Intoxicated Columbia man arrested in NJ for reckless driving and several other charges

Arnaldo A. Arias, 39, of Columbia, Pennsylvania, was arrested April 21 on a drunk driving charge. Police said that Arias, who was driving a BMW IS250, was stopped on Route 1 north near Independence Way for erratic driving and was found to be intoxicated. He was also charged with reckless driving, careless driving, failure to maintain a lane, speeding, failure to signal a turn, failure to possess registration and not wearing a seat belt.

https://communitynews.org/2018/05/16/west-windsor-restaurant-rammed-by-suv-during-break-in/

Unlicensed, uninspected, abandoned vehicles regulated by the state ... of confusion?

Officials offered opinions during a discussion of abandoned vehicles in the borough at Monday's council meeting. The conversation stemmed from a resident's concern about the number of such vehicles and what he sees as a lack of action by the borough. Dennis Wolpert of Manor Street told council that he recently counted about a dozen uninspected vehicles within three blocks of his home. He said the vehicles are on the street, in yards, or in alleys behind houses, with some being uninspected since 2015. Wolpert also presented photographs of two damaged vehicles sitting on borough streets.

Damaged vehicles on borough streets

[Photos: Dennis Wolpert]

"Why do we have ordinances pertaining to all this, but yet we can't enforce them? Why do we have to have vehicles like this sitting in our neighborhoods?" Wolpert asked. He said he has talked to the police, code officers, and the mayor, all of whom told him they would take care of the problem. "I don't see anything being done about it," he told council. He said he believes the problem is a nuisance and a safety issue and urged council to strengthen ordinances to allow for the removal of vehicles from yards. Lutz replied, "This is part of the Pennsylvania Vehicle Code. We cannot create that ordinance that's contrary to a state law."

John Novak, chair of the borough's legislation committee, said, "On private property it can be addressed. On public streets, it is regulated by the State of Pennsylvania." The borough therefore cannot change its ordinance to allow it to remove an unregistered or uninspected vehicle from its streets, according to Novak. However, an ordinance exists addressing the issue on private property, Novak said, adding that he believed the borough could ask to have a vehicle removed.

Lutz apparently disagreed. "You can't go on private property and remove someone's property," he said, adding that towing companies will not enter private property. (In a seemingly contradictory statement, Lutz said the following at the August 9, 2017 legislation committee meeting: "The codes guy has been doing a wonderful job yanking them out of yards. George [Weis] is a specialist at yanking cars out of yards.") In addition, Lutz said the borough is not allowed to remove abandoned vehicles on its streets but is permitted to ticket them. Greg Sahd recommended contacting PA Senator Ryan Aument or Representative Dave Hickernell about the state's role.

The following information currently appears on the borough's website:

§ 207-32. Parking of unlicensed or abandoned vehicles prohibited.
Unlicensed vehicles or abandoned vehicles are prohibited from parking on any street or avenue in the Borough of Columbia for any period longer than 48 hours.

§ 207-33. Violations and penalties.
The police of the Borough of Columbia are authorized to arrest upon view and without warrant any person or persons violating this article, and the person or persons so violating shall be subject to a penalty as set forth in the Pennsylvania Vehicle Code.

§ 207-35. Authority of Chief of Police.
The Chief of Police is hereby authorized to remove and impound or to order the removal and impounding of any vehicle parked on any of the streets, highways or public property of the Borough in violation of the provisions of this article or the provisions of law or any ordinance of the Borough.

Peralta-Cruz, Andy Miguel - Fleeing and Eluding and 5 additional charges | Columbia Borough Police Department

On 05-14-18 at 10:03PM an officer with the Columbia Borough Police Department attempted to conduct a traffic stop on a vehicle at 6th St. and Maple St. The driver of the vehicle, later identified as Andy Peralta-Cruz (18) of Lancaster, fled from the officer. During the pursuit the vehicle went throughout numerous streets in Columbia Borough and West Hempfield Township. The vehicle was eventually stopped in the area of the Sheetz at Prospect Rd. and Rt. 462. Peralta-Cruz was charged with Fleeing or Eluding, DUI, Driving While Operating Privilege is Suspended or Revoked, Duties at Stop Signs (10 Counts), Traffic Control Signals (2 Counts) and Driving on the Right Side of Roadways.

Arrest Date: 

Monday, May 14, 2018

Case Number: 

17833-05-14-18

Charges:

• Fleeing and Eluding
• Driving Under the Influence
• Driving While Operating Privilege is Suspended or Revoked
• Duties at Stop Signs
• Traffic Control Signals
• Driving on Right Side of Road

Source: 

Columbia Borough Police Department

https://lancaster.crimewatchpa.com/columbiapd/10552/arrests/peralta-cruz-andy-miguel-fleeing-and-eluding-and-5-additional-charges

Sahd steps down as borough manager, Denlinger to take over

Greg Sahd

(Columbia Spy file photo)

Greg Sahd is stepping down as Columbia Borough's manager and secretary/treasurer, effective this Friday, May 18, to take a job as parish manager at St. Philip the Apostle Church in Millersville. Sahd made the announcement at Monday's borough council meeting. The resignation came as a surprise to many, since he was originally scheduled to retire at the end of the year. Assistant Borough Manager/Economic and Community Development Manager Rebecca Denlinger will take over as interim borough manager until a new borough manager can be voted in, a move likely to occur at the June borough council meeting.

Sahd became borough manager in December 2015 after being chosen from among five candidates. He is a former investment banker and financial consultant and advisor, and was vice president for government banking at Susquehanna Bank before retiring in 2010.

Sahd was county treasurer from 1996 through 2004, and was a congressional aide to then-U.S. Rep. Robert S. Walker. He was also deputy court administrator of Lancaster County and served on the county's Government Study Commission and has worked on numerous political campaigns over the last four decades.

Rebecca Denlinger

(Columbia Spy file photo)

Rebecca Denlinger became Columbia's Assistant Borough Manager/Economic and Community Development Manager on January 1, 2018. Before Sahd's announcement, she was scheduled to become borough manager on January 1, 2019 when she would receive an increase in annual salary to $95,000, up from the current $65,000.

Denlinger previously served Columbia as an independent contractor with her company Rising Tide Collaborative, LLC, in the position of Economic Development Coordinator. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science and Economics from the University of Delaware, and a Master’s in Public Administration from Penn State. She has worked with the Elizabethtown Area Chamber of Commerce, Rettew Associates, Inc., and the Lancaster County Planning Commission and has also served as a consultant for Marietta Borough.

Bike Auction scheduled for June 9

This year's bike auction will take place on Saturday, June 9, at 9 a.m. The auction will take place in the alley between the police station and the market house building. There are approximately 45 bicycles and scooters, as well as a few bike parts that will also be auctioned off. One of the bikes that will be auctioned off is a Trek "police" version mountain bike that was used by the bike patrol.

Source:

Columbia Borough Police Department

Click it or Ticket Enforcement | Columbia Borough Police Department

The Columbia Borough Police Department will participate in a national "Click It or Ticket" (CIOT) Seat Belt Enforcement initiative from May 14, through June 3, 2018.

The effort will focus largely on nighttime enforcement, between the hours of 9:00 PM and 4:00 AM using Traffic Enforcement Zones and Roving Patrols. Traffic Enforcement Zones combine stationary enforcement and checkpoint tactics on roadways with high numbers of unbuckled crashes. Citations will be issued to motorists who are caught unbuckled or transporting unrestrained children. 

MORE:

https://lancaster.crimewatchpa.com/columbiapd/10552/post/click-it-or-ticket-enforcement

Slave Dwelling Project to Visit Columbia and Lancaster

Events bring nationally-acclaimed program to Lancaster County for the first time, seek to share history of African-American slavery in Pennsylvania.

The Columbia (PA) Historic Preservation Society and the Ware Center of Millersville University are pleased to announce that they will host the Slave Dwelling Project in Columbia and Lancaster June 1 - 2. This marks the Slave Dwelling Project's first official visit to Lancaster County as part of its programming.

Joseph McGill

The Slave Dwelling Project, headed by Joseph McGill, is dedicated to preserving surviving African American slave dwellings and seeks to change the narrative around the history of slavery in the United States. McGill will co-host the Lancaster County events, which are open to the public. “Since 2010, the Slave Dwelling Project has spent nights in slave dwellings in 19 states and the District of Columbia. We are proud that Lancaster will be added to the portfolio in 2018,” said McGill.

The two-day program kicks off on Friday, June 1, at 3 p.m. with a lecture by McGill in the Columbia Historic Preservation Society’s Banner Hall, followed by a tour of the new museum exhibit “Underground Railroad: Destination Columbia.” At 4:30 p.m., Chris Vera, president of the Columbia Historic Preservation Society, will lead a walking tour of abolitionist Columbia. The cost for these events is $20 per person. For reservations, call (717) 572-7149.

On Friday evening, June 1, McGill will spend the night with an invited group inside the Columbia Bank & Bridge Company Building, (currently Art Printing 131 Locust Street) which once housed African Americans seeking to escape slavery. High School and College Students welcome with parental written permission.

On Saturday morning, June 2, at 11:00 am, McGill will join Lancaster city council member Ismail Smith-Wade-El and other members of the Lancaster community for a public forum in Millersville University’s Ware Center. The 90-minute event will address the history of slavery in Lancaster and its present-day legacy. Admission is free. For more information call (717) 871- 7018.

At 2:00 pm on Saturday, June 2, McGill will accompany members of the African American Historical Society of South Central Pennsylvania, LancasterHistory.org, and others on a 90- minute walking tour of African American heritage sites in downtown Lancaster. The tour begins at the Lancaster City Visitor Center, 38 Penn Square, and covers 12 sites, including the grave of Thaddeus Stevens. The tour is open to the public; cost is $8 for adults, $7 for seniors (62 and older), $5 for college students, and $2 for youth (6-18). Children under 6 are free. For more information contact Randy Harris at (717) 808-2941 or Leroy Harris at (717) 224-7030.

The history of slavery and African American history in Lancaster County is not well known, and McGill’s visit provides a unique opportunity to share this story more broadly. Although Pennsylvania passed a gradual emancipation law in 1780, African Americans were not freed under the law until 1808, and many remained in bondage for years afterward. Meanwhile, African Americans fleeing slavery in the South were often imprisoned in the downtown Lancaster jail, and slave hunters regularly came to Lancaster County in search of runaways. Columbia and Lancaster were both sites of important Underground Railroad activity, and the city will soon install four permanent historical markers commemorating this history.

“Hosting the Slave Dwelling Project in Columbia and Lancaster gives us a wonderful chance to highlight the complicated history of enslaved people in Lancaster County, but beyond that, these programs will foster discussion, learning and hopefully a better understanding of this essential American story,” said Chris Vera, president of the Columbia Historic Preservation Society.

“It is our hope Mr. McGill’s visit and the Lancaster County Slave Dwelling events will serve as a catalyst to ignite interest around the unique African American history of Lancaster, and the importance of preserving the structures that tell that important story,” said Leroy Hopkins, president of the African American Historical Society of South Central Pennsylvania. “We believe these events will bring to life a history too often ignored.”

More information on The Slave Dwelling Project can be found at: slavedwellingproject.org.