Megan Guza stories, Page 62
Fired Pittsburgh police officer plans to sue city, detective
The attorney for a fired Pittsburgh police officer said Wednesday he plans to sue the city and a police detective for malicious prosecution, claiming the detective lied in court. Robert Kramer, 29, was fired in 2017 following an incident in which he was accused of pointing a silver revolver at...
Prison an ‘amazing experience’ for Bill Cosby, spokesman says
Since he was sentenced to prison in September, Bill Cosby has given up coffee, bread and dessert, and he’s dropped down to 195 pounds, according to the actor’s spokesman. “He said despite the circumstances, this is an amazing experience,” said Andrew Wyatt, Cosby’s spokesman, in an interview with NBC10 in...
Owner of 4 Shop ‘n Save stores accused of falsifying coupons worth $300K
The owner of a string of Pittsburgh-area Shop ’n Save grocery stores allegedly ordered employees to hoard unused coupons and used them to bilk more than $300,000 from manufacturers over the course of four years, according to theft charges filed against him Wednesday. Michael Mihelic, 59, of Franklin Park, owns...
New charges filed against suspended Ambridge police chief
Police on Wednesday filed additional charges against a Beaver County police chief already facing charges of theft, fraud and threatening his own officers, court records show. The new charges against James Mann, 61, include felony counts of theft, witness intimidation and threatening harm to influence the judicial process, along with...
Man pulled from Feb. 4 Pittsburgh house fire dies
A man pulled from a house fire in Pittsburgh’s Homewood section last week died Tuesday, authorities said. The man, who the medical examiner has not identified, was one of two people pulled from the Feb. 4 fire, according to Public Safety spokesman Chris Togneri. Crews responded at about 3 p.m....
McKeesport-Duquesne Bridge reopen after reported barge strike
The McKeesport-Duquesne Bridge reopened Tuesday afternoon, about an hour after loose barges that might have struck the bridge forced its closure. The barges went through around 11:45 a.m., and Allegheny County officials said via Twitter that at least one barge might have struck the piers. Coast Guard Lt. Shawn Simeral...
Starzl documentary to premiere at Science Center’s Rangos Cinema
The Carnegie Science Center will host the first public showing of the documentary on organ transplant pioneer Dr. Thomas Starzl in April. “Burden of Genius” chronicles the late Starzl’s journey from the world’s first successful liver transplant in 1967 to his start at the University of Pittsburgh in 1981 and...
Steelers’ Antonio Brown a no-show at reckless driving hearing
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown failed to show up in court Tuesday for a summary trial related to a reckless driving charge, court records show. His no-show led to a disposition of guilty for the reckless driving charge, which carries a fine of $200. The hearing was scheduled for...
Tube City Center opens in storied Daily News building in McKeesport
The storied Daily News building in downtown McKeesport came back to life Monday with the grand opening of Tube City Center, a multi-use, co-working space that will bring, among other things, media coverage back to the city. Trib Total Media donated the building to the city in late 2017, about...
Attorney for Robert Bowers hopes to resolve Tree of Life case without trial
Accused Tree of Life gunman Robert Bowers pleaded not guilty Monday to new hate-crime charges filed against him, and his renowned attorney, Judy Clarke, expressed interest in a plea deal rather than a trial. Bowers — with his feet shackled and his wrists chained to his waist — wore a...
Accused Tree of Life gunman Robert Bowers to be arraigned Monday
Accused Tree of Life gunman Robert Bowers will be arraigned on 63 charges Monday in federal court. Bowers was originally indicted last year on 44 federal charges related to the Oct. 27 shooting that left 11 people dead inside the Squirrel Hill synagogue. A federal grand jury returned a superseding...
Pittsburgh officials eye new towing rules in wake of shooting
Pittsburgh officials hope to keep towing companies from competing with each other to reach crash sites by designating one towing for each of the city’s six police zones. The announcement comes less than a week after a dispute between two tow truck drivers escalated to violence, with one driver going...
Cops sworn in to Pittsburgh force, some for 2nd timeVideo
Six veteran police officers from departments across the region took the Pittsburgh police oath Friday morning, two of whom will begin their second stints with the bureau. The new officers, considered veterans because they’ve served with other departments prior to joining Pittsburgh police, now move on to weeks of field...
Pittsburgh police arrest 1 in alleged kidnapping
Pittsburgh police arrested a man in Bloomfield early Friday morning for an alleged kidnapping that happened in Wilkinsburg, authorities said. City police responded to Cypress Street about 2:45 a.m. after a reported abduction, said Public Safety spokesman Chris Togneri. He said the kidnapping was reported in Wilkinsburg, and the man...
Feds tie spike in Western Pennsylvania bank robberies to opioid epidemic
Federal investigators believe a spike in bank robberies over the past several months can be tied to the opioid epidemic, agents said Thursday. There have been 28 bank robberies in Western Pennsylvania and West Virginia since Oct. 1, a rate of about seven a month, according to Glen Galeone, a...
Sex abuse allegation against deceased Pittsburgh Central Catholic teacher
A new abuse accusation has surfaced in the ongoing scandal involving the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh, the latest involving a priest who died in 2004. The allegation against the Rev. John O’Brien dates back to the mid-1960s, according to an alert from the diocese. At the time, O’Brien was a...
Federal jury awards $2.2M to sex abuse victim of former Pittsburgh school cop
A federal jury on Thursday awarded $2.2 million to a man who was sexually abused by a Pittsburgh Public Schools police officer in the late 1990s, a crime for which the former police officer is already serving a lengthy prison sentence. Robert Lellock, 50, is five years in to a...
More than ever, people are trying to board planes with guns
Travelers moving through Pittsburgh International Airport continued to bring firearms to security checkpoints at a rate of more than two per month. Transportation Security Administration agents at the airport caught 34 guns at checkpoints last year, up slightly from the 32 caught in 2017, according to Lisa Farbstein, a TSA...
McArdle Roadway to close for part of the weekend
McArdle Roadway between the Liberty Bridge and Mt. Washington will close for part of the weekend, Pittsburgh officials said Thursday. The road will close between the bridge and Grandview Avenue on Feb. 9 and 10 from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. while crews remove debris along the road. The work...
Police: Antonio Brown allegedly pushed mother of his daughter
Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown allegedly pushed the mother of his daughter to the ground when she asked him to repay her for the girl’s hair appointment, according to a Florida police report. Brown was not charged in connection with the Jan. 17 incident that happened about 11 p.m. at...
Port Authority sends $3M bill to Norfolk Southern for August derailment costs
The Port Authority of Allegheny County is asking Norfolk Southern for $3 million to reimburse costs incurred during the August derailment at Station Square that disrupted light rail traffic for nearly three weeks. The derailment inconvenienced thousands of riders for weeks, Port Authority CEO Katharine Kelleman said. “Port Authority, our...
Driver in Liberty Bridge crash that injured couple, newborn gets house arrest
A Brownsville man will spend 20 months on house arrest for causing a head-on crash on the Liberty Bridge that severely injured a couple and their newborn son, an Allegheny County judge ruled Wednesday. Richard Hauschel, 33, must also wear an electronic monitoring bracelet during his house arrest, which will...
Prosecution committed to not calling use-of-force expert in Rosfeld case
Defense attorneys for former East Pittsburgh cop Michael Rosfeld want to make sure prosecutors don’t renege on their pledge not to call a use-of-force expert during next month’s homicide trial. Daniel Fitzsimmons, chief trial deputy for the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office, has said repeatedly that he does not intend...
Oakland’s Las Palmas ordered to close, then re-opened
A day after county health inspectors ordered Oakland’s Las Palmas to close, a second re-inspection Tuesday deemed the storefront and eatery clean enough to remain open. An initial inspection on Jan. 24 turned up an infestation of cockroaches, sewage leaking from a toilet and inadequate hand-washing facilities. A follow-up inspection...
2 pulled from burning home in Pittsburgh’s Homewood section
Fire crews pulled two people from a house fire in Pittsburgh’s Homewood section Monday afternoon, both of whom were taken to the hospital, authorities said. Crews responded about 3 p.m. to a home on Rosedale Street, said Public Safety spokesman Chris Togneri. A man was taken to UPMC Mercy in...
