Paul Peirce stories, Page 35
State troopers to be honored by Gov. Wolf for combating opioid epidemic
Three state troopers from Troop A in Greensburg, members of a specialized local drug task force that made multiple large drug seizures in recent years, are among 49 state employees to be honored Wednesday by Gov. Tom Wolf for improving the life of Pennsylvanians. Cpl. John Isoldi and Troopers Anthony...
Ex-Westmoreland County probation officer charged for alleged ‘intimate’ relationship with prisoner
A former Westmoreland County probation officer has a preliminary hearing Oct. 19 for allegedly having inappropriate contact with a man she was supposed to be monitoring after his release from the county prison in 2018, according to court documents. Mary Jo Borelli, 57, of Jeannette, is charged with one count...
Delmont man jailed on $50K bond for allegedly assaulting woman during argument
A Delmont woman was treated at Forbes Regional Hospital Saturday for multiple head injuries after she was beaten and kicked inside her apartment Saturday. Police later found the 19-year-old suspect, Brett T. Baer, at the Murrysville Sportzone and Dek Hockey facility on South School Road, Murrysville. Baer, of Delmont, was...
Greensburg woman accused of assaulting child during argument
A Greensburg woman is in the Westmoreland County Prison on $25,000 bond after her arrest on child endangerment, simple assault and drug-related charges by city police. Diane R. Morton, 31, was arraigned Sept. 24 by District Judge Chris Flanigan after police said neighbors called to report children yelling and the...
Youngwood man get 35-70 years in prison for 2017 stabbing death, drug robbery
A 43-year-old man will not be eligible for parole until he’s 78 after pleading guilty Monday to third-degree murder in connection with his role in the 2017 stabbing death of a Youngwood man. Christopher J. David of Youngwood opted to avoid a trial before Judge Christopher Feliciani and a potential...
DNA match 7 years later solves Unity church burglary, troopers sayVideo
Timothy Thunberg, pastor of Free Methodist Church in Unity, admitted he was alarmed when the caller ID showed an incoming telephone call from state police in Greensburg. “You never know what to expect from that,” Thunberg said. He said he never anticipated word of an arrest in a 7-year-old burglary...
Cops: Man sleeping in car in Greensburg found with 47 bricks of heroin, cocaine, anxiety pills and nearly $12K
Greensburg Police doing a routine check of a man asleep in the driver’s seat of his car in a store parking lot Thursday wound up arresting him for illegal possession of 47 bricks of heroin, a plastic bag of cocaine, several hundred Xanax pills and multiple strips of Suboxone. Patrolman...
State police make another large marijuana bust on turnpike in Westmoreland County
For the third time since April, state troopers on the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Westmoreland County stopped a driver for traffic violations and ended up seizing more than 100 pounds of marijuana. Chui Jiang of Oklahoma City and Guangzhang Ye of San Antonio, both 41, were charged with manufacture, delivery and...
Greensburg man accused of struggling with deputies, exposing himself
A 40-year-old Greensburg man being evicted from his residence under a protection from abuse order Wednesday was arrested on multiple charges after scuffling with three sheriff’s deputies and then exposing himself, according to court records. Eric W. Cummings was arrested on charges of obstruction of government functions, open lewdness and...
Police: Sutersville man jailed on $75K bond for puncturing tires with arrow, threatening neighbor
A Sutersville man allegedly used a crossbow arrow to puncture tires on two vehicles parked near his apartment on Tuesday and then threatened to stab one person who confronted him about it, police said. Rickie Linn Case, 58, was arraigned on charges of aggravated assault, criminal mischief, disorderly conduct, harassment,...
Derry man accused of assaulting, spitting on woman in attempt to make her crash
North Huntingdon police say a Derry man repeatedly tried to make a woman crash her car as she drove through Westmoreland County on Monday. Police arrested Jason M. Thomas, 30, on charges of harassment, reckless endangerment, simple assault and making terroristic threats following the alleged 7:30 p.m. assault inside the...
Somerset man accused of fighting North Huntingdon policeman
A North Huntingdon patrolman escaped serious injury last weekend when he was choked and kicked taking a suspect into custody who allegedly was trying to break into cars at the park and ride lot near the entrance of the Pennsylvania Turnpike, according to court records. Brandon D. Kennedy, 38, of...
State police asking public’s help in arsons in Indiana and Westmoreland counties
The state police fire marshal is asking the public’s help on three intentionally set fires last weekend, including one that gutted a vacant bar-restaurant in Indiana County and two fires that destroyed a home in Bolivar early Sunday. Trooper Keith Sobecki of the Greensburg barracks said the Clarksburg Valley Inn...
Westmoreland sheriff: ‘I have not left the Democratic Party, the Democratic Party has left me’Video
Declaring that he feels disenfranchised by the Democratic Party, Westmoreland County Sheriff James Albert announced he changed his affiliation to Republican. “It was a really difficult decision and I’ve thought long and hard about it, but I feel I stand for the ideals of the Republican Party platform more than...
Seward man who escaped police captured in Cambria County
A Seward man who was on the run for 15 days after feigning illness and escaping police custody in Westmoreland County was captured Sunday in Cambria County, state police said. Troopers apprehended Michael Paul Boring, 45, without incident just after 7:30 p.m. inside Martin General Store near Ebensburg, according to...
Owner of Medicine Shoppe in Jeannette denies ‘price gouging’
As owner of the Medicine Shoppe in Jeannette for 27 years, pharmacist James Beatty believes he’s served the needs of the community to the best of his ability. That’s why word this week that state Attorney General Josh Shapiro and Beatty entered into an agreement in response to a recent...
Rillton man accused of fighting with state agents, police serving search warrant
A Rillton man who blamed a 2015 bank robbery on a heroin addiction was jailed Thursday on $100,000 bond after allegedly fighting with police and state narcotics agents serving a search warrant at his home. Justin W. Buckholz, 31, was arraigned on three counts of possession of a controlled substance...
‘Orange sky made me want to go back’: Ligonier man home after battling Calif. wildfires
Many people viewing the startling images of wildfires ravaging millions of acres in California might shy away from an opportunity to get in the middle of a dry-season inferno. Not Joshua Derk, a state-certified wildland firefighter and second lieutenant with Ligonier’s Valley Hose Co. Derk, 30, returned Tuesday from Point...
Former Excela Health Latrobe medical education coordinator accused in thefts
The former coordinator of Excela Latrobe Hospital’s student programs was accused this week of stealing more than $75,000 from the medical residency program and the Andrew Bagby Memorial Scholarship Fund. Suzanne N. Strickler, 37, of New Stanton was charged with 31 counts of theft, 11 counts of forgery and one...
Sheriff’s deputies arrest man accused of sexually assaulting Greensburg girl
Greensburg police got an assist Thursday from the Westmoreland County Sheriff’s Department in a week-long search for a convicted child abuser wanted on a new complaint. Police Det. Charles Irvin obtained an arrest warrant last week for Paul A. Chamberlain, 32, a former city resident whose last known address was...
Jeannette pharmacy enters into price gouging agreement with Pa. attorney general
A Jeannette pharmacy has entered into an agreement with the state Attorney General Josh Shapiro’s office to avoid a potential $13,350 civil penalty and reimburse customers who were overcharged for N-95 masks and hand sanitizer at the start of the pandemic. The attorney general’s office filed the signed assurance compliance...
Police: Derry Township man assaulted woman, tried to set her on fire
A Derry Township man was ordered held in the county jail without bond on charges he assaulted a woman and then attempted to set her on fire during an argument Tuesday. State police charged Paul Staschak, 44, with aggravated assault, harassment, indecent assault, reckless endangerment, simple assault, making terroristic threats...
Greensburg man jailed for assaulting, choking woman, cops say
A 29-year-old Greensburg man was ordered held in the county jail after assaulting a woman and threatening harm to her 1-year-old infant early Monday. Kevin M. Reese, of Eastmont Drive, was charged with endangering the welfare of children, flight to avoid apprehension, harassment, simple assault and strangulation after the 4:37...
Greensburg man jailed without bond for bomb threat
A Greensburg man who threatened to blow up the Westmoreland County Courthouse was arrested Thursday by city police on multiple criminal charges and ordered held without bond. David R. Aaron Jr., 25, was charged with two counts of making terroristic threats and making a bomb threat and is in the...
‘Gentle giant’ Jeannette policeman name added to national memorial in Washington, D.C.Video
Dolly Smith, at age 84, had the look of a child on Christmas morning as she waited outside her Jeannette home for Mayor Curtis Antoniak and his wife, Karen, to arrive. “What do you have there?” Smith coyly asked as the Antoniaks climbed out of their truck carrying a framed...
