The off-duty Coatesville officer accused of choking and hitting a 17-year-old male appeared in district court today.

The attorney for Claude Simpkins revealed during the hearing that Simpkins was asked to resign Friday to avoid getting fired. Defense attorney John Duffy criticized Coatesville Police Chief William Matthews for allegedly forcing Simpkins out of the department without first conducting an investigation into the June 18 incident.

See Tuesday's Daily Local for more information.

Golfers needed for upcoming Camp Cadet fundraiser. Get info here: GolfFundraiser.pdf

The family of late State Police Trooper Kenton E. Iwaniec traveled across the state from their Western Pennsylvania home to thank the Avondale barracks and others who have helped the family following Iwaniec's death.

Iwaniec, 24, died March 28 after suffering injuires in what police say was a drunk driving accident. He had only been a state trooper for three months.

Kristina M. Quercetti, 40, of Landenberg has been accused of crashing into Iwaniec's personal car while intoxicated with her son in the back seat.

The Iwaniec family arranged a luncheon at the Avondale Fire Station last week for the Avondale barracks. The trooper's parents, sisters, grandmother and other relatives said they prepared the home cooked meal as a way to say thank you to those who worked with Iwaniec and reached out to the family in their time of need.

During the luncheon the family showed a video showing a snippet of Iwaniec's life, which included family pictures, photos from hunting trips and video clips from one of his hockey games.

Quercetti, who volunteered to start her prison sentence immediately after her arraignment, is expected to plead guilty to homicide by vehicle while driving under the influence. The case is expected to go before a judge in the fall.

The CYWA in Coatesville will hold a seminar Thursday morning to coach residents on how to get their criminal records cleared. See details here: RecordSeminar.pdf

An off-duty Coatesville police officer was arrested Wednesday night in Westtown after he allegeldy assualted a 17-year-old boy near his home. See today's Daily Local for more details and read the affidavit here: SimpkinsAffidavit.pdf

The Township has been notified by PENNDOT of the following:
· A STOP sign will be installed on Olive Street (SR 3074) at South Caln Road;
· A STOP sign will be installed on SR 0340 (Bondsville Road/Kings Highway) at Bondsville Road (ST 4015).

There will be a sobriety checkpoint later this month. See details here: CheckPointJune.pdf

Caln Police Chief John Bennett is heading out to Paradise Valley, Ariz. to serve as chief.

Lt. Brian Byerly is expected to be promoted as chief at the commissioners meeting Thursday.

See Tuesday and Friday's edition of the Daily Local News for more details.

A warrant task force is going to conduct a warrant sweep in the "near future" for the Parkesburg District Court. Check out the noticed issued by the court: WarrantNotice.pdf

Twenty-year-old Jawaun Pessoa has been charged with homicide by vehicle for a November 2007 accident that caused fatal injuries to Anthony Giunta, 88, of West Chester. See Thursday's edition of the Daily Local for more info. And check out the affidavit of probable cause here:
PessoaAffidavit.pdf

Two police officers hit their 20 year anniversary Sunday with the Coatesville Police Department meaning they are both eligible for retirement.

However, Lt. Julius Canale and Detective Martin Quinn haven't made any public announcements about an exit. And it appeared both officers were on the job this week.

If Quinn and Canale retired, the department would lose over 40 years of investigative and leadership experience adding to a list of experienced Coatesville officers who have already split to other departments in the region over the past year.

Meanwhile, the city is poised to hire several officers under a provisional process. Under the hiring process, which the city used once before, the new officers work for a six-month probationary period before administrators will hire them for permanent positions.

Siale Tapealava -- Rustin High School student -- posted bail yesterday. Tapealava was initially arrested for his alleged role in a March home invasion and days later was arrested for allegedly driving under the influence. See Wednesday's Daily Local for more details.