One of Upper Gwynedd’s finest has called it a career, and another officer and two prosecutors were honored for their work protecting the public.
Township officials sent off police Sgt. Ray Royds and honored Officer Fred Lynch, thanking each for dedicating decades to public safety, and two county prosecutors for their work on a case involving one of those two officers.
“We’ve never given a medal out to anyone outside the Upper Gwynedd Police Department, but we’re breaking that tradition tonight,” Police Chief David Duffy said.
Duffy introduced the prosecutors by noting that the department had five levels of public recognition: written commendations to officers, medals for meritorious service, community service, medals of valor, and the officer of the year.
The medals are typically only presented to officers, the chief told the crowd, but Assistant District Attorneys Scott Frame and Jediah Grobstein earned the unique honors from the department by prosecuting a case that involved a suspect shooting at Sgt. Ray Royds in 2020.
On August 23 of that year, Duffy said, Royds and another officer responded to a report of a suspicious person on East Prospect Avenue, and Royds located a man behind a home on the 1400 block of Cathy’s Lane. The man fled, Royds chased him, and the two had a confrontation in a rear yard, the chief narrated.
“The subject turned quickly toward Sgt. Royds and fired a shotgun in Sgt. Royds’ direction, while saying ‘I’m going to kill you,’ before he continued to flee on foot. Luckily and amazingly, Sgt. Royds was not shot,” Duffy said.
The suspect was apprehended soon after, charged with multiple felonies, and the case was assigned to Frame and Grobstein as prosecutors; throughout the COVID pandemic, Frame and Grobstein “always remained available and committed to the case,” Duffy said and worked closely with the department to interview witnesses, prepare evidence, and make the case at trial in early 2023.
“Both prosecutors displayed their professionalism in presenting the case in a clear and detailed manner. Assistant District Attorney Frame did an excellent job delivering heartfelt and emotional closing arguments. the result was the defendant being convicted of every felony he was charged,” Duffy said.
In February the defendant, identified as Randy Root of Warrington, was convicted and subsequently sentenced in June to 37 to 74 years of incarceration and ordered to pay $30,000 in restitution, while Duffy said the sentencing judge also commended Royds for his bravery.
“Therefore, Assistant District Attorneys Frame and Grobstein are awarded the Meritorious Service Medal, for their professionalism and dedication to this important investigation, and the care that they showed to the officers involved, and the community as a whole, representing the case with vigor and determination,” Duffy said.
Frame then thanked the officers and department, particularly Royds, for their years of work in law enforcement: “Thank you so much. You were one of the best, and we really appreciate everything you’ve done.”
Deputy Chief Ted Caiola added extra praise for Royds to commemorate his retirement from the department, noting the officer came from a family of fellow officers and worked in the finance industry before joining the department in 2001. Royds joined the department’s detective division in 2004, and has worked “on numerous complex and serious cases, that have resulted in many arrests and successful prosecutions,” Caiola said.
“He had a homicide and home invasion, a Merck stolen cyanide case, a Merck stolen-50-laptops case, multiple jurisdiction investigation that led to over 170 thefts from vehicles. He busted a credit card cloning ring, and he dealt with a knife-wielding man on Broad Street,” he said.
Royds also served on the county’s drug task force, an FBI violent fugitive task force, and as the department’s tactical officer, before a promotion in 2019 to sergeant, Caiola said; he returned to the detective division before retiring and has received numerous commendations including two medals of valor, three meritorious service medals, and two departmental officer of the year awards.
“Sgt. Royds was committed and dedicated to the victims, community, and department. He was a consummate team player, with his invaluable skills and experience. He set the bar high for other officers to strive for,” Caiola said. “He left some big shoes to fill. Godspeed, my friend.”
During the commissioners meeting on Aug. 22, Commissioner Katherine Carter also honored Officer Fred Lynch for a service time milestone, introducing him as a longtime township resident, and U.S. Air Force veteran, who joined the department in 1998 as a patrol officer.
“Fred is widely known for his community outreach, and has served as a D.A.R.E instructor for many years,” Carter said.
Lynch has also served on the department’s motorcycle unit, a response team officer, and the department’s National Night Out coordinator, and has successfully applied for several community policing grants, while partnering with neighboring departments on regional initiatives to build relations with residents, Carter said.
In 2019 Lynch joined the department’s detective division as their first full-time crime prevention officer, and Carter offered her congratulations on behalf of the board, before presenting a certificate from State Senator Tracy Pennycuick (R-24th) giving similar praise.
After receiving a standing ovation and round of applause from the board, Lynch joked that the large crowd in the board’s meeting room was there to see him instead of sounding off on a controversial project on Pennbrook Parkway on that night’s agenda, and said he’s still recovering from injuries sustained while responding to a call last year.
“I hope to get back to work soon. Thank you all for coming tonight — I appreciate all of this,” he said.
One other police item was also presented during the Aug. 22 meeting: Carter announced that the department has once again earned the accreditation status from the Pennsylvania Law Enforcement Reaccreditation Commission that they’ve held since 2005, and maintained their “Premiere Law Enforcement Agency” status with that agency they’ve held since 2020.
“Your work in this program demonstrates the type of leadership that we strive for in law enforcement in Pennsylvania,” Carter said, reading a letter to the department from Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association accreditation program manager James Adams.
“You have the right to be very proud of your agency. Only a small percentage of law enforcement agencies in Pennsylvania are able to say that they have completed this rigorous program, and even fewer have achieved Premiere Agency status,” Adams said.
This article appears courtesy of a content share agreement between North Penn Now and The Reporter. To read more stories like this, visit www.thereporteronline.com.
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