 squad Cavalcante would likely been arrested hours after his escape.
She said the prison in Pocopson is designed for 1,100 inmates but now has a population of about 600.
Ms. Welsh, who was among those consulting with President Trump regarding law enforcement issues, also told a story about the compassion of the President. She said that family whose son died of a fentanyl overdoes asked her to pass on a letter to Trump. She said that he took it and offered condolence. Following the event, though, he approached her, talked with her about it and then wrote a personal note to the family.
Trump never went public. The only ones who know about it are the ones she tells.
Hopefully, she never stops telling it.
She said that Trump, in person, is gentle and more inclined to listen than speak.
Bunny Welsh Gives Insight On Cavalcante Escape
Bunny Welsh To Discuss Cavalcante Escape — Bunny Welsh, the last competent sheriff of Chester County, Pa., will be guest of Don’t Back Down on WWDB, 2 p.m., tomorrow, Sept. 6.
The show is hosted by Stan Casacio and attorney Andy Teitelman
Ms. Welsh will give her views on how not just multiple murderer/illegal alien Danelo Cavalcante can escape from the county prison, but remain on the lam for six days.
Hopefully, by the time the show airs the scum is caught.
We wouldn’t bet the farm on it though.
The mind-blowing screw up has made international headlines.
Igor Vidra Bolte, an emotionally disturbed man serving a three-month sentence for assulting a West Chester police officer, escaped from the prison in May.
Bolte was caught after just three hours, though.
It is believe he just walked out in a manner similar ot Cavalcante.
Bunny Welsh To Discuss Cavalcante Escape