Chester CountyPRESS
www.chestercounty.com
Covering Avon Grove, Chadds Ford, Kennett Square, Oxford, & Unionville Areas
Volume 157, No. 39
Wednesday, September 27, 2023
$1.50
Two town halls draw capacity audiences
Residents press stakeholders for answers in Cavalcante escape By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer From the moment the news broke announcing that 34-year-old convicted murderer Danelo Cavalcante had escaped from Chester County Prison on the late morning of Aug. 31, the magnitude of the incident began to reverberate around a county not used to having a dangerous criminal seeking freedom throughout its towns, municipalities, homes and backyards. Cavalcante’s capture on
INSIDE
Sept. 13 may have served to quell the immediate fear of county residents, but over the last few weeks, the reverberation of their voices, their anger and their adamant wish to understand how this happened has only multiplied. After more than three weeks of confining their opinions to social media, submitting letters to local newspapers and sharing their opinions at kitchen tables, they were recently invited to share their concerns in public. On Sept. 18 and 20, the Chester County Commissioners held
On Friday, September 22, Oxford Borough Council Downingtown East tops held a special meeting to Kennett...1B discuss the Sept. 14 fire on South Third Street that damaged businesses and left 90 people displaced. Leslie and Ricardo, two of the people who were displaced by the fire, asked a question at the meeting that is on the minds of a lot of people—what started the fire? The investigation is ongoing and under the purview of Chester County Fire Marshal John Weer. He will Unionville High School’s continue to study this fire 18 National Merit to arrive at an answer. Semifinalists...1B Also on hand was B. J. Meadowcroft, the deputy fire chief of Union Fire Company, who took Leslie
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Continued on Page 2A Photo by Richard L. Gaw
After an overflow audience gathered on Sept. 18 for a town hall meeting regarding the escape of Danelo Cavalcante, the second town hall meeting on Sept. 20 saw an equally large crowd in attendance.
Disaster Emergency Declaration extended in Oxford By Betsy Brewer Brantner Contributing Writer
and Ricardo aside after the meeting to get their contact information and help them with their questions. The young couple have two children, ages two and seven. Leslie works at Herr Foods and Ricardo has a long drive to Chester for work. They have an extended family close by which brings them comfort. Both are concerned about securing some of their important items from the fire, and once the clean-up begins, it is hoped that their items and important items belonging to other people will be found. The shock of the loss they incurred left them looking tired and anxious. Ricardo described the experience. “It felt like a dream,” he said. “We all went to bed at 10 and woke up to a loud knock on the door.
We could see the flames from the window. It took no time at all for the building to be gone. Material things mean nothing. I just thank God we made it out alive. We are so thankful to the police that helped us out.” Both hope to find another apartment in Oxford since their children are in school here. They were thankful to all those who helped and continue to help them, and have been amazed at the community support that has been offered to the fire victims. Council convened the special meeting to approve a motion to adopt Resolution #1365-2023 ratifying the Declaration of a Disaster Emergency, dated Sept. 14. They also approved a motion to adopt Resolution
OMI asks community to ‘rally around our businesses’ Oxford Mainstreet, Inc. is asking everyone to support Oxford’s downtown businesses after a devastating fire destroyed buildings on Third Street By Betsy Brewer Brantner Contributing Writer The rebuilding of Oxford’s BID (Business Infrastructure District) will be a challenge after a devastating fire on Sept. 14 hit businesses in the downtown, but the BID is blessed that there are many community members who are invested in them. The following businesses and nonprofits are deeply affected by the devastating fire: Dubarry of Ireland, Toot Sweets, Las Cazuelas, Maroon Hornet, Oxford Mainstreet Inc. (OMI), Outback Trading, Teen’s Place, and Vicki Vinton Art Studio. OMI hasn’t skipped a beat even though it was one of those displaced businesses, and has quickly relocated to the second floor of the Oxford Area Historic Association’s new location in the former Union School building at 119 S. Fifth Street. Continued on Page 3A
Continued on Page 3A
Mighty Penn Oak in London Grove Township falls
Mario Che-Tiul fled Missouri jail on June 1
After nearly four-month manhunt, prison escapee arrested in Avondale By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer
Photo by Chris Barber
The London Grove Penn Oak lies on its side shortly after it fell on Sept. 19.
By Chris Barber Contributing Writer
© 2007 The Chester County Press
two town hall meetings at the Pocopson Elementary School that drew nearly 500 residents and cumulatively lasted more than five hours. At the initial meeting, the Chester County
At midmorning on Sept. 19, the 350-plus-year-old Penn Oak tree at the London Grove Friends Meetinghouse crashed to the ground. As the word spread, many tears were shed. Mark Myers, who has cared for the tree for the past 30 years or so, said this: “People are in mourning as
you would be for a person who has been present. … It embodied the life and soul of the Meeting. Its branches reached out over the grounds as if to gather and hold the spirits of all who went there. Weddings and memorials were held under the tree, and the members met once a month in the summer under it for their meeting. This [tradition] – from what we can gather – was active for the
life of the tree for about 300 years.” The Penn Oak came down fast after the initial crack was heard, but no one was hurt. Children attending the kindergarten housed at the meetinghouse were out for a walk but were a safe distance away. When someone from within heard a loud bang outside, the children were beckoned to return inside. Continued on Page 4A
On Sept. 21, the 113-day nationwide manhunt for escaped convict Mario CheTiul ended when he was arrested at 1:30 p.m., when the U.S. Marshals Service surrounded the property near an apartment Che-Tiul had been living in. He was captured without incident after authorities were led to suspect that CheTiul had been living in the borough, based on an investigation by the Eastern Pennsylvania Violent Crimes Fugitive Task Force in Philadelphia. “This latest capture of an escaped prisoner from Missouri should underscore a very clear message, and
one that applies globally: our efforts never cease, ever,” said Eric Gartner, United States Marshal for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. The 34-year-old Che-Tiul, who had been charged with incest and first-degree child molestation, escaped from the Barry County Jail in Cassville, Mo. on June 1, and was the only one of seven prisoners who fled from the correctional facility that day to not be captured. According to authorities, Che-Tiul lured two correctional officers into his jail cell by pretending to be sick. The officers were then ambushed by the six other inmates, who then broke out of the jail with keys they had stolen from the officers, who sustained injuries. Continued on Page 4A