Paul Peirce stories, Page 58
Cops: $32K, cocaine, marijuana seized from speeder in Keystone State Park
A Latrobe man who attempted to flee after being stopped for speeding in Keystone State Park had nearly $32,000 cash, 7 ounces of cocaine and 4 ounces of marijuana in a backpack, according to court documents. Latrobe Police Detective Michael Wigand, a member of Westmoreland County’s drug task force, was...
No injuries in Delmont garage fireVideo
A fire destroyed a detached garage in Delmont Tuesday afternoon, along with two cars and a truck inside. Nobody was hurt. The garage, located on Berry Lane behind West Pittsburgh Street, is near several homes. Police evacuated nearby residences in case the fire spread but firefighters managed to prevent the...
Woman struck by train in Sutersville
A woman was transported by ambulance to an area hospital after being struck by a CSX train in Sutersville on Tuesday afternoon. The incident was reported around 3:20 p.m., according to Sutersville VFD Chief Mark Ghion. A Westmoreland County dispatcher said the incident occurred along the 600 block of Second...
Indiana County man jailed on $50K bond after alleged standoff with troopers
An Indiana County man is being held in the county jail on $50,000 bond after being involved in an hours-long standoff late Friday with state troopers. Garry F. Faber, 65, is charged with aggravated assault, endangering the welfare of children, making terroristic threats, reckless endangerment, resisting arrest, simple assault and...
Police: Fayette County woman charged with animal cruelty, neglect in dog’s death
An arrest warrant was issued this week for a Fayette County woman accused of causing the death of her dog by leaving it without shelter, food or water, according to court documents. Charges of aggravated animal cruelty, cruelty to animals and neglect were filed Tuesday against Leighann Pomplas, 27, of...
Cops: Unity man accused of firing gun, assaulting man in neighborhood speeding dispute
A Unity Township man was so angry over a man he accused of speeding on a residential street that he allegedly fired a .38 caliber handgun at the victim’s passing car Monday and later injured him during a physical confrontation, state police said. Terry E. Simms Jr., 32, was arrested...
State police: Fentanyl bust on turnpike likely largest in Western Pa. history
A drug bust on the Pennsylvania Turnpike likely is the largest seizure of straight fentanyl ever in Western Pennsylvania, state police said. Troopers said they discovered 3 pounds, 6 ounces of fentanyl hidden inside an SUV driven by Juan Junior Guzman, 41, of New York City, after they pulled over...
Man ordered to stand trial in connection with 4 bulls shot at Loyalhanna Twp. farm
A teenage boy testified Monday he and a former Avonmore man shot bulls on a Loyalhanna Township farm in March because the man didn’t have any food in his apartment. The teen said Shaun D. Ross, 60, told him he had no food. “I had a crossbow; he had a...
Police seek 2 suspects after Unity armed robbery
State police are seeking two men accused of being involved in an armed robbery at a mobile home in Unity. Troopers obtained arrest warrants for John G. Struble IV, 20, of Youngstown, and Andrew Tyrell Washington, 21, of Greensburg, charging the pair with burglary, robbery, making terroristic threats, theft by...
Sentence upheld for man convicted in 2015 shooting in New Stanton motel
A state appellate court rejected a McKeesport man’s argument that his 2016 murder conviction for shooting a man in a New Stanton motel should be overturned. Christopher Smarr, 22, claimed a Westmoreland County judge’s decision permitting a witness to testify while wearing a scarf over her face potentially influenced jurors....
Troopers: Jeannette man assaulted Hempfield girlfriend in her apartment
A Hempfield woman who was allegedly assaulted by her boyfriend was discovered bloody, bruised and hiding in her apartment bedroom by state troopers early Friday. Police said they were responding to the woman’s pleas for help made via text messages to a friend. Police took Jason A. Hopkins, 28, of...
Search for Bolivar man is similar to father’s time on the lam
This isn’t the first time police have searched for a David McGinnis in the Bolivar and Fairfield Township areas. David Wayne McGinnis — accused of arson, insurance fraud and making terroristic threats — was on the lam from police for several months in 2010. Nearly a decade later, his son...
Scottdale man strangled 16-year-old girl, cops say
An 18-year-old Scottdale man is in the Westmoreland County Prison on $100,000 bond after borough police said he assaulted and strangled a 16-year-old girl during an argument this week. Ford B. Johnson II was arraigned before District Judge Mark Mansour in night court Monday on charges of strangulation, simple assault...
Teenager in Uniontown charged as adult after refusing to drop knife, troopers say
A Fayette County teenager was charged as an adult Monday with six counts of aggravated assault and related charges after state police say they were called to an apartment complex in Uniontown to break up a street fight and she refused to surrender a knife to police. Jamayla Jones, 16,...
Family still looking for clues to Penn Township woman, daughter missing since 1985
The family of a Penn Township mother who went missing with her 10-year-old daughter in 1985 hopes the recent discovery of a junior high school ring that belonged to the woman may jog some memories that could solve the mysterious 34-year-old disappearance. “It would be wonderful to have some sort...
Police: North Versailles man tried to flush heroin, cocaine, pot at Indiana County hotel
State troopers say a man attempted to “flush” nearly five bricks of heroin, 24 grams of crack cocaine and a small amount of marijuana down the toilet at an Indiana County hotel Monday as they were closing in to serve a search warrant, according to court documents. But the alleged...
Westmoreland coroner identifies man killed in Derry motorcycle crash
A 29-year-old man was killed during a two-vehicle crash Monday along Route 982 at Industrial Boulevard in Derry Township. Andrew J. Perratone, of Wood Street in Derry Township, was identified by the Westmoreland County Coroners Office as the driver of a 2018 Suzuki motorcycle involved in a head-on crash. According...
Greensburg man accused by city police of assaulting ex-girlfriend
A 22-year-old Greensburg man was arrested on multiple criminal charges of breaking into his ex-girlfriend’s apartment and assaulting her early Sunday, according to city police. Elijah Shalil Vento was arrested on charges of burglary, simple assault, criminal mischief and harassment after the 4:37 a.m. incident on the 300 block of...
Broken leg ruse in Connellsville emergency room began 52-year relationship
Robert Broderick has no regrets over a ruse more than 50 years ago he and a Connellsville State General Hospital nurse pulled off in the hospital’s emergency room that introduced him to his future wife and “a lifetime of loving memories.” In 1968, Broderick was a cub reporter at The...
Troopers seek identity of man who they say threatened clerk with knife during robbery
State police are asking the public’s help identifying a suspect in a daylight robbery Saturday at a Dollar Tree store in Somerset Township. Troopers said a white man between 30- and 40-years-old and about 6 feet tall entered the Somerset Township store on North Center Avenue at 2:10 p.m. and...
Police: Woman stabbed at East Pittsburgh home dies of her injuries
A 22-year-old West Mifflin woman who was stabbed multiple times inside a home in East Pittsburgh Friday has died of her injuries, state police said. Troopers said Octavia Stone died of her injuries at 3:23 a.m. Saturday at UPMC Presbyterian Hospital in Pittsburgh, where she was taken by ambulance after...
Missing Murrysville man with dementia found safe
Authorities on Sunday night found a 72-year-old Murrysville man reported missing the day before, officials said. Murrysville police had asked for the public’s help to locate Robert Ludwig, who has dementia and a history of wandering away from his residence without supervision. Police posted an update to their Facebook page...
Storm downs trees, power lines in part of Alle-Kiski Valley
A fast moving thunderstorm rolling through part of the Alle-Kiski Valley at about 2 p.m. Saturday knocked down trees and power lines causing outages to about 250 electric customers, according to 911 dispatch reports. According to West Penn Power, most of the outages were reported in Washington Township with 203...
Retired U.S. Marine from Greensburg displays WW II weapons, gear at West Overton Museum
Retired U.S. Marine Corps First Sgt. Ron Maxson picked up a 9 1/2 pound M1 rifle on exhibit Saturday at West Overton Museum in Scottdale and told the onlookers he could still “tear it down and put it back together blindfolded.” None of the spectators admiring the dozens of World...
Armstrong County ATV crash sends 2 to hospitals
State police believe alcohol was a factor in a crash of an all-terrain vehicle that sent two people to area hospitals Friday in Armstrong County. Daniel Beers, 50, and Tawnee Coleman, 49, both of Dayton, were seriously injured when the ATV they were aboard crashed along Country Road in Wayne...
