Rich Cholodofsky stories, Page 68

Devon Askew doubled over and cried as a Westmoreland County jury read a verdict that rejected his self-defense claims in connection with a fatal shooting last year in Arnold. Askew, 28, of Churchill, was convicted Friday of voluntary manslaughter — a verdict neither the defense nor prosecutors originally sought —...

A Westmoreland County jury will return Friday morning to continue deliberations in the criminal homicide trial of a Churchill man accused in the killing last year of an intruder at an Arnold home. Devon Askew, 28, contends he acted in self-defense when he shot and killed 34-year-old Richard Hildreth on...

The eastern Pennsylvania company that for two decades ran Westmoreland Manor until it was replaced in 2014 will again hold administrative duties at the county-owned nursing home. Westmoreland commissioners on Thursday hired Complete Healthcare Resources-Eastern to manage and consult in the operation of the 408-bed facility in Hempfield. The company...

Westmoreland County commissioners on Monday unveiled a preliminary budget for 2022 that keeps the property tax rate at its current level while also continues the decades-long trend of deficit spending. The proposed $365.5 million budget carries no cuts in services and is expected to be trimmed in the coming weeks...

A former Greensburg man living in North Carolina was ordered Wednesday to serve up to nine years in prison failing to register as a convicted sex offender. Ozzy James Bowland, 37, pleaded guilty to one felony charge that requires convicted sex offenders to register current addresses and provide their photographs...

Westmoreland County election officials said 39 races on the Nov. 2 ballot ended in ties that will be broken Friday through a casting of lots, including one open seat for Jeannette city controller where 30 candidates each received one write-in vote. The county’s elections board on Wednesday issued a precertification...

A Westmoreland County prosecutor argued Wednesday that Pennsylvania’s Castle Doctrine is not an applicable defense in the murder trial of a Churchill man charged in connection with a fatal shooting last year in Arnold. Assistant District Attorney Pete Caravello said jurors should not receive legal instructions about the statute that...

A Westmoreland County jury on Tuesday acquitted a Youngwood woman of hit-and-run charges in connection with an incident two years ago in which a 5-year-old boy on a bicycle collided with a sports utility vehicle in Hempfield. Beth Ann Briggs, 50, did not testify during the one-day trial. But her...

Detectives who searched the Arnold home where police said a man was gunned down last year testified Tuesday the suspected murder weapon was found hidden inside of a shoe left behind at the home. Statepolice Detective Nick Iera said he initially didn’t see the weapon as he walked through the...

Westmoreland County commissioners’ monthly voting meeting will be more public than usual. The Nov. 18 voting session, where commissioners are expected to unveil a preliminary 2022 budget, will be held in the courthouse lobby at 10 a.m. Commissioners typically convene public sessions in the large meeting room just off the...

Kelly Tua Hammers was sworn in as Monday as the new district judge in Derry Township. Hammers, 50, was appointed in October by Gov. Tom Wolf to fill out the remaining two months in the term of District Judge Mark Bilik, who retired in August. Bilik had been hearing cases...

The lawyer for the man charged in the fatal shooting of a man in Arnold last year told a Westmoreland County jury that his client acted in self defense. Devon Askew, 28, of Churchill feared for his life and fired two shots to protect himself, a woman and her young...

The mother of a North Huntingdon girl who was sent sexually explicit photographs told a Westmoreland County judge she didn’t approve of the five-year probation sentence imposed. Tyler James Heck, 20, of Danville, Perry County, pleaded guilty to one felony charge of corruption of minors in a deal approved by...

Westmoreland commissioners are likely to relocate two scheduled public meetings next week to accommodate a state-ordered recount in the race to fill one of two seats on the state’s Commonwealth Court. Democrat Lori Dumas held a small lead over Republican Drew Crompton, by just 16,804 votes as of earlier this...

A third lawsuit has been filed against Westmoreland County over the newly built Giant Slide in Mammoth Park. Katherine McClelland of Fayette City, in court documents filed this week, claims she broke her ankle and suffered other injuries as a result of a ride down the slide July 14, 2020....

A Jeannette man awaiting trial on homicide and arson charges will have new lawyers. Westmoreland County Public Defender Wayne McGrew said he, along with assistant Jennifer DeFlitch, will serve as primary attorneys for Brian Rendon as he continues to weigh a potential plea deal or going to trial next year...

Defense attorney Ralph Karsh told a Westmoreland County judge on Monday that he never considered evidence during a 2017 murder trial that his client’s young age mitigated the decision to shoot and kill a man during a 2015 melee in Arnold between two families. “In retrospect, I wish I had...

More than 88,000 registered voters in Westmoreland County cast ballots in last week’s general election as turnout for the municipal races neared 36%, officials said. That figure exceeded the predicted turnout of 30% and represented 22,000 more ballots than were cast during a similar election cycle in 2017. This fall’s...

Former Allegheny County Police Superintendent Charles Moffatt has died, county officials announced Sunday afternoon. Moffatt, 80, of Coraopolis, retired as the county’s police superintendent in March 2016 after a 48-year law enforcement career. He served as Allegheny County’s police superintendent for 12 years after a 36-year stint with the Pittsburgh...

A 14-year-old boy was shot Sunday morning in the Hill District, according to Pittsburgh police. Police said they responded at 11:30 a.m. to calls on the 2000 block of Webster Avenue that a teenager sustained a gunshot wound to the leg. The victim ran into a family member’s house after...

One man was killed and another injured less than 20 minutes apart in two shooting incidents early Sunday morning in Swissvale. Allegheny County police said an investigation is ongoing to determine if the shootings were connected. Police found a 23-year-old man, identified by the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office as...

Pittsburgh police launched an investigation in an apparent armed robbery of a Family Dollar store on Chartiers Avenue in the city’s Crafton Heights neighborhood. Police said employees told investigators that just before 10 p.m. on Saturday a mask-wearing man came up to the counter and brandished a firearm before he...

Maria Dellera loves goats and found herself the perfect Christmas gift this year, albeit a bit early. Dellera, of Jeannette, was among the expected 6,000 who attended Saturday’s Ligonier Country Market Holiday Market, where gift items, food, beverage and holiday-themed merchandise was up for sale as an appetizer for the...

A man was hospitalized for injuries sustained in a shooting late Friday night in Pittsburgh’s Allentown neighborhood. Police said they found a man who had been shot at the intersection of Industry Street and Allen Street at 11 p.m. The unidentified victim was shot in the shoulder and face. He...

University of Pittsburgh basketball player Ithiel Horton was arrested Saturday morning and charged with punching a police officer during an altercation on Pittsburgh’s South Side, a source confirmed to the Tribune-Review. Horton, 21, a third-year guard from New Jersey, was in the Allegheny County Jail awaiting arraignment following his arrest...