Rich Cholodofsky stories, Page 22
Westmoreland election bureau office extends hours; voters expected to get mail ballots this weekend
Westmoreland County voters will begin seeing mail-in ballots arrive at their homes as early as Saturday, election officials said. More than 42,000 mail-in ballots have been sent to voters this week. Those who have yet to apply can do so at the courthouse, which, since Monday, has started same-day voting....
North Huntingdon man to serve jail time for possessing child porn
A North Huntingdon man was ordered to serve at least nine months in jail after he was sentenced Tuesday for possession of child pornography. James Frederick Molzer, 32, pleaded guilty in July to 11 felony counts in which investigators said he possessed multiple images of children performing sex acts. According...
Judge says New Kensington murder case likely to move forward
A Westmoreland County judge said Tuesday a New Kensington man charged last summer with the murder of his former roommate has been found to be mentally competent. Common Pleas Court Judge Scott Mears said a psychological evaluation appears to have cleared the path for the prosecution of Nico Lee Harris,...
Attempted murder charge dropped as part of Penn Hills woman’s plea in East Huntingdon fight
A Penn Hills woman was ordered Monday to serve up to seven years in prison for her role in an 2022 incident at an East Huntingdon home that left one man injured. Kristen Marie Kruel, 28, pleaded guilty to lesser charges of theft, receiving stolen property and tampering with evidence...
Ligonier supervisor’s lawsuit claims he was targeted over calls for police department reform
A Ligonier Township supervisor contends he was targeted for retribution by local police over his efforts to reform the department. Supervisor Erik Ross, in a lawsuit filed this month against the Ligonier Valley Police Department and three officers, claimed they misused the criminal justice system in an effort to discredit...
Westmoreland County agrees to pay $60K to 68-year-old who didn’t get job in DA’s office
Westmoreland County commissioners this week agreed to pay a $60,000 settlement to a prospective assistant district attorney who was told she was passed over because of her age. Commissioner Ted Kopas on Friday confirmed the case involved an employment decision made this year by District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli. “I can...
Jury finds Greensburg man guilty of strangulation
A Westmoreland County jury this week convicted a Greensburg man on charges in connection with an attack last year against a woman in her home. Brian A. Curry, 36, was found guilty of felony charges of strangulation, burglary, trespassing, victim intimidation and one misdemeanor count of simple assault in connection...
Seton Hill gallery showcases artist collaboration
Pittsburgh artist Centa Schumacher knew she hit upon something good in the early days of her collaboration with a friend whom she met at a Vermont art studio in 2018. Schumacher and artist Nicole Czapinski reunited in Pittsburgh in 2021. They formed a partnership where they exchanged and combined solo...
New Kensington man convicted of kidnapping, robbery
A Westmoreland County jury on Wednesday convicted of a New Kensington man of holding an Ohio woman captive at his home following their third in-person date nearly three years ago. Following about two hours of deliberations, the jury found Steven Daniel Best Jr., 41, guilty of felony counts of kidnapping...
‘I felt so stupid:’ Ohio woman testifies during New Kensington man’s kidnapping trial
Angela Gregory told a Westmoreland County jury on Tuesday she wasn’t sure she would ever return to her Ohio home to be with her three children while being held captive in the basement of a New Kensington home in late 2022 by a man she met online only months earlier....
Trial begins for suspected drug dealer in Latrobe man’s fatal 2021 overdose
The lawyer for a Latrobe man charged with selling the drugs used in a fatal overdose told a Westmoreland County jury that an incomplete police investigation left more questions than answers. Defense attorney Ken Noga said Tuesday an autopsy report suggested 39-year-old Robert J. Verscharen had seven different drugs in...
‘Difficult August’ leaves Westmoreland juvenile detention center looking to fill job vacancies
A series of clashes among residents at Westmoreland County’s juvenile detention center in August resulted in injuries to one staff member and multiple job vacancies, director Rich Gordon said. The detention center, one of two residential programs for juveniles at the Regional Youth Services Center in Hempfield, continues to operate,...
Chicago men sentenced for Western Pa. catalytic converter theft ring
Three Chicago men were ordered Friday to serve up to 15 years in prison for operating what authorities said was one of the largest organized theft rings in Western Pennsylvania as they stole catalytic converters from parked vehicles in Westmoreland, Allegheny and Fayette counties. “These three individuals terrorized the Western...
Judge rules young boy’s statements admissible in grandfather’s assault trial
Statements made by a 3-year-old boy who claimed he was assaulted by his grandfather two years ago in Vandergrift can be used in the court case against the grandfather, a judge ruled Thursday. Westmoreland County Common Pleas Judge Meagan Bilik-DeFazio rejected a defense bid to end the case against Timothy...
Westmoreland commissioners say no ballot curing allowed for November election
Westmoreland commissioners Wednesday said county voters will not be offered an opportunity to correct flaws that might cause their mail-in ballot to be disqualified. Ballot curing — or the process that allows elections officials to contact voters to correct ballot errors such as missing dates and signatures — will not...
Westmoreland County makes changes to some polling locations; addresses accessibility
Westmoreland County officials announced in September all 306 voting precincts for the Nov. 5 presidential election will be accessible to disabled voters. The county’s election board approved location changes for 10 precincts, including eight that were not in compliance with with Americans with Disabilities Act requirements. “We are 100% ADA-compliant,”...
Probation ordered for suspects in Hempfield casino scam
Two out-of-town gamblers charged last month with cheating at Live Casino Pittsburgh in Hempfield were sentenced Wednesday to serve two years on probation. Police said Bahri Sahpolat, 47, of California, and Serdar Ozmen, 44, of Maryland, marked playing cards at a Mississippi stud poker table as part of a scheme...
Former high school teacher pleads guilty to possession of child porn
A former Indiana County high school teacher pleaded guilty Tuesday to possession of child pornography. Charles Kirkland, 33, of Derry Township, was arrested in late 2022 after a state police investigation revealed he downloaded as many as nine pornographic images of children on his home computer. Kirkland pleaded guilty to...
Man charged in suspected Rostraver road rage killing rejects plea deal
A Belle Vernon man awaiting trial for the alleged road rage killing of a motorist two years ago in Rostraver has rejected a plea deal to a lesser charge. During a pretrial hearing Tuesday, prosecutors confirmed they proposed a deal that called for Anthony Hairston, 29, to serve 25 to...
Judge grants leniency for key witness in New Kensington killing
A Pittsburgh man who testified during a criminal trial last year against three co-defendants charged with killing a New Kensington man was granted leniency Tuesday by a Westmoreland County judge. “You are going to get a second chance because of those two people,” said Common Pleas Court Judge Christopher Feliciani...
Former Westmoreland caseworker claims he was fired because of disability
A New Stanton man who worked for one month as a caseworker for the Westmoreland County Children’s Bureau claims he was fired earlier this year because he was disabled. In a two-count lawsuit filed last week in U.S. District Court in Pittsburgh, Sean Lally contends he was discriminated against by...
DA confirms 1993 fatal Jeannette fire cause as undetermined, but says murder, arson convictions should stand
Westmoreland County prosecutors told a judge on Monday an expert hired to review the evidence used to convict a Jeannette man of intentionally setting a deadly fire in 1993 cannot conclude the blaze was arson. James Young, 57, is serving three life sentences after he was convicted of setting fire...
Pecarchik sworn in to lead Register of Wills Office in Westmoreland County
Katie Pecarchik says she knows how the Register of Wills Office is supposed to run. Pecarchik worked for two decades as a clerk in the office before she retired last summer. The office records adoptions, files wills and estates and issues marriage licenses. She now has the title of acting...
Westmoreland County seeks $1.5M share of Pa. casino revenue
Westmoreland County commissioners want a bigger piece of the state’s gambling profits. Commissioners submitted an application for $1.5 million in funding through the Commonwealth Financing Authority. The money is collected through assessments on slot machines and table games at Pennsylvania’s casinos, including Live Casino Pittsburgh at Westmoreland Mall in Hempfield....
Westmoreland County waives residency requirement for government workers
Westmoreland County commissioners waived for one year a residency requirement Thursday for all government employees, and officials suggested the change could become permanent. A policy was enacted decades ago to ensure that employees at the courthouse and other county facilities were county residents. It was previously waived for certain essential...
