10G offer for info in Frazier-kin slaying

Morgan Zalot | Philadelphia Daily News

Peter Lyde Jr. was filling in as a bouncer at Pleasures on the Ridge in North Philadelphia when he was hit in the chest during a shoot-out between feuding bar patrons May 31.

The stepgrandson of boxing legend Joe Frazier was rushed to Hahnemann University Hospital, where he died. But the men police say are responsible for his death remain at large.

Yesterday, police announced a $10,000 reward for anyone with information leading to an arrest and conviction in Lyde’s murder.

Police issued a warrant June 9 for Rodney Evans, 32, of Ludlow Street near 55th, West Philadelphia. At yesterday’s news conference, Homicide Capt. James Clark said Evans was still at large and was to be considered “armed and extremely dangerous.”

Evans is described as a black male, 6 feet 5 and approximately 250 pounds.

The second alleged shooter in Lyde’s death was described as a black male, about 5 feet 5, who was wearing a red polo shirt at the time of the incident.

Yesterday, Lyde’s father, Peter Lyde Sr., implored the public to provide any information they may have about his son’s death.

“Please come forward with information or turn yourself in [to] give us some closure, ” he said.

The $10,000 reward was put up by local members of the boxing community, family and friends, as well as Laborers’ International Union of North America Local 332, where Lyde Jr. worked with his father.

“[Lyde] was one of the sweetest, kindest people,” said Khaliah Ali, legendary boxer Muhammad Ali’s daughter, who attended the conference yesterday to show her support.

“Our families have fought a lot of fights together, and this is yet another fight we find ourselves in together.”

Lyde was also the stepson of Municipal Court Judge Jacquelyn Frazier-Lyde.

In the hours preceding his death, Lyde was filling in as a bouncer for his friend at the bar, Pleasures on the Ridge, near 22nd Street and Ridge Avenue. He had not worked there before that evening, Lyde Sr. said. About 1:50 a.m. Lyde was shot in the chest after becoming caught in the crossfire that erupted between two feuding patrons.

Lyde Sr. added that his son usually worked as a laborer at the Pennsylvania Convention Center for trade shows.

Tipsters can contact the Citizens Crime Commission at 215-546-TIPS.

Trio suspected in armed robberies of 3 businesses

Morgan Zalot & David Gambacorta | Philadelphia Daily News

A trio of armed robbers suspected of preying on at least three area businesses may have been involved in another robbery last night, police officials said.

They suspect the cases are linked because all involve a man with a sawed-off shotgun who is about 5 feet 9 and wears dark clothing.

The crooks struck first on July 10, at the Just in Time Furniture Distributors, on Frankford Avenue near Sedgley.

The men sneaked into the East Frankford warehouse through an unlocked door about 4:20 p.m. and terrorized two employees, said police spokesman Lt. Frank Vanore.

The employees were forced to lie on the ground. One of the crooks, dressed in dark clothing, fired a shotgun at boxes to intimidate the employees, Vanore said.

The crooks made off with about $7,000. The employees were left unharmed in a locked storage locker, Vanore said.

About 5 a.m. Sunday, one man – possibly from the same band of crooks – jumped through the drive-through window of a Burger King on Cottman Avenue near Algon in Rhawnhurst, Vanore said.

The shotgun-toting man ordered employees to get on the ground and give him cash. It was unclear how much money he took.

On Thursday, surveillance footage showed three suspects barging into a Pizza Hut on Castor Avenue near Wyoming in Juniata, Vanore said.

The bandits – one armed with a shotgun, another with a silver handgun – vaulted a counter and “took over the place” while stealing an unknown amount of cash, Vanore said.

Last night, investigators were trying to determine if the same three bandits struck a check-cashing store at 47th and Spruce streets in West Philadelphia.

A man walked into the business about 4:30 p.m., pretending to be a UPS delivery man, said Lt. John Walker of Southwest Detectives.

Moments later, his two gun-toting cohorts barged in and robbed the business. The three men fled with surveillance tapes from the business, Walker said.

Miss Jackie and Bridesburg Rec: A 50-year love story

Morgan Zalot | Philadelphia Daily News

FOR THE LAST five years, working full time at the Bridesburg Recreation Center, Jacqueline DeSanctis didn’t receive a paycheck.

But to DeSanctis, 71, who has worked at the rec center for 50 years – 45 as an employee and five as a volunteer – money is no object.

“What you get back from a community like this, there’s no paycheck for,” DeSanctis said yesterday, her 50th anniversary at the rec center, at Richmond and Buckius streets, in Bridesburg. “There’s no money value.”

Yesterday was “Miss Jackie Day” at the center. But the festivities – including gifts, a cake with her photo on it, a congratulatory serenade and a visit from city Parks and Recreation Commissioner Mike DiBerardinis – didn’t stop DeSanctis from going about her usual day, watching the children in the pool and minding the center’s many activities.

Pool-maintenance attendant Bill Godfrey, 24, who has worked summers with DeSanctis for the last six years, said that nothing could make her miss a beat.

“If the president was here, she’d be like, ‘Sorry, Mr. Obama, I need to work by the pool now,’ ” Godfrey said.

And she was by the pool yesterday afternoon, wearing her “Queen of Bridesburg” sash and watching dozens of children during their afternoon swim lessons.

“She’s a tough cookie, but at the same time, she’s the sweetest person,” said Cathy Hammerstein, a pool-equipment operator whose children spend summers at the center. “She’s very dedicated to the kids.”

Hammerstein’s 10-year-old daughter, Caitlin, acts as a secretary for DeSanctis, running messages between DeSanctis while she works inside and Hammerstein, who spends all day by the pool.

“It’s kind of fun,” Caitlin said of working with Miss Jackie, adding that last summer she received a thank-you card in the mail from DeSanctis. “I like to volunteer and help people.”

DeSanctis’ history at Bridesburg Rec began as a temporary career for the Chester County native.

“I was going to work here for four years and leave, because I was married to a dental-school student,” she recalled. “But he left and I stayed. Now I hang my hat in Torresdale, but I spend 50 to 60 hours a week here.”

After her first husband left, DeSanctis remarried and had a son, who now has three children and lives in Maine. Her husband, she said, splits his time living with her in Torresdale, spending winters in Florida and staying with their son in New England.

“It wouldn’t work for some people, but it works for us,” she said.

Much of her dedication, after all, lies with her “kids,” as she calls them – three generations now – with whom she has worked at the rec center.

“The difference is, if the job’s your hobby, it’s not a job,” she said, adding that she usually works 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. “I guess it just gives me a good feeling.”

And her presence does have an impact, employees said.

“It’s awesome, especially in these days and times with so many negative things kids are bombarded with,” said Alain Joinville, Department of Recreation public-affairs coordinator, as he watched DeSanctis work by the pool yesterday. “It’s great to know they have a place to come for fun, safe activities.”

Facility manager Michael Bernaudo, who started working at Bridesburg rec center in May, said that he had not met anyone like DeSanctis at the several other rec centers in the city where he has worked.

“Bridesburg rec center is as strong as it is because of her,” said Bernaudo. “Every place has volunteers, but never anyone who does 12 hours a day, five days a week. And she loves it. She steps right up every time.”

Hammerstein, who moved to Bridesburg from Fishtown five years ago, agreed. She said that Fishtown’s neighborhood pool, one of 27 that are closed this summer as part of city budget cuts, was nothing like the one in Bridesburg.

Put simply, DeSanctis is what separates Bridesburg’s community from others, Hammerstein said.

“That’s why we’re scared if she does decide to leave us, or, God forbid, has to,” she said. “You hear ‘Bridesburg’ and you think of Miss Jackie.”

But DeSanctis said that her departure won’t happen anytime soon.

“As long as I can do what I’m doing and do it right, I have no plans on going,” she said. “What I’ve gotten from the community here you can’t buy.”

Gay-porn actor gets 3-8 for burglaries; his twin has Aug. court date

Morgan Zalot | Philadelphia Daily News

Gay-porn star Taleon Goffney won’t be making any new Internet videos with his twin brother anytime soon.

Instead, he’ll be serving three to eight years in state prison for two February 2008 rooftop burglaries of businesses near 9th Street and Washington Avenue, in South Philadelphia.

“Thank you for your lenience in accepting my plea,” Goffney, who was previously charged with similar burglaries and has been incarcerated since his February 2008 arrest, told Judge Lisa M. Rau in court yesterday. “These crimes won’t be happening again.”

Goffney yesterday pleaded guilty to two counts each of burglary and criminal conspiracy under a plea deal between his attorney, Michael F. Gushue, and Assistant District Attorney Caroline Keating.

As part of the agreement, Goffney, 27, identified his twin, Keyontyli, who is free on bail and attended the hearing, as a co-conspirator in the burglaries.

Keating alleged that Keyontyli Goffney, who is to appear in court Aug. 6 for his role in the burglaries, served as a driver and a lookout in the crimes.

During yesterday’s proceeding, she and Gushue disagreed on the original terms of the plea agreement, which included a guilty plea with consecutive two-to-four-year sentences.

Attorneys later renegotiated the deal.

Afterward, Gushue said that he and Goffney, who, he said, plans to complete his college degree while incarcerated, were content with the outcome.

“I think he’s had an epiphany,” Gushue said. “He’s a bright young man.”

Other charges, including criminal trespass, receiving stolen property and possession of an instrument of crime, were dropped.

“[The sentence] was negotiated, so it’s an appropriate sentence,” Keating said, adding that because of his prior record, Goffney is sure to serve at least the minimum three years.

“I wish him luck. I hope he does turn his life around.”

If Goffney’s case had gone to trial, he could have faced a maximum of 40 years in prison.

Unions leaders say they’re not backing down in negotiations with the city

Morgan Zalot | Philadelphia Daily News

Bargaining teams from the city’s two municipal unions met with city negotiators yesterday, 10 days after union contracts expired, to begin hashing out new agreements.

The talks focused initially on healthcare.

“We’re looking to change the entire funding structure [on healthcare],” lead city negotiator Shannon Farmer said after a two-hour morning meeting with blue-collar union DC 33, during which each party spent most of the time in separate caucuses.

Most of a roughly two-hour afternoon meeting with white-collar union DC 47 was spent at the bargaining table. Farmer said the city proposed a similar financial restructuring for that union.

The Nutter administration has requested that both unions accept concessions to the tune of $125 million over the next five years to cope with the budget shortfall.

After yesterday’s negotiations, however, union leaders said they had no plans to back down.

“For the city to say they’re going to take what we already have, we’re not going to allow it,” DC 33 leader Pete Matthews said, adding that he has yet to review the city’s proposal. “We’ve been more than fair.”

After DC 47’s meeting, union leader Cathy Scott expressed disappointment that despite her union’s request for a list detailing city savings for each concession, bargaining team members saw nothing of the kind.

“I think we are moving in the wrong direction. We’re going backwards instead of forward,” Scott said. “To be coming in on July 10, 10 days after our contract expired, is very problematic.”

Both leaders indicated that the unions were not preparing for strike votes at this time.

FALCON nabs 338 violent offenders, officials say

Morgan Zalot | Philadelphia Daily News

More than 300 violent fugitives, including known drug dealers, murder suspects and sex offenders, were taken off Philadelphia’s streets last month, the U.S. Marshals announced yesterday.

The fugitives, 338 to be exact, were rounded up as part of Operation FALCON (Federal and Local Cops Organized Nationally), which was one of the most extensive sweeps spearheaded by the U.S. Marshals in the Philadelphia region to date, Acting U.S. Marshal John Patrignani said at a news conference.

Roughly 50 percent more fugitives were apprehended in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania this year than last, in part because the operation was lengthened from one week in previous years to 30 days this year, Patrignani said.

The conference was attended by representatives of about a dozen of the more than 100 local law-enforcement agencies that collaborated with the marshals, including District Attorney Lynne Abraham and representatives from the Philadelphia police and state police.

“The cooperation we get enforcing laws and bringing in fugitives [in Philadelphia] is unprecendented in the United States,” Patrignani said.

“We try to go after the worst of the worst.”

As part of this year’s operation, three men wanted in the June 14 shooting that injured Officer Ashley Hoggard, in North Philadelphia – Lawrence Peel, Dwayne Robinson and Barry Fleming – were apprehended within a week of the crime, Patrignani said.

The most recent effort focused on arresting sex offenders and clearing outstanding narcotics and homicide warrants.

Abraham said the operation was “extraordinarily successful” but called for better electronic monitoring of fugitives out on bail and for changes to bail conditions, citing thousands of cases in which suspects have absconded after being released on bail.

Body found in Frankford

Morgan Zalot | Philadelphia Daily News

Police are investigating the slaying of a man who was found with two gunshot wounds to the chest in a Frankford alley about 9:30 a.m. yesterday.

The body was found under overgrown weeds between rowhouses on Margaret and Wilmot streets, near Torresdale Avenue.

The victim, a Hispanic male who police believe was in his mid-20s, had not been identified.

“There are gunshots every night, or every other night,” said Yvonne Flores, 40, who lives on the block. “You go to sleep and you don’t know what’s going on.”

Flores and other neighbors described the block, especially the alleys behind homes, as a high-crime drug area.

“They can kill anybody back there and throw them in the weeds,” said Marianne Sands, 41, another resident of the block, who added that most crimes there are drug-related. She echoed Flores’ account that gunshots are a regular occurrence in the area.

No arrests have been made.

Meanwhile, police identified the victim of East Mount Airy’s Monday night slaying as Herman James Atkins Jr., 37, of Milton Street near Cliveden.

Atkins was found shot twice in the leg and once in the shoulder near his home about 10:30 p.m. Monday and was believed to be the victim of a robbery.

Atkins’ family members declined to comment yesterday.

Controller: Water bureau should get billing right before raising rates

Morgan Zalot | Philadelphia Daily News

City Controller Alan Butkovitz criticized the Water Revenue Bureau yesterday for raising rates after spending what he said was an extra $2.5 million on a new billing system.

The system, implemented in January 2008, cost $9.2 million instead of the $6.7 million initially estimated, Butkovitz said in an audit he released at a news conference.

Water rates jumped 6.4 percent yesterday.

Butkovitz called the billing system a failure and cited higher delinquencies and several occurrences of absurdly mistaken huge bills. He handed out copies of a residential water bill that went from $97 one month to $330,000 the next.

He said this represented the bureau’s fifth unsuccessful attempt to develop an accurate system, costing the city nearly $50 million.

“Philadelphians continue to foot the bill for this ongoing technological mess,” Butkovitz said, adding that “responsible water customers” should not have to pay because the bureau “can’t get it right.”

Delinquencies, unpaid accounts 90 days and older, were up last year to $124 million from $113 million in 2007.

Michelle Bethel, the bureau’s deputy revenue commissioner, said that it was incorrect to refer to the extra $2.5 million as being over budget.

“The $9.2 million he is quoting actually takes you from the date [the system went live] through the end of the fiscal year, which ended [Tuesday],” Bethel said, adding that the system’s cost was about $800,000 under-budget.

Butkovitz also said that unauthorized and former employees are able to adjust bills due to loose security and failure to terminate access to the system.

Bethel said that the bureau will begin ensuring that access is terminated when employees leave.

Bethel and Revenue Commissioner Keith Richardson blamed the jump in delinquencies on the economy, not the system.

Richardson said that kinks existed when the system was launched but that the problems have been cleared up.

“Nothing is perfect when you go live,” Richardson said. “The purpose of the system was to produce a new water bill, and it’s doing that.” *

Dobbins class is trying to be a cut above

Morgan Zalot | Philadelphia Daily News

If Kyle Savage could give anyone in the world a haircut, it would be President Obama, he joked recently as he stood outside the barbershop class at his school.

“I’ve been cutting since I was 13,” the junior said. “I always had a thing for hair.”

Savage, 18, is hoping to use his “thing for hair” to go into business for himself as a licensed barber, and thanks to a new program at Murrell Dobbins Vocational Technical High School, in North Philadelphia, he’s one step closer to reaching his goal.

In February, he and 35 other Dobbins students had the distinction of entering his school’s – and the state’s – first certified Barbering Program in a high school.

Once they have completed 1,250 clinical and instructional hours, they’ll be able to sit for the state’s licensing exam, said Leslye Saul, Coordinator for the school district’s communications, cosmetology, barbering and fashion programs.

In the past, “any students who wanted to become barbers had to go through the cosmetology program or pay exorbitant fees for their licenses,” by becoming apprentices at approved barbershops charged with providing the apprentice with 2,000 hours of instruction, said Saul, who helped start the program at Dobbins. “It’s given our young people additional opportunities.”

Dobbins Principal Charles Whiting agreed.

“It’s offering another opportunity to, upon graduation, be gainfully employed,” he said.

Recently, the practical barbering classroom at Dobbins – called Mustang Cuts after the school mascot – featured 12 sleek new chairs and mirror stations.

Gloria Johnson, the program’s sole teacher, fluttered animatedly about the room, speaking to four of her students who were still left on a hot June afternoon.

“This one, he’s the best,” she said, patting Savage’s shoulders as he meticulously trimmed the hair of sophomore Rasheed Dowd, 16.

“They’ve proven themselves,” Johnson continued. “I have not been disappointed at all. They’ve grown, and they suck [what they learn] up, take it in and use it.”

Troy Dorsey, 16, said that he joined the Barbering Program because there are always opportunities to make money.

“Everyone wants to look good,” said the sophomore, adding that he, too, plans to open his own shops someday.

As Savage finished up his haircut, Dowd said that he joined the program because he wanted to try it. After high school, he hopes to attend college and then pursue an MBA or law degree, he said. And as for his barbering skills, he’ll use them to make extra money on the side.

“I always thought barbering would be fun,” added sophomore Andre Fullart, 16, who said that he hopes to be a barber when he’s older, because it’s a lucrative position.

“We are one of the only depression-proof professions,” Johnson said. “We work everywhere there’s hair.”

In the theory classroom, a traditional room where barbering students attend lecture next door to the shop, Johnson pointed to a wall with a poster of the world that read, “Where in the world will you cut hair?”

“I give them ‘Reality 101,’ ” Johnson said. “Reality is, you have to be skilled, take this skill and be all the things you want to be.

“They believe it now,” she said.

Funeral for first little one killed by car

Morgan Zalot | Philadelphia Daily News

Aaliyah Griffin, 6, one of three little girls who were killed Wednesday when a car barreled onto a packed sidewalk in Feltonville, will be laid to rest this morning.

Services will be held later this week for the two other girls, Gina Marie Rosario, 7, and Remedy Smith, 11 months, and for Remedy’s mother, LaToya, 22, who was also hit when a suspect fleeing police sped in his car down 3rd Street and into the crowd near Annsbury. LaToya Smith died the next day.

A viewing for Aaliyah will begin today at 9 a.m. at Deliverance Evangelistic Church, 21st Street and Lehigh Avenue, North Philadelphia, said Vanessa Boyer, Aaliyah’s and Remedy’s grandmother. A funeral Mass begins at 11 a.m.

Gina Marie’s viewing will be held tomorrow from 5 to 9 p.m. at Compagnola Funeral Home, 5th and Cayuga streets, according to a sign outside her grandmother’s home, a few doors from Boyer’s.

A Mass for Gina Marie will be held Thursday at 10:30 a.m. at St. Peter’s Roman Catholic Church, 5th Street and Girard Avenue. Gina Marie’s family requested that those who come wear white.

Services for Remedy and LaToya Smith will be held Friday, but final arrangements have not been made, Boyer said.

Meanwhile, Donta Cradock, 18, the alleged driver of the car, remains hospitalized, police said.

He has been charged with murder, vehicular homicide, conspiracy to commit murder, robbery, carjacking, gun charges and several other offenses.

A spokeswoman from the Philadelphia Police Department and an officer from the Accident Investigation Department both said that they had received no information confirming that Cradock is paralyzed, despite reports that he is.