Rich Cholodofsky stories, Page 123
Washington Township man loses 4th appeal in child sex assault conviction
A Washington Township man serving a 16-year prison sentence for the sexual assault of a young child lost another appeal. Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court Judge Rita Hathaway, in a ruling released Tuesday, said the fourth appeal filed since 2016 by Paul Frank Katonka, who acted as his own lawyer,...
Trial begins for Hyde Park man accused of molesting teen
A trial that had been delayed for more than a year against a Hyde Park man accused of molesting a 13-year-old girl from Vandergrift got underway Tuesday in Westmoreland County Court. Assistant District Attorney Judy Petrush told jurors that Larry Lee Redmond, 40, had sexual contact with the girl on...
Former Derry mayor accused of pointing gun at kids in park wants charges dismissed
Derry Borough’s former mayor contends allegations he pointed a loaded gun at children in a local playground do not constitute an assault. In court documents filed Tuesday, defense attorney for Kevin Gross, 38, asked for a dismissal of aggravated assault charges filed in connection with an incident April 14 in...
Greensburg man sentenced in Derry, Latrobe armed robberies
A Greensburg man will serve up to five-and-a-half years in prison for armed robberies in Derry Borough and Latrobe. Jericho Dechicchis, 18, pleaded guilty Monday to counts of robbery, reckless endangerment and illegal possession of firearms in connection with two incidents in October 2017. According to court records, Dechicchis broke...
Two write-in candidates win their way on the Southmoreland School Board ballot this fall
Two write-in candidates won nominations for seats on the Southmoreland School Board, ousting one incumbent and putting the current board president’s position in jeopardy this fall. Westmoreland County elections officials Monday approved a precertification of the results of the May 21 primary. Barring any court challenges, those vote totals will...
Westmoreland judge blocks prosecutors from Latrobe man’s DNA to beef up drug case
A Westmoreland County judge Monday quashed a search warrant that sought a DNA sample from a Latrobe man implicated last year in a drug-possession case that has already been dismissed. Prosecutors said the testing was needed to bolster a potential case against Christopher Twigger, 34, should an appeals court overturn...
Lower Burrell man, son of district judge, pleads guilty to marijuana distribution charges
The son of a local district judge and nephew of Westmoreland County’s district attorney pleaded guilty Thursday to drug distribution charges. Stephen Yakopec III, 29, of Lower Burrell, could face up to 15 years in prison when he is sentenced in about three months. In court on Thursday, Yakopec pleaded...
Ex-Delmont official pleads guilty to theft, forgery; pays back $40,000
Delmont’s former secretary and treasurer on Thursday turned over a check for $40,000 as part of a guilty plea to charges she stole taxpayer money over a six-year period. Karen Shola, 68, of Pittsburgh, pleaded guilty to felony counts of theft, forgery and receiving stolen property and was sentenced by...
Slightly more Dems voted in Westmoreland primary election than Republicans
About a quarter of all Westmoreland County’s registered voters cast ballots in Tuesday’s primary election. County elections officials said turnout among Democrat and Republican voters was a bit higher than the overall total suggested. The 25% that was reported included nonpartisan and independent voters not permitted to cast ballots. Elections...
Woman charged in Steelers-related attack OK’d for trial
A Youngwood mother on Wednesday was ruled competent to stand trial for her alleged role in her own mother’s assault that occurred as she attempted to watch a televised Pittsburgh Steelers preseason football game two years ago. Delores Amorino, 42, told a Westmoreland County judge she wants a trial for...
Westmoreland County faces potentially heated fall contests after primary election
This week’s primary victory for Westmoreland County Sheriff Jonathan Held sets up a race in November between an incumbent awaiting retrial on public corruption charges and a retired district judge. But the two-term Republican’s pending legal woes won’t be a campaign issue, Democrat James Albert said Wednesday. “His legal issues...
Westmoreland Commissioners Cerilli, Kopas could form unified front for fall election
As Westmoreland County Republicans waited until late Tuesday to learn which two GOP candidates will seek to reclaim the party’s majority on the board of commissioners, Democrats have known since February that incumbents Gina Cerilli and Ted Kopas will be on the ballot this fall. Cerilli and Kopas were unopposed...
Magretti Hamilton to face staffer Pecarchik in bid for 2nd term as Register of Wills
Sherry Magretti Hamilton, Westmoreland County’s incumbent Register of Wills, defeated a former office deputy Tuesday in the Republican primary and will face a current staffer this fall in her bid for a second term in office. Hamilton, 42, a lawyer who previously served as a Hempfield supervisor, won the GOP...
Tom Murphy, Frank Schiefer to meet again in Recorder of Deeds race
Westmoreland County voters for the third time in the last 12 years will choose between Democrat Tom Murphy and Republican Frank Schiefer to run the office that oversees all local property records. Schiefer, 38, of Hempfield, finished first among three Republican candidates for the right to challenge Murphy, the incumbent...
What Westmoreland voters need to know for Tuesday’s primary election
Westmoreland County’s nearly 236,000 registered voters head to the polls Tuesday to select from among 483 candidates running in 443 races. Voters will cast primary ballots to nominate candidates for state judge, county offices including commissioner, judge and sheriff, as well as school boards, local city and borough councils and...
Westmoreland Sheriff Jonathan Held holds off GOP primary challengers
Embattled Westmoreland County Sheriff Jonathan Held will continue his campaign for a third term in office. Held, while still defending himself against pending criminal charges of public corruption, on Tuesday defeated three Republican challengers to win the GOP nomination for sheriff. According to unofficial results, Held received 32.8% of the...
Westmoreland Republicans nominate Kertes, Chew for commissioner
Biochemist Doug Chew and Sean Kertes, chief of staff to retiring Westmoreland County Commissioner Charles Anderson, were nominated Tuesday as the Republican candidates who will seek to reclaim the GOP majority at the courthouse. Kertes and Chew finished atop the Republican primary for county commissioner, besting a field of seven...
Greensburg woman seeks damages after tuxedo-draped mannequin falls on her
A tuxedo-draped mannequin toppled onto the head of a Greensburg woman shopping with her son at a men’s clothing store in Westmoreland Mall last year, causing her ongoing head and vision injuries, according to a two-count lawsuit filed in Westmoreland County. Melinda Scalzo alleges in court papers the weight from...
Family of Jeannette man sues Excela Health, doctor, alleging wrongful death
The family of a Jeannette man has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Excela Health and one of its doctors claiming he died from an allergic reaction to medication given during a heart procedure in 2017. According to the lawsuit filed in Westmoreland County, the five children of John P....
Bail reduced for ex-Derry mayor accused of pointing gun at kids in park
Derry Borough’s former mayor, who is awaiting trial on charges he brandished a gun at four teens in a local park, will be refunded $18,000 after a judge on Monday reduced his bond. Kevin Gross, 38, claimed he needed the cash to help pay living expenses and legal fees related...
Westmoreland GOP commissioner candidate apologizes for late-night robocalls
A Republican candidate for Westmoreland County commissioner apologized Monday for automated campaign telephone calls sent out after midnight. About 33,000 calls on behalf of John Ventre were expected to be made Sunday afternoon, but some were not received until well after bed-time and into early Monday. “It obviously didn’t go...
Westmoreland voters might be using current voting machines for the last time
Tuesday’s primary election might be the last that use the touch-screen voting system that has been in place in Westmoreland County since 2005. The county last week received proposals from four companies to sell new computerized machines that will allow for the generation of a verifiable paper trail to meet...
Westmoreland bus service keeps fares the same despite ridership, revenue drop
Westmoreland County Transit Authority bus fares will remain unchanged as the agency continues to deal with revenue declines related to state funding cuts and the ongoing loss of riders. Authority officials have approved a new $12.4 million operating budget for the 2019-20 fiscal year, balanced by the transfer of about...
Q&A with judicial candidates for Westmoreland Common Pleas Court
Six lawyers are seeking two vacancies this year on the Westmoreland County Court of Common Pleas. Democrats Michael Stewart, Jessica Rafferty and Matt Schimizzi, along with Republicans Wayne McGrew, Kyle Baxter and Justin Walsh are each running in both party primaries on May 21. The top two vote-getters in each...
Six lawyers vying to fill two Westmoreland County judicial seats
Westmoreland County’s Common Pleas Court hasn’t seen a full roster of judges in more than a year. That is expected to change starting in January 2020, after two judges are elected this fall to replace Richard E. McCormick Jr. and Anthony Marsili, who retired. Six lawyers — three Democrats and...
