It was an ordinary day. Reading the local newspaper which today had 24 pages to it. Less than half of that was actual news, be it local, state or national. And, for some strange reason, the majority of what was considered news was very disturbing, to say the least. On page one was a story from the small town of Quarryville, which is in southern Lancaster County. Story titled "Police: Parents locked up children" which told of parents who locked their three very young children in a third floor bedroom while they went to a motor show at the Buck Motor Sports Complex. Neighbors saw the three hanging out a third floor window and called the police. The story was carried over to page 2 where it was written that the police reported there was a very strong odor of urine and feces in the room and there was no bedding in the room. The parents were brought back from the event and arrested. All three children were put in the care of foster parents. The parents were both taken to the county prison where they remained since they couldn't come up with the $40,000 cash bail. Luckily, stories like that don't appear too often in Lancaster. But, on page three were two more stories which almost matched the one on page one. One story titled "Teen partying case moves through court" told of a Manheim Township husband and wife who will be tried in Lancaster County Court on charges they let their teenage children, ages 14 and 15, host numerous parties that involved underage drinking and smoking marijuana. After one of the parties this past year, a teenage girl got into a DUI crash in the city. The couple waived a preliminary hearing. The next step in their case is formal arraignment at which time they will enter pleas. According to the police, they were called to the home 21 times in the recent past. Some of the parties had 40 to 50 minors at them. The couple have been charged with one felony count of endangering the welfare of children as well as one count of corruption of minors and furnishing alcohol to minors. They were free on $25,000 bail. Below that story was a story titled "NJ man charged with choking ref" which was about a New Jersey Man who was charged with choking an official at a local sports complex. Seems he didn't like the call the referee made during a wrestling match, so he pushed the official and put his arm around the official's neck in a choke hold. Bystanders broke up the fight. The father was upset that his son lost and wanted to talk to the official about the match. The official began to leave and that is when the parent grabbed the official. The police were called and the father was confined to Lancaster County Prison after he was unable to come up with the $20,000 bail. He will face a hearing on June 23rd. Where he will remain until then was not reported. His poor son will certainly suffer from the acts of his father. Then on the next page was a story titled "Police say cycle rider, 21, posted videos of chase" which told of a local man who led police on a high speed chase, racing and violating numerous traffic laws while riding his motorcycle. The police were able to track him down since he posted videos of himself outracing the police. The man was charged with fleeing or attempting to elude an officer; altered, forged or counterfeit documents and plates; recklessly endangering another person; and 10 traffic violations. Videos he posted to "You Tube" showed him running stop signs, reaching speeds of up to four times the legal limit (140mph in a 35 mph zone), weaving through traffic and driving under farm equipment. Oh yeah, he didn't even have a motorcycle license. The young man frequently reported on his videos that he doesn't stop for police, has no registration plate and drives recklessly. He faces an upcoming hearing. Wonder if he will be there? I should also report at least one good story from today's newspaper. Story title read, "Longtime police horse retiring from force." Seems that "Duke" is leaving the force after 18 years of service to the city of Lancaster. Duke is a 22 year old Percheron who will be clopping down from his position as a police mount after 18 years of service at Saturday's "Coffee With A Cop" event at the Pennsylvania College of Art an Design Art Park at North Prince and West Chestnut streets. He will be retiring to a private farm where he will be able to enjoy his golden years. He retires after being the longest serving police animal in Lancaster police history. He was a crowd favorite due to his massive size, white coating and gentle disposition. The 2,100 pound horse served as part of protection details for VIP's, politicians and world leaders. He was an Amish plow horse before becoming a police horse. Duke certainly deserves a long awaited retirement. I'm sure he must have read the morning newspaper and realized he didn't want to have anything to do with what is going on in Lancaster at present. So, as you can see, news in Lancaster isn't all bad, but today it seemed to outdistance the good stuff. Did make for an interesting read, though. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary day.
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