Paul Peirce stories, Page 49
Mt. Pleasant Township woman jailed after New Year’s Day standoff with troopers
A Mt. Pleasant Township woman faces multiple charges stemming from a domestic altercation early New Year’s Day that resulted in a short standoff with state troopers. Kelly J. Wigginton, 35, was arraigned Thursday on charges of resisting arrest, simple assault, theft and illegal possession of a firearm as a result...
Cops: Argument over TV volume results in arrest of Unity man for assaulting father
An argument about the volume of an animated cartoon show on television resulted in the arrest of a Unity Township man this week for allegedly attacking his father. State police charged Johnathan W. Owens, 22, with harassment, reckless endangerment, simple assault and strangulation following the incident that occurred around 7:20...
Parents charged after kids found in ‘uninhabitable conditions’ in Hempfield home
A Hempfield couple is accused of child endangerment and animal neglect by sheriff’s deputies who say they discovered the family living in “uninhabitable conditions” when they served a warrant at the home last week, according to court documents. Cloyd A. and Melissa S. Zimmerman, both 38, of North Drive each...
Cops: Argument leads to stabbing, arrest in Youngwood
An argument over a woman resulted in the arrest of Youngwood man for allegedly stabbing another man outside an apartment early Sunday, state police said. David W. Rundle, 33, was arrested outside his Sunny Terrace Lane home about 1 a.m. on charges of aggravated assault, simple assault and harassment. Trooper...
Penn Township man returned to Westmoreland County Prison to await trial for firing at cops
A Penn Township man is back in jail after allegedly threatening a witness in an upcoming case. Jody J. Martz, 55, was released from the Westmoreland County prison last spring to await trial for firing a rifle shot that nearly hit a police officer in 2016. Martz is scheduled to...
Cops: Man assaulted girlfriend after finding her wrapping presents for other boyfriend
A man who found his girlfriend wrapping a Christmas gift for her “other” boyfriend was arrested early Tuesday in Trafford after assaulting the woman and threatening her with a knife, police said. Daniel W. Hill, 50, of North Huntingdon was arrested at the Cavitt Avenue apartment he was sharing with...
State prison inmate accused of making 2nd threat against Westmoreland judge
A state prison inmate serving a two- to four-year prison term for threatening to kill Westmoreland County Judge Christopher Feliciani in 2018 was charged Monday with threatening him again. Rebecca Elizabeth Gardner, 29, directed the threat at Feliciani in a letter mailed from SCI Muncy, where she is serving her...
Troopers make surprise visit to Hempfield familyVideo
Onlookers would have thought Santa started his rounds early Monday afternoon when seven state police patrol cars and SUVs with emergency lights flashing and a siren blaring turned down Matteo Court in Hempfield and pulled into a driveway where 10-year-olds Payton and Riley Johnson and their brother, Ayden, 13, were...
Westmoreland prison inmate accused again of possessing contraband
A Westmoreland County Prison inmate accused earlier this month of smuggling Suboxone and synthetic marijuana through the mail was charged again Thursday after jail guards said they found him with more contraband. Hugh J. Hawkey Jr., 44, was charged by county detectives with manufacturing, possession and delivery of a controlled...
Clerk accused of stealing money from Greensburg convenience store
A former employee at a Greensburg service station was accused by city police this week of stealing money from the cash register on three consecutive days she worked in November. Taylor M. Hurt, 21, is charged with theft and receiving stolen property in connection with the thefts that occurred Nov....
Slopes at Laurel Mountain Ski Resort open SaturdayVideo
Even Mother Nature chipped in to hail Saturday’s opening of Laurel Mountain Ski Resort in Ligonier Township by dropping more than 6 inches of snow this week atop the Laurel Ridge in Westmoreland County. “We’re definitely ready to go. We have a few crews there (Friday) morning working on some...
Westmoreland deputies: Arrest of 2 fugitives led to 2 other fugitives
A search this week for two fugitives led Westmoreland County Sheriff’s deputies to the Greensburg home of a drug rehabilitation counselor, where they said they found what they were looking for — and more, including two other fugitives hiding elsewhere with a cache of drugs, weapons and money. Around 8:30...
Man arrested for selling heroin in maternity ward accused of thefts in Latrobe, Unity
A 27-year-old Latrobe man who was arrested in 2017 for selling heroin in a hospital maternity ward after the birth of his child is back in the county prison for allegedly possessing a stolen handgun and stealing a pickup truck. Cody R. Hulse was arraigned Monday on charges of receiving...
Traffic stop, videos help police ID suspect in Murrysville, Penn Township thefts
A traffic stop in Murrysville led to the arrest of a suspect in multiple vehicle break-ins in several communities. Murrysville police Detective John Devlin stopped a damaged Nissan SUV for alleged equipment violations Nov. 22. It was identical to the SUV seen at the area of the vehicle break-ins: a...
Ligonier man accused of assault, threatening women with shotgun
A 51-year-old Ligonier Township man was arrested Saturday, charged with assaulting two women and threatening them with a shotgun. Wayne J. Deem surrendered to Ligonier Valley Police about 12:45 p.m. Saturday at his home near Wilpen after police were called for a report of an assault involving a weapon. Officer...
Police: Pat-down of Monessen man yields nearly 2 bricks of heroin
Monessen police said while performing a pat-down on a man being evicted from a house Saturday they discovered about two bricks of heroin tucked inside of one of his jacket pockets. David D. Jeffries, 28, of Monessen, was arrested on charges of manufacturing, delivery and possession with intent to deliver...
Cops: East Huntingdon woman left 2 young children ‘in deplorable conditions’
A 25-year-old East Huntingdon woman was arrested early Saturday after state troopers found her two children, both under age 4, alone inside her apartment “in deplorable conditions.” Danielle R. Thompson, who lives in Huntingdon Village apartments, was charged with two counts each of child endangerment and recklessly endangering another person...
Allegheny, Westmoreland sheriff’s deputies combine resources to arrest fugitive in Homewood
Sheriff’s deputies from Allegheny and Westmoreland counties combined resources Friday to locate and arrest a 29-year-old fugitive hiding inside a house in the Homewood section of Pittsburgh. Deputies said Orlando Robert “Jay” Holt of Pittsburgh surrendered after a 45 minute standoff at a home along Paulson Avenue. Westmoreland County Deputy...
Cops: Driver was speeding, had cocaine in system in fatal Salem Township crashVideo
A North Versailles man testified Friday that he was alarmed when he saw a white pickup truck speed past his car along Route 22 in Salem Township as they approached a steady red light on Aug. 10, 2018. “I was in the process of slowing down when I saw the...
Veteran Westmoreland sheriff’s deputy accused of indecent behavior with female inmatesVideo
A former Westmoreland County sheriff’s deputy urged female inmates to expose themselves or grope him over his uniform in exchange for cigarettes, according to state police. State police conducted a yearlong investigation that on Thursday resulted in Daniel A. Gradischek, 32, of Unity, being arraigned on multiple criminal charges, including...
Derry Township man charged with assaulting woman during argument
A woman was treated at an area hospital Wednesday after state police said she was assaulted and choked by a Derry Township man at his home during an argument. Troopers arrested James W. Lewis, 41, who lives in the 9500 block of Route 22, following the incident. Lewis was arraigned...
No injuries reported when car crashes into Madison houseVideo
Dale Stinogle was jolted from his quiet afternoon looking out the kitchen window of his Madison apartment Wednesday when he “heard a big crash, like an explosion, and then the whole house shook.” “We have a few oxygen tanks stored in our basement, and it was so forceful, I first...
Trio accused of selling methamphetamine from Salem Township house
Informants helped break up an alleged crystal methamphetamine distribution network operating out of a Salem Township home, according to court documents. Brian D. Dumnich, 35, his girlfriend, Heidi J. Altman, 32, and Victoria Nave, 34, all of the Forbes Road section of Salem, are charged with drug-related counts after agents...
Indiana county man accused of shoplifting from Sheetz, hitting employee with car
A 44-year-old Indiana County man with a taste for stolen Slim Jims hit a Sheetz employee with his car as he fled the store near Blairsville last month, police said. James Fitzgerald Higgins, of Josephine, is in the county jail on $50,000 bail in connection with the Nov. 24 incident...
Cops: Penn Township woman charged in hit and run, and then slugging other driver
A Penn Township woman allegedly involved in a hit-and-run accident is accused of punching and threatening to shoot the other driver, who followed her after the initial crash, according to police. Carla L. Smith, 57, was charged Monday by township police with simple assault, harassment, failing to stop and render...
