Renatta Signorini stories, Page 155
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...
Westmoreland County seeking 30 participants for citizen workshop
The Westmoreland County Department of Public Safety is looking for 30 citizens to participate in a workshop aimed at mitigating hazards. The workshop will be held Feb. 19 and March 19 from 7-9 p.m. at the University of Pittsburgh’s Greensburg campus. Citizens will only be required to attend one of...
Pa. state police seize more than $66 million worth of drugs in 2018
State troopers seized more than $66 million worth of illegal drugs from communities around Pennsylvania in 2018. That includes nearly 200 pounds of heroin and fentanyl, both of which are contributing to drug overdose deaths around the state and country, according to a news release. In the last three months...
Man accused of leading police on nearly 10-mile chase in Sewickley Township
A Madison man is accused of leading police on a 9½-mile chase Saturday with an open bottle of vodka in his car, according to arrest papers. Brian Allen Smith, 47, allegedly caused at least $1,000 worth of damage to a state police cruiser during the incident. He was being held...
Injuries reported in head-on crash in Murrysville
Firefighters pulled two people from their vehicles Friday after a head-on crash in Murrysville, according to a Westmoreland 911 dispatcher. The crash occurred just before 2 p.m. at the intersection of School Road and Foxwood Court. School Road was closed for about an hour. One person was flown to UPMC...
Derry sisters charged with neglecting emaciated horses, dogs, cats
A Derry Township woman who had animal cruelty charges against her dropped in 2016 is now accused of the same after humane agents seized emaciated and sick horses, dogs and cats from her property in November. Faun Dillon was arraigned this week on more than 200 charges, including aggravated cruelty...
North Huntingdon police looking for man who became irate at motelVideo
North Huntingdon police are looking for a man who became irate after being refused a motel room Saturday because he didn’t have cash to pay for it. Investigators said the man left Hiland Terrace Motel on Route 30 around 6:30 a.m. and a clerk locked the door behind him. When...
Jeannette to add more surveillance cameras current ones already pay off for police
Jeannette police plan to add more surveillance cameras to Clay Avenue after the ones recently installed assisted in a stolen vehicle investigation last month. City council approved buying six more cameras that will be affixed to utility poles at intersections along the street, said police Chief Shannon Binda. “Our intersections...
4 women testify Greensburg chiropractor assaulted, harassed them
When a teenage girl started going to a Greensburg gym in 2015, she looked up to the chiropractor who was training her in power lifting. But as the weeks and months went on, Moses Jevicky, 36, of Greensburg, started to get progressively inappropriate, making comments about her body parts and...
Woman, cat safe after fire breaks out at Greensburg apartmentVideo
Linda Erickson wasn’t sure what the loud noise was that she heard Thursday morning from inside her Greensburg apartment. But when a neighbor started banging on her door on Park Street around 9 a.m., she raced down the steps of her second-floor unit amid heavy smoke, leaving behind her 5-year-old...
Jeannette police start using electronic ticketing system for traffic violations
Lead-footed drivers and other traffic scofflaws are getting a speedy response from Jeannette police, who are now using an electronic ticketing system that cuts down on the time needed to complete traffic stops. For the last month, officers have used a new system that improves their safety and lessens downtime...
Penn Township man found not guilty of dog law citations in UPS driver mauling
A district judge found a Penn Township man not guilty of three summary citations connected to a dog attack last year that seriously injured a UPS driver from Hempfield. Matthew Zavarella had been accused of failing to keep his three German shepherds under control in the Aug. 28 mauling at...
North Huntingdon man accused of speeding in December crash that seriously injured driver
A North Huntingdon man was arraigned Tuesday on accusations that he was speeding before a violent crash in December that seriously injured another driver. Chad William Brutout, 24, is charged with aggravated assault by vehicle and summary vehicle code violations. A westbound BMW 300xi T-boned a Honda Accord around 8:30...
State police seek woman who used stolen bank card at North Huntingdon store
State police are looking for a woman who they say used a Blairsville woman’s debit card information to make a purchase at the Target store in North Huntingdon. Investigators said the suspect stole the victim’s bank information and bought $110.23 worth of merchandise on Dec. 24. Troopers released a surveillance...
Right place, right time: Jeannette first responders save man’s life during training exercise
Don Mahoney was right where he needed to be. The Butler County man’s interest in space made him a perfect fit to offer his time at the Heinz History Center’s Destination Moon exhibit. But little did he know, the 65-year-old man was about to get help from Jeannette EMS and...
Police: Son fatally beat father over cell phone before setting Hempfield house fireVideo
State police believe Douglas F. Novak beat his elderly father to death over a missing cell phone and then set his house on fire in an attempt to cover his tracks, according to court documents. Authorities on Monday charged Novak, 40, with homicide in connection with the Dec. 20 death...
Police: Pitcairn man set house fire to ‘scare’ people who kicked him out
A Pitcairn man was arrested Sunday evening after police said he set a fire at a borough house earlier that day. Michael Zachary Cruse, 23, told investigators he started the fire on the Wall Avenue home’s back porch to scare a group of people he had been drinking with, according...
Faded history buried in Potter’s Field at Westmoreland County Prison
The markers are uneven, jutting from the grass like crooked teeth. Each represents a person, who was once loved, but now is identified only by a letter and number. The identification corresponds with a small handwritten notation in a decades-old book stored in the annals of the Westmoreland Manor. It’s...
Free gun locks available for veterans at Westmoreland County courthouse
Local veterans can obtain free gun locks at Westmoreland County’s veterans affairs department. Supplies of the locks are limited and anyone who wants one should check with the agency to confirm availability at 724-830-3530. Locks are available through a partnership between the Westmoreland County Department of Veterans Affairs and the...
Cops: West Newton man placed infant in car seat carrier in middle of road
A West Newton man was arrested Thursday on police accusations that he placed an infant girl in the middle of a borough street after stealing $70 from the baby’s mother, according to court papers. Nathaniel Scott Bartko, 24, was being held at the Westmoreland County Prison on $50,000 bail. A...
Trafford woman arrested in Jeannette hit-and-run; pedestrian injured
A Penn Township woman was jailed Friday after police said she hit a man with a car in front of a Jeannette restaurant Thursday night and fled, according to court papers. The pedestrian told police he had parked across the street from Johnny’s Wife’s Place and was walking toward the...
