Rich Cholodofsky stories, Page 26
New veterans clinic planned for Westmoreland County
Veterans in Westmoreland County will have a new, larger outpatient medical clinic to serve them by 2026. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs confirmed Thursday a new 33,000-square-foot facility will replace what officials said is an outdated, smaller clinic that opened in 2007 behind Westmoreland Mall in Hempfield. A location...
Judge sets $250K bond for Jeannette man facing child porn charges
A Jeannette man charged this month with possessing and distributing images of sexual assaults against infants and toddlers can pay a $250,000 cash bond to be released from jail as he awaits trial, a Westmoreland County judge ruled Wednesday. Anthony Cortazzo IV, 38, was charged May 8 by Greensburg police...
Defense seeks dismissal of charges for father charged with son’s murder in New Kensington
Lawyers for a Brackenridge man who faces a potential death penalty for the alleged murder of his 9-year-old son in New Kensington claim prosecutors violated the state’s standard for a speedy trial. They asked a Westmoreland County judge Tuesday to dismiss homicide and other related charges against Jean Charles, 44,...
Greensburg woman ordered to serve additional prison sentence for spouse’s overdose
A Greensburg woman was ordered Tuesday to serve up to an additional three years in prison for her role in the 2020 overdose of her spouse. Mary Crimboli-Baker, 37, has been in jail after her probation and parole were revoked in March for a series of violations that included repeated...
Assault on unborn child charge dismissed as part of New Kensington man’s plea deal
A New Kensington man pleaded guilty to the simple assault of his pregnant girlfriend last year and nearly a year later to ransacking the home of a former girlfriend in Monessen. Jamar Al Gee Jr., 22, was ordered to serve up to two years on probation after he pleaded guilty...
Theft ringleader’s role as mother of 3 spares her prison sentence, judge says
A judge said Monday he had little choice but to offer leniency to an Indiana County woman who pleaded guilty earlier this year for her role in a series of catalytic converter thefts throughout Westmoreland County. Common Pleas Judge Scott Mears said the prospect of having three young children placed...
Westmoreland register of wills ordered to pay about $500K in fees to county
Embattled Westmoreland County Register of Wills Sherry Magretti Hamilton was ordered to transfer an estimated $500,000 in funds collected by her office over the last four months to the controller’s office by May 28. The register of wills office — which oversees the filing and processing of adoptions, guardianships, wills...
Westmoreland residents need to log internet speed if county is to qualify for federal cash
Westmoreland County is looking at internet speed, and fast. County officials put out a last-minute call urging residents to participate in online testing of existing internet services as part of a necessary requirement to qualify for funds needed to enhance local broadband infrastructure. Testing needs to be completed before Thursday...
Former Valley High School music teacher to remain in jail pending new sentence
A former Valley High School music teacher who pleaded guilty in 2022 to sending sexually themed text messages to two teenage students will remain in jail while he awaits a new sentencing hearing. Westmoreland County prosecutors said Sean Timothy O’Neil, 37, of North Apollo could face a potential state prison...
Register of wills yet to turn over $500K in revenue to Westmoreland County
As much as $500,000 in revenue generated through fees and other payments made to Westmoreland’s Register of Wills Office during the first four months of 2024 has yet to be turned over to the county treasury, officials said Thursday. Controller Jeffrey Balzer said the register of wills and other county...
Westmoreland municipal authority approves $3M for tank painting, vehicle replacements
Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County board members authorized nearly $3 million in spending Wednesday to repaint and repair water tanks and replace 17 trucks and work vans in its fleet of 220 vehicles. Officials said a nearly 3-million-gallon tank in Mt. Pleasant Township and a 500,000-gallon tank in Hempfield will...
Delmont-area McDonald’s sued over sex claims involving manager taking advantage of teen employee
A lawsuit filed this week alleges the owners of the Delmont-area McDonald’s failed to adequately investigate the criminal background of a manager who was charged by police with sexually assaulting a 15-year-old employee. According to a two-count lawsuit filed in Westmoreland County Court, the fast-food restaurant owners are accused of...
Salary surcharge pitched to cover Westmoreland register of wills conservator pay
The nearly $90,000 annual salary paid to Westmoreland Register of Wills Sherry Magretti Hamilton could be used to finance costs for a court-appointed conservator for the office, county officials said Tuesday. Controller Jeffrey Balzer said a policy approved in 2020 by commissioners allows the county to hold elected row officers...
Water used for fracking on the rise but remains a small slice of MAWC sales
Water sales for fracking activities throughout Westmoreland and its neighboring counties represent only a small portion of what is distributed daily to local residential, commercial and industrial customers, according to recently released data. Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County said water purchased by local energy companies accounts for just 4% of...
Embattled Westmoreland County register of wills fires office lawyer
Westmoreland County Register of Wills Sherry Magretti Hamilton on Friday fired the taxpayer-funded lawyer who has represented her courthouse office since 2012. Michael Nestico, who has served as the register’s solicitor since before Hamilton first took office in 2016, was told he was removed from his part-time position in favor...
Removal options vary for embattled Westmoreland register of wills
Efforts to remove Westmoreland County Register of Wills Sherry Magretti Hamilton from office could come down to three words: “Misbehavior in office.” Duquesne University School of Law Professor Bruce Ledewitz said judges could make that finding as part of a sentence imposed next month for contempt of court that allows...
Sewickley Township woman convicted in fatal head-on Arona Road crash
Dawn Coyne’s two daughters embraced outside of a Westmoreland County courtroom Thursday after the woman police said caused the crash that resulted their mother’s death was convicted of vehicular homicide and 16 other charges. Ahna L. Malik, 44, of Sewickley Township was handcuffed and taken to prison to await a...
Driver in fatal crash intended to sell drugs found in car, prosecutors claim
A Sewickley Township woman told investigators two days after she was involved in a fatal crash that she intended to sell the drugs that investigators found in her car’s center console. “Oh, wow. There was a lot of stuff in that car,” Ahna L. Malik said in a recorded interview...
Westmoreland commissioner calls for resignation, impeachment of Register of Wills
Westmoreland County Commissioner Ted Kopas on Wednesday demanded the resignation of Register of Wills Sherry Magretti Hamilton and called on the state Senate to initiate proceedings to have her removed from office. Hamilton was not at the courthouse on Wednesday and could not be reached for comment. A Hempfield Republican,...
Defense claims vehicle condition, not drug use, caused fatal Hempfield crash
An hour before a deadly head-on car crash along Arona Road in Hempfield, school secretary Nannette Riles knew something was wrong. Riles confronted Ahna L. Malik as she dropped off her young daughter at H.W. Good Elementary School in Herminie on March 7, 2022. Moments after Malik drove off, Riles...
Judges find Westmoreland register of wills in contempt of court
Westmoreland County’s embattled Register of Wills Sherry Magretti Hamilton faces a potential jail sentence for failing to comply with multiple court orders from two judges. Common Pleas Judges Harry Smail Jr. and Jim Silvis on Tuesday found Hamilton in direct criminal contempt on three counts: disobedience or neglect by an...
New Kensington cook wins Democratic primary to run for state House seat
Nearly 9,200 write-in votes were cast by Westmoreland County voters in last month’s Democratic and Republican primaries. Election Bureau Director Greg McCloskey said the county elections board is expected to issue a preliminary certification of results on Tuesday. Those results will include a victory for one candidate who did not...
Greensburg YMCA extends management deal with Pittsburgh branch
The search for new leadership of the Greensburg YMCA will be suspended until at least next year as officials continue efforts to strengthen the financial health and operational structure at the downtown facility. Board president Sydney Beeler confirmed this week that an agreement with the Greater Pittsburgh YMCA to serve...
New Mexico man fights extradition to Florida after license plate readers used to track him to New Stanton
The lawyer of a man arrested this week at a Pennsylvania Turnpike service plaza told a judge he will challenge efforts to extradite his client to Florida to answer charges that he shot and killed his own brother. John William Tolbert, 58, of New Mexico, is expected to remain in...
Longtime Westmoreland prison staffer hired as new deputy warden
The Westmoreland County Prison Board on Thursday promoted a longtime staffer to serve as the facility’s new deputy warden for security. The board hired Robert Fagan to the position previously held by the jail’s new warden, who was hired in February. Fagan, 46, of South Huntingdon, was initially hired in...
