Town and Country Newspaper

     The Town and Country newspaper has announced the winners of their 2010 Easter Coloring Contest.  They are:  Up to five years old, First - Jaden Weller, 5, Red Hill; Second - Morgan Clement, 3, Pennsburg; Third - Collin Coleman, 22 months, Pennsburg, Fourth - Eli Braeunig, 5, East Greenville.

     Six to twelve years old: First - Ethan Lajeunesse, 6, Pennsburg; Second - Alexandra Frenia, 6, Pennsburg, Third - Ryan Lindaur, 8, Palm; Fourth - Mikey Kneidinger, 7, Barto.

     Winners can claim their prizes at the Town and Country offices at 2508 Kutztown Road, Pennsburg.  Office hours are Monday through Thursday 8 a.m - 5 p.m. and Friday 8 a.m. - Noon. 

                Marlborough Township Police have arrested a 20-year-old township man for allegedly raping a 17-year-old girl and sexually assaulting another at his home and at a Green Lane residence.

                Authorities said Joseph “Jay” Dehaven III, 20, of the 4000 block of Upper Ridge Road, was charged with raping a 17-year-old Hereford girl at his home July 16.

                According to court documents, Dehaven asked the girl to come to his house to go swimming with him and several of her friends.  At his home, he reportedly started making sexual advances towards her, which she tried to avoid.  Police said Dehaven physically assaulted the girl and then raped her.

                Police testified that Dehaven then told the girl to get into the pool while he stayed inside the house.  She refused and, after Dehaven reportedly tried to kiss her again multiple times, she was taken home from the property.

                Dehaven  was interviewed  on July 26 by Marlborough  Township Police and a Montgomery County  Detective  and told police that he knew the girl but on the day in question he took her to the Sonic restaurant in Quakertown and then straight home.  He told police the girl was never in his home. 

                When asked about his whereabouts on the day of the alleged assault, Dehaven told authorities his parents were away camping and he went straight to a friend’s home after leaving work.

                On July 27, investigating officer Darren Morgan of Marlborough Township Police got a detailed diagram of the interior and exterior of Dehaven’s home provided by the alleged victim. 

                On July 28, a second alleged victim emerged.  Marlborough Township Police Chief Ray Fluck said a 17-year-old Green Lane girl said that she and Dehaven dated on and off for about two years.  In Sept. 2009, the last time they dated, Dehaven reportedly came to her home and he forced her into the vehicle he was driving.  He physically assaulted her and made her perform oral sex on him, police said.   He reportedly refused to allow the girl out of the car. 

                After they broke up, Dehaven allegedly made repeated harassing phone calls to the victim and also harassed her fiancé.     

                A search warrant was executed at the Dehaven home Aug. 20 where police reportedly removed a section of carpet and carpet padding along with suspected evidence of a sexual assault.

                Dehaven was taken into custody the same day and was charged with one count of rape, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, sexual assault, aggravated indecent assault, indecent assault without consent, indecent assault by force, simple assault, unlawful restraint, harassment, disorderly conduct, false imprisonment, luring a child into a motor vehicle and corruption of minors. 

                He was also charged with involuntary deviate sexual assault, indecent assault without consent, indecent assault by force, unlawful restraint, harassment, disorderly conduct, false imprisonment and corruption of minors for the second case.

                He was arraigned by District Justice Catherine Hummel-Fried of Red Hill District Court and bail was set at $100,000 secured.  Dehaven was remanded to Montgomery County Correctional Facility.

                A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for Sept. 7 at 11:45 a.m. in Red Hill.

             A second accused wannabe jihadist, with links to Pennsburg’s Colleen R. LaRose (aka Jihad Jane), was arrested in Philadelphia last Friday.

            A superseding indictment, unsealed by federal prosecutors last week, added Jamie Paulin-Ramirez, 31, a U.S. citizen from Leadville, Colorado, as a defendant in the case against 47-year-old LaRose.  The media has dubbed Paulin-Ramirez “Jihad Jamie.” 

            So far, the terrorist investigation has reached at least 10 countries.  No new charges were filed against LaRose.

Paulin-Ramirez, along with six others, were arrested in Ireland last month – the same day that the original indictment against LaRose was unsealed.  Paulin-Ramirez was eventually released and voluntarily returned to the United States. 

Paulin-Ramirez was under surveillance since November, shortly after LaRose’s arrest, and had been identified based on intelligence and intercepts of e-mails and telephone calls monitored with the help of United States, Swedish and Interpol anti-terrorist officials.

According to the indictment, in July and August 2009 Paulin-Ramirez and LaRose began to communicate about moving to Europe.  In one message LaRose told Paulin-Ramirez, "When I get to Europe, I will send for you to come be with me there.... [T]his place will be like a training camp as well as a home."

The indictment alleges that Paulin-Ramirez replied, "I would love to go over there," and said she would like to bring along her 6-year-old son.  It also alleges that, "On or about Sept. 12, 2009, defendant Jamie Paulin-Ramirez traveled to Europe with her minor male child with the intent to live and train with jihadists" and married an unindicted co-conspirator she had not previously met.

The indictment also states that LaRose and Paulin-Ramirez traveled around Europe participating in and providing support for violent jihad.

 The new charges were announced by Michael Levy, US Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, David Kris, Assistant Attorney General for National Security and Janice Fedarcyk, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Office in Philadelphia.

According to a report, some officials briefed on the case said both "Jihad Jane" and "Jihad Jamie" had visions of joining a training camp in Ireland but the officials say this was largely delusional and shows a "sad case" of individuals being influenced by Internet propaganda.

The charges stem from their alleged agreement to kill Lars Vilks, a Swedish cartoonist.  Vilks ignited a firestorm among Muslims when he published a satirical cartoon in 2007 that depicted the head of the prophet Mohammed on the body of a dog.  The item was published in the Swedish regional daily newspaper Nerikes Allehanda.  The cartoon prompted protests by Muslims in several countries and an al-Qaeda linked group put a $100,000 bounty for his death. 

LaRose entered a “not guilty” plea at her arraignment on March 18.  U.S. Magistrate Judge Lynne Sikarski set May 3, 2010 as her trial date; however, it is believed that negotiations for a plea agreement and the ongoing international investigation could postpone it.

Paulin-Ramirez was charged with one count of conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists and could face a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.  According to her attorney, Jeremy Ibrihim, she was expected to enter a “not guilty” plea as well.  Both LaRose and Paulin-Ramirez remain in federal custody.

                In a close vote Aug. 12, the Upper Perkiomen School Board failed to garner enough votes to spend up to $18,000 to hire an appraiser for two properties fighting their property tax assessments.

                The properties, Macoby Run Golf Course and Butter Valley Golf Port, represented approximately $40,000-$50,000 per year in tax income for the district.  Both property owners have taken their assessments to the county level for a reduction, which was denied, school officials said. 

                After that denial, the properties were assessed by a private appraiser hired by the landowners, some for the second time, stating the assessment should be lowered.  The cases have been in litigation for months.

                The district’s appraiser, Reaves C. Lukens Company of Philadelphia, reportedly found deficiencies in the private appraisals that could send the parties back to court.  In order to have their own figures, however, Business Administrator Sandy Kassel said the district would have to have their own appraisal done which would either confirm or deny the fairness of the assessment.

                If the cases go to court, the appraisal fees could reach $18,000 for a written assessment.

                perriodically from big businesses like Knoll and Brown, but every case we’ve had since I’ve been here has been settled out of court.  We need data on our end,” Kassel said.

                “This appraisal cost is small in relation to in total what you could lose each year if they are successful in getting the number they would like for their assessment.”

                While the cost will be shared in part with the municipalities and the county, the district would shoulder most of the price tag.  It was that factor that was unsettling to school board members.

                “From my perspective outside looking in the property owners have done a pretty thorough job with their appraisals…It’s a lot of money to spend to likely corroborate those figures.” 

                One of the property owners, School Board Director John Gehman, noted he spent more than $20,000 for appraisals of Butter Valley Golf Port from an Easton company and a nationally-known company.

                “The reality of it is that that is irrelevant,” Gehman said speaking of the district losing income.  “Whether it’s $10 or $10,000 or $10 million – the amount the school district gets is not what’s in question.  It’s whether the properties are valued appropriately.  And they’re not.  There’s no question of that.”

                While Gehman questioned the expertise of Reaves V. Lukens Company in appraising rural golf courses, and school board members questioned whether Gehman was speaking as a community member and business owner or as a school board member, the motion to hire an appraiser for the district didn’t gain enough support.

                School board members Bill Scott, Mary Young and Harry Quinque voted in favor of hiring an appraiser and Margie Gehlhaus and Rob Pepe voted no.  Directors John Gehman, George Bonekemper and Jennifer Allebach all abstained.  Bonekemper and Allebach cited personal conflicts with the companies involved in the appraisal process.  Director Jeff Feirick was absent.

                The board needed five votes in favor for the motion to pass.

                While the district will not be hiring their own appraiser, they agreed to have Reaves C. Lukens officials meet with the private appraisers to try to iron out the discrepancies at the minimal expense.

                In other district news, Superintendent Dr. Timothy Kirby announced preliminary plans for a community-wide finance task force which would meet to find ways to reduce district expenses and increase revenue. 

                The task force would reportedly be recruited beginning in late August and would start meeting in September.  Their duties would conclude in December and recommendations would be given to the school board before January when they start the budget process.

                “We need to get input before you guys even start the budget process,” Kirby said.  “Let’s face it, there are no secrets, we struggle with this each year…We don’t think outside the box enough.”

                Kirby also announced the state retirement board has lowered the employer contribution rate for 2010-11 after a vote on the issue by legislators.  The rate was decreased to 5.64 percent, instead of increased, which will not help solve the state employees’ pension crisis in the long run, Kirby said.

                “We will have more money in our budget than we though,” he said.  “But I think we should put it in a separate account where we can save it for the inevitable pension spike that’s coming down.”