Page 18 - IAV Digital Magazine #461

iAV - Antelope Valley Digital Magazine
Franklin Police Arrest Serial Diaper- dumping Suspect After 10-Month Pursuit
Sheri Berkery, Vineland Daily Journal
FRANKLIN TWP. - Get a load of this.
A Newfield man who has been dumping bags of dirty diapers at township inter- sections for the past year has been caught, authorities say.
William Friedman, 68, was spotted making his latest drop around 3:15 a.m. Sunday in Malaga, police said. He was processed and issued multiple township ordi- nances.
Police could count on Friedman to be regular.
"He would do it at least three times a week at different intersections," said Lt. Matthew DeCesari of the Franklin Township Police Department. "He would do it a couple of months in one area and then move to a different
intersection. We could never get a time down."
But Officer Garrett Moretti thought he recently had detect- ed somewhat of a pattern, so he decided to patrol the area of routes 47 and 40 early Sunday.
That's when he saw the driver of a box truck drop a load of soiled diapers in the roadway.
Following a traffic stop, Friedman was
taken to police headquarters, where he was inter- viewed about the diapers.
"He admitted to dropping these bags multiple times at multiple different intersections throughout the past 10 months," accord- ing to an affidavit of probable cause filed by police.
"He's claiming the diapers were his grandson's," said DeCesari. "He said it almost became a
game because sometimes he saw the officer sitting in an area and would go somewhere else."
The motive in the case seems to be "nothing else than this gentleman thinking this was funny, which it's not," DeCesari added.
In fact, a June 24 motorcycle accident at Fries Mill
Road and Blackwood Avenue is blamed on a slip-
pery bag of diapers in the roadway. The motorcycle was totaled and the driv- er had minor injuries, according to police.
Friedman is charged with inter- ference with trans- portation in that case, which might allow the motorcy- clist to be reim- bursed.
He faces fines of up to $1,000 in connec- tion with nine town- ship ordinances, DeCesari said.
Friedman's diaper drops were a nui- sance for neighbors and a challenge for police, he added.
"It was kind of a game with officers on who would get this person," DeCesari said.
And now it appears Officer Moretti's dirty work paid off.
"I believe he will get a free dinner from some of the other officers."
iAV - Antelope Valley Digital Magazine