Police Vehicles

CHARLES TOWN, W.Va. - At least two people were taken to the hospital Tuesday night when generators at Charles Towers Apartments in Charles Town stopped working, a Jefferson County, W.Va. emergency dispatcher said. The generator at the apartment complex, at 151 Augustine Ave., malfunctioned about 8 p.m., and power was restored hours later. Those taken to the hospital had heat-related illnesses, the dispatcher said. Some residents without air conditioning were allowed to sit in police vehicles for relief from the heat.

THURMONT, Md. - A deputy injured during a chase Thursday with two suspects in what turned out to be a theft from an ACE Hardware Store remained in serious condition Sunday at the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore. Officer Rick White lost control of his cruiser and hit a tree on Yellow Springs Pike shortly after 9 a.m., according to Frederick County Sheriff's deputies. White's cruiser then caught fire but was quickly extinguished by a Frederick County Sheriff's deputy who was following White during the chase.

Pa. Council briefs Borough approves lease with Verizon CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. - The Chambersburg Borough Council approved a lease with Verizon last week to place a cellular tower on top of a smokestack at the borough power plant. Council members unanimously approved the agreement at a meeting Wednesday. Verizon will occupy one of the two stacks on Second Street and lease the portion of the stack from 135 to 144 feet high. The telecommunications company will also lease 700 square-feet of adjacent land to construct a communication facility.

In yesterday's edition of The Herald-Mail, reporter Clyde Ford described what happened after Shepherdstown Police Officer Billy Carper decided to pursue a 1997 Ford Mustang with an extra-loud muffler. Instead of stopping when Carper turned on his flashing lights, the vehicle fled. The chase eventually resulted in the capture of two suspects in the murder of Theodore "Ted" Compton, which is a good thing. But there's another point to consider. At one point, the chase reached speeds of 120 miles per hour on W.Va.

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. - Pennsylvania State Police were looking for two gunmen who held up an insurance agency and forced its employees into the restroom Thursday afternoon. Police said Red Oak Insurance, 2371 Philadelphia Ave., was held up at 12:45 p.m. After taking cash from the people in the office and forcing them into the restroom the men fled in an unknown direction. Both of the men were black, between the ages of 20 and 30 and armed with handguns, police said. One was about 5 feet 8 inches tall, between 180 and 210 pounds and wore a gray hooded sweat shirt, police said.

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. -- Pennsylvania State Police were looking for two gunmen who held up an insurance agency and forced its employees into the restroom Thursday afternoon. Police said Red Oak Insurance, at 2371 Philadelphia Ave., was held up at 12:45 p.m. After taking cash from the people in the office and forcing them into the restroom, the men fled in an unknown direction. Both of the men were black, between the ages of 20 and 30, and armed with handguns, police said. One was about 5 feet 8 inches tall, between 180 and 210 pounds, and wore a gray hooded sweat shirt, police said.

Smithsburg to equip 2 officers with bikes By ANDREW SCHOTZ / Staff Writer SMITHSBURG - The Town Council on Tuesday voted 4-1 to spend $3,200 on two new bicycles, plus equipment and clothing, for Smithsburg's two police officers. There was little discussion before the vote. Councilman Mike Rohrer, who voted no, objected to the purchase during the council's Nov. 28 work session. "I won't support the expenditure," Rohrer said then. "It's an unbudgeted item.

By JULIE E. GREENE Staff Writer Mayor Steven T. Sager said Wednesday his support of Police Chief Dale Jones' request for seven more police officers less than four weeks before the May 20 general election has nothing to do with his Republican challenger's push for additional officers. "Whether or not I get elected, this is needed. I'm glad to see they're even talking to him about this," said Bob Bruchey, the Republican candidate. On Wednesday, Jones asked City Council members to fund six more police officers, a sergeant, a dispatcher and six police vehicles.

A Chambersburg man has been charged with aggravated assault against a city police officer after a hit-and-run that began as a car chase damaged two police cruisers on Monday. Sidney Lamar Spoonhour, 37, of 23 Delano Drive is charged with one count of aggravated assault on a police officer, one count of fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer, two counts of recklessly endangering another person, two counts of accidents involving vehicle or property and one count of driving while operating privilege suspended or revoked, DUI related, according to a police report.

By JULIE E. GREENE Staff Writer The Hagerstown City Council approved a $73 million budget Tuesday after rearranging thousands of dollars to pay for nine new public safety personnel without raising taxes. The vote was 4-1, with Councilman Mark Jameson voting no. Jameson said he didn't think hiring six more police officers would be an effective way to battle drug-related crime. The six officers will form a crime impact team, whose duties will include reducing the city's growing problem with drugs and related violence.

The driver of a box truck that police believed was involved Sunday in a hit-and-run crash in Williamsport fled from police after an officer pulled the truck over on Greencastle Pike just north of Williamsport, according to a Washington County Sheriff's Office spokesman. After the officer stopped the driver at about 2:10 p.m., the box truck went backward and struck a sheriff's department cruiser, moving it about 5 feet, Sgt. Robert Whittington said. No police officers were injured when the truck rolled into the police car, police said.

A Chambersburg man has been charged with aggravated assault against a city police officer after a hit-and-run that began as a car chase damaged two police cruisers on Monday. Sidney Lamar Spoonhour, 37, of 23 Delano Drive is charged with one count of aggravated assault on a police officer, one count of fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer, two counts of recklessly endangering another person, two counts of accidents involving vehicle or property and one count of driving while operating privilege suspended or revoked, DUI related, according to a police report.

Police responding to a report of shots fired early Monday found a gravely wounded man on a bed in a Linwood Road home, Hagerstown Police Department officers said. Hagerstown Police Chief Arthur Smith said the man, Alfarad A. Evans, 35, of 1002 Linwood Road, was pronounced dead at Meritus Medical Center about an hour after the 5:30 a.m. shooting. Smith said a woman who was in the house at the time of the shooting was uninjured. “They could have harmed her if they wanted to,” Smith said.

Hagerstown police Wednesday night continued to search for two males involved in the armed robbery and carjacking of a China King restaurant delivery driver Tuesday night. Kwokkuen Leung, 55, was attempting to make a delivery in the 400 block of North Potomac Street at about 10:40 p.m. when he was approached by two males, one of whom was carrying a knife, police said. The pair assaulted Leung, robbed him and stole his vehicle, then fled eastbound on Broadway, according to a city police news release.

City police stopped 40 vehicles over a 2 1/2-hour period Friday morning for violating Maryland's "move over" law, the Hagerstown Police Department said. The  law, which went into effect Oct. 1, 2010, requires a driver to change lanes into an available lane away from an emergency vehicle if the driver is approaching the emergency vehicle from the rear. The emergency vehicle must be using its visual signals and must be parked or stopped. If changing lanes is not safe or possible or is otherwise prohibited, the driver must slow down to a reasonable and prudent speed that ensures the safety of emergency services personnel.

HAGERSTOWN -- Late in the school year, Jake Nalley was driving in Myersville, Md., when his car was struck by a dump truck, destroying his vehicle and severely injuring his friend. Jake, who recently graduated from Washington County Technical High School, said his car was at an auto shop at the school, where he and other students enrolled in the school's auto repair program were working to remove the useable parts. "We're trying to pull the engine out and the transmission," Jake said in late May. Many students enrolled in the auto repair program at the technical high school said they were planning to look for jobs in local repair shops after graduation.

WAYNESBORO, Pa. -- It's not every day you hear rapper Eminem's lyrics played in a police car. But as the staff at Sounds So Good Car Audio started a Frederick, Md., police car on Wednesday afternoon, Eminem's music caused subwoofers in the back to literally pulsate. The car won't be used to pick up criminals, but rather recruit potential officers at special events. Staff at Sounds So Good Car Audio, which is on a lane across from Hooverville Elementary School, had few instructions from police beyond keep the car functional, but also "make it flashy and make it showy," Ryan Bryan said.

HAGERSTOWN -- Investigators on Friday were looking for a man who on Monday identified himself as a police officer, forced a woman into his vehicle and sexually assaulted her, Sgt. Paul Kifer said Friday afternoon in a news release. Police were not releasing details of the assault, Kifer said Friday in a telephone interview. The woman, whose name is not being released, was examined at Washington County Hospital after the attack, he said. At 4 a.m. Monday, the victim was driving south on North Potomac Street when a dark blue SUV driven by a man pulled up next to her vehicle at a traffic light, investigators said.

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. -- The Chambersburg Police Department was investigating the theft of Republican campaign signs after a vehicle filled with them was stopped Thursday morning in the borough. An officer on patrol in an unmarked cruiser spotted suspicious activity shortly after 2 a.m. near the intersection of East McKinley Street and Brumbaugh Avenue, police said. The officer followed the vehicle, which fled at high speed along Coldbrook Avenue, police said. The vehicle was found at the Wayne Avenue Sheetz, police said.