Police charge West Reading resident in car vandalism

A 42-year-old West Reading man faces charges stemming from a Feb. 28 incident in which, police said, he damaged his neighbor's vehicle in the 700 block of Reading Avenue. Based on the charges filed, this was more than an accidental clipping of a side-view mirror or tapping the bumper while parallel parking. Police did not specify what damage was done, but the suspect was charged March 26 with stalking, harassment and criminal mischief. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for April.

Wyomissing man fears pizza delivery driver

A Wyomissing woman ordered pizza from a local shop in the early evening of March 9, paying for her dinner with a credit card. A few hours later, the delivery driver returned to report a problem with the card.

The woman's husband told the driver he had no cash and would settle the tab the next day, so the driver left. A little later, the delivery driver came back to the couple's home, in the first block of Downing Drive, also calling the house later in the evening.

Afterward the driver went to Reading Hospital, where the wife works, in an attempt to collect the money. The husband called the pizza shop, who said the driver would be fired for harassment.

He also called police about 10:54 that night, just in case he had incurred the wrath of the newly unemployed delivery driver.

Woman jailed after refusing to leave West Reading hotel

Employees at a hotel called police after a woman there refused to leave after they asked, about 1:36 a.m. Feb. 25. She insisted on remaining at the business in the first block of South Third Avenue in West Reading. The woman eventually left -- in police custody. Officers arrested her on charges of creating a false alarm, disorderly conduct and harassment.

The suspect, a 21-year-old Reading-area woman, was jailed in lieu of $10,000 bail.

West Reading resident victim of online harassment

Someone hacked into the Facebook and AOL accounts of a West Reading resident, using her account information to ask others to send graphic pictures and personal information. West Reading police are investigating.

West Lawn man charged following fight in Wyomissing

A fight broke out inside a convenience store about 2:24 a.m. Oct. 24 in the 2000 block of Museum Road in Wyomissing. By the time police arrived, the fight had ended and the people involved were still in the parking lot. Police reported that two people were arrested. One of them, a 22-year-old West Lawn resident, was charged with two counts of disorderly conduct and one count each of resisting arrest, harassment and public drunkenness. He was released on 5 percent of $5,000 bail pending a preliminary hearing.

Wyomissing police arrest Reading man on harassment charges

A Wyomissing resident called borough police about 6 p.m. Oct. 4 after receiving 22 harassing and threatening text messages in the course of one hour the night before. Police arrested a 42-year-old Reading man and charged him with two counts of stalking and one count of criminal mischief. He was jailed in lieu of $25,000 bail. A preliminary hearing is set for Nov. 8.

Man faces harassment from group in Wyomissing

A man called police after several people he’d encountered before showed up about 10:37 p.m. July 6 at his home in the first block of Lawndale Road in Wyomissing.

One of the people he recognized came to the man’s door. He asked what he wanted; the visitor said someone wanted to give the man a message.

What message? The visitor forgot. He left and met a group of people a short distance away, and they all left.

Police called the would-be messenger’s mom and told her what her son was up to.

Dispute ensues over dog’s use of tennis court

At 6:09 p.m. June 21, a man asked a woman and her dog to leave the tennis courts at Wyomissing Junior-Senior High School in the 600 block of Evans Avenue in Wyomissing. She was letting her dog run around the courts, something the man told police was common. After he asked her to leave she became verbally abusive, but left before police arrived.

Ex-boyfriend steals cell phone from woman while she’s at work

A man showed up about 7:10 a.m. May 24 to Reading Hospital, where his ex-girlfriend works. He pinned her against the wall and took her cell phone from her front shirt pocket. She followed him out of the hospital, trying in vain to get the phone back. Police charged him with disorderly conduct and harassment.

Man gets on wrong side of ex-girlfriend, her family and police

A woman called West Reading police about 8:17 p.m. April 19 after getting harassing phone calls from her ex-boyfriend. She told police that he had also called her mother’s home, telling mom he was a police officer looking for her daughter.

Officers told the ex-boyfriend to stop calling the woman and her family. They didn’t let him slide on the phone call where he pretended to be a cop. He now faces criminal charges for that stunt.

Dispute over gym equipment brings police

A man called Wyomissing police about 4:34 p.m. March 13 to report that another gym member at LA Fitness, in the 1100 block of Berkshire Boulevard in Wyomissing, had been harassing him over the use of a machine at the club. Police talked to the alleged harasser, who said he had tried to be polite about the whole thing but to no avail; he then told the member who called police that if he had a problem, they should step outside.

Anti-Semitic caller gets attention of Wyomissing police

A woman called Wyomissing police in the morning of Jan. 12 to report a pair of calls she received on her answering machine from a man who said he hates Jews. The caller didn’t make any threats but the victim wanted the phone company to trace the calls.

Reading man faces trial on assault charges

A 59-year-old Reading man accused of beating a woman and locking her inside a car Oct. 20 at a West Reading gas station could face a trial on charges of simple assault, harassment, disorderly conduct and making terroristic threats. District Justice Timothy Dougherty held all charges for court at the man’s preliminary hearing Nov. 16. He remains jailed in lieu of $15,000 bail, according to court records.

Tempers flare at Reading Hospital

A man in a dispute with a woman over a parking spot about 8:35 a.m. Oct. 29 at Reading Hospital in West Reading was so upset he made an obscene gesture and called the woman an unprintable name. She called police to report the driver's behavior, presumably in case it escalated to something beyond name-calling.
About 8:25 that same evening, a woman told police she was yelled at and pushed by an emergency room doctor.

Baseball postseason brings out rivalries

A Yankees fan who doesn’t like being mocked called police about 6:42 p.m. Nov. 1 because her neighbor was making fun of her loyalty to the New York team. She told police she wanted her neighbor to stop joking about the Yankees because it upset her. The officer told the neighbor to stop, and he agreed. The Yankees beat the Phillies that night.

In Wyomissing, two Phillies jackets were stolen from a car sometime between 2 and 3:45 p.m. Oct. 30 in the parking lot of the Berkshire Mall, in the 1600 block of State Hill Road. The victim said one of the jackets contained keys to her local fire department.

Assault at gas station leads to arrest

A woman called West Reading police about 6:37 p.m. Oct. 20 from inside her vehicle at a gas station in the 500 block of Penn Avenue in the borough. A man had locked her inside the vehicle and wouldn’t let her out. An officer arrived and found that the woman had been struck in the face. The suspect, a 59-year-old Reading man, was arrested and charged with simple assault, harassment, disorderly conduct and making terroristic threats. He was jailed in lieu of $15,000 bail.

Assault suspect waives preliminary hearing

A 22-year-old Mohnton man accused of beating his girlfriend waived his preliminary hearing Oct. 19. The man was arrested Sept. 11 after West Reading police responded to a report of an assault in the 400 block of Court Street. He still faces charges of simple assault, harassment, disorderly conduct, public drunkenness and drug possession.

Police arrest assault suspect

At about11:15 p.m. Sept. 10, West Reading police went to the 400 block of Court Street, where a man was beating his girlfriend. She was taken to the hospital for an examination. Officers arrested the suspect, a 22-year-old Mohnton man, who was charged with simple assault, public drunkenness, drug possession, harassment and disorderly conduct. He was jailed in lieu of $20,000 bail.

Man faces charges after assault at Wyomissing hotel

Wyomissing police responded to a 2:16 a.m. call on Sept. 6 at a hotel in the 1700 block of Papermill Road in the borough. A woman who was staying there was attacked by her longtime boyfriend, who punched her in the head seven to 10 times. She was taken to the hospital and the boyfriend was taken to jail. The suspect, a 30-year-old Limerick, Pa., man, was charged with simple assault and harassment and jailed in lieu of $10,000 bail.

Man arrested following fight outside restaurant in West Reading

With his son nearby, a man assaulted a woman in a domestic dispute about 4:30 a.m. Sept. 4, West Reading police said. The fight took place in the parking lot of the West Reading Diner, in the 400 block of Penn Avenue. The woman didn't receive medical treatment, police said. The alleged attacker, a 19-year-old West Reading man, was charged with two counts each of simple assault, aggravated assault and harassment, as well as endangering the welfare of children and disorderly conduct. He was jailed in lieu of $10,000 bail.