iradiophilly | News - Meek Mill Appeals in Superior Court; Woman Assaulted in Jefferson; Lifeguard Attacked in Mayfair

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Meek Mill Appeals in Superior Court; Woman Assaulted in Jefferson; Lifeguard Attacked in Mayfair

by: iradioal - Philadelphia, PA
started: 07/19/19 1:49 am | updated: 07/19/19 1:49 am

32-year-old Philadelphia rapper Meek Mill, aka Robert Rihmeek Williams, appeared before Pennsylvania State Superior Court on Tuesday, 7/16, to petition the appeals court to overturn his 2008 drug and gun conviction under the Post Conviction Relief Act. His attorneys argued before the three-judge panel that his original conviction over 10 years ago should be thrown out because of credibility issues with the arresting officer and sole witness in the case. It was discovered that Philadelphia Police Officer Reginald Graham's name was on a list of officers not to be called to testify at trial, created by former Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams' office. Graham was accused of taking money from a drug bust and then lying about it in an FBI investigation. He has since retired from the force. The prosecution conceded the credibility of Graham, saying they would not recall him as a witness if a retrial was granted. Graham testified at the 2008 trial that Mill pointed a gun at him while he was arresting the then 19-year-old in front of his southwest Philadelphia home. Mill has said that he did have a gun, but that did not point it at police, which would have aggravated the charges. He was found guilty in a non-jury trial. Tuesday's proceedings focused on the PRCA petition and stayed away from Mill's contentious supervision under Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas Judge Genece Brinkley, who presided over his original trial and his lengthy probation/parole. If a new trial is granted, that would also void his controversial 2017 conviction for probation violations. Mill has become an activist for criminal justice reform. The Superior Court Judge Jack Panella, Judge Judith Olson and Judge Kate Ford-Elliott.

A woman claims to have been sexually assaulted in a Philadelphia hospital in two different rooms by a hospital worker after she went through a lengthy surgery earlier this year. 28-year-old Rose Tummarello of Bristol, Bucks County, says that the incidents happened on January 29th following a nine-hour surgery. "I thought I was in the safest place, you're in a hospital, you think you're in such a safe place and nothing will happen," Tummarello told 6ABC. She is pressing charges against 41-year-old Rafael Alicea, whose job it was to trasport Tummarello from the surgery room to a recovery room. "The transportation guy came in. He shut all the curtains and decided to take the sheet off of me. Told me he had to fix the heart monitor that I did not have on. And he was groping me and just like kissing on my neck, and then finally he decided, 'Okay let's go to your room,'" said Tummarello. Once in the recovery room, she said he did it again. She was still slightly sedated but was able to muster up enough strength to call to her parents who were outside the room. "As they were like coming in, he was whispering in my ear, 'Just wait till they leave and we can have more fun,'" recalled Tummarello. Alicea has been let go from his position. He had worked at the hospital for a decade and denies the charges. Jefferson says, "We strongly encourage anyone to contact Campus Security at 215-955-8888 or 215-955-5678 to report an incident of sexual violence."

Philadelphia Police are investigated after a teenage lifeguard and a man were attacked at a pool in the Mayfair section of Northeast Philly on Monday, 7/14. It happened around 7:15 p.m. at the Vogt Recreation Center pool on the 4100 block of Unruh Street. The incident was captured on surveillance video. The 19-year-old female lifeguard was talking to the mother of a child who was suspended from the pool earlier that day for using foul language. While they were talking, more family members came to the pool and an altercation ensued. The life guard was sucker-punched in the face by a woman. That woman then ran off. A 45-year-old man came to the aid of the lifeguard and ended up getting punched and kicked by a separate groups of teens. The guard was back on duty on Tuesday and officers were posted at the pool until close. Police continue to investigate.

UPDATE: The 45-year-old man the lifeguard's father. He was attacked by 17 boys and girls ages 12-18. Police are looking for the juveniles.