Renatta Signorini stories, Page 129
Overdose deaths in Westmoreland, Allegheny counties on course to drop againVideo
Drug overdose deaths in Westmoreland County appear to have dropped for the second year in a row. Through Dec. 1, 90 people died from drug overdoses in the county and 14 more cases are being investigated as overdose deaths, according to coroner statistics. Coroner Ken Bacha said he expects eight...
Penn woman sentenced to state prison in baseball bat assault
A Penn woman was sentenced Monday to one to two years in a state prison for beating a woman with a baseball bat at a Jeannette housing complex. Heather L. Kunkle, 32, was ordered to serve a year of probation after the prison term. She pleaded guilty Monday to charges...
1 killed, 1 injured in Fayette County crash
One person was killed in a two-vehicle crash in Fayette County early Monday, state police said. Raekwon Stevenson, 24, of Charleroi, was speeding on Thornton Road at 2:22 a.m. in Luzerne Township when he crossed the center line and hit another vehicle head-on, troopers said. He was pronounced dead at...
‘Kill for Thrill’ murderer remains on death row 40 years after Western Pa. killing spree
Jim Clawson hopes that one day he will watch the last breaths of the man who killed his friend and fellow police officer 40 years ago. Clawson has been waiting for decades to be summoned as a witness to John Lesko’s final day. He wants to be seated behind a...
Latrobe man could serve up to 20 years for child sex assaults
A Latrobe man was sentenced Friday to 5 1/2 to 20 years in state prison in three sex assault cases involving children. Johnathan Rosario, 27, was ordered to spend seven years on probation following the prison term. He entered a general guilty plea in October to all charges, including rape...
Hempfield Area band headed to London for New Year’s Day parade to be broadcast live
All those Hempfield Area band hoagie sales are finally paying off. High school band members leave Saturday for London to perform in its 2020 New Year’s Day parade after months of practices and intensive fundraising efforts. More than 150,000 hoagies were sold to raise money for the $640,000 trip, said...
Johnstown man accused of hunting under the influence in Laurel Ridge State Park
A Johnstown man is accused by state game wardens of being under the influence of marijuana while he was hunting on Laurel Ridge State Park property this month, according to court papers. David R. Bruner, 53, set out a mineral lick on Dec. 3 in St. Clair Township, wardens said....
North Huntingdon woman accused of obstruction in case against husband
A North Huntingdon woman is accused by Westmoreland County detectives of obstructing the prosecution of child rape allegations against her husband, according to court papers. Kelley Jo Wilbanks, 40, was charged Friday with hindering prosecution, child endangerment and obstructing law enforcement. John M. Wilbanks, 38, was arrested Oct. 29 by...
Christmas tree recycling sites opening soon in Westmoreland
Live Christmas trees can be recycled starting Thursday at several locations around Westmoreland County. Trees that are recycled will be chipped into mulch and spread at community parks, rather than taking up space at a landfill if they are thrown out with the trash, according to Westmoreland Cleanways. One tree...
Police: North Versailles man hid drugs in mouth, buttocks
When police arrested a North Versailles man in Manor on Thursday after an apparent drug deal, they found the suspect had drugs hidden in his mouth and clenched between his buttocks, according to court papers. Damian Igles, 22, is charged with drug offenses, criminal use of a communication facility and...
Jeannette charity looks for miracle to keep St. Vincent de Paul thrift store running
Volunteers at the St. Vincent de Paul store in Jeannette are hoping for a Christmas miracle. The thrift store is being forced to close after the three-story Clay Avenue building where it is housed is being sold. Volunteers said the prospective owner, who they didn’t identify, has other plans for...
Propane tanker overturns in South Huntingdon prompting evacuation of homes, business
Seven homes and a business in South Huntingdon were evacuated Thursday after a propane tanker overturned into a creek, according to a Westmoreland 911 dispatcher. A small leak from the tanker prompted the evacuation order. The situation was reported at 12:18 p.m. on Gressly Road, which connects Pittsburgh Pike to...
2 rescued after Hempfield communication tower toppled, officials say
Two men were rescued from a wooded area in Hempfield on Thursday after a telecommunications tower fell over while they were building it, said Jamie Shaw, township director of code and safety. It took about 90 minutes for firefighters and medics to get the pair through a mile of wooded...
Police: Mt. Lebanon man took $153K from former Shadyside employer
A Mt. Lebanon man is accused by Allegheny County detectives of taking $153,800 over seven years from a Shadyside financial planning and advising firm where he used to work, according to court papers. Norman Bress, 85, was arrested Wednesday on charges of theft, receiving stolen property and forgery. Investigators said...
Harrison City man sentenced to federal prison, probation in ‘logic bomb’ case
A Harrison City man was sentenced Tuesday to six months in a federal prison for inserting codes into computer programs he designed as a contracted employee for Siemens Corp. that caused malfunctions in which he was called in to repair, according to federal authorities. David Tinley, 62, was ordered to...
Mt. Pleasant man charged with child sex assault
A Mt. Pleasant man is accused of sexually assaulting a 10-year-old over 14 months, according to borough police. Jarrod Rochat, 27, was charged Monday with involuntary deviate sexual intercourse causing serious bodily injury, indecent assault, corruption of minors and child endangerment. Police said the child described during an interview this...
300 kids have wishes come true at Shop With a Cop eventsVideo
The notebook state Trooper Tavin Davis typically uses during investigations served a different purpose Tuesday. He used it to jot down the cost of toys for two Youngstown children at the Unity Walmart store to make sure they stayed within budget. Daniel Wallace, 3, put a Play-Doh kit in the...
Inmate accused in assault at Westmoreland lockup
A Westmoreland County Prison inmate is accused by police of assaulting another inmate last month, according to court papers. David Lee Jellison, 27, of Hostetter, was arraigned Friday on aggravated and simple assault charges. His bail was set at $50,000. County detectives said Jellison is seen on jail surveillance video...
Firefighters rescue person, dog trapped on hillside in Unity
Firefighters rescued a person and a dog Friday morning that were trapped on a wooded hillside in Unity , according to a Westmoreland 911 dispatcher. Two people became stuck on the hillside in the Horseshoe Drive area of Lawson Heights at 9:30 a.m. after the dog they were walking got...
New fire hall in Jeannette to replace Clay Avenue buildingVideo
A new building is in the works for the Jeannette Fire Department Relief Association. Officials hope to be in it sometime next year at the association’s current location on Clay Avenue, said president Bob Carter. The current building, which previously housed a service station, is in disrepair and is slated...
Video: Jeannette neighbors’ spat ends with a shot fired, 1 arrestedVideo
A Jeannette man narrowly escaped injury early Thursday after police said a neighbor shot at him. Dale A. Shaw, 63, is accused of firing a handgun at his Chestnut Street neighbor at 12:30 a.m. after threatening the man and shining a spotlight at him, police reported in court papers. Shaw...
Man injured during alleged escape attempt from Allegheny sheriff’s deputies
A Pittsburgh man was injured Wednesday while trying to escape from Allegheny County sheriff’s deputies, officials said. Andre Lowery, 27, of Pittsburgh, was being transferred from Allegheny County Treatment Alternative in Uptown to the Allegheny County Jail after getting into a fight at the center Tuesday night, according to deputies....
West Virginia man pleads guilty in shooting death of former Delmont man
A West Virginia man pleaded guilty this week in connection with the fatal shooting of a former Delmont man, according to the Herald-Mail. Alvin Deshaun Gilbert, 27, of Berkley County, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder Monday in West Virginia. He admitted during a hearing in circuit court to killing Corey...
Police: New York man tried to buy phone in Murrysville with fake ID
A New York man is in the Westmoreland County Prison without bail after police said he tried to buy a cell phone in Murrysville with a fraudulent identification card. Orlando David Castillo-Paulino, 20, of Yonkers, allegedly tried to buy an iPhone 11 Pro Max for $1,100 at a Verizon Wireless...
Jeannette adding surveillance cameras on Bullitt Avenue
About a dozen surveillance cameras will be installed on Bullitt Avenue in Jeannette through a grant from the Westmoreland County District Attorney’s office. The cameras will be bought and installed with $11,432 in money seized during drug arrests in the city, police Chief Shannon Binda said. The cameras will be...
