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Cops, Courts & Fire -Bensalem Township

Bensalem Woman Charged for Threatening District Courts, Police Departments in Dozens of Calls

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A 43-year-old Bensalem woman was charged on Monday, August 14, 2023, with filing more than 100 false 911 calls over a 9-month period and making 13 threats of violence to Bucks County district judges, the Bristol Township Police Department, a county employee, and other locations and public gatherings.

Valerie Travis was charged with felony counts of terroristic threats, criminal use of a communication facility and unlawful use of a computer, and misdemeanor counts of terroristic threats and violation of emergency communication services.

Read Criminal Complaint Here

She was arraigned by Magisterial District Judge Michael W. Gallagher and was sent to Bucks County Correctional Facility under 10 percent of  $750,000 bail.

The charges are the culmination of an investigation by the Bensalem Township Police Department, the Bristol Township Police Department and Bucks County Detectives.

The investigation found that the Bucks County Department of Emergency Communications received 116 911 reports, either by a phone call or text message, from a phone belonging to Travis between August 16, 2022, and May 30, 2023. All the reports were determined to be unfounded, however each one required action by the Department of Emergency Communications and law enforcement.

Travis also made 13 threats of mass shootings or explosions by submitting electronic tips to the FBI National Threat Operations Center, the Bristol Township Police Crimewatch page and the Bensalem Township Police Crimewatch page. These threats were submitted between April 28, 2023, and August 1, 2023.

Four of those threats were directed toward Magisterial District Judge Kevin P. Wagner Sr., and his Bath Road courthouse in Bristol Township, leading to an evacuation on May 30. About 20 people evacuated the courthouse, which led to the continuation of an eviction hearing involving Travis’s mother.

Responding law enforcement searched the building and immediate area, and after nothing was located, determined the threat to be unfounded.

The investigation also found that Travis submitted threats against two other Magisterial District courthouses, an employee with the Bucks County Department of Human Services, the Bristol Township Police Department, two Bristol Township motels where Travis had lived with her mother, Philadelphia City Hall, and LGBTQ/Pride events.

Investigators analyzed cellphone data and other electronic evidence to confirm that the calls, text messages and online threats were made by Travis.

Law enforcement in Bucks County takes every threat seriously and ensured the public’s safety by ruling out any actual danger existed from these threats.

This investigation was conducted by Detectives with the Bensalem Township Police Department, the Bristol Township Police Department and Bucks County District Attorney’s Office. This case is being prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Megan Hunsicker.

Travis is currently scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing on August 22nd in Bensalem District Court according to court records and presently does not have an attorney of record listed.

 

Cops, Courts & Fire -Bensalem Township

NJ Man Has Aggravated Assault Charges of Police Held Over for Trial

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A Millville, New Jersey man accused of stealing a vehicle and subsequently striking a Bensalem Police officer last year, when attempting to flee a traffic stop had all of his charges held over for trial at preliminary hearing last week.

Late last month Magisterial District Judge Michael W. Gallagher ruled there was enough evidence presented by the Commonwealth to sustain two felony counts of aggravated assault, felony fleeing, felony theft and related offenses filed against Devit Sanchez of New Jersey.

According to the probable cause, on Friday, August 8, 2025, Bensalem Township Police conducted a stolen vesicle investigation at the Sunoco Gas Station, located at 1432 Street Road,  The stolen vehicle was identified as a 2020 Acura ILX. white in color, bearing NIN97NMP, The vehicle is listed in NCIC as stolen out of Mount Laurel, NJ. Police were alerted to the stolen  vehicle traveling in the area of Bensalem Twp.

Police saw the stolen vehicle at the gas pumps of the Sunoco Station and a male entering the driver’s seat.

Officers pulled behind the stolen vehicle af the gas pumps and another Bensalem officer pulled in front of it, and the driver reversed the allegedly stolen vehicle rammed a patrol car causing the officer’s head to hit the interior roof.

Sanchez then fled the Sunoco Station at a high rate of speed traveling Eastbound on Street Rd. Bensalem officers pursued the vehicle that fled onto Northbound I-95 exceeding speeds of over 100 mph. The pursuit was eventually terminated and the vehicle got away.

Surveillance footage from the Sunoco Gas Station was obtained by the Bensalem Police, court records show.

Investigators circulated the video surveillance to other police agencies and to the public depicting the stolen vehicle and driver. Through investigation, a suspect was developed, identified as Sanchez, according to the probable cause.

On  October 7 , Police conducted an interview with Sanchez in which he allegedly admitted he was the driver of the stolen vehicle in this incident that hit an officer’s police car and fled.

An arrest warrant  was issued on January 27 for Sanchez and he was arrested on Feb. 2.

Sanchez remains in County Jail unable to post bond although a county judge reduced his his bail to half of the original set, to 10 percent of $100,000.00

He is scheduled for a formal arraignment in Doylestown on March 13 and is legally represented by the Bucks County Public Defender’s Office.

No trial date has been set as of publication time

 

 

 

 

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Cops, Courts & Fire -Bensalem Township

Cops: Motorist Driving “Erratically” on Street Rd Arrested for Fleeing, DUI

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A Langhorne woman spent a day in jail after she fled Bensalem Police who observed her driving erratically  on Street Road last month locating the vehicle and its owner, ironically on the same block of funeral home.

According to the probable cause filing, on Saturday, Feb. 28, at approximately 10:23 p.m.  Police were on routine patrol in the area of 3000 Street Road when officers observed a sliver Ford Explorer bearing a Pennsylvania registration MHS-**** driving erratically. Police attempted to initiate a traffic stop by activating lights and sirens.

The  motorist, police said,  fled west on Street Road at a high rate of speed.

Police in court papers said, the driver passed multiple vehicles on the right side and then ran through multiple steady red lights. Police lost track of the  Explorer in the area of Street Road and Public Safety Way.

At approximately 11:35 p.m. police found the vehicle in the rear of 4737 East Street Road in Bensalem Twp.

Police  initiated a second traffic stop by activating lights and sirens with back-up officers surrounding the  Explorer so the motorist could not speed away again.

Police made contact with the driver and sole occupant, who was identified as 50 year-old Paige Holwood.

Holwood had bloodshot, glassy eyes, and the odor of an alcoholic beverage emanating from her person which increased as she spoke. She was unsteady on her feet when she got out of the vehicle, according to coure papers.

Police came to the conclusion that she could not operate a motor vehicle safely, said the probable cause.

Holwood was transported back to Police Headquarters where she was read the implied consent form in its entirety and refused to submit to a blood test, the arresting officer said.

On-Call District Judge John T. Galloway arraigned Holwood in the early morning hours of Sunday on a felony charge of fleeing police, DUI and four related traffic offenses.

Galloway set bail at 10 percent of $25,000 and Holwood, unable to post bail, was remanded to County Jail. She paid the 10 percent on Monday and released.  Holwood’s preliminary hearing is scheduled for  March 26.  Currently, she has no attorney of record, according to online court records.

 

 

 

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Cops, Courts & Fire -Bensalem Township

Bensalem House Fire Kills One Woman, One Man Injured

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A early morning Tuesday fire in Bensalem took the life of one woman and firefighters were able to rescue a man, community sources told Lower Bucks Source.

Bensalem fire companies were dispatched for the reports of a dwelling fire in the 2900 of Bellview Drive at around 2:45 a.m with possible entrapment.

Police officers on scene reported two residents were unaccounted for and believed to be inside. Fire crews initiated an aggressive quick search and attack of the fire, where a male was immediately located by the doorway, Bensalem Volunteer Fire Department, officials said.

The woman killed in the fire was located shortly thereafter, fire officials said.

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Firefighters arrived to find heavy smoke and flames coming from the home, officials said.

An on scene witness said they saw  a man was taken to the hospital by Bensalem EMS. His condition is unknown as of publication time.

The identity of the woman killed in the blaze has not been released

The fire caused the closure of  Bellview Dr, from Morrow Drive  to the entrance of Faust Elementary for several hours.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation of the fire marshal’s office.

“The thoughts and prayers of our entire department go out to the family and friends of those affected by this tragedy. It’s a sad day for our Nottingham Village families” said Bensalem Volunteer Fire Dept officials.

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