Chester CountyPRESS
www.chestercounty.com
Covering Avon Grove, Chadds Ford, Kennett Square, Oxford, & Unionville Areas
Volume 158, No. 26
Wednesday, July 3, 2024
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West Grove man charged in death of 21-month-old child The Chester County District Attorney’s Office and the Chester County Detectives announced the arrest of Enrique Lopez Gomez on June 25 for charges related to the death of a 21-month-old child. Gomez, a 20-year-old from West Grove, was arrested overnight last Thursday and has been charged with murder in the third degree, involuntary manslaughter, and other related charges. Magisterial District Judge Matthew Seavey set bail at $10,000,000 cash. According to the criminal complaint filed by the Chester County Detectives,
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police received a 911 call about an unresponsive child in the 600 block of Cope Road in Kennett Township at approximately 10:58 p.m. When emergency responders arrived at the scene, the EMS located the victim when the child’s mother walked out of the residence while carrying the child wrapped in a blanket. The child had white foam coming from his nose and mouth and he did not have a pulse. Once in the ambulance, EMS also noted bruising on the child’s body and alerted police. The victim was transported to the Nemours/ A.I. DuPont Hospital for
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blance of justice for this child.” Chief Mathew Gordon of the Kennett Township Police Department said, “This tragic murder could not have been solved without the work of everyone involved. I’m proud of the quick response by our patrol officers and the teamwork by all the detectives.” This was a joint investigation by the Chester County Detectives, Kennett Township Police Department, and Southern Chester County Regional Police Department. Assistant District Attorneys Zachary Yurick and
Enrique Lopez Gomez
Madaline Troutman are the assigned prosecutors. If you have any concerns about the safety of a child, please call 911 immediately, or call Childline at 1-800-932-0313.
Kennett Library receives $500,000 grant to enhance makerspace facilities Since its opening last August, the new Kennett Library has enhanced its forever mission to serve as the hub of curiosity and creativity for residents in the townships and munic-
ipalities it serves, and at any time during the day, the wheels of that mission are in full spin, perhaps nowhere as visible as in its two makerspace facilities. To the many artisans, crafters and young people whose creativity has been given permission to be set
Oxford Borough looking for new ways to partner with Lincoln University Freckled Feather Hats...1B
District Attorney Christopher de BarrenaSarobe said, “This defendant brutally injured a toddler under his care, failed to get the child medical care, and caused his death. It’s difficult to fathom how someone could do this.” Police Chief Joesph Greenwalt of the Southern Chester County Regional Police Department said, “Due to incredible teamwork, we made an arrest in this case. I want to thank the Chester County Detectives and Kennett Township Police Department for their partnership. Together, we were able to get a sem-
One of 48 grant recipients from Longwood Foundation
By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer
Greenville & Hockessin Life
Children, but he was unable to be resuscitated. The victim was pronounced dead by medical staff shortly after his arrival, at 12:16 a.m. on June 25. An autopsy by the Delaware Office of the Medical Examiner later determined that the child died of blunt force trauma to the abdomen. The joint investigation by the Chester County Detectives, Kennet Township Police Department, and Southern Chester County Police Department determined that Gomez struck the child, causing the injuries that led to his death.
By Betsy Brewer Brantner Contributing Writer The Borough of Oxford is always seeking ways to partner with Lincoln University, and now they may join together to apply for a grant to support EV (electric vehicle) charger installation efforts. Oxford Borough Manager Pauline Garcia-Allen said, “Our chargers have been broken for quite some time. We have a set fee that we pay for the charger every month, so we are currently losing money. We learned there is a grant opportunity through PennDOT to secure chargers. People are having problems with chargers across the nation.” Part of President Joe Biden’s infrastructure bill opens applications for $1.3 billion in funding to continue expanding the national electric vehicle charging network across the country.
Garcia-Allen said, “Lincoln approached us about the federal grant. Lincoln is working with a third-party group interested in installing them on their campus. There is definitely an advantage to partnering with an HBCU (Historically Black College University).” Garcia-Allen said that it would be beneficial for the borough to have EV charger stations, and they have until the end of August to complete the application with Lincoln University for the funding. Council members expressed interest in pursuing the grant. In other news at the council meeting, Oxford Police Chief Sam Iacono presented his report to the borough. “The new vehicle is marked and outfitted,” Iacono said. “There is also a sticker on the vehicle showing that our police department received the accreditation. We had six
ablaze at these two stations – and to thousands more still to come – their work and their imaginations are about to be taken to new heights. The Kennett Library recently received a $500,000 from Longwood Foundation to expand its
makerspace facilities that will result in state-of-theart resources, innovative programming and expanded hours. The library was one of 48 Spring 2024 grantees who received a grant from the Foundation, joining agencies who represent the arts, civic engagement,
education, the environment, health and hospitals and social services. In total, the Foundation made more than $11.6 million in grants during its Spring 2024 grant cycle. The enhanced makerspace is expected to benefit a Continued on Page 3A
FROM OUR LENS In service of the community
Courtesy image
The Rotary Club of Kennett Square’s second annual Kennett on Top event, held on June 22, raised funds that will be directed toward various community projects and initiatives. For more information on The Rotary Club of Kennett Square, visit www.kennettsquarerotary.org.
Continued on Page 4A
Part two in a three-part series
Dreams of a better life bring immigrants to the U.S. By Betsy Brewer Brantner what does that really mean? Contributing Writer One huge misconception is that undocumented The story of immigra- workers come here to get tion is complex. There are everything for free. Some many reasons people come people mistakenly believe to this country. The bottom that undocumented immiline is that people come to grants receive health care, this country to make a better food, welfare, and free life for their loved ones. But rent—and that just isn’t so.
If anything, many undocumented workers have been and continue to be used, simply because of their desire to find work so they can support their families. Sister Jane Hauptman worked for years in Chester County to help the undocumented traverse the difficult
path to citizenship. She spent 22 years working at Mission for Santa Maria. “Unless the person is a permanent resident they cannot receive financial assistance from the Federal government, not housing or cash,” Hauptman said. “Their children can get healthcare just
as all children can through CHIP or the children can get milk through WIC, from birth to five years.” The Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) provides health coverage to eligible children through both Medicaid and separate Continued on Page 2A