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Lower Pottsgrove police describe child-abduction assist, vehicle rescue; monthly stats released
Summary
Police Chief Richard Bell reported 1,222 calls for service in November, recertification of detectives on the CVSA, assistance to Ocean County on an abducted-infant case that ended with the child found safe and officers arresting a suspect, and an on-scene vehicle rescue where officers removed a trapped person seconds before the car was fully engulfed.
Police Chief Richard Bell presented the department’s November report to the board and highlighted two notable responses.
Bell said the department logged 1,222 calls for service in November, issued 103 traffic citations, made three DUI arrests, conducted 36 accident investigations and handled 32 criminal investigations that month. He reported two detectives were recertified on the Computer Voice Stress Analyzer, which he described as an investigative tool recognized by courts.
On Nov. 9, Lower Pottsgrove officers assisted Ocean County, New Jersey, prosecutors in an abducted-infant investigation. The New Jersey investigators provided a house location and vehicle description; Lower Pottsgrove officers established surveillance until detectives arrived from New Jersey, at which point the suspect confirmed the child was safe and the Lower Pottsgrove officers took the suspect into custody and transported the person to Montgomery County prison.
Chief Bell also described an ongoing investigation into a serious motor-vehicle crash in which a vehicle struck a house and caught fire. He said officers were able to remove a trapped person from the vehicle seconds before it was fully engulfed. Commissioners publicly thanked the officers named in the report for lifesaving actions.
Why it matters: The incidents underscore interjurisdictional cooperation in criminal investigations and the department’s emergency response capabilities.
Next steps: The chief did not announce charges beyond the New Jersey collaboration; investigations into the serious crash remain ongoing.
