Harleysville Bank in Bustleton robbed

The FBI and the Philadelphia Police Department are trying to identify and locate the man responsible for last week's robbery of a Harleysville National Bank branch at 9869 Bustleton Ave.

The robbery took place at about 1:35 p.m. on June 30. The man entered the branch and presented a threatening demand note to a teller. After obtaining an undisclosed amount of cash, he fled in an unknown direction. There were no injuries.

The robber is white, in his 40s, 5-feet-7 to 5-feet-9 inches tall, with a medium build. He was clean-shaven and was wearing a blue bandanna on his head, a gray short-sleeved crew-neck T-shirt with a pocket on the left chest, light-colored blue jeans and sandals. He is considered armed and dangerous.

Anyone with information is asked to call the FBI at 215-418-4000.

Accidents leave one dead, one injured

A 7-year-old girl was struck and killed by a pickup truck on a Mayfair street last week, about 90 minutes before the pastor of a nearby church was injured when he was hit by a passing vehicle.

The first accident occurred shortly after 6 p.m. on June 30 on the 2900 block of Unruh Ave., when Amanda Brass ran into the street from between parked cars outside her home, police said. An eastbound pickup truck struck her.

The motorist remained at the scene as medics arrived and took the victim to St. Christopher's Hospital for Children, where she was pronounced dead that night.

Police did not expect to file criminal charges against the driver of the truck. His name was not released.

More than 100 family members and friends held a candlelight vigil for Amanda last Friday night outside her house. The Rev. Lee Miller, pastor of St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church, offered prayers and words of encouragement.

A memorial at a utility pole near where the girl was struck is filled with balloons, stuffed animals, flowers, rosaries and messages. One short poem reads, "A sweet little angel, only seven, God will take care of you, we'll see you in heaven."

Amanda would have entered the second grade at Mayfair Elementary School in September. She is survived by her mother Georgene Chiarizio; father David Brass; stepfather Tony Chiarizio; brothers Alex and Ian; stepsister Deanna; stepbrother Christian; maternal grandparents John and Joyce MacKrell; paternal grandmother Carol Franke; step-grandparents Grace and Tony Chiarizio; and many aunts, uncles and cousins.

Services were held Tuesday at Calvary Chapel of Philadelphia. Donations in her memory can be made to Committee to Benefit the Children, St. Christopher's Hospital for Children, Front Street and Erie Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19134-1095.

At about 7:30 on the night that Amanda was killed, the Rev. Joseph N. Accardi, pastor of Mayfair's St. Bernard Roman Catholic Church, was exiting his car at Cottage and Aldine streets when a passing vehicle struck him, police said.

Accardi, 53, suffered injuries to his head and torso and was hospitalized at Aria Health's Torresdale Campus.

The driver, who remained at the scene, was arrested under suspicion that he was legally intoxicated. He was identified as Michael Swyschtch, 39, of the 4400 block of Shelmire Ave.

On Monday, Accardi was at home resting while recovering from his injuries, a parish office worker said.

N. Philly woman faces prison for aiding suspect in officer's murder

A woman who helped one of Police Sgt. Stephen Liczbinski's alleged killers hide from authorities for four days following the officer's May 3, 2008, fatal shooting now faces seven to 14 years in prison.

Tonya Stephens, 38, of the 3500 block of Park Ave. in North Philadelphia, was convicted of hindering the apprehension of a fugitive and criminal conspiracy following a June 30 waiver trial before Common Pleas Court Judge Jeffrey Minehart. Minehart acquitted the woman of obstructing justice.

During the trial, Assistant District Attorney Mark Gilson detailed how Stephens helped her boyfriend, Eric Floyd, elude capture in the hours and days after he and two other men allegedly robbed a Port Richmond bank at gunpoint, then killed Liczbinski when the 24th Police District sergeant cornered them during their getaway.

Other police shot and killed one of Floyd's alleged accomplices, Howard Cain, and arrested the other, Levon Warner, both within minutes of the Liczbinski shooting. But Floyd, then 33, got away.

Stephens knew about the planned robbery and waited for Floyd at his North Philadelphia apartment during the crime, Gilson said.

The robbery occurred at about 11:30 a.m. at a Bank of America branch inside a ShopRite supermarket at 3547 Aramingo Ave. As the three men fled the store in a white Jeep Liberty, Liczbinski spotted them and pursued them in his patrol car.

The police sergeant closed in on the men at Almond and East Schiller streets, according to prior court testimony. When the Jeep stopped abruptly, Cain emerged from a passenger seat with a high-powered rifle pointed at Liczbinski. Cain fired repeatedly, wounding the officer multiple times. The Jeep then sped away, leaving Liczbinski lying in the street.

Liczbinski, a Burholme resident, husband and father of three, died from his wounds that afternoon at a local hospital.

Moments after the shooting, the men ditched the Jeep and split up. When police spotted Cain, he again raised his rifle and officers shot and killed him. Warner was on foot nearby when police caught him.

Floyd returned to his apartment after his escape and met Stephens, who took the fugitive to her home.

Later that day, Stephens and Floyd went to the home of a friend, where they spent the night. The following morning, another friend drove Floyd and Stephens to a vacant house on the 5400 block of Windsor St. in Southwest Philadelphia.

While Floyd remained out of sight there, Stephens went out to retrieve clothes and a TV and to buy food and drugs for the couple, according to Gilson, who cited a statement that the woman made to homicide detectives. The woman told investigators that she sold Floyd's computer to pay for the supplies.

Police tracked down the couple and arrested them on May 7, four days after the manhunt began.

Police also arrested the man who allegedly drove Floyd and Stephens to the Windsor Street home. Isaac Albright is awaiting trial on charges of obstructing justice, hindering apprehension and conspiracy.

Tacony man charged with abuse of corpse

By William Kenny

Times Staff Writer

Philadelphia police have arrested a man who allegedly kept human remains in the basement of his Northeast home for use in religious rituals that may have included animal sacrifices.

Joseph Flood, 41, of the 7000 block of Keystone St. in Tacony, is charged with two counts of abuse of corpse and possessing an instrument of crime. He is being held in a Philadelphia prison in lieu of posting 10 percent of $150,000 bail.

Members of the Northeast Detective Division led by Sgt. Joe Gindele and Detective Erica Ortiz, as well as Officers John Mulholland, John McCloskey, Steve Brous and Chris Rommel of the 15th Police District, served a search warrant on Flood's home at 6 a.m. on Sunday, Gindele said. Flood surrendered to authorities without incident.

Flood's attorney, Perry DeMarco, said that he may contest the charges on grounds that they violate Flood's constitutional rights.

"It's a very interesting case," DeMarco said. "Among other issues, it may have serious First Amendment implications."

In the basement of the home, police found an array of animal feathers and bones that appeared to be from a duck, chicken, deer and bat, Gindele said. Those remains were not there on June 14 when police first discovered two human skulls and 15 other human bones while responding to a burglary alarm at the home, according to the detective.

The Northeast Times first reported on the initial discovery in June 18 editions of the newspaper, then revealed extensive details about the apparent religious shrine in July 2 editions.

An informant who knows Flood has told police that Flood practices Palo Mayombe, a religion identified by scholars as a "sibling" of Santeria and Vodou in which practitioners attempt to evoke spirits of the dead for healing or other assistance. The religion is based on traditions from the Congo region in Africa that were brought to Cuba by colonial era slaves.

Police have not identified the human remains or determined how Flood acquired them. One of the skulls appears to have been used in a medical school or similar setting, authorities have said. The other bones included ribs and femurs.

In addition to the skulls, one of which was covered in what appeared to be animal or human blood, police also found during the initial search a blood-stained coffin in the basement as well as a series of large vats or pots containing a bloody, fleshy mixture, Gindele said.

Authorities have not tracked down the origin of the coffin. Lab testing of the skulls, bones and blood substance is ongoing. Flood denied knowledge of the skulls and refused to discuss the other findings when questioned by a Times reporter on June 25.

In addition to Flood, a woman who police identified as the suspect's girlfriend was in the home at the time of Sunday's police raid. The woman was not arrested.

When questioned about the skulls and bones last month, the woman told police that she had no knowledge of the basement shrine, sources say.

Flood has rented the single home from a Bucks County man for about five years. The woman has lived there for a couple of months, police say.

An abuse of corpse charge is a second-degree misdemeanor. Flood has not been charged with crimes related to the dead animal parts or the blood vats allegedly found in his basement.

Reporter William Kenny can be reached at 215-354-3031 or bkenny@phillynews.com

15th Police District adding some officers

By Diane Prokop

Times Staff Writer

Capt. Frank Bachmayer, commander of the 15th Police District, announced at last week's 15th Police District Advisory Council meeting that some of the department's 152 Police Academy graduates would join the district, supplementing its foot patrols.

The district's four foot beats include the areas around Frankford Avenue and Margaret Street, Torresdale Avenue and Bridge Street, Torresdale Avenue and Levick Street, from Orthodox to Herbert streets and from Large to Oakland streets.

The PDAC applauded not only the additions to the district, but the accomplishments of veteran officers as well.

The organization recognized Officers Charles Hettinger and Ismael Vazquez as the April Officers of the Month for their work apprehending two people they observed during a robbery in progress at 5000 Torresdale Ave.

The officers chased down and apprehended the suspects. They recovered the victim's purse along with 23 small plastic bags of marijuana.

Officers Richard Dennell and Robin Knight were likewise recognized as the May Officers of the Month.

The officers observed a fight around 3510 Cottman Ave. A woman approached the officers stating that she had been robbed by a man with a large knife.

The suspect, the woman's ex-boyfriend, was known to police and had several active arrest warrants for burglary, theft and a point-of-gun aggravated assault.

The officers saw him enter a club, approached him from two directions and took him into custody without incident. They recovered a large Bowie knife and a glass jar of PCP.

"It was an excellent job," Bachmayer said.

PDAC vice president Nancy Doerr presented Letitia Hernandez a plaque in grateful recognition for the support she and Sam Barquawi, owner of Sugar and Spice in Frankford, have given to the PDAC, for community events and police appreciation.

In other business, Bachmayer updated PDAC members on year-to-date crime statistics.

Total violent crime is up 8 percent while property crime is down 8 percent.

Bachmayer attributed the increase in violent crime to a 37 percent increase in point-of-gun robberies. That figure is down significantly from March when those crimes were up more than 100 percent.

The captain also warned that, if 15th district officers have to respond to a block party for fights, underaged drinking or the like, Bachmayer will ensure a permit will not be issued for the same block next year.

"Block parties are the responsibility of the permit-holder. Don't let it get out of hand," he said.

While crime and community concerns don't take a break over the summer, PDAC members will get to enjoy long weekends. The organization will meet on Tuesdays during July and August for the convenience of those members that might like to take long weekends.

The next meeting will be at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, July 28, at the John Perzel Community Center, 2990 St. Vincent St.

Reporter Diane Prokop can be reached at 215-354-3036 or dprokop@phillynews.com