Rich Cholodofsky stories, Page 127
Westmoreland County seeks job applicants for open positions
Westmoreland County is looking to hire. The county has released a list of vacant positions it is seeking to fill, including a number of open jobs at Regional Youth Services Center for its juvenile detention center and shelter programs. New employees are being sought for one full-time and two part-time...
Blight reduction strategies up for discussion at Westmoreland County seminar
Community leaders and real estate experts will convene next week at the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg to discuss strategies to reduce blight. The June 25 seminar will feature local and national speakers and training to provide insight on understanding property market dynamics, analyzing data to understand neighborhood conditions, strategic...
Pennsylvania approves first mini casino; Westmoreland Mall site still on track
State gaming officials this week approved the first license for a mini casino to operate in Pennsylvania. A vote is expected in the coming months to finalize plans for a proposed facility at Westmoreland Mall. “It will be coming up over the next two, three or four months. It’s on...
Westmoreland Election Bureau gives final certification to all primary races, except Norwin School Board
Westmoreland County’s election board has given final certification to all but one of last month’s primary election results. No challenges were lodged against the final tallies recorded last week and as a result the field for the November general election is mostly set when votes are cast for the board...
Driver sentenced up to 40 years in prison for fatal Christmas Eve crash in East Huntingdon
Jolene Cummins said Christmas was always a joyful day for her family. That changed on Christmas Eve 2016, when her husband of 25 years was killed as he ran that afternoon with his dog near the family’s home in East Huntingdon. Police say the man driving the car that hit...
Third man convicted of 2016 Latrobe murder gets 10 to 20 years in prison
The third of three men convicted in the January 2016 murder of Daniel McNerny was sentenced to 10 to 20 years in prison Monday. Westmoreland County Common Pleas Judge Meagan Bilik-DeFazio said she would not overrule a jury verdict that found Colin Gearhart guilty of third-degree murder. Prosecutors sought a...
Judge denies accused cop killer Rahmael Holt’s request for outside jury
Jury selection in the capital murder trial of Rahmael Sal Holt will begin in Westmoreland County, but could be moved to another county if finding impartial jurors proves to be too difficult, a judge ruled Monday. Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court Judge Rita Hathaway rejected a defense request to move...
Man gets early parole in fatal Derry crash
A New Alexandria man convicted late last year of causing a fatal car crash in Derry that killed a 71-year-old woman will be paroled nearly five months early. Westmoreland County Judge Christopher Feliciani on Monday ruled Samuel Grace III, 22, will be released from custody July 10 after serving seven...
White Oak man, head of alleged gambling ring, wants charges dismissed
The patriarch of a White Oak family charged last summer with operating a multi-county illegal gambling ring contends the criminal case against him should be dismissed for a lack of evidence. In court documents filed Friday, the attorney for Robert Biros, 83, asked that a preliminary hearing be conducted to...
Jury acquits Loyalhanna man charged with rape
A Westmoreland County jury deliberated just 20 minutes Friday afternoon before it acquitted a Loyalhanna man of rape and other offenses in connection with allegations made three years ago by a teen boy. The jury found Michael Snyder, 29, not guilty of all five counts charged. “This case was all...
Greensburg man convicted of rape, second suspect awaits trial
A Greensburg man was convicted Thursday of the rape of an unconscious woman who claimed she was drugged and unable to fend off two attackers last year. Westmoreland County jurors deliberated about two hours Thursday before finding Benjamin Davis, 22, guilty of felony rape and conspiracy counts. Two women, ages...
Hempfield man sued by Three Rivers Dental for social media posts
A Greensburg dentistry group claims it has been disparaged on social media by a former patient and wants a Westmoreland County judge to order the posts be removed from the web sites. Three Rivers Dental Group on Thursday filed a libel lawsuit against Hempfield resident Robert Ottaviani, claiming he made...
Jury convicts Hyde Park man, 40, of sexually assaulting teen girl
A Westmoreland County jury has convicted a Hyde Park man of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl. Jurors deliberated more than two hours late Wednesday before returning guilty verdicts against 40-year-old Larry Lee Redmond on felony counts of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, aggravated indecent assault, child endangerment and corruption of minors...
Jury hears opening statements in trial of Loyalhanna man, 29, accused of teen rape
The lawyer for a Loyalhanna man accused of the rape of a teenage boy told a Westmoreland County jury on Wednesday that his client was the victim of a lie. Michael S. Snyder, 29, is charged with eight offenses including rape, statutory sexual assault, corruption of a minor and other...
Man found in Arnold basement with illegal gun to serve at least 3 years in prison
A Mercer County man found hiding in an Arnold basement two years ago was sentenced Wednesday to serve up to six years in prison for the illegal possession of a gun. Detric Wood-Palmer, 30, pleaded guilty to two counts, including one that involved an allegation that he was a convicted...
Boilivar man guilty of sex assault
A Westmoreland County jury deliberated just 25 minutes before finding a Bolivar man guilty of sex crimes against a teenage girl. After two days of testimony, jurors late Tuesday convicted Bradley Grant Sarver, 46, of four felony offenses, aggravated indecent assault of a child, indecent assault, corruption of minors and...
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...
