Renatta Signorini stories, Page 153
Diocese of Greensburg will use National Catholic School week to recruit for its 13 schools
Karen and Jake Stilley weren’t planning on sending their children to Catholic school. In fact, they moved to the area intending to send Julia, 10, and Tommy, 7, to public school. But they really liked the preschool Julia attended at Aquinas Academy Parochial School, and the Hempfield family has stuck...
Elderly Westmoreland woman scammed out of $58K
An elderly Westmoreland County woman was scammed out of $58,000 this month after handing over prepaid gift cards and cash to a person she knew only as “Dave” in Hempfield Township, according to state police. Troopers said the suspect identified himself as a Publishers Clearing House executive when he contacted...
Police investigating pedestrian incident in South Oakland
A man was hospitalized after being hit by a car in South Oakland early Sunday, according to Pittsburgh police. Authorities were called to the Boulevard of the Allies and Juliet Street at about 3:30 a.m. and found a man who appeared to have a leg injury, a police spokeswoman said....
Registered sex offender in Greensburg accused of asking girl, 16, for sex
A Greensburg man who is a registered sex offender is accused of repeatedly asking a 16-year-old girl for sex, according to court papers. Henry Lee Bailey Jr., 31, is being held at the Westmoreland County Prison on $125,000 bail on charges of corruption of minors and harassment. The girl reported...
Verona man fatally shot outside of Penn Hills lounge
A Verona man was fatally shot outside of a Penn Hills lounge early Saturday, according to Allegheny County police. Authorities were called at 1:03 a.m. to the parking lot of The Lounge on Verona for a report of numerous shots fired, according to a news release. Paul McMillan, 48, was...
Trafford home gets new furnace thanks to charity program
A home in Trafford will be heated well this winter after a new furnace was installed for free Saturday morning through a charity program. TUDI Mechanical Systems and Dollar Bank provided 20 furnaces to Pittsburgh-area families through the annual Heat For The Needy program, according to a news release. Employees...
Historic Westmoreland County covered bridge damaged in hit-and-run
Part of Bells Mills Road was closed this week after a portion of Westmoreland County’s last covered bridge was damaged in a hit-and-run. County engineer Vaughn Neill said a state trooper reported the damage on Bells Mills Bridge. “Somebody struck this, we don’t know who, we don’t know when,” Neill...
Wiz Khalifa closes on $3.5 million L.A. home, TMZ reports
Rapper Wiz Khalifa has a new five-bedroom home near Los Angeles, TMZ reported. The Pittsburgh native closed this week on the $3.5 million, 5,832-square-foot mansion in Encino, Calif. that has seven bathrooms, a theater room, an outdoor kitchen and a pool, according to the news outlet. Photos of the home...
2 cold weather shelters open in Westmoreland County
Two cold weather shelters are open in Westmoreland County when the temperatures dip below 25 degrees at night. The shelters — in Greensburg and Latrobe — will be open from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. through March 31 for those who are homeless or others whose homes aren’t adequately heated...
Unloaded school bus involved in Murrysville crash
An unloaded school bus was involved in a crash Thursday morning in Murrysville, according to a Westmoreland 911 dispatcher. The crash between the bus and a passenger vehicle on School Road North happened at 7:15 a.m. Traffic was being affected in the area while emergency responders worked to clear the...
Hempfield man charged for exposing himself to convenience store clerk
State police on Wednesday charged a Hempfield man with exposing himself to a clerk at a nearby convenience store in August. Troopers said Paul Aaron Montella, 33, recognized himself on surveillance images released to the media in December and turned himself in. He is charged with indecent exposure, open lewdness...
Hempfield man accused of DUI twice in less than an hour
A Hempfield man was arrested twice in less than an hour Sunday for drunken driving, according to state police. The first time troopers pulled over William Brandon Bartley, 31, was at 1:22 a.m. on Route 130 in Hempfield near North Greengate Road. Police said in court papers that Bartley was...
Police: Uniontown woman used potted tree during assault
A Fayette County woman is accused of attacking someone with a tree over the weekend, according to state police. Ronita Lynn Calloway, 32, of Uniontown, was arguing with someone in South Union at 12:34 p.m. Saturday when she allegedly grabbed a tree by its trunk and ripped it out of...
Structural engineer to evaluate Derry Township home hit by pickup truck
A pickup truck has been lodged in the side of Jesse Noel’s Derry Township home for the last two days. Noel and his wife, Sandy, were waiting Wednesday morning for a structural engineer to assess the damage while coping with the fallout after the truck slammed into their living room...
Judge declares missing Unity woman Cassandra Gross legally dead
Cassandra Gross hasn’t used her credit card since April. There have been no withdrawals in the last nine months from the Unity woman’s bank account other than automatic transactions. Her 401k account has remained untouched. “There’s no doubt in your mind, sir, that your mother’s subject to peril?” Westmoreland County...
Firefighters battle flames and freezing temperatures in Cook Township
A vacant house was destroyed in an early morning fire Tuesday in Cook Township. Fire Chief Shawn Kestner said no one was living at the Jefferson School Road home when flames broke out at 1 a.m. The structure was engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived amid bone-chilling cold. Fire trucks...
3 arrested after police find Ecstasy, marijuana in Hempfield apartment
Three Hempfield men are behind bars after police seized 721 Ecstasy pills and about 200 grams of an “unknown crystal-like substance” from their apartment, according to court papers. Kangin Jacob Louis Ayo and Dimitri Nigel Victor, both 24 and Demarrius Quave Antoine, 22, were arrested Friday on drug and conspiracy...
Troopers quickly track down Unity bank robbery suspect in Penn Hills
State police arrested a Penn Hills man accused of robbing a Westmoreland County bank on Thursday and making off with more than $4,000. Video surveillance from businesses surrounding the First National Bank in Unity Township led them to arrest Demetryaiss Llamar Holyfield, 25, police said. He was arraigned Friday and...
Police: Derry Township constable used fake arrest warrants to scam money from victims
A Derry Township constable is accused by police of pocketing $3,816 that nine victims paid him last year, believing he would take care of their court matters — some of which didn’t exist, according to court papers. Brian William McDowell, 35, allegedly tried to get money from five more people...
Westmoreland court offices closed Monday
Westmoreland County court offices will be closed Monday. The courthouse and district judge offices will not open in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Regular hours will resume Tuesday. Renatta Signorini is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Renatta at 724-837-5374, rsignorini@tribweb.com or via Twitter @byrenatta....
Tarrs woman accused of forging prescriptions for oxycodone pills
A Tarrs woman is accused of forging two painkiller prescriptions at an East Huntingdon doctor’s office where she worked as a medical assistant, according to court papers. Davina Lee Potoka, 44, allegedly wrote the prescriptions for herself for 120 oxycodone pills each, state police said. Potoka is charged with acquisition...
Police: Greensburg nurse diverted fentanyl, other medication from hospital
A Greensburg registered nurse was arrested Tuesday for allegedly diverting prescription medication while she worked at Excela Health Westmoreland Hospital, according to court papers. Julie Dawn Zetkulic, 43, is accused by the state Attorney General’s Office of taking narcotic pain relievers from the hospital’s pharmacy over a four-month period. She...
Pittsburgh investigating damage to Lawrenceville cars from salt truck
A Pittsburgh Public Works Department salt truck sideswiped several vehicles in Lawrenceville early Sunday, and the driver failed to report the mishap until Monday, a city official said. Tim McNulty, spokesman for Mayor Bill Peduto, said public works officials are investigating. He said it was unclear if the driver, who...
1 hurt when PennDOT truck, passenger vehicle crash on Route 30 in Ligonier Township
One person was hospitalized after a crash involving a passenger vehicle and a PennDOT plow Wednesday afternoon in Ligonier Township, according to PennDOT. Route 30 eastbound was closed for about 40 minutes as firefighters worked to free one person who was trapped in a vehicle, according to a Westmoreland 911...
Police: Driver was drunk during head-on crash in Murrysville that left man seriously injured
A Delmont woman is accused of being drunk at the time of a head-on crash Friday in Murrysville that left a man seriously injured. Lane J. Weiner, 56, had two cold 12-packs of Bud Light that had been opened in the back seat of her car at the time of...
