Halloween Website

By MICHAEL P. RELLAHAN, Staff Writer

WEST CHESTER — A Common Pleas Court judge sentenced a Willistown man to prison Thursday for disrupting a group of Halloween trick-or-treaters, rejecting the man’s request for a reduced sentence.

President Judge James P. MacElree II ordered Randall P. Winslow III to serve one to 12 months in Chester County Prison on the charge of simple assault, stemming from the incident that took place in his Paoli neighborhood the evening of Oct. 31. A jury found him guilty of scuffling with the father of one of the young costumed creatures out that night.

MacElree also sentenced Winslow, 61, a local caretaker, to an additional five days to six months in county prison for driving under the influence that night. The prosecutor in the case, Assistant District Attorney Mark Conte, had urged MacElree not to approve Winslow’s acceptance into the county’s Intermediate Punishment (IP) program, which would have permitted a lesser jail sentence.

“What Mr. Winslow did that night was nothing short of outrageous,” Conte said in court during Winslow’s sentencing hearing. “The commonwealth does not believe that he should be given the benefit” of the lesser sentence.

Both sentences are within the standard state sentencing guidelines for simple assault and DUI.

Defense attorney Joseph P. Green Jr., representing Winslow, told MacElree that his client had been approved by the county Adult Probation Department for admittance into the IP program, and that he had started treatment to control his drinking.

Winslow apologized for the incident, which parents of some of the trick-or-treaters said had caused a great deal of trauma.

“I am profoundly sorry at how the evening unfolded, and that the children were a part of it,” he said.

Winslow acknowledged, however, that he planned to appeal the DUI conviction, and MacElree allowed him to remain free on bail pending the filing of an appeal within 30 days — as is permitted by law.

According to court records and testimony at Winslow’s trial in April, the incident occurred about 7:45 p.m. Halloween evening on Beryl Road in a residential neighborhood in Willistown south of Route 30 near the Paoli Hospital.

The trick-or-treaters and their fathers were walking along the road, which has no sidewalks, when a car driven by Winslow sped up to them, skidding to a stop on the wet pavement. The parents said Winslow stopped to let them get out of the way but then revved his engine as he started away, at which time one of the parents shined a flashlight into his rear window as he left.

He stopped a short distance away, got out of the car, and approached the group in what Conte described as “a drunken rage.” He singled out Joseph Sullivan, who had shone the flashlight, and attacked him, swinging his fists and eventually falling with Sullivan to the ground in a heap as other men rushed to stop the ruckus.

Conte said that Sullivan’s young son was clinging to his father’s leg as the melee unfolded.

Winslow claimed at his trial that he had been jumped by a pack of the fathers, who knocked him on the head from behind. He said he was angered because the light from the powerful flashlight aggravated an eye condition he suffers from.

After the scuffle, Winslow drove away. Police responded later to his home and said he appeared intoxicated. He was charged with DUI, simple assault and disorderly conduct. The jury that heard his case acquitted him on a second count of simple assault.

Conte asked MacElree to take into account the testimony of parents of the children and residents of the neighborhood who said that Winslow continues to harass them and make life miserable.

“Now, our neighborhood has a black cloud smack dab in the middle of it, and that is Mr. Winslow,” said Chris Caniglia at an earlier hearing. “The world of ‘lollipops and rainbows’ that we tried to preserve for our children is no longer there.”

Caniglia attended Thursday’s hearing with two other fathers who were present the night of the incident, Mike Muscella and Frank Toner. None spoke at the hearing, and declined comment afterward.

To contact staff writer Michael P. Rellahan, send an e-mail to mrellahan@dailylocal.com.

The Rushmore Safe Halloween Carnival Committee will meet at 6 p.m. Tuesday in the Rushmore Room of the VFW at 420 Main St.

The meeting will help plan for the Rushmore Safe Halloween Carnival – formerly known as the City Wide Safe Halloween Carnival – which will be from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Oct. 31 in the Civic Center. The carnival provides safe treats, games, prizes, a cakewalk, a dunking for apples and a haunted house.

The event attracts 15,000 to 18,000 children.

Committee participation is open to any interested persons in the community. Meetings are held monthly, until October, when they are held weekly.

The committee also welcomes donations to help defray the cost of the event.

For more information, call Sandi Moss at 341-0442 or go to citywidesafehalloween.com.

The Rushmore Safe Halloween Carnival Committee will hold a meeting on Tuesday, August 3 at 6 p.m. in the Rushmore Room of the VFW at 420 Main Street.

The committee’s meetings are held to plan for the Rushmore Safe Halloween Carnival – formerly known as the City Wide Safe Halloween Carnival – which is held from 5 to 8 p.m. in the Civic Center on Halloween Night. The carnival provides safe treats, games, prizes, a cake walk, an apple dunk and a haunted house. The carnival typically attracts 15,000 to 18,000 children.

Committee participation is open to anyone in the community with an interest in being a part of this year’s festival. Hour-long meetings are typically held monthly, until October, when they become a weekly event. The committee also welcomes donations to help defray the cost of the Halloween Carnival. For further information, call Sandi Moss at 341-0442 or visit citywidesafehalloween.com.

How much do you love Halloween Horror Nights? Universal Orlando has posted more prices for ticket offers for the 24-night, separate event, but they are for the extremely devoted fans — or for folks with extreme hatred for standing in line.

According to the HHN site (www.halloweenhorrornights.com/orlando), a Frequent Fear Pass with Express Access runs $154.98. That tickets gains entry on 14 select nights, complete with front-of-line rights to the haunted houses and designated park attractions.  Fine print: It’s front-of-line one time per attraction per evening.

But wait, there’s more. A Frequent Fear Plus Pass  With Express Access (say that three times fast) goes for $239.98. The difference is that the Plus Pass adds all the Fridays in October to the deal for a total of 19 select nights.

Universal annual passholders can knock $15 off those prices.

HHN tickets are on sale at the website, the theme parks’ front gate box offices or by calling 800-644-4679.

Although trick-or-treating and dressing up in costumes may be tons of fun for your little ones, Halloween can be downright spooky for your four-legged loved ones.

However, with a little added insight you can take action to make sure that this is not a time of year for you and your pet to fear.

By the very nature of Halloween – with its loud noises, unfamiliar costumes and abundance of easily accessible candy – it will never be the best time for any pet.

There are, however, ways to make the entire experience less stressful for pets and pet owners alike.

I have compiled some of the more common Halloween-related concerns, along with suggestions on how to make the situation less frightening for your cat or dog.

For this article, I have focused on two main issues:

LOUD NOISES

The loud noises resulting from firecrackers and even the shouting of trick-or-treaters can be frightening to your pet.

So, even if your pet is not a house cat or dog, keep them indoors. In addition to providing them with the comfort of being with you, keeping them in your home will ensure that they do not runoff, should they get spooked.

Once inside, it’s also best to keep the family pet confined to a separate room.

The frequent opening of the door and the distraction in dealing with trick-or-treaters can create an opportunity for cats (or small dogs) to escape onto the street.

Plus, for high strung, easily excitable dogs, keeping them in a separate room will also avoid the potential for them to lunge or nip at (masked) strangers or run out into the street.

You might even consider picking-up homeopathic tinctures to help calm your animal. They can be purchased from most pet food retailers.

To be on the safe side, you should ensure that all pets are wearing current identification – just in case they manage to make a break from the safe haven of your home.

DANGEROUS FOOD

Candy, especially chocolate, is toxic for animals!

It can cause vomiting, restlessness, heart disturbances, and even lead to death.

So, with all the candy that will soon be in your home, you would be well advised to ensure that it is kept well out of your pet’s reach.

And be sure to also teach your youngsters not to share any of their Halloween treats with your pets.

But it’s not simply the candy that’s a problem; the wrappers can also be a grave threat.

Wrappers, including tin foil, can get stuck in your pet’s digestive tract. So think twice when disposing of the candy wrappers.

Oh, and on a closing note, I would suggest not dressing your dog in a costume unless you know he/she is quite comfortable with it. It can create a tremendous amount of stress on the animal.

Here’s wishing you and your pet a safe and happy Halloween.

- Brenda Kozub is one of the owners at Tisol Pet Nutrition and Supply Stores.

She invites you to forward any questions you may have to Brenda@tisol.ca.

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