Arson suspect convicted in federal court
Just short of two years after a commercial building fire, United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero announced that Ramiz Duka, 61, of Cherry Hill, New Jersey, was convicted recently at trial of conspiracy to commit arson.
The facts at the trial established that Duka recruited two men into a conspiracy to set fire to a warehouse located at 1388 Bridgewater Road in Bensalem, paying them $15,000 to do so. Over several weeks, the three co-conspirators met and planned the arson. On Dec. 10, 2022, one of the men set fire to the building.
During the fire-suppression operations, firefighter Nicholas Altomare was seriously injured when a ladder collapsed. He was out of work for some time, but returned to full duty after recovering from his injuries. Damages from the fire totaled nearly $6 million.
At sentencing, the defendant faces a mandatory minimum of five years of imprisonment and a maximum possible sentence of 20 years.
Sexual predator arrested
On the evening of Nov. 4, Bensalem Police received a call from a member of a vigilante group called Predator Poachers. Members of this group confront alleged child predators on camera to promote their social media pages. Police were advised that a member of the group was posing as an 11-year-old female on Facebook when a male, later identified as Keith Page, 67, Byberry Road, Bensalem, engaged the underage persona via chat.
Page acknowledged the age of the 11-year-old female and stated, “Age is only a number.” During the conversations over a few weeks, Page told the juvenile not to tell her mother about their discussions. He began asking for and also sending sexually explicit photos, and acknowledged that he could get in trouble for having sexual intercourse with her.
Page provided his address to the 11-year-old and agreed to meet her to have sex on Nov. 4. The group and a camera crew went to Page’s home and confronted him on camera before calling the police. Page was interviewed by police and admitted to asking for and sending sexually explicit photos, and engaging in sexually explicit conversations with the underage female.
Page was arrested and charged with Rape of a Child Under the Age of 13, Sexual Abuse of Children, Corruption of Minors and related offenses. He was arraigned by District Justice Terrance Hughes and remanded to the Bucks County Correctional Facility on 10% of $2 million bail.
These types of internet confrontations have become violent and even led to the confronted individual to commit suicide in the past. The Bensalem Township Police Department stressed that it does not condone these types of confrontations and urges anyone who has information about a possible child predator to call the police before making contact so that the safety of all involved can be maintained and the prosecutorial integrity of these investigations can be preserved. BTPD added that it has a robust, proactive approach to identifying and prosecuting these types of offenders and has made numerous arrests for this type of illegal conduct.
Theft/fraud alert
Bensalem Police are investigating a theft at the Primavera Square Apartments on Oct. 8. It was reported around 5:30 a.m. that an unknown suspect smashed the victim’s vehicle window and removed her wallet. He then went to Rite Aid, located at 1334 Windrim Ave., Philadelphia, and attempted to use the stolen credit card to purchase gift cards. The suspect appeared to be a black male wearing sunglasses and all dark clothing.
If you have any information regarding his identity, submit an anonymous tip online at bucks.crimewatchpa.com/bensalempd/ or call Bensalem Police at 215-633-3719.
