Police Log: Dog Bites, DUI and Criminal Mischief at Philmont
The following was reported by the Lower Moreland Police Department.
July 20 – DUI
- Area of County Line Road & Somers Drive
Richard Ziegler Jr., 58, of Philadelphia, has criminal charges pending after police found him asleep at the wheel in Just-a-Farms. The key was in the on position and his headlights were illuminated when police found him.
Ziegler had very slurred speech and appeared confused when cops woke him up. He was removed from the car and was unsteady on his feet. He admitted to drinking at least three beers at a bar earlier in the night, and said he pulled over because he saw his engine oil light flash.
He registered a .21% BAC and failed field sobriety tests according to the report.
July 19 – Dog Bites
- 100 block of Steele Way
While walking her two Yorkshire Terriers, Susan Kaplan, 55, of Huntingdon Valley, she saw a medium sized white and brown dog running back and forth without a leash on its front lawn of its owners' home on Steele Way. The dog then ran aggressively towards Kaplan’s dogs. Kaplan was able to pick up the smaller of her two dogs, but the loose dog ran up and bit her larger dog multiple times before its owner, Barbara Serota, 59, of Huntingdon Valley, was able to control it and take it back inside the home.
Kaplan took her dog to an Animal Hospital, where it was discovered the Yorkshire Terrier had sustained broken ribs, neck muscle strain and abrasions on its hind legs.
July 18 – DUI
- Area of Philmont Ave. & Huntingdon Pike
James Elliot, 57, of Glenside, has a DUI charge pending after a cop stopped him for running a red light on Huntingdon Pike. Upon stopping him, police smelled alcohol on his breath and his eyes were bloodshot and glassy. He failed to satisfactorily complete field sobriety tests and registered a .135% BAC.
July 18 – Criminal Mischief
- Philmont Country Club – 301 Tomlinson Road
The head groundskeeper at Philmont Country Club reported that someone “turfed” the fifth green and the sixth fairway of the north course by riding an off-road vehicle on the grass. It appeared that a dirtbike rode on the sixth fairway, spinning its rear wheel as it traveled uphill which tore grass and dirt from the fairway. On the fifth green, there was a deep gouge created by the dirt bike spinning its rear tire, accelerating from a stationary position. According to the report, it will cost approximately $500 to repair the damage.
Mike
6:57 am on Sunday, July 29, 2012
Good job in possibly ruining Ziegler's future. I know he should have had the car off and keys in his pocket as well as moving to the passenger side or back of the car, but at least the man knew not to drive & was trying to sleep it off.
B. Strong
8:40 am on Sunday, July 29, 2012
He already was driving drunk and if you read it correctly, you'd see that he only "pulled over because he saw his engine oil light flash". NOT because he was concerned about the safety of himself or others.
Phil
10:03 am on Sunday, July 29, 2012
I am happy to see that our police department is hard at work, the officers of the LMPD do a pretty good job keeping our children and streets safe,
I wish I could say the same for the department's detectives unfortunatley in LM many very serious crimes such as home invasions and burglaries go unsolved. Something really needs to be done about this
Why
8:04 pm on Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Yes and I love how the thefts at the high school never make it into the police reports. My kids had 4 ipods stolen, nothing was done about it.
Lynn
12:09 pm on Thursday, May 9, 2013
Saw the dog incident and that was NOT the way it really happened! The dog had gotten under the fence & the owner immediately ran out 2 try and restrain her dog. Susan Kaplan's daughter was walking her 2 tiny dogs & didn't pick up either dog. The Yorkshire terrier got away from the young girl and off the leash and started running down the street... The leash and collar were in the street and the daughter did NOTHING but stand there and
watch, until Barbara grabbed her dog & put it inside the house. Barbara is a widow who knew Susan for 28 years and Susan called the police rather than contact Barbara, whom she knew well, to discuss the problem... What a shame that some people would rather call the police than work things out . . .