Montco, Where The Buffalo Roam

The best thing about this city and the surrounding areas is that you’re never really surprised at what happens. For example, yesterday in Montgomery County, a bunch of buffalo were loose along Cowpath Road.

Now, does that surprise anyone? Sure, who even knew that there were buffalo in this area, even on farms, but, that’s right, a herd of buffalo was loose yesterday.

The owner of the buffalo couldn’t be reached for comment, but it seems their roaming was not accidental:

Franconia police Officer Albert Gesullo said the herd seemed to stick together and was relatively calm at first. But as word got out and news choppers began circling, the buffalo became excited.

“Once they get going, you just get out of the way,” Gesullo said. “We had helicopters overhead and they started running around. We had to call the news crews and get them to move away. It’s not everyday you see buffalo running around here.”

Hillside Farms, which had been in Schuler’s family since the 1940s, raises American Bison and sells buffalo meat at the farm and Saturdays at the Doylestown Farmers Market. It also raises Paso Fino horses and Greater Swiss Mountain Dogs. Earlier this summer, Hillside Farms provided Harleysville’s Vernfield Station Restaurant with the meat for its “Buffalo Bonanza,” a fourcourse buffalo dinner.

You see, the buffalo didn’t get loose, they were escaping death. See, now it makes even more sense!

Loose buffalo bring ‘Old West’ to Cowpath Road [The Intelligencer]

Fonzie Impression Goes Bad

A selection from the “police news” section of the Doylestown Intelligencer:

Jukebox damage could cost $3,700: A 25-year-old township man upset that $10 worth of jukebox selections might not get played before a disc jockey took over could now owe much more for repairs after vandalizing the machine, police said.

Brian Zingle, 25, of the 3300 block of Dogwood Drive, was a regular at Big Heads bar and restaurant on the 600 block of North York Road, an employee told police. That employee was preparing Aug. 4 at 10:04 p.m. for a DJ to come in and told Zingle he could not promise his songs were going to play.

A short time later, the employee found a computer monitor on the jukebox smashed. Police said Zingle admitted to causing the damage, had a 0.24 blood-alcohol level and was charged with criminal mischief, disorderly conduct and public drunkenness.

An invoice to repair the machine was more than $3,700.

Heeeey, sit on it, cops. He just wanted to hear “Better Man,” okay?

Police news - 8/16/06 [Intelligencer]

Maybe He Just Gave Bad Directions

The first item in The Intelligencer’s crime log today:

Man shot by motorist who asked for directions: A 25-year-old township man was shot in the upper back at about 1:13 a.m. Tuesday by a man he said asked for directions and then jumped out of a purple vehicle and started shooting at him. Police said the man was walking near Susquehanna and Bradfield roads in the township’s Roslyn section when he was shot. He suffered a collapsed lung but is in stable condition and doctors say he will make a full recovery, police said. He had recently moved to the township from Philadelphia.

Thought you could escape that gun violence by moving out of Philadelphia, eh? Well, welcome to Abington!

Police news - 7/26/06 [Doylestown Intelligencer]

Law & Order: Box Burning Unit

Sometimes, we forget how good they have it out in the ‘Burbs. Sure, they don’t have the city’s restaurants or cultural institutions or sports stadiums or public transportation (okay, we don’t really have much of that either) or places to talk to, but they do have, uhhh… I ‘unno, more malls and Wal-Marts? (And we even have Franklin Mills. Okay, that’s not really a point for us, either.)

But one thing they do have is less crime. (Even Bristol, I think.) And that’s why crimes like this one in Hatboro are the lead police story:

Police seek men videotaped burning box: Two men in their late-teens to early-20s were caught on videotape Monday night lighting a large cardboard box on fire near the rear parking lot of the Gardner House Apartments on the first block of South Penn Street.

Police have not made any arrests but continue to investigate.

The box fully burned and damaged an area of grass before being extinguished by the Enterprise Fire Co. A witness also saw the two white males wearing dark clothes commit the act. One had medium-length dark hair and long sideburns, and the other had a small, dark-colored tattoo on his neck below his right ear.

Police continue to investigate? I totally expect some CSI-style forensics of the burnt grass, the charred box, the videotape, and maybe even police sketches sometime soon! This can only get bigger from here on out!

Police news 4.12.06 [Doylestown Intelligencer]

Exposing While Intoxicated

I’m gonna give youse a little public service announcement this morning: I think you should not drink and drive. Not much of a big thing there; everyone who drinks and drives knows it’s a bad idea, but it does happen anyway.

That being said, if you do end up drinking and driving — and don’t, by the way, — I have another public service announcement for you. If you’re pulled over, don’t flash the cops:

• Ricardo McIntyre, 24, of West Telford Street, Telford, was arrested Feb. 16 for DUI, open lewdness and disorderly conduct, after police observed his vehicle spinning its tires on Route 113 near Bethlehem Pike, said Hilltown police. McIntyre displayed signs of intoxication and during field sobriety tests he exposed himself to officers in an attempt to show them a previous leg injury, said police. He was later released pending the results of a blood alcohol test, said police.

Err, better make it a little clearer: If you’re a guy, don’t flash the cops. Women might have a better chance of getting out of the charges if they expose themselves. Maybe.

DUI Charges 03.13.06 [Doylestown Intelligencer]