Paul Peirce stories, Page 65
Allegheny, Westmoreland contractors accused of scams, shoddy work
Attorney General Josh Shapiro announced that his office’s Bureau of Consumer Protection has filed 35 legal actions statewide involving home improvement contractors, including one in Allegheny County and another in Westmoreland County. Shapiro filed a complaint in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court against Barone Masonry of Glassport; Barone Construction; C...
Trafford woman jailed after alleged attempt to fake drug test
A 25-year-old Trafford woman’s alleged plan to tamper with her court-ordered drug test was scuttled this week at the Westmoreland County Courthouse when a probation officer noticed her hide a pill bottle inside a garbage can. County park police charged Alyssa M. Ofchinick with providing an altered urine sample following...
Motorcyclist accused in 10-mile, high-speed chase finds trooper waiting at his house
A Herminie motorcyclist figured he had eluded state police during a 10-mile, high-speed pursuit through Hempfield only to arrive home and find a trooper waiting for him, according to court documents. Tyler N. Trouerbach, 23, led state police on a chase that began about 7 p.m. Wednesday along Route 30...
Sewickley Township man accused of sexually assaulting child
A Sewickley Township man was arrested Wednesday on multiple criminal charges of sexually assaulting a young girl over a span of four years, according to state police in Greensburg. David Lee Hresko, 32, was arraigned on charges of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, unlawful contact with a minor, aggravated indecent assault...
Surf’s up? Township wants to buy, reopen historic Ligonier Beach
Ligonier Township hopes to resurrect the iconic Ligonier Beach property. Supervisors voted unanimously this week to make an offer to buy the private pool and restaurant off Route 30 from Sherry and Steven Kozar. The Ligonier couple could not be reached for comment. The pool had operated for more than...
Greensburg attorney agrees to plea deal in Fayette County theft case
A Greensburg attorney charged with stealing nearly $50,000 from a Fayette County fraternal organization where he served as treasurer entered into a plea agreement this week and will serve 18 months on house arrest. Donald Blake Moreman, 58, of Bullskin Township, pleaded guilty Monday in connection with the thefts from...
Easter egg hunt in Fayette County junk yard draws hundreds of treasure seekersVideo
Whether there’s snow, sleet, rain or sunshine, you can count on hundreds of people lining up early Palm Sunday outside of a rural Fayette County auto salvage yard. They aren’t there for replacement hoods or cheap rims. Instead, they line up for a chance to rummage through 35 acres of...
North Huntingdon firm alleges in lawsuit it was slandered by Monessen police chief
An Irwin area construction company contends it lost money and had its reputation damaged because of public comments Monessen’s police chief made following a hail storm last May. Bella Construction & Development Inc. maintains in a 12-page lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court that police Chief James Smith’s comments made...
Somerset police identify fatal burn victim
No foul play is suspected in the death of a 31-year-old Somerset County woman whose body was found near a fire Saturday in Somerset Borough, police said Tuesday. Police Chief Randy Cox said authorities were able to identify the victim, Desiree Fleegle, who resided in Somerset and Central City, through...
Two PUC hearings scheduled locally on proposed 14 percent Peoples Gas hike
The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission has scheduled two public input hearings regionally on Peoples Natural Gas Company LLC’s request for a 14% distribution rate increase including one April 24 at the Boyce Campus of Allegheny County Community College in Monroeville. On Feb. 28, the PUC voted to study the Peoples...
Man accused of exposure, stalking woman on Ligonier track
A Cook Township man was charged with exposing himself and stalking a woman who was running on the track at Weller Field in Ligonier. Joseph T. Puschnigg, 24, was identified after the alleged victim obtained the license number on the red Jeep he was driving. The woman told police she...
West Newton woman accused of setting pickup on fire during argument
A 19-year-old West Newton woman was charged with arson, terroristic threats and simple assault after police said she admitted to throwing a can of gasoline in the bed of a man’s pickup and setting it on fire. Borough police officer Michael Stefko reported he found Marian L. Warman sitting in...
Man ordered to stand trial for alleged rape of Ligonier Township woman
A 26-year-old Derry Township man was ordered to stand trial Friday for the alleged rape of a Ligonier Township woman last September. Ligonier District Judge Denise Thiel ruled there was sufficient evidence presented during a preliminary hearing for Khachek Alexan Hamerski to stand trial on charges of rape, sexual assault,...
Western Pennsylvania teens accused of transmitting sexual images
Two Western Pennsylvania teenagers were charged in juvenile court by state police in Indiana for allegedly transmitting sexually explicit images. Trooper Daniel Bradley reported that a 15-year-old girl from White Township in Indiana County forwarded sexually explicit photographs of herself to a 16-year-old boy in Clearfield County. The boy is...
Derry woman accused of filming sex acts with 4-year-old boy
A 32-year-old Derry woman was arraigned Thursday on child pornography charges after state police alleged her cellphone contained videos of her in sexually explicit positions with a 4-year-old boy. Westmoreland County Sheriff’s Department deputies located Tiffany M. Beeman at a drug rehabilitation facility in Greensburg, where she was arrested. Troopers...
Export man accused of selling deadly heroin dose jailed on $250K bond
A 51-year-old Export man was arraigned Thursday on charges of delivering a fatal dose of fentanyl-laced heroin that killed a co-worker in December. Kelly R. Frank was charged with drug delivery resulting in death and possession with intent to deliver before Murrysville District Judge Charles Conway. He was ordered held...
Man convcited in 1999 Jeannette murder charged with having gun, drugs
A Pittsburgh man who was convicted of killing a Jeannette man in 1999 was indicted Tuesday by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on charges of violating federal firearms laws and drug possession, according to U.S. Attorney Scott W. Brady. The grand jury alleged that Kalief Jamil Malik Rethage, 39,...
Mt. Pleasant Twp. man KISSes $375 goodbye in concert ticket scam
A Mt. Pleasant Township man who wanted to attend the KISS Farewell Tour concert Saturday at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh said goodbye to $375 in an online ticket scam, according to state police. The victim, who was not identified, bought three tickets for $125 each through someone who posted...
Woman dies after head-on crash with dump truck in Somerset County
State police in Somerset said a woman was killed on Route 30 near Stoystown Wednesday after her car collided head-on with a dump truck. Troopers said witnesses reported the woman was driving eastbound, approaching the Haines School Road intersection ,when she crossed the centerline and drove into the path of...
Pedestrian, 21, seriously injured when struck by car in Indiana County
A 21-year-old woman was seriously injured Tuesday when she was hit by a car while walking along Old William Penn Highway near Blairsville, Indiana County. State police said Michelle A. Franco, 21, of Dayton, Armstrong County, was taken by ambulance to Allegheny Health Network Forbes Hospital in Monroeville with multiple...
Rosary tattoo helps police identify suspects in Derry Township scrap metal thefts
State police used footage from a security camera hidden in an abandoned Derry Township industrial plant to identify two suspects, one with a distinctive rosary tattoo, in the theft of almost 1,000 pounds of copper and brass last summer. Troopers this week arrested Timothy Tarr, 33, of Indiana County and...
Fayette County coroner releases identification of woman killed in fire
The Fayette County Coroner’s office has identified a 70-year-old woman who was killed in a fire early Thursday in Springhill Township. The office said the victim was Sylvia Chambers Lavitsky, who lived alone at 128 Greater Point Marion Road. Multiple fire department responded to the small home about 4 a.m.,...
‘Minor’ injury in Indiana Borough accidental shooting
Indiana Borough Police said one person suffered a minor injury Tuesday when a firearm accidentally discharged inside an apartment. Police said the shooting occurred at 7:10 a.m. in an apartment on the 900 block of Fleming Avenue. The identity of the resident who suffered a “minor” injury and was treated...
West Newton couple continue battling legal hurdles to regain custody of infant daughterVideo
A West Newton couple was back in court Monday taking another legal step they hope will reunite them with their infant daughter, Cali, who was removed from their custody almost two months ago. Tiffany Aquilina, 37, and her husband, Robert, 38, waived their scheduled preliminary hearing on charges of endangering...
Multiple fire departments responding to house fire in Rostraver Twp.
Multiple fire departments in Rostraver Township were responding to a house fire Monday that had spread to an adjoining garage, a Westmoreland County dispatcher said. The dispatcher said the fire was reported on the 400 block of Rankin Road at 3:53 p.m. Reports said the garage had a mobile home...
