Sp ke
Snowboarders and skiers hit the slopes
Love Connections are here
See p. 20
See p. 14
THE
CONESTOGA HIGH SCHOOL, BERWYN, PA
VOLUME 62 NO. 4
FEBRUARY 14, 2012
STOGANEWS.COM
Community unites to support crime victim After a local grocer was attacked, his fellow business owners and other local cizitens came together in an effort to help him recover. Lavi Ben-Dor & K.C. McConnell Convergence Editor & News Editor
A brutal crime
1988 Conestoga graduate Mark Morroney, the general manager at Yang’s Farmers Market in Berwyn and a close personal friend of its owner, remembers the night of Jan. 18 as being particularly chilly. Yong Yang, who has owned the market for 23 years, had parked his truck next to the front door and was closing up for the night at around 6:30 p.m. Morroney said he warmed up his car in the parking lot and then drove away, leaving Yang to lock the front door—something completely routine. What happened next, however, was completely unexpected. At first, “Mr. Yang thought it was a joke,” Morroney said. “He was approached by the two when he was already in his van. It was shut. They actually opened the door and pulled him out of the van.” Yang recognized one of his attackers as he came toward the truck. “I said, ‘I know you, get out of here, go home. Please!’” Yang said. But that night, the two teenagers went on to violently attack and rob Yang.
The police arrived at Yang’s Farmers Market shortly after he called them at around 6:57 p.m. Yang reported that he had been approached by two young men while he was sitting in his van. One of them reportedly got into the van, started waving a knife and then punched Yang in the face, breaking his glasses. The robbers stole Yang’s wallet, including $540. Yang’s left eye was badly injured during the attack, though he refused treatment at the scene. He later went to the hospital and had surgery on his surgery on his left eye. Easttown Police Lieutenant Scott Albee used videotape from a security camera in the parking garage attached to Yang’s building to identify suspects18-year-old Octavio Sandoval and 17-year-old Sean Mitten, who is being tried as an adult. With Morroney’s help, Yang was able to recognize Sandoval as one of the robbers, since he had worked at Yang’s Farmers Market for about a week in the spring of 2011. Sandoval used to be a Conestoga student, but has since transferred to another school. See YANG ROBBERY, p. 4
Yong Yang, owner of Yang’s Market in Berywn, was robbed by two teens as he was closing the shop on Jan. 18. Two suspects, Octavio Sandaval, 18, and Sean Mitten, 17, were arrested and charged with the crime. A date for the trial has yet to be determined.
Junior Cheryl Liu is co-president of the Sweet Swap club. The club held a joint bake sale with T/E Kids Care to benefit Yang.
Sweet Jazmine’s bakery in Berwyn solicited donations from customers to assist Yang. They also made a card for people to sign.
Kim Cuthbert, the owner of Sweet Jazmine’s and a 1988 ’Stoga alum, is among several local business owners supporting Yang.
Photos Lavi Ben-Dor and Luke Rafferty/The SPOKE
Yang’s Farmers Market, located in Berwyn, was the site of the Jan. 18 robbery. Yang has owned this location for the last 23 years.