Rich Cholodofsky stories, Page 116
Westmoreland prison population surge expected to be temporary
Warden John Walton said the inmate population at the county prison spiked during the last month, but the numbers of those incarcerated are expected to dip before year’s end. Walton told members of the prison board the Hempfield facility housed 677 inmates on Monday, bringing its population closer to capacity...
Westmoreland commissioner hopefuls spent more than $600K on campaigns this year
Westmoreland County Commissioner Gina Cerilli is the top spender so far among four candidates seeking election next week. Cerilli listed more than $126,000 in new expenses, bringing the total cash she’s used for her reelection since the start of this year to more than $275,000, according to finance reports that...
Election forum planned for Westmoreland commissioner candidates
Four candidates running for Westmoreland County commissioner will have their first, and most likely last, chance this week to appear together publicly to discuss campaign issues leading into the Nov. 5 general election. Democratic incumbents Gina Cerilli and Ted Kopas are seeking new four-year terms on the three member board....
Westmoreland sheriff candidates view the office very differentlyVideo
Candidates for Westmoreland County sheriff have clearly different views of the office. Two-term Republican incumbent Jonathan Held says his seven-year stewardship of the office has resulted in professionalism and cost savings. The more than a dozen lawsuits filed against him and his administrative team by current and former staffers and...
Murder, arson trial for Jeannette man delayed until January
The trial of a Jeannette man accused of setting a blaze that killed an elderly woman last year was pushed back to January. Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court Judge Meagan Bilik-DeFazio on Friday agreed to delay the trial for Brian Eric Rendon after defense attorneys said they needed more time...
Westmoreland County commissioner candidates push drug court to fight opioid epidemicVideo
Editor’s note: Candidates for Westmoreland County commissioner discussed their views on various subjects with the Tribune-Review, which will be published weekly leading up to the Nov. 5 election. The fourth installment features excerpts of the candidates’ views on how they plan to combat the ongoing opioid epidemic, which has produced...
Blairsville convicted murderer wants public to pay for appeal expert
Taxpayers should not foot the bill to help a former Blairsville man craft a new appeal for his murder convictions in the execution-style slayings of his mother, sister and aunt, Westmoreland County prosecutors said in court Thursday. District Attorney John Peck and Assistant District Attorney Jim Lazar argued there was...
Suspect who blamed Jeannette murder on his twin now says he was in Florida at time of killing
An Allegheny County man awaiting trial for a 2017 Jeannette murder now claims he was in another state at the time of the fatal shooting. The lawyer for Darrelle Tolbert-McGhee filed court documents Wednesday in which he said he will pursue an alibi defense at trial, which is scheduled to...
Alex Hribal’s appeal rejected in Franklin Regional rampage
A Pennsylvania appeals court on Wednesday upheld the 60-year prison sentence for Alex Hribal, the Murrysville teen convicted of wounding of 20 teens and a security guard during a 2014 knife rampage at Franklin Regional High School. A three-judge panel rejected the appeal from Hribal, 22, who claimed the sentencing...
Judge: Prosecutors can say suspect in killing of Brian Shaw had gun conviction
A Westmoreland County judge on Wednesday ruled against a defense request to remove gun charges from the upcoming capital murder trial of the man accused in the slaying of New Kensington police officer Brian Shaw. Judge Rita Hathaway said that doing so would limit the prosecution’s effort to present motive...
Ex-Derry mayor, accused of brandishing gun near children, seeks to have charges reduced
The lawyer for Derry borough’s former mayor, accused of brandishing a loaded gun near children, said felony aggravated assault charges filed in the case should be dismissed. In a hearing Tuesday, defense attorney Tim Andrews argued Kevin Gross merely pointed a weapon as he attempted to intervene in a physical...
Ex-South Greensburg secretary will plead guilty to stealing from father, attorney says
South Greensburg’s former secretary, convicted last year of stealing more than $155,000 from the borough, will plead guilty next month to charges that he stole from his elderly father and lied about it to a county judge, his attorney said. During a hearing Tuesday, Assistant Public Defender Chris Haidze said...
Madison man sentenced to jail for drunken police chase that damaged cruiser
A Madison man pleaded guilty Tuesday to charges in connection to a high-speed police chase. Police said Brian Allen Smith, 48, appeared suspicious when he was spotted Jan. 12 in Sewickley sitting in a black Honda, which he drove away after refusing to speak with a state state trooper who...
Bolivar man gets prison time for sex assault
A Bolivar man will serve up to 20 years behind bars for the sexual assault of a young girl. Bradley Grant Sarver, 47, was sentenced Tuesday to a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 to 20 years in prison for an assault prosecutors said took place Christmas Day 2013. A 12-year-old...
New voting machines on display at Westmoreland County CourthouseVideo
Westmoreland County voters this week have a chance to see new touch-screen computers that will be used to cast ballots next spring. Demonstrations of the new units will be held daily from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. through Wednesday in the lobby at the downtown Greensburg courthouse. County commissioners this...
Justice to go: state Superior Court to hear cases in Greensburg
Pennsylvania’s Superior Court is taking its show on the road. A three-judge panel of the appeals court will hear more than 40 cases at the Westmoreland County Courthouse in Greensburg on Tuesday and Wednesday. The Superior Court normally hears arguments on appeals in Harrisburg, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, but periodically visits...
Westmoreland County controller candidates tout experience, watchdog role
In 2011, political newcomer Jeffrey Balzer campaigned for Westmoreland County controller with one message — the two-term incumbent had been in office too long. Now, eight years later Balzer, 54, a Republican from New Alexandria, is seeking his third term and said his experience in running the office that serves...
Westmoreland commissioner election focus: economic developmentVideo
Editor’s note: Candidates for Westmoreland County commissioner discussed their views on various subjects with the Tribune-Review, which will be published weekly leading up to the Nov. 5 election. The third installment features excerpts from interviews in which the candidates were asked about their views on economic development. A video of...
Westmoreland County mulls operating its own bus routes
The Westmoreland County Transit Authority is expected to decide by month’s end if it will take over its own fixed-route bus and paratransit services. The transit agency this week received proposals from two companies to run both services starting in January, but officials said the high cost of those offers...
Westmoreland County voting machines get one final test before last hurrahVideo
Westmoreland County’s 880 touch-screen voting machines will be junked next month after the votes recorded in the Nov. 5 general election are made official. County elections officials on Thursday ran the final tests on those machines to ensure they are operational one last time. “I can’t say there was anything...
Westmoreland judge calls father of accused cop killer ‘danger to the community’
A Westmoreland County judge ruled Thursday that the father of accused cop killer Rahmael Sal Holt will remain in jail on $100,000 bond until after his son’s capital murder trial next month. Gregory Baucum Jr., 48, of Pittsburgh has been in jail since March after he was arrested and charged...
Westmoreland County prothonotary to process passports at health expo
Westmoreland County’s Prothonotary Office will process passports at next week’s Health and Wellness Expo in Hempfield. The event, which will run from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Oct. 23 at the Ramada by Wyndham Greensburg Hotel and Conference Center, will feature information booths detailing programs and services for seniors, persons...
Westmoreland County voting machines get one final test before last hurrahVideo
Westmoreland County’s 880 touch-screen voting machines will be junked next month after the votes recorded in the Nov. 5 general election are made official. County elections officials on Thursday ran the final tests on those machines to ensure they are operational one last time. “I can’t say there was anything...
Appeals court: Judge should not have barred evidence regarding Hempfield rape allegation
A Pennsylvania appeals court on Wednesday overturned a ruling issued earlier this year that barred key evidence in a pending rape case against a Hempfield man. In January, Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court Judge Tim Krieger ruled prosecutors could use statements the alleged victim gave to Greensburg authorities after she...
Prosecutors: Man accused of killing New Kensington officer was armed drug dealer
Westmoreland County prosecutors said Wednesday they have evidence that the man accused of killing New Kensington police Officer Brian Shaw was an armed drug dealer who sought to avoid arrest when he fired the fatal shots. According to court documents presented during a pretrial hearing in preparation for the capital...
