Renatta Signorini stories, Page 126
Hempfield man accused of hitting Irwin bar patron with his truck
Police accused a Hempfield man of hitting another man with his pickup truck during a fight outside an Irwin bar last month, according to court papers. Adam Charles Walters, 26, was arrested on charges of aggravated assault by vehicle, reckless endangerment and related offenses. He is free on a recognizance...
Participants needed for 3 focus groups with Westmoreland aging agency
Participants are needed for three focus groups next month to help the Westmoreland County Area Agency on Aging develop a four-year plan. Sessions will be held in Monessen, Latrobe and New Kensington. Participants will help the agency identify needs of older adults around the county while discussing existing services and...
Late Jeannette policeman to be added to National Law Enforcement Officers MemorialVideo
It was Jeannette police Officer Allen “Jack” Capozzi’s last call. He and fellow Officer Carl Shifko went to the Piedmont Bar to break up an argument between two men Oct. 18, 1978. The officers separated them when something went wrong. “He just collapsed,” Shifko said. “He had a heart condition...
Man accused of sending sexually explicit messages to Westmoreland therapist
A Mercer County man is accused of making dozens of sexually explicit phone calls and sending numerous text messages to his former therapist in Westmoreland County, according to state police. Dillon Reed Holdren, 24, is charged with stalking, indecent exposure, harassment, open lewdness and disorderly conduct. Troopers said the therapist...
Police: Man wanted for exposing himself at Greensburg restaurant surrenders
A Unity man wanted for exposing himself at a Greensburg restaurant turned himself in Friday, according to police. Authorities had been looking for Eric Trice, 43, since Tuesday, when he was charged with indecent exposure, corruption of minors, child endangerment, open lewdness and disorderly conduct. District Judge Chris Flanigan set...
Woman admits role in sham marriage with Nigerian man living in Pittsburgh
A New Jersey woman admitted in federal court Thursday to entering a sham marriage with a Nigerian man who was living in Pittsburgh so he could become a permanent resident, according to prosecutors. Ajia Strauss, 28, of Newark, pleaded guilty in Pittsburgh federal court to conspiracy to defraud the United...
Arnold man pleads guilty to fentanyl distribution, overdose death, faces lengthy federal sentence
An Arnold man pleaded guilty in federal court this week to distributing the fentanyl that caused the death of a Westmoreland County man, according to court filings. Jarrel Williams, 32, accepted responsibility during a Tuesday plea hearing for the Jan. 17, 2017, death of a 33-year-old man who federal prosecutors...
Jeannette officials move to abate long-standing public hazard at former bank building
Broken windows have been cleared out and boarded up at a long-vacant Jeannette building that has been the subject of 11 building code citations since 2013. Fire Chief Bill Frye said he got a search warrant last month so firefighters and public works crews could go into the former bank...
Greensburg woman accused of injuring 3-week-old child
A Greensburg woman is accused of assaulting and seriously injuring a 3-week-old child, according to police. Destiny M. Pratt, 24, is being held in the Westmoreland County Prison without bond on aggravated assault and child endangerment charges. Greensburg police reported that they received a ChildLine report last month that detailed...
Man accused of exposing himself in Greensburg restaurant
Greensburg police are looking for a former Latrobe man after they said he exposed himself over the weekend to workers at a city restaurant. Eric Trice, 43, is accused of showing his genitals to waitresses and a female patron at Dino’s Sports Lounge, according to court papers. He was charged...
Nonstop flight added from Pittsburgh to Indianapolis
Pittsburghers will have nonstop access to Indianapolis starting this summer as Contour Airlines plans a daily flight out of Pittsburgh International Airport. The 80-minute, early afternoon flights to Indianapolis International Airport will begin June 10, according to an announcement last week. Passengers will ride on an Embraer Regional Jet that...
5 Westmoreland inmates charged with assault, conspiracy in jailhouse fight
Five inmates at the Westmoreland County Prison are facing assault and conspiracy charges in connection with a December fight in which a sixth inmate was injured, according to court papers. The suspects are accused playing various roles in attacking a 21-year-old man in a cell, county detectives said. Charged are:...
Police: Hempfield man punched driver for causing dog, Taco Bell food to fall
A Hempfield man is accused by state police of punching another motorist after his Taco Bell order fell to the floor when he had to stop suddenly outside the restaurant, according to court papers. Michael A. Matrone, 62, was charged Monday with strangulation, simple assault and harassment. Troopers were called...
New Kensington man acquitted in child sex assault case
A New Kensington man was acquitted Thursday by a Westmoreland County jury of allegations that he sexually assaulted a girl. Jurors deliberated for an hour before finding Joshua John Holtman, 34, not guilty of aggravated indecent assault and indecent assault at the end of a two-day trial. Holtman had been...
Police: Derry Township man was drunk in crash that seriously injured passenger
State police say a Derry Township man was drunk during a November crash in Unity that seriously injured his female passenger. Robert Scott Mayer, 55, didn’t have a valid driver’s license at the time, troopers said. He was arrested Thursday on charges of aggravated assault while driving under the influence,...
Ligonier Township physician indicted in alleged drug conspiracy
A Ligonier Township physician acquitted in July of child molestation charges was arraigned in federal court Thursday on allegations he unlawfully distributed two weight-loss drugs, according to court papers. Psychologist Dr. Roy C. Monsour, 65, appeared in federal court in Pittsburgh Thursday afternoon for an arraignment on a charge of...
Firefighters help stranded motorists on private property near Adamsburg
Adamsburg firefighters helped six people late Thursday after two vehicles apparently got stuck on private property in Hempfield. Adamsburg Fire Chief Don Thoma said firefighters were dispatched to the property near Monkey Wrench and Edna roads around 9:30 p.m. They used a UTV and an ATV to reach the people....
Mt. Pleasant Township man sentenced to probation in funeral donation theft
A Mt. Pleasant Township man was sentenced to two years of probation Thursday for taking $1,530 in donations meant for funeral expenses for his late girlfriend. Shawn M. Smartnick, 34, pleaded guilty to a theft count and was ordered to pay restitution. “I am guilty, I didn’t pay it back,”...
Suspect in Greensburg convenience store robbery apprehended
A Greensburg man accused of a convenience store robbery was arrested Wednesday, according to police. Tywone McClain Jr., 21, was arrested in Duquesne in connection with the robbery at Sheetz on Harvey Avenue, said Greensburg Police Detective Sgt. John Swank. McClain was arraigned Wednesday afternoon and lodged in the Westmoreland...
Local officials say paying for state police would be tough pill to swallow
Gov. Tom Wolf wants to charge Pennsylvania communities a fee for state police coverage, regardless of whether the municipality has its own police force, according to his 2020-21 state budget proposal. Under the proposal, Hempfield and Unity townships would pay $76 per resident, according to state data. Neither township has...
Jeannette company sues Patriot Shield, landlord over hemp odor
A Jeannette packaging company is seeking thousands of dollars in damages after its items were contaminated while being stored in the same warehouse as a hemp drying facility, according to a lawsuit filed in Westmoreland County court. FC Meyer Packaging claims odor from the hemp facility permeated its storage space...
Shaler man sentenced to federal prison in child porn case
A Shaler man was sentenced to more than five years in a federal penitentiary in connection with child pornography images and videos found on three of his devices. Brian R. Reddinger, 37, was ordered Tuesday to spend five years on supervised release after the 63-month prison term, according to federal...
Police: 1-year-old was in Rostraver motel room when mother overdosed
A Monongahela woman is accused of child endangerment after police said she overdosed in a Rostraver motel with her 1-year-old son in the room. Emily Ann Stout, 24, was found unresponsive at 7:30 a.m. Saturday at the Relax Inn on Finley Road, according to court papers. Township police said Stout’s...
Police: Pittsburgh woman transferred drugs during kiss with state prison inmate
State police accused a Pittsburgh woman of transferring drugs during a kiss with a prison inmate in Somerset County. Jasmine Lanell Livingston, 21, was visiting her boyfriend Anthony Jackson, 26, also of Pittsburgh, on Jan. 23 at the state prison in Somerset Township, according to troopers. Police said the pair...
Police: Online scammer bilked Loyalhanna woman out of $45K
It started with some messages exchanged with a new Facebook connection. A 60-year-old Loyalhanna Township woman believed she was talking to a man in Denmark. He told her he needed some money to help his daughter, who supposedly was attending a private school in West Africa, according to state police....

