Rich Cholodofsky stories, Page 134
County honors Westmoreland sheriff’s deputies for arrest
Westmoreland deputy sheriffs were honored this week by county commissioners for their role in the arrest of a suspected drug dealer following a three-mile vehicle chase last month in North Huntingdon. Deputies John Dixon, Rob Orbin and Frank Neal; Sgt. Irvin Shipley and Lt. Jesse Salandro assisted police during a...
Greensburg man found guilty of sex assault
A Greensburg man was found guilty Wednesday of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl and could face up to 23 years in prison when he is sentenced this year. Westmoreland County jurors convicted Daniel DeAugustine, 38, of five counts, including felony offenses of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and aggravated indecent assault,...
Westmoreland president judge, husband sue Delmont storage company over damaged furniture
Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court President Judge Rita Hathaway and her husband George Hathaway on Tuesday sued a Delmont self-storage facility for damage to furniture kept in a unit at the business. According to the three-count lawsuit, Hathaway said she leased a unit at the StoreExpress indoor facility on Route...
Westmoreland County could borrow $44M for voting machines, parks, Manor, other projects
Westmoreland commissioners this week are expected to finalize plans to borrow $43.9 million to buy new voting machines, refurbish the county-owned nursing home, improve local parks, upgrade emergency response communications and provide additional budget flexibility. The financial package, which could be approved Thursday, will provide about $26.9 million to pay...
St. Clair Township police officer’s widow to have husband’s belongings returned to her
St. Clair Township police Officer Lloyd Reed’s gun, eyeglasses and other personal belongings will be returned to his widow more than three years after he was gunned down while responding to a domestic violence call in New Florence. Ray Shetler Jr., the man accused of killing Reed, was acquitted of...
Jurors seated in second trial for Westmoreland man accused of sexual assault
The lawyer for a Greensburg man on trial for a second time for the alleged sexual assaults of a teenage girl told a Westmoreland County jury Monday his client was a victim of false allegations. “There will be discrepancies in her testimony. The evidence doesn’t make sense that things happened...
Public corruption retrial of Westmoreland sheriff Held likely off until after primary
An appeal filed by Westmoreland County Sheriff Jonathan Held seeking to reverse a judge’s refusal to dismiss public corruption charges is expected to delay his retrial until after the May primary election. Held, 44, of Hempfield is awaiting his second trial on charges he forced on-duty sheriff’s department staff to...
Hempfield consultant announces GOP bid for Westmoreland County commissioner
A microbiologist who left a university teaching job last summer to open his own consulting business announced Monday he will be a Republican candidate for Westmoreland County commissioner. Doug Chew, 48, of Hempfield said if elected he will donate a portion of his salary to help fund the county’s drug...
Rostraver man gets up to 5 years in jail for driving drunk in crash
A Rostraver man will serve up to five years in jail for driving drunk when he collided with another vehicle in which a young child rode as a passenger. John Summers, 47, pleaded guilty in November to drunk driving and related offenses in connection with the April 14, 2017, crash...
Ligonier man’s appeal in 2011 murder case rejected
First-degree murder convictions against a Ligonier man serving two consecutive life prison sentences for the 2011 killings of a Washington Township couple were upheld by a state appeals court. In a ruling issued this week, a three-judge panel of the Pennsylvania Superior Court affirmed a ruling issued last year by...
Taxpayers will foot bill for expert in Derry Township murder case
A Westmoreland County judge on Friday authorized spending $9,700 of taxpayer money to hire an expert to analyze nearly 100,000 computer images connected to a Derry Township murder case. Walter Cable, 26, of Greensburg, is one of two men charged with criminal homicide for the 2017 death of 34-year-old Ronny...
Westmoreland County judge to consider Upper Burrell’s request to redistrict voting precincts
Westmoreland County officials said Friday it will begin work in March to potentially redistrict two voting precincts in Upper Burrell. Attorneys for the township and county appeared before Common Pleas Court Judge Harry Smail Jr. to address a lawsuit filed last week by Upper Burrell and 20 of its residents...
Westmoreland courthouse space applications now online
Residents seeking to hold public events in meeting rooms and the courtyard in front of the Westmoreland County Courthouse can now submit applications online. County officials on Thursday issued a revised policy that will take effect Feb. 1 to allow online applications and other minor changes to the reservation process...
‘Got away with one’: Judge dismisses DUI charges for Greensburg woman’s driveway crash
A Westmoreland County judge on Thursday dismissed drunken driving charges against a Greensburg woman who was arrested in her own driveway following a collision with a neighbor’s car. Common Pleas Judge Christopher Feliciani ruled in favor of Mary Britz, 58, who Greensburg police charged after she crashed into a car...
Woman who helped Lower Burrell cop killer gets parole
A Lower Burrell woman convicted of helping a fugitive evade police in the days before he shot and killed a police officer was released from jail Thursday. Westmoreland County Judge Christopher Feliciani granted parole to Amanda Walters, who had been behind bars since last summer following an arrest for possession...
Westmoreland County ups fees for filing civil, family court documents
Fees to file civil and family court documents in Westmoreland County will increase beginning Friday. The move will raise about $30,000 in new revenues for the county, Prothonotary Christina O’Brien said. The money is expected to balance her department’s budget and cover rising personnel and equipment costs. “We have to...
Man sent to prison for up to 40 years for raping Delmont girl
An Indiana County man will serve up to 40 years in prison for raping a Delmont girl, starting when she was 10. A Westmoreland County jury, following a three-day trial in May, convicted Bryan Harrold, 51, of Saltsburg, of 13 counts including rape of a child, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse,...
Jeannette woman wants to change guilty plea in boyfriend’s death
A Jeannette woman who faces a potential 40-year prison sentence wants to withdraw her guilty plea for the murder of her teenage boyfriend. The lawyer for Crystal Belle, 39, filed court documents Thursday in which she now contends someone else was responsible for the beating death of Khalil Parker, 19,...
Judge denies Thomas Stanko’s appeal from Unity cemetery assault case
A Unity man who has been identified as a potential suspect in the disappearance of his former girlfriend — whom a judge legally declared dead last week — was questioned in court Wednesday amid warnings that his testimony could eventually be used against him. Thomas Stanko, 48, was in court...
Westmoreland assistant public defender announces candidacy for Monessen district judge
Assistant Westmoreland County Public Defender Jack Manderino on Tuesday announced his candidacy for the open district judge seat in Monessen. Manderino, 55, son of the late state House speaker Jim Manderino, has served as a lawyer in Westmoreland County and in Pittsburgh for the last 30 years. “I want to...
Youngwood woman charged with assaulting mother rejects plea deal
A Youngwood woman awaiting trial for allegedly assaulting her elderly mother over the television volume during a Steelers preseason football game rejected a plea bargain deal Tuesday that would have required her to serve up to four years in prison. Defense attorney Tim Dawson said his client, Delores Amorino, has...
Derry man gets probation after guilty pleas in 3 cases
A Derry man will serve six years on probation after pleading guilty Tuesday to a series of charges involving three different cases, including allegations he made threats to employees at a magisterial district judge’s office in 2017. Police said all three cases against Paul Barsoum, 54, occurred during a one-week...
New Kensington man to serve up to 50 years in jail on child pornography charges
A New Kensington man was sentenced Tuesday to serve up to 50 years in prison for the possession of more than 20,000 images of child pornography. Joshua Pottle, 37, was convicted of 40 felony counts in October following a three-day jury trial in which he was accused of having pictures...
2 convicted in 2001 Bell Township murder get life sentences reduced
Tyler Gett has just a few fuzzy memories of his grandfather, murdered nearly 18 years ago in a Bell Township field. On Monday, Gett, 22, and other family members watched as two of the now-grown men convicted of the 2001 beating and shooting death of 48-year-old Larry Dunmire were given...
Gina Cerilli to seek another term as Westmoreland County commissioner
Westmoreland County Commissioner Gina Cerilli announced Monday she will seek a second term in office. The Democrat from Hempfield was the top vote-getter in 2015 when she won in her inaugural attempt for public office and became the first woman in four decades to serve as chairwoman of the board...
