Megan Guza stories, Page 64
North Braddock man accidentally shot himself, police say
A man accidentally shot himself in the leg Thursday morning in North Braddock, police said. Police and paramedics responded about 10 a.m. to a home on Lobinger Avenue for a report of a shooting, said Allegheny County police Inspector Andrew Schurman. Paramedics transported a 28-year-old man to a hospital with...
Ammunition in Rose’s pocket, stolen guns in car irrelevant in Rosfeld case, DA says
Prosecutors in the case against Michael Rosfeld argued Thursday that it is irrelevant whether Antwon Rose II was in a car with a stolen gun or had ammunition in his pocket when he was shot and killed by then-Officer Michael Rosfeld last year. None of that should have any bearing...
Pittsburgh police promote longtime sergeant to command staff
Pittsburgh police promoted a longtime sergeant to the rank of commander Tuesday in a small ceremony in Mayor Bill Peduto’s office. John Fisher, a Pittsburgh police officer for more than three decades, is now a commander in the administrative branch, where he will oversee the training academy, the Office of...
Jury for Michael Rosfeld, charged in killing of Antwon Rose, to come from Dauphin County
A jury will be chosen from Dauphin County in the homicide case against former East Pittsburgh police officer Michael Rosfeld, charged in the 2018 killing of Antwon Rose II, the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office said Tuesday. The DA’s office tweeted Tuesday that the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ordered that Dauphin...
Defense attorney pleads guilty to covering up overdose death
A Pittsburgh defense attorney pleaded guilty Tuesday to covering up the overdose death of a friend and abandoning the body in a Squirrel Hill alley. Kevin Abramovitz, 38, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor counts of reckless endangerment, tampering with evidence, obstruction of the law and hindering apprehension. Judge Jeffrey A. Manning...
Rally outside Sen. Toomey’s Pittsburgh office calls for an end to shutdown
People who rely on government assistance programs joined Democratic lawmakers Tuesday outside the Downtown office of U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Lehigh Valley, to demand that he work toward ending the partial government shutdown, now in its 32nd day. Low-income workers relying on Section 8 housing vouchers and food benefits through...
Jury for Michael Rosfeld, charged in killing of Antwon Rose, to come from Dauphin County
A jury will be chosen from Dauphin County in the homicide case against former East Pittsburgh police officer Michael Rosfeld, charged in the 2018 killing of Antwon Rose II, the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office said Tuesday. The DA’s office tweeted Tuesday that the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ordered that Dauphin...
1st flu death reported in Allegheny County
Allegheny County saw its first flu-related death of the season, county health director Dr. Karen Hacker said Friday. The woman, who was in her 90s, had an underlying medical condition, Hacker said. Hacker said recent data shows 414 flu cases in Allegheny County so far this season, with 18 hospitalizations....
Man charged in Penn Hills abduction was on probation for similar incident last year
A man on probation for assaulting a Penn Hills teenager broke into the girl’s home Wednesday and forced her into his car, prompting a statewide Amber Alert and search before she was found relatively safe in McKeesport, authorities said. Police arrested Jermaine LaQuay Rodgers, 19, after a standoff at a...
TV documentary series featuring Dakota James case premieres Saturday
The television documentary series purporting Duquesne University student Dakota James was the victim of something more than an accidental drowning premieres 7 p.m. Saturday on the Oxygen Network. The series, called “Smiley Face Killers: The Hunt for Justice,” chronicles retired New York City detective Kevin Gannon and colleagues as they...
DUI charge dropped against Green Tree police officer
A judge dropped a driving under the influence charge against a Green Tree police officer who ran a red light and crashed into another vehicle last month. Eric Diehl, 49, had been on administrative leave since the Dec. 7 crash on Saw Mill Run Boulevard shortly after 1 a.m. Pittsburgh...
Police: Man stole $1,500 worth of tools from Home Depot on Rt. 22
A man walked out of the Home Depot in Wilkins on Friday with more than $1,500 worth of stolen tools in his cart, according to police. The incident happened about 1:10 p.m. at the home improvement store on William Penn Highway, according to Tribune-Review news partner WPXI-TV. Police said employees...
Air quality still a concern in Mon Valley 3 weeks after Clairton Coke Works fire
No excess sulfur dioxide has been found in the air around the fire-damaged Clairton Coke Works for more than a week, officials said Wednesday, but they continued urging residents with respiratory issues to limit their time outside. The Dec. 24 fire at the U.S. Steel-owned facility caused severe damage, but...
Man who stabbed 5 at Homestead mental health facility gets 30 to 60 years
JoAnn Latshaw spent years organizing medications for her patients at Turtle Creek Valley Mental Health. Now, more than two years after she was critically injured in Dustin Johnson’s 2016 stabbing spree at the facility, she cannot keep track of her own medications. “It’s frustrating to not be able to do...
Pittsburgh police to get domestic violence unit with $500K grant
A Pittsburgh police unit focused solely on domestic violence is in the works thanks to a $500,000 grant from the local Nina Baldwin Fisher Foundation. Legislation to accept the grant was introduced before City Council on Tuesday, said Tim McNulty, spokesman for Mayor Bill Peduto. The money will pay for...
Pittsburgh council members could face charges over gun restrictions, DA says
Pittsburgh City Council’s proposed gun legislation might be unconstitutional and could result in criminal charges against members of council, Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr. said in a letter to the councilman who introduced the bills. The legislation, proposed last month by Councilman Corey O’Connor, would ban semi-automatic...
Cops: Stats show violent crime down, community outreach working in Pittsburgh
Gun violence in Pittsburgh decreased across the board last year, from homicides to calls for shots fired, city officials said Monday. Public Safety Director Wendell Hissrich credited more officers, more technology and more community outreach for the declines. Homicides fell by 5 percent between 2017 and 2018, from 58 to...
Judge agrees to outside jury for cop accused of killing Antwon Rose
Jurors from outside Allegheny County will hear the homicide case against a former East Pittsburgh police officer accused of killing an unarmed teen in 2018, a judge decided Monday. Patrick Thomassey, an attorney for former officer Michael Rosfeld, argued in a Dec. 20 hearing that the extensive media coverage surrounding...
Wilkins woman accused of stealing $300K from her ailing mother
A Wilkins woman stole more than $300,000 from her ailing mother and used the money for contractors, attorneys, groceries, lawn care and other expenses, according to charges filed Friday against the woman. Patricia Pangikas, 66, allegedly wrote checks to herself worth $319,607 between January 2014 and July 2017, District Attorney’s...
Judge in Michael Rosfeld case orders release of contempt hearing transcript
The judge presiding over the Michael Rosfeld case ruled Friday that the court must release a transcript of a contempt hearing last week for the defense attorney representing the East Pittsburgh police officer accused of homicide for shooting and killing an unarmed black teenager in June. The Jan. 3 contempt...
Allegheny County’s top public defender to run for judge
Allegheny County’s top public defender announced Friday he will run for the Court of Common Pleas. Elliot Howsie said his on-the-job experience combined with his childhood growing up in Wilkinsburg and his perseverance through law school while working two jobs will give him a diverse perspective on the bench. “I...
2 new lawsuits target Diocese of Pittsburgh, allege sexual abuse
New lawsuits were filed Friday against the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh, claiming sexual abuse by two priests and a cover-up by diocese officials. One suit claims a priest took a student on a trip to Super Bowl X in Florida in 1976 with two other children. The boy called it...
Tree of Life suspect is California lawyer’s latest notorious clientVideo
Some have called Judy Clarke the “attorney for the damned.” Among her clients: Ted Kaczynski, the Unabomber; Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the Boston Marathon bomber; and 9/11 conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui. Now, she’s representing Robert Bowers, accused Tree of Life gunman. Clarke, a federal public defender, has defended many of the most notorious...
Charges dropped against woman in North Versailles theater altercation that went viral
A judge on Thursday dismissed all charges against a Wilkinsburg woman arrested last year during an incident at a North Versailles movie theater. Charges against Melanie Carter, 36, of resisting arrest, disorderly conduct and defiant trespass were dismissed by Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas Judge David Cashman. The charges...
Pittsburgh police seeking graffiti vandal leaving chicken tags
Pittsburgh police are searching for a graffiti vandal leaving images of oblong chickens across the South Side, including in the bathroom of a 22nd Street bar. The man struck Rugger’s Pub just after midnight Dec. 1 when he walked in, ordered a drink, then disappeared to the bathroom, according to...
