Tag Archives: Charlie Leone

Police investigating shooting west of Main Campus

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Temple Police are investigating a shooting on Cecil B. Moore Avenue near 16th Street that happened shortly before midnight Saturday.

Executive Director of Campus Safety Services Charlie Leone said two Temple Police officers were patrolling about half a block away when they heard what sounded like gunshots. Once they arrived at the location of the shooting, they found five shell casings and discovered two separate car windows struck by a bullet, he added.

Leone said one 16-year-old male wearing a denim jacket with a patch on the back “might have been involved,” but no other information was reported to police.

“No one would say what happened, so we don’t know if there was an argument out there or something,” Leone said. “But nobody was hit by the bullets.”

A TU Alert was sent out about the incident at around midnight Saturday. No injuries were reported.

One student, freshman business major Joe Babar, said he was out walking close the area where the shots were fired.

“I thought it was crazy because it was the first gun shots I’ve ever heard,” Babar said. “Everybody near the shooting was running in the complete opposite way, toward the 7-Eleven [on Cecil B. Moore Avenue near 15th Street]. I was kind of in shock, it didn’t hit me until later where I was like, ‘Wow, I just heard gun shots.'”

Another student, freshman geology major Dillion Riley, said despite the gunshots, nobody was nervous immediately afterward.

“I didn’t really feel anything, I just went out to go check it out,” Riley said. “They blocked it off and all of the drunk kids were trying to get around it. Nobody was scared, everybody was just drunk trying to get to their house.”

Steve Bohnel and Gillian McGoldrick can be reached at news@temple-news.com or on Twitter @TheTempleNews.

Police arrest suspect in connection to two armed robberies

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Robert Sherrill, 26, has been arrested in connection to two armed robberies near campus last week. | COURTESY Philadelphia Police

Robert Sherrill, 26, has been arrested in connection to two armed robberies near campus last week. | COURTESY Philadelphia Police

Philadelphia Police have arrested a suspect in connection to two separate armed robberies that occurred near Main Campus last Thursday morning.

Robert Sherrill, 26, of North Clarion Street near York, was apprehended at his home Oct. 17, and has been charged with carjacking, robbery and other offenses, according to a press release from Philadelphia Police’s Office of Public Affairs.

According to the release, police were able to arrest Sherrill after uploading surveillance video of the two incidents to Philadelphia Police’s YouTube channel—a carjacking and armed robbery near 10th Street and Susquehanna Avenue, and an armed robbery on 15th Street near Montgomery Avenue.

Because of the video, tips were generated, and Sherrill was identified as a suspect, police said. Executive Director of Campus Safety Services Charlie Leone previously told The Temple News he was confident the video would lead to an arrest.

“Video’s been so helpful to us,” Leone said in an interview Saturday. “I wish [robberies] would never happen to us, but when it does happen, the video has been really helpful in identifying people.”

According to court documents, Sherrill has a preliminary hearing scheduled for Nov. 3.

Footage of sexual assault suspect released

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Philadelphia Police believe this is the suspect in Monday night's sexual assault and robbery of a Temple student. |COURTESY PHILADELPHIA POLICE

Philadelphia Police believe this is the suspect in Monday night’s sexual assault and robbery of a Temple student. |COURTESY PHILADELPHIA POLICE

Philadelphia Police released footage today of the man who is believed to have sexually assaulted and robbed a 20-year-old female student Monday night.

The department’s Special Victims Unit is still trying to identify and locate the suspect, who was captured on a SEPTA subway camera before the incident. He was last seen boarding the Broad Street Line at the Erie station and departing at the Cecil B. Moore station.

Officer Christine O’Brien, a Philadelphia Police spokeswoman, said both a witness and the student who was attacked said the man in the video is the suspect.

O’Brien added that at a press conference at the Special Victims Unit’s headquarters on Hunting Park Avenue near Front Street, Capt. John Darby said the suspect may be responsible for another recent robbery. The location of that robbery is not yet available, O’Brien said.

The student and suspect are not believed to have known each other, Executive Director of Campus Safety Services Charlie Leone previously told The Temple News.

Tipsters can contact Philadelphia Police at 215-686-8477 or text 773847. All tips are confidential.

Steve Bohnel can be reached at steve.bohnel@temple.edu or on Twitter @Steve_Bohnel.

Bank robber steals $12,000 near School of Dentistry

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Police responded to an armed robbery at the PNC Bank Westmoreland Branch on Broad St. across from the School of Dentistry on Wednesday afternoon.

Executive Director of Campus Safety Services Charlie Leone said that the suspect stole $12,000 from the bank, located on the 3200 block of N. Broad St. He fled south on Broad Street in the direction of W. Allegheny Ave., Leone added.

A TU Alert was sent out about the incident at around 2:50 p.m.

Leone described the suspect as a black male who is around 5 feet 9 inches tall and 215 pounds. He was last seen wearing a white tank top and light blue jeans with a white t-shirt covering his head.

The FBI will take the lead in the investigation, Leone said.

Jack Tomczuk can be reached at jack.tomczuk@temple.edu or on Twitter @JackTomczuk.

Woman shot after leaving bar near Main Campus

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Police are investigating a shooting that occurred at 17th Street and Susquehanna Avenue last night that resulted in one woman being sent to Temple University Hospital.

Executive Director of Campus Safety Services Charlie Leone said three women were leaving Han Enterprises Inc., a bar located near the shooting. They got into a vehicle before hearing a gunshot at around 11 p.m., he said.

Moments later, the driver felt heat and pain in her back, and realized she had been shot, Leone said. He added that they stopped a Philadelphia Police officer on Diamond Street, who transported the victim to Temple University Hospital.

The Inquirer reported that the woman was driving a 2012 Mazda west on Susquehanna Avenue, and was turning south on 17th Street was she was hit by the stray bullet. Police said they found 10 spent shell casings and several viles of crack cocaine near the scene.

A TU Alert was sent out about the incident at around 11:30 Thursday night.

Frank Banford, commanding officer of Philadelphia Police’s Central Detectives Division, tweeted last night that anyone with information about the incident is encouraged to call 215-686-3093. Tipsters can also contact Temple Police at 215-204-1234.

Man arrested for ‘showing off’ to cops

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A Philadelphia resident was charged with indecent exposure in the Montgomery parking garage on Sept. 3rd at 10:18 p.m. campus police said.

29-year-old James French of the 5300 block of Washington Lane was found by Temple Police officers whilst exposing his privates inside of the garage and was  immediately processed.

“He just wandered in,” said the Acting Executive Director of Campus Safety Services Charlie Leone, “We have never had this person before.”

Leone said that this event has caused TU police to examine the garage’s current safety measures and to consider new processes to prevent such events from happening in the future.

Party-goer accused of car jacking

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A Temple student’s vehicle was stolen off of the 1500 block of Sydenham Street, on June 8, around 8:00 p.m.  Police arrested a suspect identified as 21-year-old Ronald Adams, who was not a university student, police said.

Deputy Director of Campus Safety Services Charles Leone said the Temple student had been  hosting a party at his apartment and awoke the morning of June 9,to find his keys had been taken. Adams was a guest at the party, Leone said.  

Adams was apprehended by police via  foot pursuit after he was seen driving the vehicle by the student.

Pipe burst leads to early morning evacuation

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A pipe burst in room 1002 early this morning in Johnson Hall, causing Temple police and firefighters to respond to an alarm which went off at 4:15 a.m., Deputy Director of Campus Safety Services Charlie Leone said.

Freshman biology major Ashley Rapp is one of the two students staying in room 1002 and said she noticed that a pipe in her room was making strange noises.

“I woke up and there was a screeching noise and I thought it was the air conditioner. I stepped in really hot water. I saw really dark brown water coming out of the vents,” Rapp said.

Rapp said she quickly moved the belongings under her bed off the floor and notified security and an on-duty resident assistant. Upon returning to her room, Rapp said the fire alarm was going off and quickly spread to the whole building. She said students quickly filled out of Johnson once the alarm sounded.

“The people on this floor were more concerned because they knew it was coming from this room. But the whole room turned from where you could see to where you couldn’t see anything,” Rapp said. “It was complete fog and steam.”

The fire sprinklers in the room did not go off, which Rapp said saved some of her personal belongings from being completely damaged. Rapp said that everything under her bed and her electronics received water damage.

Rapp said she was not sure if she would be compensated for the loss of her belongings. She said the Resident Director of Johnson Hall Megan Connelly would be working with her and maintenance to assess the amount of property that had been lost.

Connelly and Housing of Residential Life declined to comment on the incident.

“They said that it was alright to try to see if the TV worked and try the laptop and they tried to see if the electricity was secure to turn back on, “ Rapp said.

Rapp is communicating with Residential Life to inform them on how much damage their was to her belongings at which time she said they will “come in and check internally” to determine if she will receive compensation for her losses.

Rapp said that students were outside for no more than 30 minutes and then were allowed to go back into the building.

Rapp said that when repairs were made,she was told a cap had been worn down on the pipe, causing pressure and the pipe to burst out hot water and steam. Leone said engineers informed him that it was also due to previous water damage and was in no way the fault of the student. Though this was a serious incident, Leone said no students were injured and Temple officials had control over the situation.

Rapp has been given permission to safely return and stay in her room at this time.

Car crashes into steps between Anderson and Gladfelter

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This minivan crashed into the steps between Anderson and Gladfelter halls Wednesday. | TYLER SABLICH TTN

This minivan crashed into the steps between Anderson and Gladfelter halls Wednesday. | TYLER SABLICH TTN

The driver of a minivan that swerved off of 11th Street and into the steps on Polett Walk between Anderson and Gladfelter halls Wednesday afternoon will soon be charged with DUI, said Deputy Director of Campus Safety Services Charlie Leone.

The crash occurred at approximately 12:20 p.m. and no students were injured. All three people in the minivan were taken to Temple University Hospital for precautionary evaluations for head and neck injuries, Leone said.

“We are very fortunate no one was walking along Polett Walk at the time of the accident,” Leone said in an email.

The area of the steps was cornered off as of Wednesday evening as Facilities Management cleans up. Leone said minimal damage was caused to Temple property and people walking through the area can utilize the ramp adjacent to the steps.

Sexual assault reported in Temple Towers

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A sexual assault was reported Monday morning, stemming from an incident that occurred in Temple Towers during the weekend, said Deputy Director of Campus Safety Services Charlie Leone.

The case involves two Temple students, an 18-year-old female victim and an 18-year-old man. No charges have been filed yet and the case has been referred to the Philadelphia Police’s Special Victim’s Unit, Leone said.

Leone said that along with being referred to the Special Victim’s Unit, the case has also been referred to the Student Code of Conduct through the university. He said alcohol was involved.

Check back with temple-news.com for more information as it becomes available.