Renatta Signorini stories, Page 73
Behind the art: New Alexandria woodworker’s cabinet on display at Penn’s Woods exhibit
Art in the early years of Westmoreland County wasn’t limited to a canvas and paint brush. Woodworkers around the area with impressive skill created beautiful pieces that stood the test of time, as displayed in the Penn’s Woods exhibit at Westmoreland Historical Society’s education center. One of those woodworkers was...
Jeannette considers adding 2nd dog to police department
An out-of-work police dog might join Jeannette’s force, depending on whether city council wants to foot the bill for some costs for the canine and its handler. Officer Matthew Painter was permitted to keep 5-year-old Dutch shepherd, Kilo, after he left the Uniontown department for Jeannette last year, according to...
3 charged in South Huntingdon burglary
Three people are facing charges in a South Huntingdon burglary, according to court papers. Michael F. Walz, 35, of Elizabeth is accused of taking $1,065 and a pistol from a home, according to court papers. He is charged with burglary, theft and criminal mischief. Autumn M. Weigle, 30, of Smithton...
Greensburg man accused of 2019 rape at Linn Run State Park
A Greensburg man is accused by state police of driving a girl to Linn Run State Park and raping her, according to court papers. Troopers said they found DNA evidence on a shirt the accuser was wearing that is likely from Tyler A. Mastro, 22. He was arrested this week...
After being hit by a pickup, South Huntingdon girl spent summer recovering from injuries
Peyton Benner did not have a fun, carefree summer like some of her classmates at Yough Middle School. The South Huntingdon girl instead spent the warm months recovering after being hit by a pickup while riding a hoverboard May 28 on the street where she lives in the village of...
Pittsburgh man pleads to soliciting sex from agent posing online as young girl, her parent
A Pittsburgh man who federal officials said solicited sex from someone he believed was the parent of a young girl pleaded guilty in federal court this week. Wayne E. McNutt, 57, was accused of booking a hotel room at the Waterfront in July 2021 to engage in sex with the...
Man last seen Sept. 7 in Herminie area not found during search
A search was conducted in the Herminie area Thursday for a man who has been missing for almost a month. Trooper Steve Limani said troopers were not successful in finding Aaron D. Ross, 43. He was last seen in Herminie Sept. 7 wearing a red/orange shirt, denim blue jeans and...
South Greensburg man facing charges after rocks thrown at vehicles
A South Greensburg man is facing charges after Greensburg police said he threw rocks at passing vehicles Monday, causing damage to one. James G. Wilbur, 54, is charged with propelling a missile into occupied vehicles, reckless endangerment, criminal mischief, simple assault and harassment. Police Chief Shawn Denning said officers first...
Blairsville man killed in Derry Township crash
A Blairsville man was killed Thursday after being ejected from a vehicle in Derry Township, according to state police and the Westmoreland County Coroner. Christopher M. Howe, 36, was headed north on Route 217 near Cherry Street before 3 a.m. when authorities said he left the road, hit a guardrail...
Greensburg man faces prison in Ohio prostitution case
A Greensburg man pleaded guilty last month in Ohio court to attempted compelling prostitution and failure to follow a police order after a grand jury indicted him for attempting to have sex with a minor, according to court papers. Louis Rosensteel, 56, is facing a potential state prison sentence as...
2 Westmoreland men accused of causing $2,500 damage to Somerset soybean fields
Two Westmoreland County men are accused by state police of driving four-wheelers through Somerset County soybean fields last month, causing $2,500 in damage. The two men, both 19, from Irwin and Jeannette, were not named in a news release about the Sept. 3 incident. Troopers said the pair drove onto...
Jeannette officials expect to hold tax line in 2023 budget
A property tax increase is not expected in Jeannette’s 2023 budget, chief fiscal officer Ethan Keedy said. However, there are contracts that have yet to be finalized with the city’s office workers and public works department that could potentially alter figures in the 2023 spending plan that is being formulated,...
Philadelphia man charged in Allegheny County catalytic converter thefts
Authorities in two Allegheny County communities used surveillance video and cellphone records to identify a Philadelphia man as the person who they believe took $71,000 worth of catalytic converters from two car dealerships, according to court papers. Curtis B. Wallace Jr., 34, was arrested last week on charges of theft,...
Police: Man nabbed in stolen rental car in Hempfield was awaiting sentencing in bank robberies
A former McCandless man awaiting sentencing for a string of bank robberies in Westmoreland and Allegheny counties was arrested this week after authorities said he led police on a chase in a stolen rental car. Dylan M. Poole, 28, was scheduled to be sentenced in September in federal court in...
Repairs set to start on Bells Mills covered bridge damaged in hit-and-run
Repairs could begin next week on the Bells Mills Bridge after it was damaged this month during a hit-and-run. Vaughn Neill, an engineer with Westmoreland County, said the damage Sept. 21 was limited to entry woodwork and the approach railing. Structural parts of the bridge were not affected. He is...
Smithton teen accused in crude, vulgar graffiti incidents
A Smithton teen is facing several misdemeanor charges after police said he hand drew crude and vulgar graffiti on five properties, three of which are near churches, according to court papers. The vandalism included depictions of male genitalia and a racial slur, according to Smithton police. Jeffrey Schoaf Jr., 18,...
North Huntingdon man receives 25 to 50 years in prison for sexual assaults
A North Huntingdon man was sentenced Monday to 25 to 50 years in a state prison for repeatedly raping a girl and taking pornographic photographs and videos involving her. The girl testified during a sentencing hearing for John M. Wilbanks, 41, that therapy helped her realize that the sexual assaults...
Judge to determine if Jeannette man understood rights in arson case
A Westmoreland County judge is being asked to determine whether a Jeannette man was capable of understanding his rights and whether a statement he made to police in a deadly 2018 row house fire was voluntary. Brian E. Rendon, 38, is charged with homicide and arson in the April 9,...
Donegal Township man sentenced for assault of child
A Donegal Township man was sentenced Monday to 22 to 44 months in a state prison for sexually assaulting a mentally challenged child. Ronald W. Kern, 81, was ordered to spend an additional five years on probation after the prison term. He pleaded guilty to charges of aggravated indecent assault...
New Jersey man gets 3 years’ probation for deceiving Hempfield woman
A New Jersey man was sentenced Monday to three years of probation in a bail scam that netted $5,000 from a Hempfield woman who state police said was led to believe her daughter needed bail money. Noel Medrano-Abreu, 30, will remain jailed pending the outcome of a similar case in...
New Stanton man seriously hurt in Hempfield crash
A New Stanton man was seriously injured Friday after state police said he tried to pass another vehicle on Arona Road in Hempfield. A Toyota Sienna with two occupants slowed near the road’s intersection with Davinci Drive around 8:30 p.m. to make a left turn. Troopers said James D. Herrin,...
Hempfield man charged with leaving obscene messages for members of Congress
A Hempfield man who previously served jail time for harassing Black members of a Penn Township church was charged Thursday with leaving 214 obscene and racially-charged voicemails for 35 members of Congress, according to court papers. Mark Eugene Ray, 62, is charged with ethnic intimidation and two counts of harassment...
Sheetz site opens near turnpike interchange along Route 31 in Donegal
A new Sheetz gas station and convenience store opened Thursday in Donegal Township, not far from the interchange on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. The new location is along Route 31, near the intersection with Route 711/Main Street. Each new store typically creates about 30 jobs, according to a spokesman. A few...
Fayette woman killed in head-on crash in Hempfield, police say
A Fayette County woman was killed in a Hempfield crash Wednesday afternoon, according to state police. Troopers said another vehicle slammed head-on into the Kia Sedona Betty J. Wagner, 73, of Franklin Township, was driving on Arona Road at 4:45 p.m. Wagner was pronounced dead at the scene. Wagner and...
Derry Township man accused of taking $21K of guns through improper use of third-party financing
A Derry Township man is accused of taking $21,000 worth of guns and accessories from a Hempfield shop after state police said he misrepresented his financing through a third-party agency, according to court papers. David J. Cochran, 23, was arraigned Tuesday on a theft by deception charge. State police said...
