SKIPPACK - Every Monday, like clockwork, detectives believe, Florencio Perez Martinez got in his white 1995 Toyota Camry and drove to a public transportation center in either Norristown or Philadelphia to pick up the new woman he'd already scheduled to meet.

She'd put her small piece of luggage in his car, and then they'd head back to his residence on the 600 block of Gravel Pike in Perkiomen Township. There, the 45-year-old Martinez would show her to the third-floor room where she'd be staying for the next week. And then he'd jot down her name for his well-kept records, filling one more Monday box in his business calendar.

For the next week, Martinez was in control of her life.

Her "handler."
Driving her all over Montgomery County and neighboring counties to have sex with pre-arranged clients for money - typically between four and eight customers a day, police said they observed.

Martinez would sit and wait in his Camry while she was inside a client's residence.

After she was finished, she'd come back outside and give Martinez a $10 or $12 cut of the $25 to $30 she received, and then he'd ferry her to the next customer.

When Sunday came, Martinez would drive the woman and her luggage back to the transportation center and send her on her way - back into the sex-trade "circuit" - and await the following day's arrival of yet another woman for his steady clients, all eager for a fresh face.

All of those details and allegations are part of a 114-page affidavit of probable cause filed by the Montgomery County Detective Bureau against Martinez, who was arraigned in district court on Saturday, July 27, on more than 100 felony and misdemeanor prostitution-related charges after being arrested on June 21 and initially charged with one count of felony promoting prostitution.

Martinez - who was born in Mexico and is currently in the U.S. on a Mexican passport, court documents show - was committed to Montgomery County Correctional Facility, where he remains incarcerated, after District Judge Kathleen Valentine of Ardmore set bail at $300,000.

Authorities said that since January 2011, Martinez has been part of a corrupt organization supplying adult women of varying ages and nationalities to customers in Montgomery, Philadelphia, Chester, Bucks and Delaware counties who pay for their sexual services.

According to the affidavit, the prostitution ring "illegally forces debt-owing females into the sex trade," and authorities believe the organization also operates outside of the greater Philadelphia region and possibly in other states. Martinez, detectives said, was conspiring with others who have not yet been identified and who play "an active role" in the organization.

The four-month investigation of Martinez's alleged operation began in February when a confidential informant with direct knowledge that "women were being exploited" by Martinez alerted police that Martinez had regularly been bringing prostitutes to a residence in Souderton, authorities said.

Investigators said they used the confidential source's information as well as visual surveillance - in addition to electronic monitoring of Martinez's cell phone and a GPS tracking device affixed to his vehicle, both approved via court order - to build their case.

The affidavit shows that on numerous occasions between March and June, investigators observed Martinez picking up new women each week and transporting them to various locations throughout a five-county region for the purposes of providing sex for money; an allegation corroborated by hundreds of intercepted cell phone conversations between Martinez and his suspected clients and co-conspirators, authorities said.

On the evening of Thursday, June 20, while under surveillance, Martinez was spotted bringing a woman to a residence on the 800 block of Wedgewood Drive in Lansdale for the purposes of providing sex for money, according to the affidavit.

After leaving the area, Martinez and the woman were stopped by a Hatfield Township officer in a marked police vehicle on Schwab Road, the affidavit states; Martinez was found in possession of the cell phone authorities believe was the "phone he uses to facilitate the daily operations of his illegal sex trade business." Officers said they found cash - which they believed to be the proceeds from a sex-trade transaction - and condoms both in the woman's possession and inside the vehicle.

That evening, according to the affidavit, a search warrant was executed at Martinez's Perkiomen Township residence, where detectives discovered and seized calendars for the years 2011/2012 and 2013/2014 with a female's name written on nearly every Monday since January 2011; several notebooks with handwritten notes including names, phone numbers and financial records; and cash, condoms and cell phones, all "evidence (that) further supports our belief that Martinez is supplying his customers with women for the purpose of financial gain."

During an interview with investigators on June 20, the affidavit states, Martinez allegedly admitted that he had been "in the business of prostitution for approximately eight months," despite evidence indicating that he'd been active in the operation for much longer. Martinez provided specific details about his operation, authorities said, and noted that "in the past he would service more customers, but the economy has affected his business," according to investigators.

Martinez's preliminary hearing on multiple counts of promoting prostitution, conspiracy, procuring prostitutes for patrons and transporting prostitutes, as well as one count each of corrupt organizations and owning a prostitution business, is scheduled for Aug. 5 before District Judge Albert Augustine of Skippack.

Authorities said that in Oct. 2004, the Montgomery County Detective Bureau arrested Martinez and charged him with operating a house of prostitution, and that Martinez later pled guilty to the charges and was sentenced to four- to 23-months behind bars.

"As detailed within this affidavit of probable cause, Martinez has been, and continues to be, an important component in a corrupt organization which specializes in trafficking persons and promoting prostitution within Montgomery County," authorities said.

Follow staff writer Michael Alan Goldberg on Twitter @mg_thereporter and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/magthereporter.

MONTGOMERY TWP. - A construction worker was killed Tuesday afternoon at the site of a road repavement project on Tree Line Drive in Montgomery Township.

Lt. William Peoples of the Montgomery Township Police Department said the worker, whose name was being withheld Tuesday evening pending the notification of relatives, "was fatally injured by a piece of construction equipment being utilized while repaving the roadway."

He was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.

The Montgomery County Detective Division is investigating the incident, which Montgomery Township Police are calling an accident.

Emergency personnel were dispatched about 2:30 p.m. Township administrative personnel also responded to the scene.

Police and paramedics set up a red tarpaulin next to what appeared to be a street sweeper sitting in the middle of Tree Line Drive just south of its intersection with North Wales Road. Several streets near the development, located north of Airport Square near the township's Five Points intersection, were closed by fire police from multiple area companies, including Montgomery, North Penn and Colmar fire companies.

Emergency personnel cleared the scene about 5:30 p.m.

Police did not release details about how the incident occurred or the victim's employer.

UPPER PROVIDENCE - A father and son argument allegedly turned physical and ended up with both in jail, one with a pitchfork-induced puncture wound, according to police.

The Upper Providence Police are investigating the incident that took place around noon Monday on the 100 block of Hemlock Drive between a father and son, who were not identified.

During the altercation, one of the two men, police didn't identify which, suffered a puncture wound from a pitchfork.

"Both parties were injured and subsequently transported to Phoenixville Hospital" via Trappe and Perkiomen Valley ambulances, police said.

Each was treated and released the same day and sent to Montgomery County Correctional Facility on charges of felony aggravated assault and related offenses.

Follow Frank Otto on Twitter @fottojourno.

NORRISTOWN - At the same time Montgomery County got word the Register of Wills was being sued by the state, two local attorneys - one gay, one a lesbian - weighed in on the legal validity of the 36 marriage licenses that have been issued to same-sex couples since Wednesday.

Register of Wills and Clerk of the Orphan's Court, D. Bruce Hanes, is named in a Writ of Mandamus filed by the Pennsylvania Department of Health. The petition orders him to comply with Pennsylvania's marriage law, which defines a marriage as a civil contract between a man and a woman. Late Tuesday, Hanes' office said he had no intention of calling it quits.

Dan Clifford, newly elected chair of Pennsylvania Bar Association's family law section and a partner with the law firm Weber Gallagher, was the county's very first openly gay person to run for public office.

In an interview with The Times Herald Tuesday morning from his office at One Montgomery Plaza, Clifford said he believes the licenses to be valid.

"This is very important, because you don't just have a county official gone rogue," he said.

"You have a county official who is acting - as he says - within his legal authority, and he has the full resources of Montgomery County prepared to back him up. The (licenses) have been issued by a government official in Montgomery County, the Register of Wills, and the County of Montgomery, through the majority of the commissioners. This is a good sign for those looking to legitimize the licenses that are being issued."

Originally of York, Clifford has lived in Montgomery County for 28 years. He resides in Wyndmoor, Springfield Township, with his longtime partner and their 14-year-old, adopted son. Clifford applauded the county officials who support Hanes in his decision, saying, "I believe them to be valid licenses.

"The question we now face with going forward is, are they legal? The next step is for those couples who have already wed to produce their marriage certificates to either an institution or an agency, attempting to obtain recognition of that. Those agencies could be the department of revenue, either Pennsylvania or the federal IRS, or it could be the local tax authority (in the case of a transfer of property). What you have is a series of either government institutions or agencies which may be forced to take a stand as to whether they recognize (the licenses) or not. If they choose not to recognize them, the couple could then decide to challenge that legally with another court action."

Leonore F. Carpenter, assistant professor at Temple University's Beasley School of Law, said that she "wouldn't bank on" the marriage licenses that are being issued by Montgomery County.

"These are like Schrodinger's marriages," she quipped - a reference to the Austrian "father of quantum physics" and his paradoxical cat.

Carpenter, who is a lesbian, teaches in areas of legal research and writing, sexual orientation, gender identity and the law. She said that one of the main issues facing the couples receiving same-sex marriage licenses is that there really is not a lot of precedent for whether or not they are valid under the law.

"The question is really whether or not they will be recognized when people need them. You get a marriage license and assume it's going to be useful to you at some point. The thing that's interesting about a marriage license is that it doesn't do anything on its own. It has to interact with a government entity for it to have any effect. It's really very unclear what will happen, and that's what scares me about this situation."

Carpenter said the tide of people coming to Montgomery County for such marriage licenses "gives me a great deal of anxiety," since they could theoretically be retroactively invalidated.

"They could wind up (being) legal strangers," she said.

"But Mr. Hanes is showing a lot of courage in standing up for his convictions. From a symbolic perspective, that goes a long way."

Follow Jenny DeHuff on Twitter @RuffTuffDH.

COURTHOUSE - The director of a Pennsburg camp for special needs children allegedly failed to report to authorities a suspected case of child sexual abuse by two juveniles at the camp, according to authorities.

Ryan Wexelblatt, 41, of the 200 block of Williams Avenue, Narberth, was arraigned before District Court Judge Catherine Hummel Fried in Red Hill on charges of persons required to report suspected child abuse, unsworn falsification to authorities and obstructing administration of law or other governmental function in connection with alleged incidents that occurred at Camp Sequoia in the 200 block Seminary Street in Pennsburg between July 4 and 8.

"The camp director chose to, rather than report the event to law enforcement authorities or take official action, to simply send the involved juveniles home, put them on a plane...so that it could not be investigated," Montgomery County District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman alleged as she announced Wexelblatt's arrest on Wednesday.

"It certainly appears there was an effort to cover up the crime...," Ferman alleged. "Incidents of child abuse can't be investigated if they're never reported. That's why it's so important that people who are in positions of trust, taking care of children, have this obligation to report crimes of child abuse."

Under state law, Wexelblatt, as a child care worker, had a mandatory responsibility to report alleged sex assaults of children to law enforcement or to child protective services.

Ferman said she finds Wexelblatt's alleged conduct "troubling" especially in light of recent publicity surrounding charges against Penn State's ex-president and two former top school administrators who are accused of a cover-up in the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal.

"In this day and age there is such attention being placed, as it should be, on failure to report. When an institution or an individual fails to report child abuse and allows a child victim to endure what they have in silence, that in and of itself is a significant crime and we take that very seriously," Ferman said.

"Considering all the publicity surrounding the Sandusky case...knowing all of the attention that has been given to failure to report of individuals and institutions, I do find it quite surprising that someone running an organization would try to cover up what had happened and not report to law enforcement," Ferman added.

Camp Sequoia offers a six-week summer program for special needs children with poor social skills and children from throughout the country attend the camp, authorities said. According to its website, the overnight summer camp caters to boys ages 8 to 17 who are diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

A woman who answered the phone at the camp's offices, and wished to remain anonymous, said Wexelblatt has decided to step down as camp director while the legal matter is resolved.

"The Camp Sequoia leadership staff are fully committed to the remaining two weeks of the summer for all the campers and expect the transition to be seamless," the woman said.

On July 7, the Upper Perkiomen Police District received information from the Crime Stoppers internet tip line alleging that a juvenile had been sexually assaulted by two other juveniles while in his dorm room at the summer camp. The anonymous tipster further alleged Wexelblatt, the director of the camp, did not report the assault to the proper authorities.

When detectives attempted to interview the juvenile victim on July 8, Wexelblatt "told the authorities that they would not be permitted to talk with the victim," according to the arrest affidavit filed by county Detective Drew Marino and Upper Perkiomen Detective Matthew Boaman. After confronting Wexelblatt with the seriousness of the allegations Wexelblatt did allow the alleged juvenile victim to be interviewed, court papers indicate.

The investigation revealed that during the overnight hours of July 4 into July 5 the juvenile victim disclosed to camp counselors that he had been sexually assaulted while in his room that night. Those counselors immediately went up the chain of command, notifying the most senior counselor who, in turn, reported it to Wexelblatt early in the morning on July 5, according to court documents.

The investigation revealed Wexelblatt briefly interviewed all of the juveniles involved in the assault, court papers indicate. Wexelblatt, according to court papers, allegedly described the incident as "a serious prank."

Wexelblatt allegedly told a camp counselor to get the two juveniles who allegedly assaulted the victim "out of the camp" and never discussed calling the police with the counselor, according to the criminal complaint. Two counselors then drove the two boys, who live in Chicago and Florida, to the Philadelphia International Airport where the boys boarded planes and headed home, authorities alleged.

"(A counselor) said that Wexelblatt had the two boys out of camp mere hours after the incident was reported to him," Marino and Boaman alleged.

"He chose to ignore and hide the facts provided to him. He also made the task of investigating the crime more difficult or impossible for the police by flying the juveniles of interest home. He also impeded the initial investigation by denying police access to the victim," Marino and Boaman alleged.

Ferman praised the anonymous tipster who notified authorities about the alleged incidents.

"I give them great credit and I wish I could thank them personally for sharing that information because they did a great service to this child who had been hurt," Ferman said. "I have no way of knowing who it was but I certainly appreciate the fact that someone took action and they did not allow this child to suffer in silence."

Wexelblatt's bail was set at $20,000 while he awaits his Sept. 12 preliminary hearing on the charges. Deputy District Attorney Samantha Cauffman will prosecute the case.

Follow Carl Hessler Jr. on Twitter @MontcoCourtNews.

WHITEMARSH ­­- The House Democratic Policy Committee held a two-hour hearing on state transportation issues Wednesday morning at the township building.

The general consensus among the experts offering testimony was that Pennsylvania, and southeastern Pennsylvania in particular, needs more state funding for mass transit, road and bridge repairs.

State Rep. Mary Jo Daley, D-148th Dist., said Whitemarsh is a center of transportation with major roadways including Germantown Pike and Ridge Pike and six train stations on the regional rail lines. Daley moderated the hearing.

"I have been a SEPTA rider my entire life," Daley said. "I'm not sure what it would be like to not have public transportation. It is a really flexible system that benefits the area."

Richard Burnfield, the chief financial officer of SEPTA, said that "underinvestment has left transportation infrastructure across the Commonwealth in a state of disrepair. The need for immediate and substantive investment is well documented."

SEPTA's capital budget is about $303 million, its lowest level in 15 years and about one-third of what peer agencies, such as New Jersey Transit and the WMATA, located in Washington, D.C., invest in capital upgrades each year, according to a recent Pennsylvania Economy League study.

"Over the past year SEPTA's ridership has grown by 14 percent, reaching 339 million trips in fiscal 2012," said Burnfield. "Regional rail ridership reached an all-time high this year and has increased by 50 percent over the last 15 years."

Burnfield said that public transportation in the region had reduced commuters' reliance on cars. "The average American traveled 25 miles her day in a car," he said. "In southeastern Pennsylvania the average resident traveled 16 miles per day in a car, one third less than the national average."

Montgomery County Commissioner Leslie Richards said, "Montgomery County has 133 bridges and 62 of them are functionally obsolete or structurally deficient. Without a meaningful influx of money, it will only get worse."

Richards said the commissioners had set aside $38 million over the next five years to address problems without federal or state matching funds.

"Trains had to be slowed down critically on the Bridgeport viaduct. It is a huge burden as these bridges deteriorate," Richards said. "This is a critical 3,000-foot long bridge that carries 2,400 passengers each day to and from the heavily used Norristown Transportation Center. It is closed now for critical repairs and those commuters are being inconvenienced by having to take shuttle buses every day for four months. However, the 100-year old bridge continues to deteriorate and will have to be addressed in the near future. The question is will there be money to address it properly, or will it just close?"

Burnfield said SEPTA had assigned ten buses to the temporary shuttle service.

"Mass transit benefits everyone in the state," said State Rep. Joseph Markosek, D-25th Dist.

Burnfield said that state transportation needs were more than $4.5 billion this year while Gov. Tom Corbett's proposed transportation budget was only $2 billion and State Sen. Rafferty's proposed transportation budget was $2.5 billion.

Barry Seymour, the executive director of the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission, said that bridge and highway project needs in southeastern Pennsylvania totaled more than $50 billion and there was "almost $40 billion in transit projects."

"With over $90 billion in identified needs, we project just $33 billion in available federal, state and local funding leaving us woefully underfunded," Seymour said. "This means almost all funding will be allocated to basic system maintenance. We may be forced to close roadway bridges and curtail transit service going forward."

Seymour said transportation taxes lagged far behind the fees for cellphone service and cable television.

"Each month we pay $100 per month for cellphone service and even more for cable service. But the average driver in Pennsylvania pays just $13 per month in state gasoline tax, and actually pays far less today than they did 15 years ago because of improving fuel efficiency," Seymour said. "I recognize that it is not a popular idea to raise taxes or impose additional costs, particularly in the current economic climate. The need is great, the options are limited and the price of failure is considerable."

Seymour supported Sen. Rafferty's proposed $2.5 billion transportation budget because the "multi-modal solutions" in the proposed budget will effectively address the state's transportation problems.

State Rep. Nick Kotik, D- Dist. 45, said he was frustrated by the proposed transportation bill because it was written by the Republican majority in the Legislature and was not a bipartisan effort involving the minority party.

State Rep. Patrick Harkins, D-Dist. 1, also criticized the budget process for not involving the Democratic members of the Legislature.

"We all need to be on the same page going forward," said Harkins, "so people looking back in the future can say we did the right thing."

"Unfortunately ideology is trumping common sense," said State Rep. Robert Matzie, D-Dist. 16. "I applaud what you are all doing, especially in planning. Planning, planning, planning is my comment today."

"What we know about biking is that when people have choices to bike somewhere they are more likely to take it," said Alex Doty, the executive director of the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia. "Choice is about giving people healthy choices."

Doty said that Philadelphia has the highest rate of bike commuters compared to the top 10 big cities in the United States.

"About two percent of journeys to work use bicycles in Philadelphia," Doty said.

Follow Carl Rotenberg on Twitter @CarlWriter.

PHOENIXVILLE - Warren Earl Yearger and Leslie Yerger were in a Phoenixville court Wednesday for their preliminary hearings.

The husband and wife pair had hundred of sexual assault charges filed against them after four people came forward.

Deborah Keeley, former girlfriend of Warren Yerger, will be in court Thursday.

The Times Herald will provide more details as they are made available.

WEST CONSHOHOCKEN - The George Clay Fire Department, Spring Mill Fire Department and Gladwyne Fire Department responded to a fire on the 600 block of Ford Street in West Conshohocken Wednesday afternoon.

The fire broke out on the second floor of a home at approximately 1:40 p.m. According to George Clay Fire Department Chief, Dennis Frankenfield, contents on the second floor caught on fire and firefighters broke through second floor windows to extinguish the flames.

One firefighter was treated by Narberth ambulance for heat exhaustion. The homeowner was taken to the hospital after falling down the steps escaping the fire.

Firefighters are still investigating the cause of the fire.

LOWER PROVIDENCE - Children at Camp Perkiomy participated in several games with a water themes that allowed them to test their skills while cooling off in Eagleville Park Wednesday. The 7-week summer camp is organized by the Lower Providence Park and Recreation Department.

UPPER PROVIDENCE - The road from Spring House to Collegeville was roughly 25 miles and about three years long for the Dow Chemical Company.

Inside Dow's beautiful new building of brick and glass is space - glorious modern space, where scientists can expand on the prolific innovations that have been served so well by the company's 50-year old Spring House research facility.

Although the last of the 800 employees at Spring House won't be working at this global hub of possibilities until the end of next year, Dow formally assumed residence on Wednesday with a house warming gala of sorts at its sprawling Northeast Technology Center on Arcola Road.

"Collegeville's going to be a great place because it's a first-class site," said Howard Ungerleider, an executive vice president, who hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by Dow CEO Andrew Liveris, more than 700 Dow employees and various officials, including Gov. Tom Corbett, Montgomery County State Reps. Marcy Toepel (R-Red Hill), Mike Vereb (R-Collegeville) and Kate Harper (R-Blue Bell) and Montgomery County Commissioner Leslie Richards.

"It's a state-of-the-art-facility and I'm looking forward to growing this place from what we were in Spring House to an even bigger presence."

Ungerleider thanked his colleagues at Pfizer, Inc., the owner of the 400 Arcola Road property that negotiated a mega-lease deal with Dow for lab space while still maintaining a presence on the campus.

The celebration - which kicked off bright and early with an employee breakfast and culminated with tours of the massive building - was the culmination of years of hard work and collaborative efforts "to create one of the nation's preeminent research labs," Ungerleider said. "It also demonstrates that the future of American innovation is not only alive and well but it's flourishing right here in the Delaware Valley."

Corbett likened the complex Dow operation to a factory, though possibly not as much fun as an unnamed potato chip factory where his tour was topped off with a free bag of chips, he allowed.

"You make things here with your R&D process," Corbett said. "That's what this state and this country does: we grow, we make things, we provide things to the world."

Citing just a couple of the hundreds of Dow-designed products, from "formaldehyde-eating paint, which sounds like something out of science fiction, to the reflective coatings on roofs to make it cool inside the house," Corbett marveled at the ideas that scientists were going to come up with in their new home.

"And what the children that are small right now, what they may choose to do in the science field as they get older," he said.

Noting the representatives from colleges and universities in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware in the audience, Corbett added, "there's a great deal of discussion going on now in education, talking about science, technology, engineering and math. And we do have a challenge ahead of us. I hope that you will partner with us as we try and find partners... to help teach children and entice them and interest them in exactly what you do here. This facility's going to be a great opportunity to help us educate the whole Delaware Valley."

The potential is unlimited for what Dow can accomplish in Pennsylvania, he said.

No one is more familiar with that potential than Northeast Technology Center director Nilesh Shah, a seasoned research scientist who instigated advancements in polymer synthesis and exploratory research for the Rohm and Haas Company before it was acquired by Dow in 2009.

With 16,000 products having been launched by Dow in the last five years alone, Shah has been integral in the company's shift from a commodities-based enterprise to one that spans a billion-dollar regional range of markets that have allowed the company to reap more benefits from its innovations.

From the paint on your walls to the soap in your laundry room, to the plastic encasing your cell phone, Dow's technological prowess covers a stunning array of products, Shah noted.

"When Dow bought Rohm and Haas, that's when the transformation occurred... to a better balance toward specialty, to make us less dependent on the cyclicality of the commodities markets," Shah said privately after the ceremony. "We do innovation for a very broad range of markets and, in fact, we're regularly doing innovation for the world."

Shah called the Arcola Road property one of the top three sites in the Dow constellation of R&D multi-functional facilities, which includes Spring House (until transition is complete by the end of 2014), manufacturing plants in Bristol and Pennsauken, a research and manufacturing site in Newark, Del. and corporate headquarters in Philadelphia.

"We're leaving a site which is going to be 50 years old in September to a much more modern facility," Shah said.

Relocating from a campus with 16 buildings to one superstructure, complete with a heliport and fitness center, should produce better collaboration between employees, he added.

"Moving here made a lot of sense because we wanted to retain the jobs and move somewhere where people didn't have to uproot themselves to continue to work for us. Keeping the talent is a very big part of innovation," said Shah, who added that the 50-year lease on the property cements the 116-year-old company's commitment to the state and Montgomery County.

"I think this is a stake in the ground that says we're here to stay and we want to grow here."

Follow Gary Puleo on Twitter @Mustangman48.

UPPER PROVIDENCE - Gov. Tom Corbett took the opportunity during a visit to Montgomery County Wednesday to address the ongoing same-sex marriage controversy.

During an impromptu press conference at the opening of Dow Chemical's new research and development facility near Collegeville, Corbett specifically addressed the Pennsylvania Department of Health's announcement Tuesday that it is suing Montgomery County Register of Wills D. Bruce Hanes for issuing same-sex marriage licenses in violation of Pennsylvania law.

The "Writ of Mandamus" filled by the state in Commonwealth Court directs Hanes to stop issuing the licenses.

"I think the idea of the Mandamus is to direct the clerk to follow the law of Pennsylvania and that law has not been changed. It is still in existence, and every time he issues a license to a couple of the same sex, he is violating the law," Corbett said.

The 1996 law defines marriage as a civil contract in which a man and a woman take each other as husband and wife.

"If you want to be the person who determines whether something is constitutional or not, you have to run for the bench, get on the bench - get to the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania or get placed on the federal court," the governor added. "That decision is solely in the judicial branch of government. You can have recommendations, you can have opinions, but you have to follow the law. We don't get to change it. The Legislature gets to change it. That law hasn't been changed, and that law is the result of the General Assembly elected by the people of Pennsylvania."

Montgomery County officials overstepped their authority in granting more than 30 licenses in the past week, according to the governor.

Corbett said there is no time line established for the legal process, given the recent filing of the Writ of Mandamus. He said the decision lies with the courts, not individual county clerks.

Also Wednesday, Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane fired back at Corbett for his criticism of her decision to not defend the state's marriage law in a suit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union.

According to an Associated Press report, Kane said it is not the governor's job to tell the attorney general what the office's duties and obligations are. The statement came in a letter dated Tuesday, one in an exchange between the newly elected Democratic attorney general and the Republican governor, who formerly served as the attorney general.

In the letter, Kane's chief of staff calls the state's marriage law "one of the last discriminatory statutes' in Pennsylvania and predicts it'll be struck down.

Pennsylvania's 17-year-old law defines marriage as a civil contract in which a man and a woman take each other as husband and wife.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

UPPER GWYNEDD - John Mayberry Jr. said his belief in Christ has helped him deal with the challenging times of his baseball career.

According to Mayberry, that faith helped him overcome several demotions to the minor leagues.

"Professional baseball is not all peaches and cream," he said Wednesday morning to participants in the Bux-Mont Torch Baseball Camp at the Nor-Gwyn Baseball and Softball Complex.

"Without my faith, I probably would not have gotten through all the trials and tribulations as well as I did."

The weeklong camp is a joint effort of the Sanctuary United Methodist Church and Rich Sparling, team chaplain for the Philadelphia Phillies and president of BuxMont Torch, a ministry that was established during the summer of 2009 which utilizes sport as a means to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to disciple and train sports ministers. It is designed to teach baseball principles and Christian ideals on the field to kids, according to Susan Zimmerman, an administrative assistant for the church.

Mayberry, 29, an outfielder with the Phillies, told the 43 campers - a combination of boys and girls between the ages of 6 and 14 - that they should do their best to maintain purity and honor God in everything they do.

Answering questions from the kids, Mayberry said his least favorite pitcher to face is New York Mets right-hander Matt Harvey, his favorite to face is San Francisco left-hander Barry Zito, and that his closest friend on the Phillies is outfielder Dom Brown.

The son of a Major League baseball player, Mayberry said he grew up in a home that stressed Christian values.

Sparling said he invited Mayberry, whom he described as the Phillies' clubhouse deacon, to speak at the camp to counter the popular notion that athletes get in trouble by making bad decisions.

"John's story is good news," Sparling said. "He walks the talk."

During the season, Mayberry said Sparling leads a clubhouse service once a week at a designated time since the team plays every Sunday.

"That way we're making sure to get our spiritual food," Mayberry said.

Lee Guagliata, a Conshohocken resident with three grandchildren at the camp, called Mayberry's comments amazing.

"It's so impressive that a baseball player of his status would come out here and talk to kids about his relationship with the Lord," Guagliata said. "A lot of people keep that sort of thing private."

Mayberry - in his fifth season with the Phillies - told the campers to take their batting practice swings and participation in fielding drills as seriously as the games.

"If I saw someone laughing during batting practice, I would say it's great you're having fun," he said. "But I would suggest you try to focus a little more."

Follow Bradley Schlegel on Twitter @BSchlegel1027.

COURTHOUSE - The guilty plea for aggravated assault accepted in common pleas court Wednesday could be a Philadelphia man's second strike for the same offense, putting him away for a long time.

Darnell Anderson, 33, of the 100 block of North 51st Street, Philadelphia, pleaded guilty to aggravated assault before Common Pleas Judge Joseph A. Smyth Wednesday morning.

Originally charged with 60 offenses in an October 2012 Norristown botched armed robbery, Anderson could be facing a harsher jail sentence relating to a 1999 Philadelphia court conviction for aggravated assault.

"In that case, he was found guilty of aggravated assault. That may be a qualifying crime so that this conviction here would result in a second strike, which is 10 to 20 (years), mandatory," said defense attorney Gregory Nester.

Nester said it is unclear whether Anderson's Philadelphia conviction is a first- or second-degree felony, which could be game-changers to his sentence in Montgomery County.

"If it turns out that the prior convictions are second-degree felonies, then today would be an open (guilty) plea and sentencing would be left up to the judge or try and (be) negotiated," he said.

According to court documents, Anderson could face 7 ½ to 15 years in state prison. Sentencing has been deferred until after Aug. 14.

Assistant District Attorney Rebecca Strubel prosecuted the case, which started with a frantic 911 call on Oct. 23, 2012 around 7:20 a.m.

According to the affidavit, Norristown police were dispatched to the 600 block of Astor Street with reports of a robbery and shooting.

Upon arrival, police met with the homeowner, a gunshot victim who had been struck with a bullet in his left arm. When police interviewed the victim, he told them he was home sleeping, with three children tucked away in bed early that morning, when he was awakened by a knock at his front door.

Believing the visitor was his roofer, the victim opened the door to Anderson and another man, who barged into the home and pointed a gun at the man's head.

"You know what this is," one of them reportedly said.

The two assailants reportedly forced the victim, his wife and two of their children into the basement, where they held them at gunpoint.

At some point, a scuffle ensued between the victim and Anderson, and the remaining family members in the house were able to escape. Four or five shots were fired, one of them striking the victim in his arm.

A police sweep of the area resulted in finding Anderson hiding inside a vacant warehouse at 151 West Marshall Street, covered in mud.

Because Anderson has a criminal history which includes a conviction for aggravated assault, he is determined to be a person not to be in possession of a firearm.

"I think that's a fair outcome to the case," said Strubel.

"Anderson took responsibility for his actions, rather than putting the victims through a trial, though all of the victims and witnesses were ready and willing to testify today."

"Anytime you have a case where someone is looking at significant jail time, it's a tough day for everybody involved, and tough for my client, particularly," said Nester.

"Today's plea was a clear indication of my client's acceptance of responsibility and we'll just move forward as best we can for the sentencing."

Follow Jenny DeHuff on Twitter @RuffTuffDH.

NORRISTOWN - Norristown police responded to the 400 block of East Basin Street for a hit and run around 2 p.m. on July 28.

According to a police report the victim was with her aunt getting ice cream from a truck. The victim went to cross the street when a white car hit her.

She was taken to Einstein Medical Center in East Norriton and then transferred to Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. According to her father, the victim broke her right leg in two places.

The police report describes the vehicle as a white sedan which was being driven by a young Hispanic male with a red polo on.

An investigation is underway.
Police respond to fight on Noble Street

NORRISTOWN - Police responded to the 200 block of Noble Street for a report of a fight between two males and two females on July 30 at 9:46 p.m.

When police arrived they encountered a large group of people in front a home on the street. Most of the group dispersed when police arrived. Police made contact with a woman who was punched in the face. She had a cut on her upper lip but did not require medical attention.

Two witnesses said a male they know as "Smooth" began arguing with an unknown female. They were cursing loudly and were told to quiet down by the victim because children were outside.

After exchanging words with the victim he punched her in the face. The victim said the suspect had a gun but never showed the weapon. The victim was able to give police "Smooth's" cellphone number. They said there is a particular house on their block that is causing problems. Police told the victim and the witness to call police if the suggested house is involved in any suspicious activity.

License plate reportedly stolen

NORRISTOWN - A man reported on July 30 that a theft from his vehicle had occurred on July 29.

The victim had his car parked on the 1000 block of Binhurst Ally and when he went out to his car at 8 p.m. he noticed his license plate was missing from the back of the vehicle.

The victim does not know who would have taken the license plate.

Bicycle reportedly stolen out of GNPAL

NORRISTOWN - A bicycle was reportedly stoled on the 1100 block of Harding Boulevard on July 30.

The victim told police he parked his bike in the rear of the Police Athletic League Building at 2 p.m. When he came out at 4 p.m. the bike was missing.

Camp Xtreme is an educational program that is partially funded by the WIB of Montgomery County and sponsored by Montgomery County OIC in Norristown.

The children travel throughout Montgomery County learning about it's history and local happenings. One of the camp's highlights is to learn about different careers throughout the summer.

The children participate in the Montco OIC STEM program for eight weeks through August 16. Each week the campers attend an educational trip and a fun trip.

NORRISTOWN - Police responded to the 300 block of Airy Street on Wednesday night after a King of Prussia man crashed his vehicle into the porch area of the Creative Care Child Center.

A police report states a Norristown police officer in an unmarked car watched a man, later identified as Paul McArdle, 31, of the 500 block of Hanson Road in King of Prussia, speed through a red light at 11:12 p.m. on East Airy street at approximately 40 miles per hour. The officer activated his emergency lights and began to pursue the vehicle.

The officer reported that he lost sight of McArdle until the officer was on Tremont Street where he witnessed McArdle drive through the fence and into the porch of 370 East Airy Street. According to the report, the porch furniture was pushed up against a window which caused the window to break.

When the officer caught up to the accident, McArdle exited the vehicle and walked backwards with his hands in the air. The officer recognized he was under the influence of alcohol. When officers asked for his consent to take a blood draw, McArdle allegedly said, "Can't I just tell you I'm drunk?"

McArdle refused treatment for injuries and was taken to Einstein Medical Center Montgomery for a blood sample. He was then arrested and charged with driving under the influence and taken to the Norristown police station to sober up and await arraignment.

No one was injured as a result of the accident.

LOWER GWYNEDD - Some incoming students in the Wissahickon School District got a sneak peek at what they can expect this fall during a newly introduced summer program.

Kindergartners Investigating and Discovering in the Summer offered a group of students the chance to practice some basic skills they will need in order to do well in school next year.

Matt Walsh, district director of elementary education, said 19 students headed to kindergarten at Lower Gwynedd Elementary and Shady Grove Elementary next year attended the monthlong KIDS program at Lower Gwynedd every day Tuesday through Thursday in July - with the exception of July 4 - from 8:30 to 11 a.m.

A similar program was also held at Blue Bell Elementary for its incoming kindergartners and those headed to Stony Creek Elementary.

KIDS, Walsh said, was based on the results of a screening that tested the new students' skills that they would need in order to find success in kindergarten. Social, emotional and academic skills were addressed in the exam to help teachers and staff prepare for the new class.

Parents of children who were identified as struggling in certain areas were invited to send their child to the program to help prepare them for the school year.

"We sent the invites and we got a great response," Walsh said, adding the students had "seen tremendous growth" from the start of the program to its last day July 25.

Tara Strouse, the K-5 staff developer for the district, said she'd seen great growth in letter recognition and sounds. She said students were also beginning to associate words with letters and were starting to remember their numbers.

Social steps have also been taken, she said, noting students were lining up properly and have learned to take turns.

These are signs of "school readiness" because students are showing signs of patience, Strouse said.

Walsh said explaining rules and procedures explicitly for places like the playground is important for students.

"Some went to preschool and some didn't," he said, so they can't be expected to know how to behave appropriately in every situation.

Mimma Pascucci, a Lower Gwynedd teacher, said KIDS has been "definitely beneficial."

"We've got to try (the program) again," she said. "(Students) have come a long way behaviorally, socially and academically. It's a win-win."

Pascucci said the ordering of numbers and the sounds of letters are two of the "trickiest" areas academically for students and they've "come a long way."

She said basic skills like learning how a book works are all important steps that were addressed during KIDS.

"They've come so far since the first day, they've made a lot of progress.

"Phonemic awareness is the foundation for early literacy," Walsh said. "The rigor is high in kindergarten (these days.)"

Denise Holland, a district reading specialist, said she'd seen an "amazing difference" in how children were behaving since they began the program.

She said things like lining up straight, sitting and listening and sharing with friends were all areas where students needed improvement.

"Now they can line up, they (understand) the classroom process and partner learning," she said. "Children who were the most shy have blossomed. They were motioning about what they wanted, now they tell me with words. It's just amazing."

Holland said parents have thanked her for the program.

"They've said this has been well worth it," she said.

KIDS helps prepare parents to send their kids to kindergarten as well, she said.

"Now they feel so much more relaxed about the process," she said.

At the inception of KIDS, teachers weren't convinced the program would run efficiently.

"When we started out, we weren't really sure," Holland said. "But it's been really smooth and collaborative. We've adjusted as we went along."

"Now we have a handful of students prepared for kindergarten," Walsh added.

PHOENIXVILLE - One day after Pottstown Memorial Medical Center furloughed 30 employees for 90 days, The Mercury, a sister paper of The Times Herald, has confirmed that similar furloughs occurred at Phoenixville Hospital.

Phoenixville Hospital spokesperson Lori Cunningham confirmed Thursday that the full-time equivalent of 24 employees in "clinical, non-clinical support and administrative departments" have been furloughed.

News of the staff reduction occurs at the same time that the company that owns both hospitals, Tennessee-based Community Health Systems Inc., is planning a $3.9 billion purchase of Florida-based Health Management Associates Inc., which also operates hospitals around the country.

Cunningham said the furloughs at Phoenixville, which she described as "not scheduling a small number of employees in various departments," have "no definitive time line. As always, staffing is dependent upon patient volume and clinical needs."

In an email response to an inquiry from The Mercury, Cunningham also wrote "as can happen in the summer, our current patient volumes are lower, and we hope this will only be short-term. We want to retain our employees and will continue to monitor our patient volumes to call back staff as needed."

She added, "this action is intended to preserve jobs for the long-term, and as volumes rebound, we will adjust our staffing accordingly."

According to an Associated Press report, CHS plans to pay a combination of cash and stock for Health Management Associates, based in Naples, Fla. also known as HMA.

CHS said the deal, if completed, would cost $3.9 billion, or $7.6 billion when assumed debt is included in the calculation.

The purchase has been approved by the board of directors at both companies, however, it must still pass muster with regulators and HMA stockholders, according to the wire service.

But that approval might be hard to get, given that HMA is currently being investigated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Inspector General regarding relationships between physicians and emergency room operations.

The deal that CHS has announced asks investors to assume some of the risk that arises from that investigation, holding back some of the purchase price depending on the outcome of the investigation.

But the stock market reacted poorly to that idea, at least initially, with HMA shares sinking almost 11 percent Tuesday after the deal was announced, AP reported.

Adding to HMA's headaches is its Tuesday announcement that it expects second-quarter earnings to come in well below Wall Street expectations.

"It's a really poor performance, and if ever there was a reason for change in control, this was it," said Sheryl Skolnick, an analyst who follows the company for CRT Capital Group.

Hospitals have been struggling with declining admissions, as patients continue to cut back on their use of the health care system, a trend that started a few years ago during the recession.

Federal funding cuts and growing populations of uninsured patients also have pressured profitability, according to AP.

"Unfortunately, the economic realities of our individual markets continue to hamper our growth, especially in smaller markets," CHS Chairman and CEO Wayne T. Smith told analysts during a conference call.

Second-quarter earnings for CHS have plunged by 64 percent as revenue slips.

The federal health care overhaul is expected to help ease the pressure hospitals are facing by reducing the number of uninsured patients they treat. Starting next year, the overhaul will provide income-based tax credits to help people buy coverage, and the state-and-federally funded Medicaid program will expand its coverage in several states, AP reported.

CHS said its planned acquisition of HMA will create a company that's well positioned to benefit from the overhaul.

The companies expect the deal to close in the first quarter of 2014, if it gets anti-trust clearance and 70 percent of HMA shares are voted in favor of it.

The deal would create a chain with about 206 hospitals in 29 states with a heavy presence in the South.

That would make it the largest hospital operator based on locations.

CHS owns 16 hospitals in Pennsylvania, the state with the company's second largest set of hospitals.

At 18, only Texas has more CHS-owned hospitals than Pennsylvania.

Locally, in addition to Pottstown and Phoenixville hospitals, CHS owns Brandywine Hospital, Chestnut Hill Hospital, Jennersville Regional Hospital and Memorial Hospital in York.

It also owns hospitals in Scranton, Easton, Wilkes-Barre, Sunbury and Lock Haven.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Follow Evan Brandt on Twitter @PottstownNews

UPPER DUBLIN - An Ambler man was killed Tuesday when his motorcycle collided with a vehicle on Welsh Road in Upper Dublin Township on the border of Horsham Township, according to Upper Dublin police.

Raja Dhoble, 42, was operating one of three motorcycles westbound on Welsh at 11:29 p.m. July 30 between Purdie Lane and Dillon Road when he collided with an eastbound Toyota Camry, causing a chain reaction that involved five vehicles, Upper Dublin police Patrol Commander Darren Nyce said Thursday.

All three motorcyclists were found lying in the roadway when police arrived at 11:31 a.m., he said.

Dhoble was pronounced dead at the scene and the operators of the other two motorcycles and the Camry were all taken to Abington Memorial Hospital for treatment of their injuries, he said. Dhoble had been wearing a helmet, but the other two motorcyclists were not, Nyce said.

One of the two motorcyclists was identified as John Shema, 55, and the other as a 41-year-old male. No other information on them was available Thursday, Nyce said.

The operator of the fifth vehicle involved in the accident, a Cadillac Escalade SUV that was also westbound on Welsh, was not injured, he said.

Investigation of the accident was taken over by Montgomery County detectives Wednesday, but turned back to Upper Dublin police Thursday, according to Nyce.

"Speed and alcohol could have played a factor," he said, and lab tests are pending on those involved.

Montgomery County District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman had said Wednesday that a toxicology report was pending on the deceased.

Ferman said the motorcyclist killed in the accident, "appears to have been passing a car (while) cresting a hill, and he hit a car (head-on) heading in the opposite direction."

Nyce said he did not have any details of the accident reconstruction as the police were still working on it, but it appeared that Dhoble was in the wrong lane of travel, as he was westbound in the eastbound lane when the accident happened. The eastbound lane of Welsh is in Upper Dublin, while the westbound lane is in Horsham, he said.

MONTGOMERY TWP. - The construction worker killed Tuesday afternoon in Montgomery Township has been identified by relatives as Brett Moyer, one of the managers of P.K. Moyer and Sons on Allentown Road in Earlington.

Employees of P.K. Moyer were choked up Wednesday morning as they remembered Moyer, husband of Brenda Moyer and father to Jena and Micah, both graduates of Pennridge High School who are now in college, and Mason, who is entering his senior year at Pennridge in the fall.

A crew from P.K. Moyer had contracted with Montgomery Township on a paving project focused on North Wales Road, from Montgomery Glen Drive to Treeline Drive.

About 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, an accident involving construction equipment, which has not yet been explained by police investigators, killed Moyer while the crew was working on Treeline Drive. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Moyer's grandfather started the business about 50 years ago, and passed it to his son, Nevin Moyer, Brett Moyer's father. Brett Moyer's three brothers also joined the family business.

A funeral service has not yet been announced.

An investigation is being conducted by the Montgomery County Detective Division.