Cops, Courts & Fire -Bristol Township
Cops: Bristol Man Arrested for April Kidnapping
A 47-year-old Bristol man sits in county jail after being arrested Sunday night on a felony charge for an alleged kidnapping and related offenses back in April of this year.
The alleged kidnapping took place on Friday, 4/19/24 at 11:30 p.m., when the female victim arrived at Wawa on Green Lane to meet with her longtime boyfriend, Richard Phillips, in the parking lot. When she arrived, Phillips entered her vehicle and the victim thought he was ‘high’ on methamphetamine. He grew aggressive with her. She said Phillips poked at her, grabbed her in a headlock, and told her to get out of the vehicle. She exited the vehicle out of fear and Phillips told her to get into his vehicle, a 2014 white Chevrolet Silverado, bearing PA registration ZPX1976. The victim, remaining scared, told Phillips she had to go to the bathroom and headed towards the Wawa in an attempt to get away from him, police said.
Wawa parking lot camera footage obtained by police showed the suspect retrieve an item after reaching in his pockets and waistline. He followed the victim and grabbed her before entering Wawa. Phillips began to pull her back towards the direction of his vehicle, telling her that he had a knife and to get in his vehicle or he was going to kill her. The camera footage showed suspect holding the item he retrieved, according to the affidavit.
The camera footage continued to show the victim fearfully complying with Phillips, walking back across the parking lot, a distance of around 30 yards, towards his truck. Phillips continued to say he was going to kill her if she did not get in the truck. She entered the truck and saw the knife by which she was threatened, said police.
Phillips drove his vehicle, with the victim, to his friend’s house on Mulberry Street in Bristol. The victim said she was not allowed to leave and Phillips made her stay by taking her vehicle keys and cell phone. Phillips then sent his friend back to the Wawa to retrieve her vehicle, said in the probable cause.
Once the friend returned with the vehicle, the victim pleaded to Phillips for her to leave, but Phillips grabbed her and said she was not going anywhere. She pushed Phillips away then ran from the property to a church and hid for over 45 minutes. She returned to Mulberry St. She was able to retrieve her phone and keys to her vehicle after asking Phillip’s friend for them. She escaped the area and called 911 at 6:15 a.m. reporting the incident to the Bristol Borough Police Department, who then instructed her to report the incident to the Bristol Township Police Department, said in the criminal complaint.
Phillips is charged with one felony count of kidnapping to inflict injury/terror and also charged with false imprisonment, simple assault, terroristic threats and harassment. Late Sunday night, he was arraigned by on-call Judge John T. Galloway, remanded to Bucks County Correctional Facility (BCCF) in lieu of bail set at 10%/$200,000. His preliminary hearing is set for June 26, 2024, according to court records.
Credit:
Bristol Borough Fire Chief Herb Slack on Tuesday morning released the following statement on last nights Dorrance Street Fire.
It’s only been edited for style:
Credit: Submitted
Credit: Joe Nelson
Cops, Courts & Fire -Bristol Township
Bristol Twp Police Reports: Levittown Man Arrested on Aggravated Assault Charges, License Plate Stolen in Farmbrook and More !
Cops, Courts & Fire -Bristol Township
Bristol Twp. School District Clothing Drive Does More Than Provide Attire, It Provides Stability for Students in Need
It is one thing to see a teenage student on their way to school wearing a “hoodie” on a cold winter day.
It is an entirely different image to see a child heading to school on that same cold winter day, not wearing a winter jacket. This is the very image Bristol Township School District and Police Department officials recently joined forces to fight with a significant financial contribution from philanthropist Gene Epstein
The school district said recently it has about 130 students experiencing serious stable housing challenges.
Dr. Meredith Leach School District Social Worker said, holding the drive and providing the needed clothing for students experiencing a period of housing displacement can and does offer not only clothing, but a sense of stability students need to thrive in class.
It’s no secret, Leach said, that a sense of stability leads to achievement. By providing basic needs, such as clothing, they (school district and police department) are trying to put their students in the best possible position to succeed and thrive, despite the housing challenges their families are facing.
Leach said families experiencing housing challenges and alike usually self-identify to the school district and fellow counselors and social workers system wide to coordinate resource support.
“The school district also offers school supplies, hygiene items and if we don’t have it in stock at our offices we order it online.”
“Sometimes something so minor to an outsider, like organizers for clothing drawers, for a student means the world because it gives them a sense of control over some of the life circumstances they’re experiencing.”
“We’re lucky enough to live in a county and state where services for students experiencing this kind of life challenge there are an array of services and resources available,” Leach said.
So lucky that neighboring businesses, such as Five Below in Tullytown, donated to the cause once the clothing drive was announced.
Credit: Joanne Ames – Lower Bucks Source
The Clothing Drive
Leach said the clothing drive idea came to fruition once she and her staff reviewed the numbers and realized about 130 students were in need.
In the human services field (i.e. social work) a measure of your professional success and community connection is always having that one yet-to-be used resource in your back pocket that social workers place on the table when faced with a potentially troubling situation, experts agree.
I saw a social media post from Neshaminy School District that said “we are filling our closets.”
Leach pulled out her “Ace Card” in the form of the Bristol Twp. Police Dept. Officer John Dobbs who in turn reached out to Epstein because they worked well together in the past.
The Epsteins donated to the cause as well as Walmart making a $500 contribution to the effort, Sgt. Jason Mancuso said.
We basically filled everything the school district needed for those 125 to 130 students, Mancuso said.
The Bristol Township Police Union (PBA) contributed a number of gift cards to the effort as well.
Leach in a moment of levity said of the clothing drive spending spree paid for by Epstein, “when do you ever get carte blanche to buy what you want as a social worker? Never!” She admitted to being a bit timid at first when selecting clothing items to purchase.
“Mancuso and Dobbs changed that for me. They grabbed boxes where I was grabbing packets,” she said, in joyous laughter.
The spacious school district office where the clothes are kept and distributed to school district social workers is filled with supplies for students now, thanks to Epstein giving Mancuso his credit card allowing Leach to spend thousands on students in need.
How could I not do it and live in good conscience, Epstein said.
“Those students were in immediate need,” he said “and it would take way too much time to set up a fundraising drive. Here’s my credit card and I don’t care what you spend. Get the kids what they need.”
Credit: Joanne Ames – Lower Bucks Source
“Whatever our students need we’re going to do everything we can to help them. We don’t want any of our students walking around with needs we can help them meet. I like to think we can help our students, and their families to be build a scaffold that they in turn can build upon.”
The response to the need by the Bristol Twp Police, the PBA and the Epsteins was amazing, Leach said.
The student-focused clothing drive officially launched February 2 and remains ongoing until the need no longer exists.
Any clean clothes, even if previously worn, can be dropped off at the Bristol Twp Police records department hallway or at the Bristol Township School Admin Building on Green Lane.
Opus Outreach Foundation joined the clothing drive shortly after it was announced. Items can be dropped off at Opus Elite Real Estate 119 Trenton Road, Fairless Hills. If you want to arrange a clothing drive donation you can call Christy Becker at 267 338-7518.
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