🚨 Exonerated Man Returns to Prison | 🚨 Former City Official Accused of Attack | ☕️ Coffee Enthusiast Meet-up

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In Today’s Edition of Downingtown Local Pulse

☀️ Downingtown PA Weather

🚨 An Exonerated Kennett Square Man Returns to Prison

🚨 Former Official Accused of Attacking Woman

💧 Local Grant to Fight Watershed Pollution

☕️ Twin Valley Coffee Hosts Industry Meet-Up

🏡 Upcoming Real Estate Listings

📆 Upcoming Local Events

🔎 Local Business Finder

Once Exonerated, Now Convicted: A Kennett Square Man’s Return to Prison

PHILADELPHIA, PA — Shaurn Thomas’s story once represented vindication: he spent 24 years behind bars for a killing before his conviction was overturned and he received $4.1 million in compensation for his wrongful imprisonment. He moved to a comfortable Kennett Square community, attempting to begin anew. Yet Thomas’s post-exoneration life proved turbulent. He endured threats from a neighbor charged with terroristic conduct, reflecting the difficulties of forging a stable existence after years of confinement.

In December, Thomas pleaded guilty to third-degree murder, conspiracy, and illegal gun possession in a 2023 killing that authorities say stemmed from a dispute over a relatively small drug debt. Rather than living out a long-anticipated freedom, Thomas now faces the possibility of returning to a prison cell. His sentencing is set for February, and the victim’s family has called for a severe penalty.n.

Former Coatesville Official Accused of Attacking Intellectually Disabled Woman

COATESVILLE, PA — Chester County pastor and former Coatesville City Council member, Kurt Schenk, faces serious felony charges after prosecutors alleged he assaulted a 21-year-old woman with autism and a learning disability. According to court testimony, the defendant established a relationship with the young woman over several years, transitioning from respectful conversations to explicit and inappropriate advances after she turned 18. The situation culminated on Oct. 21, when he is accused of luring her into his home’s garage and attempting a sexual attack.

The woman’s family, suspicious of her sudden disappearance, located her through a mobile tracking app and interrupted the incident, prompting the involvement of local law enforcement. At a preliminary hearing, a judge found sufficient evidence to hold the defendant for trial, dismissing his defense counsel’s efforts to cast doubt on the victim’s credibility.

$67,000 Grant Advances Local Fight Against Watershed Pollution

WEST CHESTER, PA — Chester County is set to intensify its campaign against water pollution in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, bolstered by a newly awarded $67,000 grant. The funding, drawn from state and federal sources, will target key environmental challenges—primarily agricultural and stormwater runoff. Local officials see these efforts as essential for preserving the bay’s ecological resilience, noting recent improvements in its overall health scores.

The Chester County Conservation District, now equipped with additional resources, will focus on projects aimed at restoring compromised tributaries and streams that feed the bay. These measures build on Pennsylvania’s broader 2025 Countywide Action Plan and are seen as part of a broader moral and practical responsibility to address long-standing environmental damage.

Brewing Connections: Twin Valley Coffee Hosts Industry Meet-Up

DOWNINGTOWN, PA — Later today from 5pm-7pm, an event at Twin Valley Coffee’s River Station will bring together coffee professionals and enthusiasts in town for the U.S. Coffee in Good Spirits competition. Attendees will have the chance to meet others in the industry, explore new coffee flavors, and form professional connections, all in a relaxed and welcoming setting at their Downingtown location at 100 River Station Blvd suite 1

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