Rich Cholodofsky stories, Page 126
Leechburg man pleads guilty to forcing boy to watch sex act
A Leechburg man pleaded guilty Tuesday to one felony offense for forcing a teen-aged boy to watch him and an adult woman have sex two years ago. Mark Leone, 50, formerly of Allegheny Township, was sentenced by Westmoreland County Common Pleas Judge Meagan Bilik-DeFazio to serve up to 23 months...
North Huntingdon woman sues Wendel-Herminie club over charity motorcycle wreck
A North Huntingdon woman who was injured when she was thrown from the back of a motorcycle last summer during a charity event contends a local social club that sponsored the benefit ride was at fault. According to a two-count lawsuit filed in Westmoreland County, Kelly Franz said members of...
Officials OK deal with Cincinnati-based developer for Hempfield industrial park
County officials this week approved the potential sale of 13 acres at the Westmoreland Technology Park II in Hempfield to a Cincinnati-based commercial real estate development and design firm. Acting as the Westmoreland County Industrial Development Corp., county commissioners signed off on the deal to option the property to AI....
Grant will cover Westmoreland, Fayette freight rail line improvements
Westmoreland County received a $1.5 million state grant for the second phase of a $3.9 million project to upgrade its 18-mile freight rail line from Hempfield to Connellsville. The grant will pay for most of the $2.1 million cost to rehabilitate infrastructure , officials said. The railroad company will pay...
Westmoreland tries again for $25 million Laurel Valley connector funding
Westmoreland County officials said Monday they will make another attempt to secure a $25 million federal grant to pay for part of the long-planned Laurel Valley connector. The project at one time called for construction of a new highway linking New Stanton and Arnold Palmer Regional Airport site in Unity....
Westmoreland jail sees highest percentage of new inmates needing drug, alcohol detox
A record percentage of new inmates lodged at the Westmoreland County Prison in May needed detoxification services for drug and alcohol addiction, officials said Monday. Warden John Walton told members of the county prison board that 204 of the 239 new inmates, more than 85%, who were brought into the...
Westmoreland commissioners better funded than GOP challengers, reports show
When it comes to cash available to spend in the months leading up to the November race for Westmoreland County Commissioner, Republicans Sean Kertes and Doug Chew are behind two Democratic incumbents. According to latest finance reports that detail contributions and spending through the May primary, the Republicans’ bank rolls...
Westmoreland judicial candidates spent $750K through spring primary election
The six candidates who ran for two open judicial seats on the Westmoreland County Court of Common Pleas spent more than $750,000 combined through early June. Campaign finance reports filed last week in Harrisburg detailed candidate spending and revealed the growing cost to run for judge in Westmoreland County. Attorney...
Change may be coming for Westmoreland transit authority
Westmoreland County commissioners will vote Monday on a proposal to allow the county transit authority to serve as its own bus operator. Authority board members endorsed the move last week to amend the agency’s charter, a change that officials said could dramatically transform the operation and offer an alternative to...
Duquesne man pleads guilty to drug offenses
A Duquesne man who is the ex-husband of a former Norwin High School teacher convicted of selling heroin to a police informant on Friday himself pleaded guilty to two drug offenses. Marc Anthony Rodnicki, 39, was sentenced to serve two years on probation for two misdemeanor drug counts in connection...
Judge: Confession in Youngwood man’s stabbing death, robbery to be allowed at trial
A confession given to police nearly a week after the stabbing death of Matthew Genard will stand, a Westmoreland County judge has ruled. Common Pleas Court Judge Christopher Feliciani said prosecutors can tell jurors about the statement made by Jason Sullenberger, 41, of Youngwood, about his role in Genard’s murder...
New Stanton man appealing sentence in deadly hit-run
A New Stanton man convicted of third-degree murder for the Christmas Eve 2016 death of an East Huntingdon pedestrian wants a new trial. Matthew Ramsay, 31, is appealing his conviction, claiming evidence presented at trial in March was not sufficient to support a guilty finding. “While the commonwealth’s evidence may...
Salem woman serving life says addiction to blame for mother’s violent murder
A Salem woman serving life in prison for bludgeoning her mother to death in 2013 wants her story to serve as an example of the horrors of drug addiction, she told a Westmoreland County judge. In a legal appeal, Sarah Vercauteren, 30, contended she received bad advice when she was...
Records will remain sealed in Unity woman’s disappearance
Search warrants related to the disappearance of a Unity woman will remain sealed for the time being, a Westmoreland County judge ruled Thursday. Prosecutors said public disclosure of documents supporting 15 search warrants obtained last year could interfere with the ongoing investigation into the whereabouts and possible death of Cassandra...
Jeannette man pleads guilty to 30 child porn counts
A Jeannette man will remain on house arrest for the next three months after he pleaded guilty Wednesday to possession of child pornography. But Curtis House, 75, faces a potentially long prison sentence as a result of his plea. “You could spend the rest of your life in jail,” said...
MAWC spent more than $100,000 for tests following Beaver Run Reservoir gas well breach
The Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County spent more than $100,000 on air and water quality tests conducted in response to gas well breach in late January at Beaver Run Reservoir, officials said. “We will forward those bills to CNX,” authority manager Michael Kukura said. CNX Resources, which operates the 55...
Man convicted in Latrobe drug dealer robbery-turned-homicide files court appeal
A Latrobe man serving up to 20 years in prison for his role in a robbery and murder wants a judge to overturn his third-degree murder conviction. Colin Gearhart, 21, in an appeal filed this week, said evidence used to convict him in a jury trial in March did not...
Greensburg woman serving life sentence claims she can’t leave prison for appeal hearing
Westmoreland County prosecutors argue a former Greensburg woman serving a life prison sentence for her role in the murder of a former boyfriend in 2006 should appear in person for her upcoming appeal hearing. Jennifer Vinsek, 37, contends she should receive a new trial based on allegations that her former...
Lawyer: Latrobe vet with PTSD wants to withdraw attempted murder plea for attack on wife, others
A Latrobe man told a Westmoreland County judge Tuesday he wants to withdraw a guilty plea to charges he attempted to kill three women in 2017. Scott A. Matuszky, 47, said he received bad legal advice from his former lawyer when he pleaded guilty last year to attempted murder, aggravated...
Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruling could favor doctors in defamation suit against Excela Health
Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled that a lawyer for Excela Health waived attorney-client privilege when he turned over a confidential document to a private media relations firm hired to oversee publicity related to allegations that patients were subjected to unnecessary cardiac procedures. Attorneys for doctors George Bousamra and Ehab...
New York woman says PA troopers conducted improper search of vehicle, wants criminal charges dismissed
A lawyer for a New York woman arrested near Donegal following a traffic stop last year on the Pennsylvania Turnpike in court Monday claimed an improper search of her vehicle led to the discovery of $500,000 of heroin stashed in a hidden compartment. Defense attorney Komron Jon Maknoon said police...
Driver gets probation, house arrest for crash that killed Washington Township fireman
An East Huntingdon man will serve five years on probation for causing a fatal three-vehicle crash two years ago that killed a Washington Township firefighter. Andrew Davidovich Jr., 21, pleaded guilty Monday to charges of involuntary manslaughter and other related offenses for the June 9, 2017, crash on Route 66...
Westmoreland’s recordkeeper looks toward balance of career
In May 1979, Ray Levay graduated from Saint Vincent College. Less than a month later, he was working in a tiny cubicle at the Westmoreland County Courthouse, compiling government financial records for an annual report. Now 40 years later, Levay, known as “RT,” is doing the same work but for...
Westmoreland County could face legal action over suicide of suspended jail guard
Westmoreland County officials could face legal action from the jailed widow of a suspended corrections officer who committed suicide in November, according to documents the Tribune-Review received through a public-records request. Pittsburgh attorney Jim Burn, who specializes in workers compensation claims, in March sent letters to the county commissioners and...
Murrysville photographer never stopped capturing moments
David Adams loved photography, so much so that even after his job at local newspapers came to an end, he continued to work in the field. “He just took prom pictures last month at Spectrum Charter School in Monroeville,” his wife Bonnijean said. “He just liked the interaction. He was...
