Paul Peirce stories, Page 52
Cops: Man arrested for assault of 5-year-old girl outside Westmoreland prison
A 45-year-old Latrobe man was arrested for physically assaulting a 5-year-old girl he was watching in the parking lot of the Westmoreland County Prison while her mother visited an inmate Thursday, according to park police. John M. Truxal was arraigned before District Judge Mark Mansour on charges of endangering the...
Cops: New York City man arrested in Hempfield after returning to crime scene
Returning to the scene of a crime was not a good idea for a New York City man charged with trying to use a man’s stolen identity to buy computers. Vaughn L. Lawhorn, 46, of Brooklyn, was arrested at Best Buy in Hempfield Wednesday as he attempted to purchase two...
Police: Man fired gun into the air in Southwest Greensburg after argument
A male pedestrian who was stopped by Southwest Greensburg police in a neighborhood where multiple gunshots were heard early Wednesday told officers he fired two shots in the air after an argument with his girlfriend. Edwardo Romero-Gross, 18, of Greensburg, was charged by police with reckless endangerment, disorderly conduct, carrying...
Cops: 3 arrested in Jeannette after search finds cocaine, prescription pills
Three members of a Jeannette family were arrested Wednesday after a search of their home by police and state narcotics agents turned up a large amount of suspected cocaine, prescription pills and drug packaging materials, according to court documents. James W. Smith and Takeitha Smith, both 42, and Ronell L....
Delmont firefighters say criticism from council hurts fundraising, recruitmentVideo
Delmont firefighters say an ongoing rift between the department and borough council has stymied fundraising and recruitment efforts. “It’s completely unnecessary, but they keep bashing our fire department,” said Rich Balik, Delmont fire chief. “We’ve been trying to build this department back up for two years after the past problems...
North Huntingdon man accused of rape being held in county jail on $150K bail
North Huntingdon police on Tuesday arrested a 38-year-old township man on multiple charges of raping and sexually abusing a girl. In addition to rape, John M. Wilbanks was arraigned before District Judge Wayne Gongaware on charges including rape, statutory sexual assault, corruption of minors and endangering the welfare of children....
Cops: Pair arrested for selling fake methamphetamine in Latrobe
A man and woman who attempted to pass Epsom salt as crystal methamphetamine in Latrobe last week were sent to Westmoreland County Prison, city police said. Austin L. Kimmick, 19, of Ligonier and Christina Kennedy, 32, of New Derry were arrested by city police on drug-related charges after attempting the...
Ex-Monessen school bus driver pleads guilty to possessing child porn
A former Monessen school bus driver arrested in August on charges of possession of child pornography pleaded guilty Monday in U.S. District Court in Pittsburgh to possessing materials depicting the sexual exploitation of a minor. U.S. Attorney Scott W. Brady said Jack Brian Laforte, 55, pleaded guilty to one count...
Deputy recognizes suspect from 7-year-old warrant, new drug charges follow
A New Stanton man made the mistake of leaving his hotel room last week just as a county sheriff’s deputy with a long memory happened to drive past. The deputy, Robby Orbin, said in court documents filed Monday that he quickly recognized Edward C. Ferrari, 50, as the former Unity...
Cops: Delmont man choked woman, threatened family during argument
Police arrested a 44-year-old Delmont man after he allegedly choked a woman and threatened to harm her family over the weekend. Thomas A. Patterson was charged with disorderly conduct, harassment, simple assault, strangulation and making terroristic threats by police after the 2:30 p.m. Saturday incident. Officer Dylan Keffer reported in...
East Huntingdon man, accused of abusing infant son, faces new charges
An East Huntingdon man arrested last month in connection with the assault of his 3-month-old son was charged this week by state police with endangering the welfare of the infant’s 3-year-old sister. Taylor J. Shipley, 19, was arrested in Sept. 12 and ordered held in the county prison without bail...
State police: Man serving life for murdering children killed cellmate in Indiana Co. prison
A 43-year-old inmate from Philadelphia already serving two life terms for murdering two toddlers was charged Wednesday with the New Year’s Day killing of his cellmate at SCI Pine Grove in Indiana County. Dwight Darnell Bowen, now incarcerated at SCI Houtzdale, was charged by state police with homicide in the...
Export man accused of selling meth to undercover state agent
An Export man was arraigned Wednesday on charges of selling crystal methamphetamine to an undercover agent with the state attorney general’s office Sept. 30 and Oct. 9. Ryan J. Fredericks, 24, was charged with multiple criminal charges including two felony counts of manufacturing and delivery of a controlled substances by...
Penn woman accused of baseball bat assault in Jeannette
A 32-year-old woman was arrested Tuesday inside a public housing complex in Jeannette where police say she fled after assaulting a woman with a baseball bat. Heather L. Kunkle of Penn was charged by city police with aggravated assault, aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, defiant trespass, flight to...
Youngwood man accused of assaulting, threatening relative over use of car
State police arrested a Youngwood man Tuesday for assault and intimidation of a witness after he allegedly got into an argument with a relative about the use of a car. Alexander L. Soroka, 37, was arraigned before night court District Judge Denise Thiel for harassment, intimation of a witness and...
Ex-Fayette County funeral director admits bilking clients out of more than $500K
A former Uniontown funeral director pleaded guilty Tuesday in Fayette County to bilking more than 80 customers out of more than $500,000 worth of pre-paid funeral policy payments. Stephen E. Kezmarsky III, 52, of Uniontown, pleaded guilty to multiple counts of theft by deception, theft by failure to make required...
Cops: Woman who crashed into Greensburg Chinese restaurant was DUI
A 47-year-old Greensburg woman who smashed through the front of a Chinese restaurant over the weekend was driving under the influence and did not have a driver’s license, city police said. Eileen Marie Morreo is charged with DUI, reckless endangerment and reckless driving following the crash into Szechuan Garden at...
Cops: Delmont man claiming to be attacked by woman with hammer arrested for rape, assault
After rushing to assist a Delmont man who claimed to have been attacked by a woman wielding a hammer, police ended up arresting him on charges of rape and assault. Joseph P. Swisher, 49, is being held in the Westmoreland County Prison without bail. He is charged with rape, aggravated...
Cops: Couple attempted to smuggle drugs into Westmoreland Prison inside greeting card
An Armstrong County woman was arrested last week for attempting to smuggle prescription painkillers inside a greeting card she mailed to her boyfriend, who was being held in the Westmoreland County Prison. Erica M. Vucho, 31, of Apollo, was arraigned on a felony conspiracy charge for illegally sending contraband to...
Greensburg doctor found guilty of illegally dispensing opioids
A federal jury deliberated for eight hours Thursday before convicting a Westmoreland County family practice doctor of illegally dispensing opioids. Dr. Milad Shaker, 50, was found guilty of 14 counts of illegal dispensing of opioids, U.S. Attorney Scott W. Brady said. The original 54-count indictment in October 2018 said Shaker...
Police agencies combine resources to arrest robbery suspect in North Huntingdon
Three Westmoreland County law enforcement agencies combined resources Thursday to arrest a suspect in the holdup of a BP station along Route 30 in North Huntingdon. Township police Chief Robert Rizzo said Sean B. Doran, 28, of Jeannette, is awaiting arraignment on charges of robbery, receiving stolen property, possession of...
Cops: Argument over beer in Southwest Greensburg results in stabbing, arrest
A 42-year-old South Huntingdon man is in the Westmoreland County Prison after police say he slashed his younger brother’s leg with a knife during an argument over drinking beer. Francis John Hermanson Jr. is charged by police with aggravated assault, simple assault, reckless endangerment and harassment in connection with the...
Game Commission shares video of black bear release in Fayette CountyVideo
Did you ever wonder what it would be like to have a 200-pound black bear charge at you? A video by the Pennsylvania Game Commission of a bear being released from a trap on state game lands in Lower Tyrone Township in Fayette County gives viewers that up close, in-person...
Lottery jackpot worth $650K sold at Hempfield store
A Pennsylvania Lottery Cash 5 ticket worth $650,000 was sold Wednesday at a Westmoreland County convenience store, according to state lottery officials. The winning ticket matched all five balls drawn, 07-10-12-35-40, to win the jackpot, less withholding. The BP convenience store, Par Mar 66 at 4613 Route 136 in Hempfield,...
Ligonier Township man charged with assaulting woman, police
Ligonier Valley police this week responded to a domestic disturbance in Ligonier Township only to find themselves involved in a struggle with the property owner, who they subdued with a Taser. Michael Podboreski II, 62, ordered officers off of his Autumn Leaves Road property, according to court documents. “Get the...
