Bensalem Twp Mayor, Council Hand Out Awards For Community Service

BENSALEM, PA — Bensalem Township Mayor Joseph DiGirolamo, along with Council and Director of Public Safety William McVey, recognized and awarded several local residents for their outstanding services to the community on Monday, March 28.

Awards were presented to public works employee Brian Guay, Bensalem paramedic Pat Anthony Ponticelli, local resident Robert Holt, Corporal Robert Schwating, K9 Bowie, and local business Bensalem Beer and Soda for their recent acts of service to the community, which included assisting local police in important drug, assault, and murder investigations.

Brian Guay assisted Bensalem Police with the discovery of a hidden trap in a seized vehicle. The trap contained 15 pounds of methamphetamine with a street value of $1.6 million.

Pat Anthony Ponticelli and Robert Holt detained a suspect who had just robbed a woman of her purse in the Wawa on Bristol Road. Both men took the suspect to the ground and held him until police arrived.

Corporal Robert Schwarting, along with his K9 partner Bowie, was awarded the Bensalem Township Police Department's 2021 Officer of the Year. The two confiscated firearms, high capacity magazines, illegal narcotics, conducted numerous searches, and made numerous arrests in an effort to enforce the rule of law in the area. Bowie was awarded Top Dog Award in the United States Police Canine Association Police Dog Trials.

Bensalem Beer and Soda played a key role in the identification and capture of the suspect in the homicide of local chiropractor James Sowa on November 2, 2020. Employees and management of the establishment helped the police in their investigation and eventual arrest of the suspect.