Rich Cholodofsky stories, Page 109
Witness in Jeannette murder trial says she can recognize defendant from twin brother
A woman whose former boyfriend was fatally shot nearly three years ago in Jeannette told a Westmoreland County jury Wednesday that she can identify the alleged killer by a tiny mole on his left cheek and by his stride. Sharnell Jackson testified she was in Jeannette on April 13, 2017,...
Shooter in Jeannette murder was suspect’s identical twin, lawyer claimsVideo
The lawyer for a Penn Hills man accused of gunning down a man in the heart of Jeannette’s business district said the shooter was actually his client’s dead twin brother. Defense attorney Tim Dawson told a Westmoreland County jury Tuesday that Darrelle Tolbert-McGhee, 30, is not the man pictured in...
Jury selected in trial of Penn Hills man accused in deadly Jeannette shooting
Opening statements are expected to begin Tuesday in the murder trial of a Penn Hills man accused of killing a man in Jeannette. A 12-member jury and two alternates were seated Monday at the Westmoreland County Courthouse to hear evidence in the case against Darrelle Tolbert-McGhee, 30. He is charged...
County commissioners leaning toward reopening Westmoreland’s 2020 budget
Westmoreland County commissioners said Monday they still plan to reopen the county’s 2020 budget in hopes of nixing a 2.4% property tax increase, but they concede there isn’t much time left to do so. State law allows a newly constituted board of commissioners to recast budgets approved by the previous...
Getaway driver in 2018 robbery spree gets 2 to 6 years in prison
The getaway driver who participated in three armed robberies in late 2018 in East Huntingdon and Scottdale will serve up to six years in prison. William Nathan Lint, 36, of Connellsville, pleaded guilty Friday to robbery and other offenses in connection with heists at three local business over a five-day...
Westmoreland water, sewage rates to remain unchanged
Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County board members on Friday unanimously approved a new $105.2 million budget for the 2020-2021 fiscal year that keeps water and sewer rates at their current levels. The budget year, which begins in April, will be the second consecutive year the authority has held the line...
New Westmoreland sheriff’s office solicitor will not get cut of property sales
The new part-time solicitor for the Westmoreland County Sheriff’s office will have a higher salary than his predecessor but still earn about $25,000 per year less under a restructuring approved Thursday. The county’s salary board, which includes all three commissioners and Controller Jeffrey Balzer, voted to increase the salary for...
Big plans for Westmoreland outlined at annual State of County luncheon
After a public squabble at their first voting meeting of the year, Westmoreland County commissioners got together for lunch Thursday to outline an ambitious agenda for 2020 that includes revitalizing the Mon Valley, potentially adding more flights to and from Arnold Palmer Regional Airport and increasing internet capability. Commissioners Sean...
Board appointment prompts Westmoreland commissioners’ first dust-up
Westmoreland County Commissioners Sean Kertes and Gina Cerilli on Thursday appointed a new member to the county’s housing authority board of directors, a move that resulted in the first disagreement among the county leaders. Commissioner Doug Chew voted against the appointment of former Monessen District Judge Joseph Dalfonso to serve...
Westmoreland sheriff doesn’t want investigation into office mess
Westmoreland County Sheriff James Albert said he doesn’t want an investigation into who trashed his offices in the courthouse. “Let’s not prolong this. I want to stay positive and move forward,” Albert said Thursday after the offices were cleaned. Three deputies and two maintenance workers, Albert said, spent two full...
Unity woman gets probation in animal cruelty case
A Unity woman was ordered Wednesday to serve a year on probation for animal cruelty after leaving her pets alone in filthy conditions after she was evicted from her Cook Township home. Patricia Canton, 52, was permitted to enroll in the Accelerated Rehabilitation Disposition program for first-time, nonviolent offenders. The...
North Huntingdon man accused of assaulting daughter gets probation
A North Huntingdon man was ordered this week to serve one year of probation for an assault against his 11-year-old daughter. Samuel Farrier, 46, following a two-day jury trial in October, was found guilty of one misdemeanor count of simple assault in connection with an altercation with his children and...
Trial delayed for Greensburg man charged in Vandergrift woman’s death
The trial for a Greensburg man charged with the beating and strangulation death of a Vandergrift woman two years ago will begin in April. Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court Judge Tim Krieger on Tuesday granted a defense request to delay the trial for Walter W. Cable by two months. The...
Greensburg man sentenced for Hempfield police chase
A Greensburg man pleaded guilty Tuesday to aggravated assault of a police officer following a car chase last year. William J. Binnall, 39, was trying to avoid arrest after police stopped his vehicle near Locust Valley Drive in Hempfield on May 22 because of an expired registration. Police said Binnall,...
Former Penn Township man sentenced on child porn charges
A former Penn Township man will serve at least nine months in jail after he pleaded guilty Tuesday to possession of child pornography. Prosecutors said 22 images of child pornography were found on computers owned by Raymond Patrick Younger, 40, now of Blacklick, Indiana County. The images were of children,...
March 17 special election set to fill Justin Walsh’s former state House seat
A special election will be held March 17 to fill the remaining term of former state Rep. Justin Walsh, and it could require Westmoreland County to borrow money to pay for the early balloting, officials said. Walsh, a Republican, resigned at the end of December after serving a year of...
Jeannette woman gets 15 to 30 years in prison for boyfriend’s death
A Jeannette woman convicted last year in the fatal bludgeoning of her teen-aged boyfriend insisted in court on Monday she did not intend for him to die. Crystal Belle, 40, said during her sentencing hearing she cared deeply for her 19-year-old boyfriend, Khalil Parker, even as she used the wooden...
New Westmoreland County commissioners say they’ll reopen the county’s budgetVideo
Westmoreland County commissioners Monday afternoon elected Republican Sean Kertes to serve as the new board chairman. Kertes, 33, of Greensburg, and Commissioner Doug Chew formed a new Republican majority on the board, which for the previous four years had been controlled by Democrats. The board’s lone returning member, Commissioner Gina...
New Westmoreland County sheriff finds offices trashed
Newly installed Westmoreland County Sheriff James Albert found a surprise when he arrived at work Monday morning. Stacks of boxes filled with old arrest warrants blocked the door to his administrative suite of offices, trash was strewn on floors and desks, and the former sheriff’s dirty uniforms were piled beneath...
Westmoreland courthouse reopens after bomb threat
A bomb threat closed the Westmoreland County courthouse for nearly three hours Monday, the first day for new administration in the commissioner’s office and sheriff’s department. The Greensburg courthouse was evacuated after a threat was received shortly after 9 a.m., Sheriff Jim Albert said. Explosive-sniffing dogs from police agencies in...
New Westmoreland County leaders take over commissioners’, sheriff’s offices
Westmoreland County’s new government will be unveiled Monday when Republicans Sean Kertes and Doug Chew take over the majority on the board of commissioners and Democrat James Albert assumes control of the sheriff’s office. Monday marks the first official day on the job for the newly elected officials, and, as...
Fayette County man released from jail after his sentence is reduced
A Fayette County man was paroled Friday after being resentenced to serve a shorter jail term for his role in the thefts of construction equipment and building materials during a month-long crime spree in 2016 throughout Westmoreland County. David F. Wray, 48, of Fayette City, pleaded guilty in 2018 to...
Judge: Greensburg dad to stand trial for allegedly leaving kids in deplorable home
A Westmoreland County judge on Friday rejected a defense request to dismiss child endangerment charges against a Greensburg man suspected of leaving three children home alone for about a week in deplorable conditions. Common Pleas Court Judge Christopher Feliciani ruled prosecutors presented sufficient evidence to support the charges against Ryan...
Former Vandergrift cop gets probation in retribution scheme
A former Vandergrift police officer was sentenced Thursday to serve two years of probation for attempting to coerce a local couple to participate in a retribution scheme against his supervisor. Jared Edward Kepple, 28, of Hyde Park pleaded guilty in October to one misdemeanor count of official oppression in connection...
Westmoreland Transit buses run normally after county operations takeover
Lisa Snow drove the Westmoreland County Transit Authority’s 4F bus to and from Pittsburgh on Thursday, the same route she’s operated over the past few years. There were no differences in how and where the bus traveled, but for Snow and her passengers, it was the start of a new...
