Renatta Signorini stories, Page 104
Incumbent leading race for Jeannette City School Board
Jeannette City School Board incumbent Tim Mortimore led voting in both parties in the race for four seats on the board with all precincts reporting. Mortimore received 496 votes from Democrats while newcomer Felesha Beecher had 414, according to unofficial returns. He again topped Beecher with 453 Republican votes compared...
Murrysville man charged with arson in restaurant fire
A Murrysville man was arrested Tuesday on arson charges in connection with a weekend fire that destroyed a landmark restaurant along Route 22. Murrysville police Chief Tom Seefeld said Brian Paul Lucas, 43, confessed to starting the fire at Spaghetti & Steakhouse and Hot Rod Lounge early Saturday after authorities...
Evidence suppressed in federal gun case against suspect in Unity woman’s disappearance
A 2018 search at a Potter County cabin was illegal, a federal judge has ruled, suppressing evidence against Thomas George Stanko in a weapons case. U.S. District Judge Matthew Brann ruled that federal authorities didn’t have a valid reason to believe that a gun would be found at the cabin....
Jeannette police dog vehicle funded solely by donations hits the streets
A new police dog patrol unit is on the streets of Jeannette after incredible support from the community helped handler Sgt. Jim Phillips keep a promise he made years ago. The entire cost of the 2020 Ford Explorer Interceptor — $47,611 — was funded solely by donations to the department’s...
Police charge man they say wore only underwear while breaking into South Huntingdon homes
A West Newton man is behind bars after state police accused him of wearing only underwear and breaking into two South Huntingdon homes Saturday, according to court papers. Stephen Levi Wilson, 25, is charged with burglary, criminal trespass, theft, disorderly conduct and related offenses. Police say he broke into a...
Coronavirus vaccines for homebound individuals underway in WestmorelandVideo
It was as if a higher power had something to do with getting a coronavirus vaccine into Greg McNaughton’s New Alexandria home on Monday. “Ave Maria” played on the television in McNaughton’s room while his left arm was injected with the vaccine by Lorenzo Garino, director of operations with Mutual...
Mt. Pleasant motorcyclist arrested with drugs, gun after going 85 mph in a 35 mph zone, police say
A Mt. Pleasant Borough man told investigators he was on drugs during a short police chase in New Stanton Saturday that ended when he crashed his motorcycle, according to court papers. Troopers said they seized a loaded gun and drugs from Joshua Scott Lucot, 24. He was being held at...
Delmont man high on meth while hiding in Export bushes and talking to himself, police say
A Delmont man is being held without bail in the county jail on a misdemeanor trespassing charge after state police said he was high on methamphetamine while acting erratically outside an Export home, according to court papers. Richard Skylar Pfeil, 25, was arrested Thursday along Jackson Avenue. He is charged...
Newcomers seek seats on Jeannette school board, as 2 incumbents wage write-in efforts
Two candidates will appear on the ballot for Jeannette City School Board during Tuesday’s primary while two others are hoping to keep their seats on the board via write-in votes. Newcomer Felesha Beecher, 31, and incumbent Tim Mortimore, 52, are seeking two of four open seats on the board. Both...
Man charged after North Huntingdon police said they spotted him using drugs while driving on Route 30
An Allegheny County man accused in a drug overdose death was arrested Wednesday in connection with an incident last month during which North Huntingdon police reported seeing him using drugs while driving on Route 30. Cases against Jason Alan Lewis, 45, of Boston, Pa., have been racking up in the...
St. Clair man accused of leading police on chase while his license was suspended
A St. Clair man was arrested Tuesday after township police said he led them on a chase while his license was suspended, according to court papers. Shane Robert Hillegas, 25, is charged with fleeing from police, reckless endangerment, resisting arrest and summary traffic offenses. Police were on patrol at 4:30...
Jeannette police could get new in-car computers
Jeannette police could be getting in-car technological upgrades after an update to a statewide system left officers without the ability to look up certain background information. Officer Derek Manley said updates to the JNET system made it incompatible with computers, which run on Windows 7, in city patrol units. JNET...
Teen arrested after Hempfield crash in stolen car
A 16-year-old boy was taken into custody Tuesday night after troopers spotted him driving a stolen car, according to state police. The Cadillac Northstar had been reported stolen to Latrobe police and troopers spotted it speeding on Route 119 south around 8:30 p.m. The driver attempted to make a right...
Former W.Va. nursing assistant gets 7 consecutive life sentences in veteran deaths, including former Westmoreland man
The daughter of a former Westmoreland man had strong words Tuesday for the nursing assistant at a West Virginia veterans hospital who killed her father and six others by giving them insulin they did not need. “You took some of the greatest men of their time … and you preyed...
Donations sought for Hempfield family whose home is unlivable after car crashed into it
It’s been a tough week for Amanda Clark as she searches for a place for her family to live after a car slammed into her Hempfield rental home, rendering it uninhabitable. She’s staying in a hotel for now thanks to a donation from a stranger. But beyond that is up...
2 accused of boarding Jeannette school bus; driver hurt during attack
Two people are accused by police of boarding a Jeannette school bus, with one of them attacking the driver, according to court papers. Aaron Blocker Jr., 40, of Jeannette, is wanted on an arrest warrant. He is charged with aggravated assault, simple assault, unauthorized school bus entry and harassment. Lacy...
2 charged in Jeannette break-in, assault of resident
A Jeannette man is being held without bail after police said he broke into a city home and attacked a sleeping woman, according to court papers. Police said Jamar Abdul McIntosh, 42, pointed a gun at the woman and punched her several times. He was arrested Thursday. Police said the...
35K pounds of medication collected in Pa. during Take Back Day
About 420 tons of prescription medication was collected nationwide during the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Take Back Day last month. In Pennsylvania, about 35,000 pounds of unused, expired and unwanted medication was turned in on April 24, according to agency statistics. The event, held twice a year, is meant to prevent...
In-person autism therapy — even during the pandemic
When Denise Rocker’s 11-year-old son was diagnosed with autism in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic, she was faced with a new challenge — how to find help for him while everything was shut down. The Cook Township woman, and Noah, didn’t think working on social interaction skills would be...
Death row inmate decides to keep attorney; appeal coming soon in Greensburg torture killing
A death row inmate convicted of the 2010 torture and murder of a mentally disabled woman in Greensburg will stick with his court-appointed appeal attorney after previously attempting to fire him. Ricky Smyrnes, 35, formerly of North Huntingdon, told Westmoreland County Judge Scott Mears he intends to keep Thomas Farrell...
Scottdale woman ordered to pay $133K in restitution for unauthorized use of business credit cards
A Scottdale woman was ordered Friday to make mandatory $200 monthly restitution payments as part of a plea agreement connected to the fraudulent use of credit cards belonging to a Washington County-based company. Laurie Renee Christ, 54, was sentenced to seven years of probation and six months under house arrest...
Man acquitted in Arnold shooting sentenced in separate case
A former New Kensington man acquitted last month in an Arnold shooting was sentenced Thursday to jail and probation terms for spitting on a fellow inmate and two guards in 2018. Nicholas James Haynes, 24, was sentenced to up to 23 months in the Westmoreland County Prison but given credit...
Coronavirus vaccine bills sent in error to some Excela Health patients
Several hundred people who got vaccinated against the coronavirus through Excela Health were erroneously billed, a mistake being blamed on a quick effort to get clinics up and running, according to Tom Albanesi, the hospital system’s chief financial officer. Health system officials tried to contact those who got a bill...
Sutersville woman accused of sexually assaulting teen
State police charged a Sutersville woman with sexually assaulting a teenage boy last year in Hempfield while he was finishing up the school year virtually because of the coronavirus pandemic, according to court papers. An arrest warrant was issued Monday for Ashley Elizabeth Sherry, 21. State police said they were...
Irwin woman accused of falsifying police documents, claiming to be male officer in insurance claim investigation
An Irwin woman was arrested Wednesday after authorities said she claimed to be a male police officer to an insurance investigator and falsified several documents relating to a claim, according to court papers. Sharon K. Powell, 49, is charged with insurance fraud, attempted theft, criminal use of a communication facility,...
