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  • Marilouise H. James, retired longtime schoolteacher and home and school visitor, has died at 101

    Marilouise H. James, retired longtime schoolteacher and home and school visitor, has died at 101

    Marilouise H. James, 101, formerly of Willingboro, a retired English and social studies teacher for the Philadelphia School District, certified home and school visitor, 80-year member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., mentor, and volunteer, died Friday, Feb. 13, of age-associated decline at the Masonic Village retirement community in Burlington.

    Naturally empathetic and energetic, Mrs. James was skilled at spelling, language, and assisting students in school and families at home. Beginning in the late 1940s, she taught English and social studies at the old Sulzberger Middle School in West Philadelphia, social studies at Audenried Junior High School in South Philadelphia, and English at Northeast High School.

    She appreciated the beauty and nuances of the French language as a girl and earned second place in a statewide spelling bee in Delaware. Later, when she saw that students at Sulzberger had no French Club, she started one.

    “She was one of a kind,” said her niece Sonya Thompson. “Big smile. Big laughter. Big heart.”

    Mrs. James (center) and her daughters, Lisa (left) and Shelley, all joined Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc.

    Mrs. James earned a bachelor’s degree in French at Temple University, a master’s degree in counseling at Antioch University, and teaching certifications in English, French, social studies, home and school visiting, and guidance counseling.

    When her children came along in the 1950s, she left the classroom and, as a school district home and school support expert, managed difficult situations regarding student truancy and behavior, and crisis intervention at homes. She retired in the late 1980s.

    “She was the easiest person to talk to,” said her daughter Lisa James-Beavers. “She was warm and never judgmental. She made you feel like she always knew you.”

    Mrs. James was an active mentor in Alpha Kappa Alpha for 80 years, and her sorority sisters threw a 101st birthday party for her last August. She was a charter member of the Gamma Epsilon chapter in Philadelphia in 1945, moved to the Theta Pi Omega chapter in South Jersey in 1969, and served as its vice president, secretary, assistant secretary, treasurer, and in other roles.

    Mrs. James graduated from Howard High School at 16 after skipping two grades.

    “If anyone ever needed a smile, Soror Marilouise was always there ready to share one,” a friend said on Facebook.

    She also joined the Sickle Cell Anemia Resources Board and the Board of the Black Adoption Consortium. She belonged to the Rancocas Valley chapter of the Links Inc. and was a charter member of the Burlington-Willingboro chapter of Jack and Jill of America Inc.

    She volunteered as a patient representative at what is now Virtua Willingboro Hospital and as a library assistant at Twin Hills Elementary School. “She was a walking, talking breath of fresh air,” her niece said. “She taught all of us that kindness matters. She always said, ‘I am doing the best I can for as long as I can.’”

    Friends called her “a radiant inspiration and a true joy” and “a beautiful phenomenal woman” in online tributes. Her family said: “She did not simply experience joy. She created it. She carried it into every room, poured it into every relationship, and planted it in the hearts of all who knew her.”

    Mrs. James (right) was fun and funny, her family said.

    Marilouise Holland was born Aug. 23, 1924, in Milford, Del. She grew up in Wilmington and graduated from Howard High School at 16 after skipping two grades.

    She met Raymond James in Philadelphia, and they married in 1953. They had a son, Dennis, and daughters Shelley and Lisa, and lived in Lansdowne before moving to Willingboro in 1969. Her husband died in 1979.

    Mrs. James was fun and funny, her family said. She had an infectious laugh, loved shopping, and was, they said, “always stylish from head to toe.”

    She enjoyed hosting her family for reunions. Her niece said: “Her hospitality was off the charts.” Her daughter Lisa said: “She was easy to be around.”

    Mrs. James (front right) enjoyed time with her family.

    She read often and belonged to a book club. She saw shows at the Walnut Street Theatre for more than 25 years and attended Corpus Christi Catholic Church in Willingboro.

    She liked pizza on Friday nights and doughnuts after Sunday Mass. Her family said it was only fitting that she died during Black History Month. Her life, they said, was “a reflection of the barriers she broke and the lasting legacy she carved.”

    In addition to her children, Mrs. James is survived by seven grandchildren, five great-grandchildren, a sister, and other relatives. A sister and a brother died earlier.

    Services were held earlier.

    Donations in her name may be made to the EAF Theta Pi Omega Chapter Scholarship Fund, Box 2902, Cherry Hill, N.J. 08034.

    Mrs. James (right) and her sister, Betty
  • Mother of 20-year-old killed in Lincoln University homecoming shooting sues school

    Mother of 20-year-old killed in Lincoln University homecoming shooting sues school

    The mother of Ju’Juan Jeffers, the 20-year-old man killed during a shooting at Lincoln University homecoming last October, has filed a lawsuit against the school, the university police chief, and others.

    Attorneys for Marchelle Hargroves, Jeffers’ mother, allege that Lincoln prioritized the “college experience” over safety and, in doing so, fostered a campus culture that permitted violent and sometimes fatal acts,” according to the suit filed Friday in Common Pleas Court in Philadelphia.

    “Lincoln University allowed unrestricted public access to its homecoming events and negligently failed to implement or enforce adequate security measures, including … controlled entry points, attendee screening, handheld wands, metal detectors and/or bag checks,” the suit said.

    Lincoln University announces new plans for event safety following homecoming shooting last year

    Jeffers, of Claymont, Del., was one of seven people shot at the Oct. 25 event; he was the only one who died.

    Jeffers was not a student at Lincoln, but had been invited to attend, according to the suit.

    A university spokesperson said the school does not comment on active litigation. Its police chief, Marc Partee, declined comment.

    Also named as a defendant in the lawsuit is Zecqueous Morgan-Thompson, who was charged with possessing a concealed firearm without a license at the event, but has not been charged in Jeffers’ shooting. Prosecutors have said Morgan-Thompson is not a student at Lincoln, nor an alumnus, and that it had been unclear why he was on campus. Law enforcement officials said after the shooting that they had confirmed a match between a fired .380 cartridge at the scene and the Glock 28 semiautomatic pistol that Morgan-Thompson had.

    Lincoln University is conducting an ‘after-action review’ after fatal Homecoming shooting

    Morgan-Thompson, the lawsuit said, fired a round during the event, “thereby helping to incite the crowd, which negligently and recklessly contributed to the shooting death of Mr. Jeffers.”

    Morgan-Thompson’s attorney in his criminal case did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday. A trial is scheduled this month for Morgan-Thompson; no other charges have been filed in connection with the homecoming shooting or Jeffers’ death.

    Other defendants listed in the lawsuit complaint include unnamed Lincoln security officers, as well as unnamed outside companies that Lincoln hired to provide additional security.

    Michael T. van der Veen, an attorney for Hargroves, described Jeffers as an honor student, chess player, and “dedicated athlete” who wanted to serve in the military and start his own clothing company.

    “He loved basketball and played throughout his school years,” van der Veen said at a news conference Friday announcing the suit. “He had a beautiful life ahead of him.”

    At a board of trustees meeting last month, the university announced new safety plans for large events, including holding no outdoor events after dusk, screening guests, and allowing only one registered guest per student for the upcoming Spring Fling event in April.

    Lincoln, a historically Black university with 1,650 students in rural Chester County, has been under pressure from its neighbors and Lower Oxford Township to make changes since the shooting.

    Several officials in Lower Oxford had reported ongoing problems with parking, trash on neighbors’ lawns, disturbances, and, in some cases, crime when the university hosts events. After thousands gathered for homecoming, emergency personnel had to use all-terrain vehicles to transport patients on stretchers because ambulances could not access the campus, given how many cars were parked around the venue, they said.

    One dead, six others shot at Lincoln University

    The township’s board of supervisors is expected to vote at their meeting at 7 p.m. Monday on a special events ordinance that would require a permit process for large events.

    According to the lawsuit, thousands packed Lincoln’s International Cultural Center parking lot after the homecoming football game, and there was alcohol consumption.

    It took hours for Jeffers to receive medical care after he was shot, the complaint says, because the roads were clogged around the university.

    Lincoln University is facing pressure from its Chester County neighbors after homecoming shooting

    “Multiple invitees were forced to render emergency medical aid because emergency medical personnel could not promptly access and reach him,” the suit said. “Lincoln University knew or should have known that the Homecoming football game and celebrations would attract a substantial number of attendees to its campus and were on notice of the need for protocols for adequate safety of and about the University.”

    Partee, the Lincoln police chief, “failed to take reasonable steps to correct or remedy these dangerous conditions,” the suit said.

    Concerns about behavior during large events had been raised with Lincoln officials by township officials and others over several years, but no adequate action was taken, the suit said.

  • Grocery Outlet is closing stores in South Jersey, Philadelphia, and Kennett Square

    Grocery Outlet is closing stores in South Jersey, Philadelphia, and Kennett Square

    Grocery Outlet bargain market is closing dozens of stores nationwide, including eight in the Philadelphia area.

    The closures were first referenced earlier this week in the company’s earnings report. The California-based grocer recorded an operating loss of $221.7 million last year, much of which it attributed to “certain underperforming stores” that will now close.

    These include five Grocery Outlets in South Jersey, two in Philadelphia, and one in Kennett Square, according to real estate marketing released Thursday.

    A company spokesperson did not return a request for comment about when the stores would close.

    The impacted Philly-area stores are located at:

    • 4004 U.S. Route 130, Delran
    • 401 Harmony Rd., Gibbstown
    • 345 Scarlet Rd., Kennett Square
    • 190 Hamilton Commons Dr., Mays Landing
    • 2017 W. Oregon Ave., Philadelphia
    • 2524 Welsh Rd., Philadelphia
    • 3174 U.S. Route 9 S., Suite 5, Rio Grande
    • 677 Berlin-Cross Keys Rd., Sicklerville
    People shop at a Grocery Outlet in Philadelphia in 2022.

    Gordon Brothers, a Boston investment firm, is looking to sublease all 36 closing Grocery Outlets. The Philadelphia-area properties range in size from 14,000 to 21,000 square feet.

    After the closures, the chain will still have several locations in the city, collar counties, and South Jersey.

    Grocery Outlet calls itself an “extreme value retailer.” It was founded in 1946, and has expanded from 128 stores to 570 stores over the past two decades. Many locations are operated by entrepreneurs who live nearby.

    In recent months, Grocery Outlet’s bottom line was impacted by economic uncertainty, as well as the November suspension of SNAP benefits that tens of millions of U.S. consumers rely on, according to president and CEO Jason Potter.

    “Consumer pressure intensified, federally funded benefits were delayed, and competition grew more promotional in the fourth quarter,” Potter said in a statement. “In response, we have begun to sharpen our focus on what matters most: delivering clearer value and a better in-store experience.”

    Customers and employees inside a Grocery Outlet in Philadelphia in 2023.

    While the grocery industry remains relatively resilient, it has faced a challenging few years with persistent inflation, tariffs that further drove up prices on some products, and continued competition from other retailers and restaurants.

    In recent weeks, Amazon closed all of its brick-and-mortar Amazon Fresh stores, including six in the Philadelphia region. The company says it plans to expand grocery-delivery services and open more Whole Foods markets, to the dismay of some Amazon Fresh customers who said they were drawn to the low prices at the smaller-format stores.

    What makes someone love their grocery store? Ask the Philadelphians who are already missing their Amazon Fresh.

    Gourmet markets have been impacted, too. Three Di Bruno Bros. locations in Ardmore and Wayne closed last month, two years after being acquired by Wakefern Food Corp., the North Jersey-based supermarket cooperative that operates ShopRite.

    A Wakefern spokesperson said the company planned to refocus on its flagship stores in South Philadelphia and Rittenhouse, as well as its growing online business. The move, spokesperson Maureen Gillespie said, would be “a positive reset that allows us to preserve and elevate the in‑store tradition while growing the brand’s reach in meaningful new ways.”

  • Chester County’s former CEO says an ‘administrative decision’ to allow access to sports betting sites led to his sudden exit from the job

    Chester County’s former CEO says an ‘administrative decision’ to allow access to sports betting sites led to his sudden exit from the job

    Chester County’s former chief executive officer said his departure this week stemmed from an “administrative decision” he made more than a year ago, which allowed county staff to access online sports betting and fantasy sports websites.

    David Byerman, who was the county’s top administrative official for just over a year until his departure Monday, said in a phone call Thursday that Commissioner Josh Maxwell informed him that he had overstepped when he approved an employee’s request to allow access to fantasy sports and regulated online gaming sites on the county Wi-Fi. Byerman acknowledged that he made the decision after being told website access issues were previously under the commissioners’ purview.

    Byerman argued that by creating a new CEO role — moving away from the traditional county structure of a county administrator and two deputies — the county increased his responsibilities and authority, and this “was likely a situation where I felt I had the authority to make that decision,” he said. Though Byerman said he did not recall the email exchange with the employee, he said he had no reason to doubt it happened.

    “Did I occasionally update my fantasy baseball team and put bets on the Sixers and Eagles using the county’s Wi-Fi? Yes, that is true, but it’s also true that I regularly ate lunch at my desk. It’s also true that I regularly worked verifiably 60-hour-plus weeks in this job,” Byerman said. “And I believe I represent the county professionally and persuasively with external constituencies. I take the role extremely seriously. I take my work extremely seriously.”

    A spokesperson for the county on Thursday declined to respond to Byerman’s comments. In a weekly community newsletter, the county’s commissioners publicly acknowledged Byerman’s departure.

    “Mr. Byerman, whose lifetime career of public service includes impactful roles across the country, is a hard-working executive who focused on improving innovation and communication in county government,” they wrote. “We wish him well in his future endeavors.”

    Byerman said he had a “profound appreciation” for the commissioners and the county staff.

    Byerman was appointed to the role in 2024, as the commissioners restructured their administrative leadership structure. He was the first to take the title of “CEO” in the county, which came with increased responsibilities, including terminating employees, something previously left to the commissioners, he said.

    In his role, Byerman oversaw the county’s 2,600 employees and a roughly $730 million annual budget.

    He moved to the county from Kentucky, where he had served as the director of the state’s legislative research commission. He had previously worked as secretary of the Nevada Senate. But the county CEO job was a return to Pennsylvania for Byerman, who was the chairman of the Chester County Democratic Committee in the 1990s (a fact he said he disclosed to the commissioners during his interview, as his role was nonpartisan).

    Earlier this week, the commissioners announced to county staff that they had appointed a new county administrator, former deputy county administrator Erik Walschburger, to fill Byerman’s role. They rounded out the rest of a three-person leadership team by adding Chester County Prison warden Howard Holland as an acting deputy county administrator for operations to work alongside Megan Moser, whom the county hired last year.

    During his tenure, Byerman said, he improved internal communications and addressed policy concerns, including the establishment of a research partnership with Temple University to focus on housing within the county and the creation of a working group on immigration enforcement. The county has also spent months responding to a series of election errors, the most significant of which forced more than 12,000 voters to cast provisional ballots in the November election. Residents have said it rattled their trust.

    Byerman said he had previously been given “very good” and “excellent” performance reviews from the commissioners, and found it “surprising and disappointing that they opted to move directly to remove me because of this infraction.” He said it was the only reason he was given.

    “I think it’s especially important for public servants to demonstrate professionalism, accountability, and respect for the people we serve, and I always work to hit that standard,” he said. “I want the taxpayers who paid my salary to know that I worked my tail off for them, and I’m incredibly proud of the work that we did.”

    This suburban content is produced with support from the Leslie Miller and Richard Worley Foundation and The Lenfest Institute for Journalism. Editorial content is created independently of the project donors. Gifts to support The Inquirer’s high-impact journalism can be made at inquirer.com/donate. A list of Lenfest Institute donors can be found at lenfestinstitute.org/supporters.

  • Penn tuition, fees, and room and board will exceed $94,000 for 2026-27

    Penn tuition, fees, and room and board will exceed $94,000 for 2026-27

    The full cost to attend the University of Pennsylvania next school year will exceed $94,000 under a resolution approved by the school’s budget and finance committee Thursday.

    The 3.8% increase in overall costs for the 2026-27 academic year is slightly more than last year, when costs rose 3.7%, but slightly less than the year before that, which was a 3.9% increase. Overall, the tab will rise from $91,112 to $94,582 for 2026-27.

    The costs include tuition of $65,670, fees of $8,308, room charge of $13,644, and $6,960 for meals.

    Penn approves 3.7% hike in tuition, fees, and room and board, bringing cost to $91k

    “People ask me when are we going to break through the $100,000 barrier,” Trevor Lewis, vice president of budget and management analysis, told board members. “Probably in FY28 or 29.”

    Lewis said Penn also will increase its undergraduate financial-aid budget 3.8%, to $347 million. Penn guarantees full tuition scholarships for students from families with incomes of $200,000 or less with typical assets and covers full attendance costs for students from families earning $75,000 or less. Of the university’s approximate 10,000 students, 46% receive need-based aid.

    Tuition for graduate and professional students will be set by the individual schools, the university said.

  • Swarthmore’s borough manager has been terminated after just six months on the job

    Swarthmore’s borough manager has been terminated after just six months on the job

    Swarthmore Borough manager Sean Halbom has been terminated from the office after just six months, the latest in a string of short employment stints he has held in recent years.

    The borough council voted unanimously on the termination Monday, though Council President Jill Bennett Gaieski declined to give a reason for the decision in a phone call with The Inquirer.

    Halbom did not respond to phone or email messages left on Thursday.

    Halbom was placed on an administrative leave of absence on Feb. 17, first reported by the Swarthmorean.

    He began in the borough manager role in September after holding several roles in Montgomery County, including most recently in Upper Frederick Township, where he was township manager for less than a year, according to his LinkedIn profile. Halbom resigned from his position in Upper Frederick in June 2025.

    Prior to the job in Upper Frederick, Halbom was an interim human resources director in Bucks County for two months and township manager for Worcester Township for a year and a half. Halbom’s employment in Worcester Township was terminated by its board of supervisors in April 2024.

    He was also the director of veterans affairs for Montgomery County for six years, from 2012 to 2018, his LinkedIn profile shows.

    Halbom succeeded William Webb, who left the Swarthmore manager role in September to become an assistant county administrator in Isle of Wight County, Va.

    Halbom’s leave came around the same time as another personnel shake-up in the small borough. On Feb. 18, Scott Schumacher vacated his position as a longtime Swarthmore Public Library employee and children’s librarian.

    Swarthmore Public Library board president Elizabeth Brown said Schumacher’s departure was unrelated to Halbom’s termination.

    The Swarthmore council on Monday also named David Unkovic as interim borough manager. He “came highly recommended” by Upper Providence Township, where he previously served as interim township manager, Gaieski said.

    Before retiring as a practicing lawyer, Unkovic spent a decade at McNees Wallace & Nurick, a Harrisburg-based law firm with multiple offices, including in Radnor. He also briefly served as the state receiver for the City of Harrisburg in 2012.

    The Swarthmore council has already begun the search for a permanent borough manager, Gaieski said, and hopes one will be in place as early as June 1.

    The search will take “until we find the right person,” Gaieski added. “We have a really good interim in place. We will do what we need to do to find the right person.”

    This suburban content is produced with support from the Leslie Miller and Richard Worley Foundation and The Lenfest Institute for Journalism. Editorial content is created independently of the project donors. Gifts to support The Inquirer’s high-impact journalism can be made at inquirer.com/donate. A list of Lenfest Institute donors can be found at lenfestinstitute.org/supporters.

  • Woman hit in face by foul ball at Little League Classic field is suing MLB, Williamsport, and the Crosscutters

    Woman hit in face by foul ball at Little League Classic field is suing MLB, Williamsport, and the Crosscutters

    Every summer, Williamsport, Pa., becomes the epicenter of youth baseball as the Little League World Series hosts its annual tournament.

    And since 2017, Major League Baseball has brought in two teams to play an August regular-season game at Historic Bowman Field, giving Little Leaguers a chance to take in major league action just five miles from the Little League complex.

    But in addition to making memories for Little League ballplayers, the home of the Little League Classic has also been a hazard to fans, a new lawsuit says.

    Deborah Barbella, of Livingston, N.J., attended Bowman Field for a Penn College of Technology baseball game on May 2. She sat behind the first base dugout when a foul ball hit her in her face, breaking her jaw, nose, and eye socket, according to the complaint, which was filed Monday in the Lycoming County Court of Common Pleas.

    The suit accuses MLB, the Williamsport Crosscutters, and the city of Williamsport of carelessness and recklessness leading to the injury.

    MLB and the Crosscutters did not immediately return requests for comments regarding the lawsuit. Williamsport Mayor Derek Slaughter declined to comment on the lawsuit.

    The Crosscutters, one of six teams in the MLB Draft League, have used Bowman Field as their home stadium since 1994. The team was the class A short-season affiliate of the Phillies from 2007 until the MLB restructured its minor leagues in 2021.

    However, the injury at the center of the suit did not take place during a Crosscutters game. Barbella was struck by a foul ball during the second game of a United East Conference playoff doubleheader between Cairn University and Penn College, which used Bowman Field as its home stadium until 2026.

    Bowman Field, which opened in 1926, is owned by Williamsport and leased to MLB to host its Little League Classic games.

    Barbella was struck because Bowman Field did not comply with a 2022 dictate that all minor league baseball stadiums install protective netting that extends from foul pole to foul pole by opening day 2025, the suit says.

    The Seattle Mariners played the New York Mets in last year’s Little League Classic at Bowman Field.

    The netting at Bowman should have been extended even before to comply with major league rules because it hosts games between MLB teams, the suit says, such as the Little League Classic.

    But when Barbella attended a game at Bowman, the suit says, only those sitting behind home plate were covered by a netting canopy. The net in front of Barbella was lower and stopped at the end of the dugout.

    “Our goal is to achieve justice for a woman whose life was permanently altered by an allegedly foreseeable and preventable incident, and to hold the League and the stadium accountable for their delay,” John Morgan, founder of Morgan & Morgan law firm representing Barbella, said in a statement.

    Williamsport officials discussed the netting problem in a Feb. 13, 2025, city council meeting, according to the complaint. Council approved a contract with a construction company for the netting that day, saying the project needed to be done “very quickly,” but the work never started. The city reopened its bid for netting installation in March 2025 but couldn’t find a company that would agree to take on the project with opening day as a deadline, the suit says.

    The city decided to install a temporary netting system to allow more time for the permanent netting’s installation.

    “Despite being aware that the netting at Bowman Field needed to be changed prior to opening day in 2025, the Defendants failed to make any changes to the netting system at Bowman Field,” the suit says.

    With the exception of the 2020 season, the Little League Classic has brought a regular-season MLB game to Williamsport to open the final week of the Little League World Series since 2017. This year’s edition of the game will feature the Milwaukee Brewers and Atlanta Braves on Sunday, Aug. 23.

    The Phillies have played in two Little League Classic games. They lost, 8-2, to the Mets in the second annual Little League Classic in 2018 and lost, 4-3, to the Nationals in the game’s 2023 edition.

    When the Phillies took the field for the Classic in 2018, it was the first time the team had played at Bowman Field since it suffered a 5-1 loss to the club’s class A-affiliate, the Williamsport Grays, in an exhibition game on July 31, 1962.

  • Body found on Central Bucks West practice field, school officials say

    Body found on Central Bucks West practice field, school officials say

    A corpse was discovered on a Central Bucks West High School practice field on Wednesday night, school officials said.

    Police discovered the body on Pettine Field, near the edge of the Doylestown school’s campus, the officials said.

    Officials did not provide information about the identity, gender, or age of the deceased. Police did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

    A spokesperson for the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office said the office had not been assigned to investigate the death as of Thursday afternoon, and that it did not appear to be the result of foul play.

    The person who was found dead was homeless, the spokesperson said.

    Interim Superintendent Charles Malone and principal Lyndell Davis said in a joint statement that there was no threat to the safety of students or staff.

    The school campus is secure and police are investigating, their statement said.

  • Chester County man arrested for allegedly assaulting child in Walmart

    Chester County man arrested for allegedly assaulting child in Walmart

    A Chester County man has been charged with unlawful contact with a child at a Walmart store in West Sadsbury Township, police said this week.

    Joseph Gerard Bouffard, a 26-year-old Glenmoore resident, was charged this week with a felony for sexual contact with a minor, along with three lesser charges. The incident occurred in January, police said.

    A Pennsylvania State Police trooper wrote in a complaint that around 11 a.m. on Jan. 24, a mother called to report that a stranger had inappropriately touched her 11-year-old daughter in the Walmart.

    An attorney representing Bouffard did not immediately return a message seeking comment.

    The child told police that the man had touched her while she was in the beverage aisle of the store, grabbing a drink her mother had asked her to get. The child said that she had noticed Bouffard earlier when he smiled at her in another aisle. After he touched her, she immediately ran to her mother. Bouffard left immediately after, police said.

    Security footage showed that Bouffard allegedly passed the victim several times in the store, looking at her repeatedly and walking close to her, police wrote in the complaint. The footage also showed Bouffard touching the child, police said.

    Bouffard had left the store before police arrived, and officers identified him using law enforcement resources and surveillance. Last week, police interviewed Bouffard, who matched the description the girl gave as well as the security footage. When asked by police if he intentionally touched the girl, Bouffard “nodded in the affirmative and agreed,” according to the affidavit.

    Bouffard was arraigned on Wednesday, and was released on $25,000 unsecured bail ahead of a preliminary hearing scheduled for March 16.

    This suburban content is produced with support from the Leslie Miller and Richard Worley Foundation and The Lenfest Institute for Journalism. Editorial content is created independently of the project donors. Gifts to support The Inquirer’s high-impact journalism can be made at inquirer.com/donate. A list of Lenfest Institute donors can be found at lenfestinstitute.org/supporters.

  • Joseph E. McGettigan III, longtime trial lawyer and celebrated former prosecutor, has died at 76

    Joseph E. McGettigan III, longtime trial lawyer and celebrated former prosecutor, has died at 76

    Joseph E. McGettigan III, 76, of Media, longtime trial lawyer and legal consultant, former Philadelphia assistant district attorney, former Pennsylvania chief deputy attorney general, former Delaware County first assistant district attorney, former assistant U.S. attorney in Philadelphia, former Philadelphia first assistant district attorney, and former Pennsylvania senior deputy attorney general, died Thursday, Dec. 31, of lung inflammation at Lankenau Medical Center.

    Born in West Philadelphia and a graduate of Temple University, Mr. McGettigan was a legal expert in sexual assault and murder cases. He litigated in hundreds of trials over more than three decades as a prosecutor for city, county, state, and federal governments, and won notable convictions in the murder case against multimillionaire philanthropist John E. du Pont in 1997 and the child sexual abuse case against then-Pennsylvania State University assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky in 2012.

    He was, then-Delaware County District Attorney Patrick L. Meehan said in 1998, like “a fascinating character in a crime novel.”

    He worked for four Philadelphia district attorneys over two stints in City Hall and spent a year in Iraq in 2008 and 2009 as a U.S. government resident legal adviser working to reestablish a criminal justice system after the fall of Saddam Hussein. For most of the last decade, he worked for the Philadelphia law firm of McAndrews Mehalick Connolly Hulse & Ryan P. C. “He was a wonderful guy, a faithful citizen, and an incredible lawyer,” Dennis McAndrews, founder of the firm, said in an online tribute.

    The grandson of a Philadelphia police officer and son of a lawyer, Mr. McGettigan prosecuted one of the first sex-abuse cases involving a priest from the Archdiocese of Philadelphia in 1985 and oversaw a state Senate absentee-ballot scam case in 1993. “I’m not shocked by much of human depravity,” he said in a 2018 video interview with lifelong friend Dom Irrera. “I’ve seen a fair amount of it.”

    In an online tribute, Judge Jack Stollsteimer of Delaware County Court called Mr. McGettigan a “legendary prosecutor, a larger-than-life personality, and an avenging hero to crime victims across our Commonwealth.” He was a favorite of the City Hall crowd, and colleagues called him “a true public servant,” “a great guy with a wonderful heart,” and “an extraordinary presence in the courtroom.”

    Mr. McGettigan (foreground) is shown in this courtroom sketch during the Jerry Sandusky trial in 2012.

    Even those with whom he clashed praised Mr. McGettigan. Thomas A. Bergstrom, the Philadelphia lawyer who represented du Pont, said in 2011: “He’s a formidable adversary … very principled. If Joe doesn’t agree with you, he’ll let you know. If he’s going to hit you, it will be a punch in the nose, not a stab in the back.”

    Witty and naturally engaging, Mr. McGettigan interrupted his legal career after the du Pont case to work briefly in Hollywood as a legal content adviser for the short-lived TV series Philly. The show starred Kim Delaney as a tough defense attorney in Philadelphia, and Mr. McGettigan played a police detective, not a prosecutor, in a courtroom scene in one episode in 2002.

    He also worked briefly as a consultant and manager for a private security company in Virginia, was a legal analyst for TV talk shows, and mentored other lawyers. He graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in English literature from Temple and earned his law degree at the University of San Diego School of Law in 1982.

    Mr. McGettigan played basketball in high school, on Philly playgrounds, and later whenever he could. Longtime college basketball coach and lifelong friend Fran O’Hanlon called him “a great friend who would do anything for you.”

    His sister Mary said: “He was complex. He appeared often to be a hard-nose tough guy. But there was a soft side to him. He wanted to help people who were vulnerable.” His sister Patty said: “He left the world a better place.”

    Joseph Edward McGettigan III was born March 5, 1949. An altar boy at church, he grew up with six sisters and a brother, and he instigated many dinner-table debates with his siblings and parents about all kinds of subjects.

    “He kept us on our toes,” his sister Mary said. “He had a strong sense of justice, of doing the right thing.”

    Mr. McGettigan (second from right) liked nothing better than playing hoops with friends.

    He married Gay Warren, and they lived in Media and Naples, Fla. “Gay was Joe’s rock,” his sister Mary said. “He was devoted to her, and she to him.”

    Mr. McGettigan loved music, reading, and writing, and told Irrera in 2018 that his favorite authors were William Shakespeare and Joseph Conrad. He was fun and funny, his siblings said, a raconteur with a large personality.

    “Joe was an outlier in a family of bookish nerds,” his sister Jeanne said. “We followed his youthful adventures with great amusement and his later accomplishments with pride and respect. His generosity changed lives for the better.”

    Mr. McGettigan spent a year in Iraq helping local officials revive their justice system.

    One time, when they were young, his brother Michael tried to lie about losing Mr. McGettigan’s football. So Mr. McGettigan grilled him about the details and eventually extracted a confession.

    “I gave it all up,” Michael McGettigan said, “the first of many malefactors to find relief in telling the whole truth and nothing but to Joseph E. McGettigan III.”

    Survivors give advice about mourning their loved ones, as told to The Inquirer’s obit writer

    In addition to his wife and siblings, Mr. McGettigan is survived by his mother, Ruth, and other relatives. A sister died earlier.

    Mr. McGettigan (front right) always seemed to be surrounded by friends.

    Visitation with the family is to be from 10 to 10:45 a.m. Saturday, March 7, at St. Francis de Sales Church, 4625 Springfield Ave., Philadelphia, Pa. 19143. A Funeral Mass is to follow at 11 a.m.

    Donations in his name may be made to the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, 2361 Hylan Blvd., Staten Island, N.Y. 10306.

    “Everyone wanted to be Joe’s friend,” a colleague said in a tribute.