Rich Cholodofsky stories, Page 65

A former nurse at a Lower Burrell care nursing home and rehabilitation center was sentenced Wednesday to at least 6 months in jail for indecent assaults against two residents last year. Jacques C. Wagner, 58, of New Kensington pleaded guilty to six offenses in which police said he had sexual...

Strangulation and assault charges against an Arona man were dismissed Wednesday by Westmoreland County prosecutors after his accuser said she would not testify against him at trial. Shawn Grbach, 43, pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor charges of harassment and disorderly conduct. He was sentenced to serve one year on probation...

Westmoreland County Commissioner Doug Chew said Wednesday he again has tested positive for the coronavirus. Chew, a first-term Republican, said he has been at home this week and is experiencing symptoms from the virus. “Today is the worst day of congestion and breathing,” Chew wrote in an email. “It’s expected...

A Westmoreland County judge on Tuesday ruled a suspect in a drive-by shooting last June in New Kensington that left one man wounded will remain in jail pending his attempted homicide trial. Common Pleas Court Judge Scott Mears rejected a request for bail from Ernest Gary IV, 18, of New...

The nonjury trial of a Monessen man charged with raping a former California University of Pennsylvania student in 2019 was halted Tuesday after the alleged victim testified that she recently tested positive for coronavirus. Common Pleas Court Judge Christopher Feliciani initially allowed the 21-year-old Pitcairn woman to testify while wearing...

Westmoreland officials this week unveiled a redistricting plan for the county’s district court system that shifts boundaries of two areas but retains all 16 courts. The plan comes more than a year after county court leaders enacted a plan to eliminate one court and shift boundary lines in several districts...

A Westmoreland County judge on Monday deferred a decision on a defense request from a Bell man accused in an alleged knife attack against a teenage boy in November. Richard Cain, 58, has been held without bail since his arrest on two charges of aggravated assault, reckless endangerment and two...

Beverly Richason didn’t hold back her anger in court Monday as she spoke about the horror her daughter endured when killed by friends who then burned her remains beyond recognition and left them in a heap of ashes in the woods more than four years ago. “She had her faults,...

A Westmoreland County judge on Friday rejected a request to set bail for one of three men charged in connection with the alleged kidnapping of a North Huntingdon teen last month. Common Pleas Judge Christopher Feliciani said Cameron Diontra Bessent, 22, of West Mifflin is a danger to society and...

A Hempfield man was ordered to serve up to seven years on probation for causing a violent head-on collision that left another motorist severely injured more than two years ago. Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court Judge Tim Krieger said a key component in the sentence he imposed Thursday against Joseph...

After a monthslong stalemate, Westmoreland officials this week agreed to a salary restructure plan that awards pay hikes to key employees in the county controller’s office. The salary board, which includes all three commissioners and Controller Jeffrey Balzer, unanimously approved raises for the director of accounting and two supervisors. The...

A Monessen man will serve up to seven years in prison for the sexual assault of a 7-year-old girl. Damien R. Bryan, 21, was convicted by a Westmoreland County jury in July of two felony charges of indecent assault of a person under age 13, corruption of minors and one...

A former quality assurance director at a Ruffs Dale in-home care company contends in a federal lawsuit he was fired after reporting allegations that covid-relief funds were misappropriated and staff-training documents were falsified. Bryan Kantorczyk claimed Gene Cook Supports Inc. — the company where he worked for more than six...

The search to fill the vacant director’s job at the Westmore­land County Election Bureau will begin anew as work in advance of the 2022 primary will continue to be overseen by the county’s public works head. Commissioners this week gave a $5,000 bonus to Greg McCloskey, who since last summer...

The conviction of former Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Felipe Vazquez, who was found guilty last year in the sexual assault of a 13-year-old Scottdale girl, will stand — according to a ruling from a Westmoreland County judge. Common Pleas Judge Scott Mears, in a 78-page opinion, ruled evidence presented during a...

A New Kensington man will serve up to 10 years in prison in connection with a methamphetamine laboratory found in his parents’ basement. Sean Christopher Smith, 36, was convicted in October by a Westmoreland County jury of multiple charges of possession of drugs used to make methamphetamines and two additional...

Westmoreland County District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli won her first case Monday. Ziccarelli’s victory came not in the courtroom but in the boardroom as the county’s salary board unanimously backed her plan to increase the pay for a newly appointed first assistant and chief detective. The annual salary for First Assistant...

A Connellsville man was ordered Monday to serve up to 40 years in prison for the rape of a child that a Westmoreland County judge described as “one of the worst cases of a sexual nature that I’ve seen.” Shawn Tracy Melville, 44, pleaded guilty in October to eight offenses...

Ron Tonin has had enough. For days now, Tonin, 53, who is confined to a wheelchair, said he is forced to sleep in the hallway outside his apartment in Jeannette Manor to avoid a bedbug infestation that has left him with welts on his back and extremities. “I’ve lived here...

A man was killed and another injured in a crash early Monday on the Parkway North in Ross. State police said David P. Rennebeck, 67, of Pittsburgh, died from injuries suffered in a two-car crash in the northbound lanes of Interstate 279. Rennebeck had been driving a car that struck...

Joe Sisley’s fingerprints are all over economic development in Westmoreland County. “Joe has sold or leased every property in Westmoreland County’s industrial park system,” said Jason Rigone, executive director of the county’s Industrial Development Corp. There are more than 170 companies occupying 1,200 acres of land and — until the...

Ken Bacha’s father, Leo, served as Westmoreland County coroner for almost 24 years before he retired in 2001. At first, Ken Bacha didn’t consider going into the family business, which included ownership of two local funeral homes in addition to the elected coroner duties. “I am the fourth generation out...

John Peck stood before a Westmoreland County jury in early December and for the next 40 minutes argued for a conviction. It marked the last time Peck would do so as the county’s district attorney — a job he’s held since 1994. He leaves at year’s end after failing in...

Westmoreland County District Attorney-elect Nicole Ziccarelli said Wednesday she and her new administrative team are set to begin work Jan. 3 to replace outgoing prosecutor John Peck, who she said has so far refused to cooperate with the transition. “My predecessor is not interested in creating a transition team with...

A federal lawsuit filed by a former Westmoreland County Prison inmate who claimed he was beaten by a guard in 2018 has been settled. The county commissioners this month approved a $27,500 settlement to end the case filed by DaRob Wright of New Kensington. “It was completely unjustified,” attorney John...