Police Blotter: Truck's Tailgate Stolen, DUI, Several Car Crashes

Tailgate Taken From Truck

On Aug. 9 at 9:03 a.m., were dispatched to on 3538 Rhoads Avenue for a reported theft. Upon arrival, police spoke with the office manager who told police a tailgate was stolen sometime over night from one of the businesses pick-up trucks. The manager stated that when she left the business for the day at approximately 4:30 p.m. the day before, she was “positive” the tailgate was on the truck. The manager reported that when she arrived to work that morning, two employees of the business told her that they discovered the tailgate was missing from a 2004 Chevrolet Silverado at 6:30 a.m. when they came into work. The manager stated that there were  no distinguishing marks or features on the tailgate. The approximate value of the tailgate is $986.

Police Pull Over Chadds Ford Driver For DUI

On Aug. 7 at approximately 12:05 a.m., Newtown police was traveling eastbound on West Chester Pike/Route 3 at the intersection of Route 3 and North Newtown Street Road/Route 252 when they observed a dark green vehicle make a left against the steady red light at Route 3, in order to travel south on Route 252, according to the incident report. Police pulled over the vehicle at the parking lot on 40 South Newtown Street Road. When police approached the vehicle, the driver pulled down the window in which police detected a strong odor of alcohol coming from inside the vehicle, said police. Police asked the driver to perform a field sobriety test in which the driver failed. A breathalyzer test revealed the driver had a blood alcohol content of 0.234 percent. Thomas John Shopa, Jr., 38, of Chadds Ford was arrested and charged for driving under the influence and for failing to follow traffic-control signals. He was transported to Riddle Memorial Hospital for blood withdawal.

Four-Vehicle Crash Involving Six on Rt. 3

On Aug. 5 at 5 p.m., police responded to a four-vehicle crash involving six people on the eastbound lanes of West Chester Pike and Ellis Avenue. A Havertown resident driving a Cadillac DTS with one passenger had stopped behind other traffic on the eastbound lanes of Route 3. The driver was in the left-hand operating lane, just passed the intersection of Ellis Avenue. According to police, a Wallingford resident driving a Volkswagon Jetta was stopped directly behind the Cadillac, while a third vehicle, a 2010 Kia, operated by a West Chester resident, was stopped directly behind the Cadillac. Police said a 32-year-old resident from Glenolden was driving a Chevrolet Express with one other passenger traveling down the eastbound lanes of West Chester Pike, directly behind the Kia. The driver told police he was distracted and had looked away for a moment. When he looked back up , he saw that traffic had stopped, according to the incident report. The man said he had attempted to stop but could not make a complete stop in time before running into the rear of the Kia. Police said there was sufficient force that the Kia was propelled forward into the rear of the Jetta, who then, in turn, pushed forward into the rear of the Cadillac. The driver of the Chevrolet Express was issued a citation for careless driving. The driver of the Kia had reported a minor injury. The Chevrolet Express and Kia were towed by Don’s Mobil.

Cigarettes Cause Driver to Crash Into Car

On Aug. 5 at 11:42 p.m., police responded to the four-way intersection of Route 252 and Winding Way for a two-vehicle crash involving six people. According to police, a Paoli resident was driving a Honda Pilot and had stopped in the left-hand lane on North Newtown Street Road at the intersection of Winding Way. Although the traffic signal was noted to be a red light, a 1999 Honda Civic had crashed into the rear of the Honda Pilot. According to police, the Honda Civic driver from Ridley Park told police he was reaching for a cigarette, looked up and struck the rear of the Honda Pilot. There were four additional passengers in the Honda Pilot at the time of the crash. There were no reported injuries. The Honda Pilot was towed to Don’s Mobil.

Two Cars Collide on Chapel Road

On Aug. 3 at 10:47 a.m., police responded to a two-vehicle crash on the westbound lanes of Chapel Road. A Newtown Square resident driving a Dodge Caravan was directly behind a Subaru Legacy from Media when the Subaru had began to slow down. According to he Newtown Square driver stated that the Subaru was pulling to the right so she began to pass the Subaru on its driver’s side. The Subaru driver began to make a left-hand turn to enter a driveway when both units collided. The Dodge Caravan sustained damage to the passenger side rear tire which was repaired on location by the tow company. The Subaru sustained damage to the front bumper area which rendered the vehicle inoperable. The Subaru had two other passengers in the vehicle at the time of the crash but no injuries were reported.  The Subaru Legacy was towed by .