GREENWICH TWP. — Police caught three people in the act of stealing copper tubing from a vacant house on Thompson Avenue Tuesday afternoon.

A caller reported the burglary at 3:23 p.m. and when officers arrived, the three allegedly were packing the stolen copper from the basement into a vehicle, police said.

Basil A. Hill, 54, of Westville, Sandra L. Powell, 47, also of Westville, and Aloysius P. O’Neill, 53, of Woodlynne, each were charged with burglary, theft, possession of burglary tools, conspiracy and criminal mischief, said police. All three were lodged in the Salem County Jail in default of $25,000 full-cash bail each, police said.

The trio allegedly admitted burglarizing a residence in Paulsboro, police said. Police departments in Gloucester and Camden counties were notified of possible burglaries, based on evidence allegedly found in the trio's truck, said police.

Detective Sgt. Kevin Villanova, Ptl. Steve Gurik and Paulsboro Sgt. Chris Gilcrest made the arrests, assisted by Lt. William Leash.

FRANKLIN TWP. — A Vineland man has been charged in connection with bank robberies in Franklinville and Vineland.

Stephan Byrd, 39, was charged with two counts of committing armed bank robbery and one count of discharging a firearm during a crime of violence. He was arraigned in Camden and ordered held in jail according to police.

Byrd has been in the Cumberland County Jail since July 28 on a Vineland warrant for attempted homicide in connection with an incident on Pennsylvania Avenue on July 16, police said.

Byrd allegedly held up the Newfield Bank branch in Vineland on July 19 and the Newfield Bank office on Delsea Drive in Franklinville on July 21, said police.

Byrd’s robbery charges are the result of an investigation conducted by Franklin Township police, the FBI from Newark and Philadelphia, the U.S. Marshal’s Service Task Force, New Jersey State Police, the Hamilton Township  and North Brunswick police departments and the Cumberland County Prosecutor’s Office.

WOOLWICH TWP. — The supervisor of transportation for Kingsway Regional High School has been arrested and charged with stealing money from a state association of school transportation supervisors.

Richard A. Costanzo, 42, of Clayton, was arrested Monday, Oct. 27, at his office at the high school following an investigation by the Major Crimes Unit of the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office, authorities said.

Between August 2012 and September 2014, Costanzo allegedly transferred $226,223 from the School Transportation Supervisors of New Jersey, an organization he served as secretary, to his personal bank accounts, said authorities.

He was a member of the association since 1995 and had spent 20 years as a bus driver for Kingsway, authorities said.

He was freed from Salem County Jail after posting $35,000 bail.

GREENWICH TWP. — A 25-year-old Paulsboro man was arrested and charged with two counts of shoplifting on Oct. 28 following two thefts at local stores.

Jared T. Mattson was arrested on Swedesboro Road after employees at the Rite Aid store on Harmony Road reported a shoplifting at 2:26 p.m. A resident allegedly had observed him hiding items in a bush and directed officers to that location. The officers took possession of the items and took them back to Rite Aid. It was then that it was discovered some of the items had been shoplifted from the Dollar General.

Mattson was transported to headquarters and charged by Sgt. Stacey Mangine with the shoplifting complaints along with possession of CDS, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of a hypodermic needle. He was committed to Salem County Jail in default of $1,000 bail.

EAST GREENWICH TWP. — A Mickleton man has been arrested in connection  with the theft of power tools on Oct. 21, but a second man is still at large.

The power tools, valued at $500, were taken from an East Cohawkin Road residence.

Officers immediately identified two suspects, John Davis Jr., 26, from Mickleton, and Mark Hague Jr., 25, of Clarksboro, police said.

Davis was arrested on Oct. 22, charged with receiving stolen property and released on his own recognizance, said police.

Officers recovered a circular saw, but several other tools remain missing.

Hague remains a fugitive, but a warrant was issued charging him with theft, police said.

Anyone with information on Hague’s whereabouts is asked to contact East Greenwich police Sgt. Matthew Brenner at 856 423 4322, Ext 211 or their local police emergency phone number.

WOODBURY — In a council room ringed with off-duty cops, Woodbury Ptl. Robert Garish pleaded with the mayor and the city council to re-think his recent dismissal.

Garish was hurt in the line of duty on Aug. 31, 2013, when he tried to serve a warrant on a man outside the Wawa Food Market in Woodbury.

In the resulting fight between the guy they were trying to arrest and three Woodbury officers, two of those cops landed on Garish, his fellow officers say. Garish suffered injuries to both shoulders and a hip.

WASHINGTON TWP.  — Washington Township High School students and staff member were evacuated Tuesday morning because of a bomb threat.

A message posted on the school's website and signed by Superintendent Bob Goldschmidt said police and emergency personnel are at the school and investigating.

"The evacuation of WT High School was due to a threat that, by our district procedures, was deemed worth enough to investigate for the safety and security of all students and staff," wrote Goldschmidt.

Police said an emailed bomb threat was received by a school adminisrator Tuesday morning. Once the school was evacuated, an investigation found no traces of a bomb in the school and students and staff returned to the school.

 

NEWFIELD — When a federal law enforcement task force set up a plan to arrest a suspect on Route 40 near Downstown Airport Tuesday, it was learned the man lived in Newfield, so borough police set up a perimeter around his house in case he showed up there.

It was local police, not the county SWAT team as was erroneously reported on soem social media sites, said Police Chief Ed Seibert.

Being semi-retired certainly has done wonders for my general outlook on life.

No more getting up at 4 a.m. and getting to an office at 5:30 a.m. No more going to bed before the sun goes down — even in the winter — because I have to be up so early.

No more pressure. No more stress. Life is good.

Of course, that is not to say it is without its problems. Why, just the other day I had to go buy another pair of jeans that are several, several sizes smaller than what I was wearing just months ago! Imagine — yet another smaller size. I bought a smaller shirt, too. And smaller sweat pants to wear around the house (longtime readers will remember my rule: no wearing sweat pants in public unless you are on your way to or from exercising.) My Closest Companion loves me, but nobody, not even her, needs to see my sweat pants fall down.