We heard closing arguments this morning and the jury has been charged with the task at hand. The photo is a street scene in front of the courthouse. I realized when I was cropping it that the people standing outside there are Pilotti and his familial supporters. But there is no expectation of privacy in a public space, is there?
Another long and emotional day in West Chester. A bunch of us sat in support with Mary Bock and later Mary and Bill Bock (they both had to be released by the court as they had both testified the previous day).
Of course while we were sitting in court, lovely people were leaving messages like this on the Justice For Argus & Fiona Facebook page:
We have been receiving messages like this since the whole Justice for Argus & Fiona thing began. Some of them have been quite vile. We have chosen not to make a big deal out of it. But this message was just one too many today. Mr. Pilotti testified in court today to angry phone calls he received, and we did not condone that behavior any more than this behavior exhibited above.
Today Mr. Pilotti testified. He wore a very 1970’s looking light tan colored suit and a mauve-tinged shirt and a very loud tie.
Also today we heard from West Vincent Police Chief Swininger. The Chief and the ADA presented into evidence the entirety of Gabe Pilotti’s interview at the West Vincent Police Department in February (February 21, 2013 at 12:46 pm I believe was when this took place.) The jury and all in the courtroom listened to this 55 minute interview.
Interesting things today occurred with reference to the shooting including wasn’t Mr. Pilotti afraid he might hit his sheep with buckshot spray? And later in the afternoon the Judge asked Mr. Pilotti why he chose buck shot over bird shot?
There was much discussion about a prior incident when Mr. Pilotti shot a pit bull (maybe two, I am not certain.) In that 2012 incident (May, I believe) the dogs had taken down his neighbor’s animals. Mr. Pilotti did not lose any animals in that incident although I think it was said one of his animals had puncture wounds. I believe they said his neighbor suffered a loss of a few animals and a few injured in that 2012 incident. Mr. Pilotti also seemed to admit under oath that Argus & Fiona had not harmed any of his animals. There was much discussion about the dogs, how they were shot, where he was standing, so on and so forth.
Mr. Pilotti held up o.k. under questioning by his own attorney, but a good lawyer always preps their client. They went through his personal history after a fashion and discussed that he had kept sheep since the 1970s and he considered himself a shepherd to his flock.
The shepherd thing came up a lot. Like a theme or something. I like sheep and goats. Cows and chickens too. But I know it takes a lot to be a farmer. Some people aren’t farmers, they are more hobbyists. It is obvious he loves his animals. But the Bock family loved theirs too, right?
Mr. Pilotti did not seem to hold up as well under cross by the Assistant District Attorney. At times, he almost seemed argumentative or maybe just defensive, I couldn’t tell.
A couple of times during his time on the stand there were admonishments from the judge to Mr. Pilotti and to his attorney. But fair is fair and those of us in the peanut gallery were told to pipe down at the end of the day too.
One witness that was called by the defense was that guy who had walked Bill Bock over to Mr. Pilotti’s the day of the shooting – Dallas Definbaugh. He is Mr. Pilotti’s across the street neighbor I guess.
Several other character witnesses were called before the defense rested – A Linda Reichert (neighbor of a neighbor), Steve Hobbs the Pastor of the Vincent Baptist Church, a Bill Malenke (neighbor), the husband of a niece (?), a very pleasant gentleman on a cane, and two church members Shirley and Quenton Craft. It was nice to hear them say nice things, but it doesn’t in my mind negate what happened. What happened was wrong in my opinion, and I am allowed to have that opinion.
Then the defense rested.
The jury was interesting to watch during the day. They paid close attention and even asked for an audio recording to be played back so they did not miss anything.
This is a case that I am not certain what will happen in the end. We can only hope for the right thing, and that no matter how nice a guy is to go to church with or live across the street from, shooting puppies is not right. But no matter what, the case was heard before a judge and jury and to me that is a victory.
One thing I kept hoping for today was that when Mr. Pilotti was on the stand part of me hoped he would have apologized to the Bocks for shooting the dogs, but I guess that is just wishful thinking and only something that would have happened on TV? (this would make an interesting episode of Law & Order, though)
Tomorrow everyone closes and then the jury is charged with their most important task: to decide guilt or innocence.
Closing arguments will resume at 9:30 in courtroom 8 on the 7th floor in West Chester.
And while we were in court more came out about the current state of affairs at the Chester County SPCA. So it is a double dog posting day. Stay tuned.
Cabinet makers, custom furniture builders, and artisan wood workers are a dying breed. It takes real artistic talent combined with years of work. Some people call themselves cabinet makers and so on, but they really aren’t. Seriously, it is an art form.
I love custom woodwork and cabinetry. It’s luscious and beautiful. 
I do not often promote businesses and if I do I must have personal experience with them. I am going to introduce you to one.
Sherman & Gosweiler Fine Cabinetry and Woodworking. They have been in business since 1976 and I LOVE their work! If you can dream it, Dick Gosweiler can build it. Whether it is an urban space like a chic Manhattan apartment or townhouse; a penthouse on Rittenhouse Square; a second home in Bay Head or the Hamptons; or even a simple 
farmhouse in Chester County this is who you want.
In addition to making your dreams for your home come to life this company also can 
do period reproductions. One of my particular favorites are the mantelpieces and mantelpiece surrounds they have done over the years. I mean don’t you just hate to see people put gobs of money into either a new house or an extensive renovation only to cheap out on a stock mantelpiece and/or mantelpiece surround for a den or living room or great room?
On my wish list for my home someday I would love one of their mantelpieces.
Anyway, just was thinking about house stuff and thought I would throw this up here.
Sherman & Gosweiler have a website and a Facebook fan page. If you need their services they can be reached at (610) 270-0825. They are located at 401 East 4th Street in Bridgeport – that is their physical shop, but they travel pretty much anywhere for installations and whatnot.
What they say about themselves is as follows and utterly true:
Since our inception in 1976 we have always had the same philosophy: To craft beautiful and functional cabinetry delivered on budget and on time. We are committed to making the entire experience easy and pleasurable for our clients. From creating a great design to a trouble-free installation, we are available to answer your questions and coordinate with other tradespeople on the job. Let us show you why scores of interior designers, architects, builders and hundreds of homeowners have put their trust in us.
photo courtesy of garage sale chic chester county
Have you been? What are you waiting for? There is always something fun to be found! Here is their announcement from Facebook and be mindful of their hours:
Open tomorrow, Saturday 4/6 @ 8am – 1410 Grove Ave, West Chester, PA along with large neighborhood sale going on at same time!!
There are always accidents on Route 352 (North Chester Road). One of the most accident prone spots is where Forrest Lane meets Route 352 (North Chester). There was another one of those accidents this afternoon around 5 p.m.
Route 352 (North Chester Road) is a PENNDot Road. I don’t know what can be done, but it might help if people slowed down and paid attention
Outside District Court in Pottstown 3.27.13. Photo credit AFD
All the confusion over whether or not Gabe Pilotti would go to court in Pottstown and when is over. He did. And NBC10 Philadelphia, The Daily Local, The Pottstown Mercury, and others were there. Many thanks to all of them for caring enough to cover. (Links to media coverage will be posted when available). Thanks to Tom Hickey from Dog PAC for being there too.
NBC10 Philadelphia: Owner of Murdered Dogs Still Waiting for Apology From Alleged Killer
There were also lots and lots of police. Apparently they were there due to death threats received by Pilotti. As an aside, no matter what he has done, that kind of eye for an eye vigilante justice has no place in civilized society. That behavior is not condoned, and the Bocks are quite clear in their desire for the courts to be able to do their job and for laws being able to be created and changed to protect PA dogs. Vigilantism like that makes him the victim, when he is the one who shot defenseless puppies so why do that stuff?
SOUTH COVENTRY — A 72-year-old man who shot and killed a neighbor’s two family dogs in February appeared in district court Wednesday as about 15 police officers stood guard outside.
Gabriel Pilotti, of the Chester Springs section of West Vincent Township, waived a preliminary hearing on charges of animal cruelty and recklessly endangering another person…Pilotti, who appeared in court with his attorney Thomas H. Ramsay of West Chester, did not speak as Magisterial District Judge James V. DeAngelo quickly moved through the procedures of waiving the preliminary hearing….About 15 law enforcement officers from various county and state agencies stood guard in and outside…
What no one seems to know is if Gabe Pilotti’s guns were confiscated pending outcome of case? Shouldn’t they be? (owning guns is a responsibility and did he behave responsibly?) Also interesting to note that no one from district attorney’s office was present. Don’t misunderstand me, they don’t have to be present at this stage but given the public outcry over this it seems they might have made an appearance.
So we all are on the same page, these are the charges at this point:
Now this will head to county court at some point in West Chester. As per the docket (which is sort of updated) next up is a visit to Chester County Court in West Chester for a formal arraignment (if Pilotti and attorney don’t waive it ):
Now I wonder if we can get the media to go to a hearing at Judge Cabry’s in Honeybrook next week on April 2nd for a little civil manner involving a horse rescue gal who isn’t always civil? Will this hearing mean more problems for the owner of Off The Track Thoroughbred Rescue?
And as a wee post script, Mary Bock had this to say with regard to the “apology” that Pilotti’s attorney referred to on NBC10:
….As soon as I got home I asked the DA’s office if such a letter came to them, they said they have seen no such letter.
I don’t want people to think I am a cranky restaurant reviewer, so I thought I would tell you about where we went Friday night for dinner. It was to sum it up in one word: favoloso!
Favoloso is fabulous in Italian.
I am half Italian and from a family of amazing cooks so I am more than a bit of a snob when it comes to Italian food. Even pizza.
I have longed for a place that had true high-end trattoria Italian specialties. I am sick of places that lob slabs of lasagna or overly doughy and otherwise tasteless salty pizza on a plate enough to feed and army and say “that’s Italian.” You know how people used to rave about Totaro’s in Conshohocken, PA? Or if you were ever in NYC in the late 80s or early 90s, Trattoria Foffe on Montague Street in Brooklyn Heights, NY? This place puts the memory of those places to shame, and they have a decent wine list of some interesting Italian wines.
So on Friday evening, my sweet man took me to a place I have literally driven by for years, but had never gone into. We went to Fiorello’s Cafe on Gay Street in West Chester.
The food was fabulous. And fresh. And authentic. None of that half-baked garbage places like Fellini Cafe in Ardmore pass off as Italian trattoria food. The real deal served in a clean restaurant with knowledgable and pleasant wait staff.
We had a lovely waitress and another woman, probably more of a bus person who waited on us. They were cheerful and so nice. One of them brought me a rose at the end of dinner because they were celebrating International Woman’s Day which has been around since the early 20th century but largely ignored here in the United States.
The salads were fresh and crisp and served with an actual and real balsamic vinagarette. Not that overly sweet and gloppy emulsified goop that a lot of places serve, but a fresh dressing made with good olive oil and an an obviously good grade of balsamic.
For dinner I ordered the pasta with a sauce of tomatoes and white wine and calamari. The sauce was light a flavorful and neither weighed down nor overpowered the dish. And the calamari was perfect. Too many places it is served not only when it is not particularly fresh, but it is cooked to death and rubbery. Not Fiorello’s calamari. It was sautéed to perfection. And they even had no problem with adding a dash of capers for me.
My sweet man had another seafood pasta with bay scallops and shrimp. I can’t eat scallops but he said it was delicious.
For dessert I was torn between Nonna’s cake and cannoli. I ended up with the cannoli. One perfect cannoli all homemade. And it had the real cannoli cream that is slightly fluid and not all bound up with extra sugar and gelatin that some places serve. And it was lighter than most cannoli.
They also had real espresso. Not Nespresso which many restaurants now pass off as true espresso – don’t get me wrong I have and enjoy a Nespresso machine but that is for everyday coffee. I love coffee and this espresso was the perfect blend of rich and dark.
I intend to make Fiorello’s more of a habit. And oh yes in true Eurpopean Cafe style they had a delightful man singing Italian and other love songs while we all ate. He was so sweet and the joy of sharing his music with us showed on his face.
The one drawback with Fiorello’s is it is a bit noisy. And it feels even closer than the tables in Cucina di Pesce in New York City in the East Village.
They could rectify the noise if they chose by maybe changing out the ceiling for some sound absorbing tiles, or exploring something similar for some of the walls. They could also do that by taking a few tables out of the restaurant.
They pack them in due to consistant popularity and good food, so I know that is the thought process behind the arrangement and placement of tables, but I think they might benefit by cleaning up their interior space with a simpler look and fewer tables. But by cleaning up I mean interior design – making the walls look less busy because this place is so clean it is amazing.
Anyway, the food is so truly good that it is worth going again and again.
So if you haven’t been there, or haven’t been there in a while, go. We walked in without a reservation, so I do not know their reservation policy but would ask. I have also heard they are delightful for lunch.
Fiorello’s has a Facebook page and a website. I hope you check it out.
Fiorello’s Cafe:
730 E. Gay St.
West Chester, PA 19380
610-430-8941
“The Scoop on Breasts”? REALLY?
Sorry, this is one of those things that drives me batty: the fact that so many people seem to feel that the only way a woman is sexy is if she supersizes her bust line and does other plastic surgery augmentation. If not that Botox beauty. Or Juviderm to go.
You name it, a woman isn’t beautiful unless she has been sliced and diced and maybe had a glycolic peel or three.
I am a breast cancer survivor who had a partial mastectomy. I am a little lopsided now but so what? That bit of lopsided means I am alive to write this post. I am also a woman who decided to forgo hair coloring and am graying here and there and you know what? Less chemicals is beautiful. I think I am relieved to not have to spend the next however many years worrying about unnecessary chemicals and wondering if hair color makes me look fake.
I am not a bra burner by any stretch of the imagination but to infer (either directly or indirectly) that women are only beautiful if they consider boob jobs is just wrong. And ask your doctor how they have to manipulate breast implants for mammograms some time.
I have no problem with oh so pretty lingerie or a real bra fitting – that is a very valuable service. But a book signing which is in my opinion just existing to sell more boob jobs? How does that help a woman’s self body image to send the not so subtle message she needs a boob job to be beautiful?
Ladies, you want to celebrate your sexy? Be self-confident in who you are and revel in it. Be yourself.
In May, 2012 when I first wrote about the touchy feely swim coach in the West Chester Area School District I took some heat in the comments for being harsh.
Well I hate to say I told you so, but I was right and former West Chester Rustin High School swimming coach Kenneth Fuller has pled guilty in Common Pleas Court.
God help his poor family. Through no fault of their own they get to live this every day with him.
I have said it once, I will say it again, I am sick of predatory authority figures whether teacher or clergy or anyone else. And these school districts need to pay better heed to issues teachers are having. Take for example the teacher booted from Conestoga High School around Christmas for being blotto drunk on the job. That stuff doesn’t happen overnight.
I have to say sometimes I tire of all the whining you hear regarding contracts, pay, and benefits from teachers when their school district contracts are up for renewal. I think that people might be more amenable at times to them getting a little more here and there if they took their moral obligation to our children more seriously. That includes those who work with someone that they know is doing wrong by kids.
Teaching is an honorable profession, but teachers/coaches like this guy Kenneth Fuller are without honor. Sorry, but I find taking advantage of kids despicable. And to put his family through this is despicable too. And selfish. Hope he gets help in the clink.
Published: Thursday, January 17, 2013
By MICHAEL P. RELLAHAN
mrellahan@journalregister.com
WEST CHESTER – The former West Chester Rustin High School swimming coach pleaded guilty Wednesday to engaging in an inappropriate sexual relationship with one of his female team members.
Kenneth Fuller stood before Common Pleas Court Judge David Bortner and admitted that he had taken the girl, then 17 years old, to a hotel and an area park in the spring of 2012 and had sex with her after supplying her with alcohol.
He also admitted that he had helped fake a doctor’s letter for her that would excuse her from missing class when the two had one of their trysts. Finally, he acknowledged that after his arrest in May, he had continued to contact the girl about his case – although there is a disagreement about what exactly he said and why.
Fuller, dressed in a blue business suit, striped dress shirt and tie, said little during the 30-minute hearing in Bortner’s courtroom besides saying he understood the rights he was giving up in entering his guilty plea, and understood the charges against him. He was accompanied by family members and his attorney, Vincent DiFabio of Paoli….Fuller, 48, of East Goshen, pleaded guilty to a felony charge of endangering the welfare of children, which carries with it a possible maximum sentence of 3½ to seven years in prison, and a standard recommended sentence of between three months and one year in jail.
