Donation jars for family of slain officer are stolen

**Illiy** · 12-12-07, 10:06 AM

Tuesday, December 11, 2007Donation jars for family of slain officer are stolenPHILADELPHIA (AP) - Police are looking for two men who stole donation jars for the family of slain Philadelphia police Officer Chuck Cassidy.

One jar was taken from the Dunkin’ Donuts shop where Cassidy was shot when he walked in on a robbery in progress on Oct. 31. Cassidy died in a hospital the next day.

Police say recent security video shows a man crawling through the drive-up window of the store.

Authorities say the jar contained about $30 in cash.

On Sunday morning, another man, accompanied by a female, walked into a Wawa convenience store in Northeast Philadelphia and grabbed a donation jar from the counter.

Twenty-one year-old John Lewis, who was captured days in Florida in November, is charged with Cassidy’s murder and a handful of armed robberies

**Illiy** · 12-12-07, 10:11 AM

PHILADELPHIA -- The accused killer of Officer Chuck Cassidy remains in a Florida jail awaiting extradition back to Philadelphia, and he's now being kept under a suicide watch.

Video: Suspect On Suicide Watch

Cassidy was shot in the head last week when he walked into a holdup during a routine check at a Dunkin Donuts in the West Oak Lane section of the city.Lewis fled town on a bus heading south and was captured early Tuesday morning. Authorities said they found the 21-year-old clutching a Bible and praying with 100 others in a homeless shelter's chapel.The arrest ended a massive manhunt.Lewis waived his extradition hearing Wednesda, deciding not to fight his movement back to Philadelphia to face homicide charges.On Tuesday night in front of television cameras, Lewis was asked by NBC 10's Harri Hairston if he confessed to killing Cassidy, and he softly answered, "Yes," adding that he was remorseful.The 21-year-old is expected to return to the area on Friday.Events Raise Funds For Late Officer's Family
Local businesses are doing their part to raise money for the Cassidy family.The East Gate Car Wash in Maple Shade is donating $1 from every car wash to the Charles Cassidy Family Memorial Trust Fund.There is also a collection jar inside that is filling up.Geno's Steaks will be sponsoring "Cheesesteaks for Chuck" on Friday night. The benefit will be held at 9th and Passyunk Avebues from 9 p.m. to midnight, and it will include a live broadcast by 1210-AM Radio's Dom Giordano.Proceeds from the event will be donated to Cassidy's family.And fundreds of people attended an event Wednesday night at the bar Finnegan's benefitting a fund for the families of fallen police officers.Police Release Photo Of Charged Cousin

Police said earlier this week that Lewis' cousin, Hakeem Glover, was being charged for allegedly helping Lewis escape the area.On Thursday, police released a photograph of Glover, who faces counts of aiding and abetting and obstruction.He's accused of taking Lewis to the Wilmington bus station, where he got on a Greyhound bus and fled to Miami.Dunkin' Donuts Reopens Almost 8 Days After Shooting

The Dunkin' Donuts where Cassidy was shot reopened early Thursday morning.The reopening occurred at 4 a.m. almost eight days after the 25-year police veteran was shot in the head during the robbery.Eventually. the memorial of stuffed animals and notes of sympathy will disappear outside the store. But after Wednesday's enormous turnout at Cassidy's funeral, many said it's pretty clear the city will never forget the fallen officer.Officer Buried With Full Honors

The 54-year-old veteran police officer was accompanied on his final journey by thousands of mourners, including family, friends and fellow officers from near and far who turned the streets outside the Cathedral Basilica into a sea of blue.Even people who never knew Cassidy showed up to honor him.The public knew him only as a police officer, long-serving and loyal, who was in the wrong place at the wrong time and paid for it with his life.But, as pictures provided by his family attest, Cassidy was more than a cop -- he was a husband, a father, a brother, an uncle, a friend. And as his brother-in-law reminded everyone during the service, he was a funny, unassuming guy that many could relate to.Family Photos: Cassidy's Life"Chuck was a gentle man with a perfect heart," Tony Conti said.He described the officer as someone who wasn't fashion-savvy and who did not give up the remote control easily. Cassidy was a walking encyclopedia who grew up in the city, played high school football and initially wanted to be a firefighter like his father, Conti said.In the end, he became a police officer in the district where he grew up and married his longtime girlfriend.Cassidy's children -- Katie, Colby and John -- did not speak at the service but wrote of their love for their father in the program.To his three children, Cassidy was the man who made them laugh, the dad who woke them up in the morning by saying, "Feet on floor" and "It ain't noon yet."They remembered him for being the only one who could get away with teasing their mother when she was in a bad mood; for watching the same movies again and again in his favorite chair; and for watching them compete in softball, basketball, soccer, football, swimming, track and lacrosse."We especially enjoyed the 'critique' that followed in the car ride home," they wrote. Video: Accused Police Killer Appears In Court
Suspect Talks: Images | Video
Video: Former Philly Top Cop Discusses Arrest
Video: Suspect's Uncle Speaks Out On Arrest
Video: Suspect In Officer's Killing Arrested
Download: Arrest Warrant
Slideshow: Hunt For John Lewis
Surveillance: Video | Highlighted Video | Images
Slideshow: Timeline Of Recent Officers Shot
Janicki spoke of meeting Cassidy's fellow officers in the 35th District. He recalled how they joked about the officer's quirks, but praised him for his dedication and role as a mentor. Cassidy served on the force for 25 years.Full Texts: Homily | Cardinal's Message
"They couldn't stop talking about how much they admired Chuck," Janicki said.

Rev. Carl Janicki, President of Cardinal Dougherty High School -- where Cassidy and his wife attended -- delivered a homily that let the more than 1,500 people in the chapel and the thousands outside get to know the officer.For nearly five hours before the Mass, members of the public and hundreds of police officers from around the region came to the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul to pay their respects. Inside, they filed past Cassidy's closed bronze-colored casket -- inscribed with his name, a Philadelphia Police Department shield and his badge number -- and watched a slideshow of his life at TVs placed throughout the sanctuary.Cassidy was buried at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Cheltenham.
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