Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
ALSO RECEIVING VOTES
Family’s fight, teacher’s death, West Chester University strike, Felony Lane Gang, and Dick Yoder’s death round out the year
Miles Hannagan wanted to have a pint with his parents on his 21st birthday.
Around the time that Miles would have turned 21 years old, Gov. Tom Wolf signed an ignition interlock into law in May. His parents Maggie and Paul Hannagan advocated along with Pennsylvania Parents Against Impaired Drivers (PA PAID) for state laws that the families say may have saved the lives of their loved ones.
Charlotte Hannagan would have graduated from Downingtown West High School as part of the class of 2016, but a rose remained in her seat at graduation in her memory.
Hours before Maggie and Paul Hannagan attended the West graduation in June, they spoke at a press conference about the ignition interlock law. Charlotte, 16, and her brother Miles, 19, were killed on Valentine Day 2015 by a drunk driver of Delaware County. Maggie nearly died in the crash and Paul suffered permanent damage to his hand. The other driver, Thomas Muir who later pleaded guilty, was uninjured.
State Sen. John Rafferty, R-44, of Collegeville, introduced the bill that a first-time offender convicted of driving with an illegal blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .10 or greater to use ignition interlocks for one year. The legal limit in Pennsylvania is .08.
Meredith Leigh Demko, daughter of Chris and Susan Demko, of Lancaster County, was killed by a repeat drunk driver in July 2014. That year, 345 people were killed in
crashes caused by a drunk driver in Pennsylvania, according to MADD. The Demkos advocated for this bill as the founders of PA PAID.
Forty-eight states require interlocks for some level of first-time offenders, while 28 states require these devices for all first-time convicted drunk drivers with a .08 BAC or higher. Previously the Pennsylvania law only required second and subsequent offenders to use ignition interlocks for a year.
Death of teacher leaves community reeling
A gruesome crime will likely be what comes to Chester County Detectives’ minds when they recall 2016.
On Memorial Day, detectives were called to Pigeon Creek after a woman’s body was located by a resident at around 11:15 a.m. in the pond off Zeiber Road. East Coventry Police, Chester County Detectives, area fire departments and the Chester County Coroner’s Office all responded to the area. When they attempted to get the body out, they discovered that the woman had been tied to a cinder block on the bottom of the pond. The pond is part of the creek, which is a popular spot for fishing and swimming and is located in an isolated rural area.
The woman was later identified as Ryan Stevyn Benjamin, a 24-year-old pre-kindergarten teacher who lived on Porters Mill Road in East Coventry. She was identified through unique characteristics including dental records, DNA and markers such as tattoos and jewelry.
No water was found in Benjamin’s lungs, indicating that she did not drown and that she was dead before being placed in the water.
The discovery left law enforcement and the community reeling. The Juniata College alumnus was well known by many in the area.
The investigation is still active and detectives have asked that anyone who had contact with Benjamin over the 2016 Memorial Day weekend or who has information on the case contact Chester County Detective Sgt. Tom Goggin at 610-3446866.
West Chester University Strike
For first time in West Chester University history and in the state university system, there was a strike. A union representing public college faculty in Pennsylvania ended the threeday strike after reaching a deal with the state on pay, benefits and working conditions.
Some 5,500 professors and other workers across the state, including WCU, launched the work stoppage, saying contract talks had reached an impasse after two years.
Felony Lane Gang chase and arrests
A high-speed chase on I-76 lead to arrests and the workings of the East Coast Felony Lane Gang, One by one, members of the so-called “Felony Lane Gang” caught in Chester County and Philadelphia this spring entered guilty pleas for crimes associated with the East Coast theft ring they were a part of.
According to Tredyffrin police, the gang members used personal identification such as checks and IDs that were stolen from victims, then would attempt to obtain money from banks using the identification. Police said they frequently stole from women’s purses laying in plain view in cars parked at day care centers and retail shopping centers.
Gang members typically used the stolen information to steal money from bank accounts, using the drive-through lane of the bank which makes it easier for them to flee if the police arrive. That was what prompted law enforcement officials to give them the name “Felony Lane Gang.”
Dick Yoder Dies
He was Mr. West Chester, and he passed away in early May at age 79.
Richard “Dick” Yoder, former two-term mayor of West Chester and a stalwart member of the West Chester University administration, who spent his career promoting the town he was born in and the institution of higher learning he loved, died.
“To sum up what I think about Dick Yoder,” his longtime friend and fellow mayor Tom Chambers said, “and what I am sure so many of his friends and acquaintances who knew him well thought of Dick, he was West Chester through and through, a guy who loved his community and served it so well.”