Rich Cholodofsky stories, Page 34
Housing juveniles charged with crimes a growing issue in Pa.
When a 16-year-old charged with second-degree murder fled from house arrest in November, Westmoreland County authorities scrambled to find a place to house him. The county’s juvenile detention center had closed temporarily in June amid staffing shortages. Calls to numerous private and publicly owned facilities throughout Pennsylvania that house children...
Charged teens simply walked away from Westmoreland shelter; county reopens shuttered juvenile center in response
There was nothing to prevent two teens facing criminal charges from just walking out of the Westmoreland County- administered shelter where they were staying, the county’s juvenile detention director said Monday. The teens, Braedon M. Dickinson, 16, who was charged last year with second-degree murder, and Robert Cogdell, 14, who...
Jury convicts teen of New Kensington man’s murder; 2 others found not guilty
A teenager was convicted Friday of first-degree murder in the death of a New Kensington man while his two co-defendants were acquitted of second-degree murder for their alleged roles in the killing. After more than three hours of deliberations, 16-year-old Amir Kennedy was found guilty of the intentional killing of...
Unity man convicted in bad check scheme to pay for stepdaughter’s wedding
A Unity man was convicted of forging checks written out on bogus bank accounts to pay for his stepdaughter’s 2020 wedding. Joseph A. Malago, 51, was found guilty Friday on 18 of 19 counts in four separate cases including a series of felony weapons offenses for illegal possession of firearms....
Teen claims he feared for his life when he fatally shot New Kensington man
A New Kensington teenager told a Westmoreland County jury he feared for his life when he shot and killed an armed man as the victim fled from the lobby of an apartment building last year. Amir Kennedy, 16, testified he fired off 11 rounds from a semiautomatic rifle to protect...
New Kensington slaying co-defendant testifies shooting victim was feared
One of the seven people charged with robbery and murder of a man last year in New Kensington told a Westmoreland County jury that the shooting victim was a known drug user and thief who was feared in the community. Raquan Carpenter, 20, of Pittsburgh testified Wednesday for the prosecution...
New Kensington slaying co-defendant testifies shooting victim was feared
One of the seven people charged with robbery and murder of a man last year in New Kensington told a Westmoreland County jury that the shooting victim was a known drug user and thief who was feared in the community. Raquan Carpenter, 20, of Pittsburgh, testified Wednesday for the prosecution...
Prosecutors contend Unity man used bogus check scheme to pay for daughter’s wedding
Westmoreland prosecutors said a Unity man used a home computer to forge checks written on a bogus account to pay vendors hired for his stepdaughter’s 2020 wedding. “Embrace the mess,” Assistant District Attorney Cassidy Hatten told jurors as she outlined the four cases against Joseph Malago, 51, who faces multiple...
Jury views surveillance video that shows New Kensington slayingVideo
A group of armed men and teens gathered in the lobby of a New Kensington apartment building and tussled just minutes before 39-year-old Jason Raiford staggered outside and was gunned down, according to video shown to jurors Tuesday. During the first day of the murder trial of three men charged...
Unity man on trial, accused of bilking vendors for daughter’s wedding
A Unity man is on trial this week, accused of bilking vendors hired for his daughter’s wedding reception. Testimony is expected to begin Tuesday in the trial of Joseph A. Malago, 51. He’s accused in four separate cases, including three incidents in which he is accused of forging bogus checks...
Greensburg courthouse restaurant opens for business
Jurors called to the Westmoreland County Courthouse looking for some grub Monday didn’t have to brave the weather to get a meal. Caffe Market Express, a new restaurant on the Upper Park level of the courthouse, welcomed more than 170 jurors and hundreds of Westmoreland employees on its first day...
Jury seated to hear case against 3 accused in New Kensington homicide
The trial of three men charged in connection with a fatal July 2022 shooting in New Kensington is expected to begin Tuesday. A 12-person jury and two alternates were seated Monday to hear evidence in the cases against Amir Kennedy, 16, DaMontae Brooks, 17, and Elijah Gary, 20, all of...
Rain fails to ease concerns over falling water level at Beaver Run Reservoir
Heavy rains over the past two weeks have had little impact on water levels at the Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County’s Beaver Run Reservoir. Officials in mid-November issued a mandatory call for water conservation for nearly half of the agency’s water customers amid drought-like conditions near the reservoir in Bell...
Prosecutors gain cooperation from 4 charged in New Kensington killing
Four of seven defendants charged in connection with the killing of a New Kensington man last year are cooperating with Westmoreland County prosecutors. Assistant District Attorney Leo Ciaramitaro said during a court hearing Friday that two young men and a juvenile who were scheduled to go on trial next week...
Madison Council to reconvene after voters fill vacancies that left borough at standstill
Madison Borough once again will have a functioning government. Two write-in candidates were elected last month and are expected to be seated at the start of the year to allow Madison’s council to meet and conduct business. Three resignations in July left the borough’s five-member council at a standstill and...
Hempfield man, 76, to serve prison sentence for child sexual assaults
A Hempfield man was sentenced Thursday to serve up to 10 years in prison for sexual assaults against two young girls. Dale Edward Kuhn, 76, pleaded guilty in September to counts of aggravated indecent assault, indecent assault, corruption of minors and other offenses in connection with allegations made in October...
Clairton man receives prison sentence for sale of fentanyl
A Clairton man convicted in September for possession and sale of fentanyl told a Westmoreland County judge on Thursday he was ready to turn his life around. Anthony Jamison, 34, has been free after he paid $100,000 bail in October 2021, more than five months after his arrest on drug...
Greensburg man pleads guilty to series of home burglaries
A Greensburg man was ordered to serve up to four years in prison for a series of burglaries in the city in late 2019 and early 2020. James E. Dickant Jr., 34, pleaded guilty Tuesday to charges in six separate cases in connection with thefts from local homes in Greensburg...
Officials say time capsule reflects current spirit of Westmoreland County
When the next generation of Westmoreland County employees opens a time capsule in front of the courthouse, they’ll see photos and documents of life in 2023. They’ll even see a covid-19 in-home test. As snow flurries danced in the air, a small group of Westmoreland employees gathered for a quick...
Westmoreland commissioners paint bleak financial picture in proposed 2024 budget
Westmoreland commissioners have four weeks to make final tweaks to a 2024 budget that is not expected to raise taxes but could all but exhaust the county’s surplus of funds. Commissioners on Monday unanimously approved a preliminary $464 million spending plan that calls for expenses to outpace revenues by nearly...
Westmoreland certifies election results
Westmoreland County’s election board on Monday issued a final certification of the 2023 election results. The three-member board of county common pleas court judges signed off on the results of about 195 races including the election of a new board of commissioners, row offices, district judges, school boards, township supervisors...
Chinese national pleads guilty in Greensburg meat cleaver attack, deportation expected
A Chinese national is expected to be deported after pleading guilty on Monday for attacking his Greensburg roommate with a meat cleaver in August. Liwu Tian, 57, pleaded guilty to one felony count of aggravated assault as part of a deal with Westmoreland County prosecutors. Because the case is concluded,...
Senior artists show off award-winning works
Jean Coursey Beaufort was looking for just a little bit of happiness in her life. Her husband, Tom, had died last year just 19 days after she moved from her Ligonier Township home and joined him in residence at Redstone Presbyterian SeniorCare in North Huntingdon. Beaufort, 78, taught art for...
2 injured in Liberty Bridge crash
Two people were injured in a head-on crash late Saturday night on the Liberty Bridge in Pittsburgh. City police said an inbound driver attempted to overtake and pass another vehicle. The passed vehicle swerved into outbound traffic and crashed into an oncoming vehicle, causing it to flip on its side....
Customers flock to downtown Irwin for Small Business Saturday
Diane Mullen walked up Main Street in downtown Irwin on Saturday afternoon with bags filled with purchases. Mullen and four friends from Latrobe spent the day sampling the small boutiques, shops and niche stores that make up Irwin’s thriving downtown on what has become the one of the busiest days...
