Rich Cholodofsky stories, Page 69
Westmoreland County to boost program to help jail inmates re-enter society
Westmoreland County court officials expected a program launched in early 2020 to assist jail inmates to reintegrate into society to be off and by running now. After two years of restrictions caused by the coronavirus pandemic, officials are looking to kick-start the effort to help convicted criminals acclimate back into...
Hempfield man pleads guilty to assault of ex-girlfriend at Unity hotel
A Hempfield man was ordered to serve up to 23 months in prison for a violent assault of a former girlfriend last year in a Unity hotel. Jule A. Mascherma, 34, pleaded guilty to charges of aggravated assault, simple assault and terroristic threats in connection with an incident last March...
As jury deliberates, New Kensington teen pleads guilty to Vandergrift park shooting
A New Kensington teenager pleaded guilty Friday to charges he shot a marijuana dealer in a Vandergrift park more than two years ago. The plea deal came as a Westmoreland County jury deliberated in the case against Ryleik Arbuckle, 17. Prosecutors contend that Arbuckle pistol-whipped a man who came to...
New Kensington teen on trial accused of Vandergrift park shooting, robbery attempt
A New Kensington teenager is on trial in Westmoreland County charged with the robbery and shooting of a marijuana dealer at a Vandergrift park in November 2019. Police contend Ryleik Arbuckle was just 15 when he shot 20-year-old Dale McNutt in the buttocks as he ran out of Franklin Park...
Unity woman awaiting assault trials blames school hazing allegations for mental spiral
The lawyer for a Unity woman awaiting trial for assault of a nurse and charges she intentionally rammed a car driven by a high school student told a judge on Wednesday her mental health difficulties that led to the criminal cases stemmed from a hazing incident that involved middle school...
Judge says no evidence Westmoreland DA favors the famous
A Derry Township man will serve three days in jail for driving his Dodge Charger 120 mph on Route 22 while drunk nearly two years ago after a judge rejected a defense argument that prosecutors gave preferential treatment to a local celebrity and unfairly rejected a bid by a “blue...
Guilty plea entered in Greensburg woman’s fatal overdose
An Allegheny County woman pleaded guilty to supplying the fatal dose of heroin used in the overdose of a Greensburg woman in May 2019. Britnee R. Clark, 41, of Avalon was one of three people charged in connection with the death of 59-year-old Roxanne Gongaware, whose body along with drug...
Covid-19 surge at Westmoreland jail eases, inmate transports to resume
Transportation of inmates to court hearings will resume Wednesday as the number of coronavirus cases at the Westmoreland County Prison continues to decline. Common Pleas Court President Judge Rita Hathaway rescinded a court order issued in late January that halted inmate transfers amid a wave of new cases that saw...
North Huntingdon man, now 19, seeks to move armed robbery case to juvenile court
A now 19-year-old man should be prosecuted in juvenile court for a 2020 armed robbery of two men in Mt. Pleasant, a psychologist told a Westmoreland County judge. Dr. Michael Crabtree, a professor at Washington and Jefferson College who was hired by the legal defense team, said Elijah Chaabane’s life...
Churchill man to serve 2 to 5 five years in prison for Arnold shooting
Devon Askew told a Westmoreland County judge he regretted that his actions two years ago in Arnold that left a man shot to death but maintained he never planned to hurt a home intruder he believed was there to injure a woman or her child. “I am truly sorry and...
Trucks, plows destroyed in fire at McKeesport public works garage
McKeesport Mayor Michael Cherepko declared a state of emergency Sunday afternoon in the aftermath of a fire that destroyed the city’s public works garage. Officials said the fire was first reported shortly after 6 a.m. at the facility where public works vehicles and other equipment is stored. Four large dump...
Union Mission staff, Latrobe community raise funds to help injured employee
Union Mission staffers are no strangers to fundraisers, routinely raising money to help pay for programs at their Latrobe area shelter. But circumstances were far different Sunday as staff and volunteers gathered to help one of their own who continues to fight for her life in a Pittsburgh hospital. Mary...
Pittsburgh council members grant themselves 6.3% raise
Pittsburgh City Council members will earn more in 2022 than the year before but less than what was originally proposed by the outgoing mayor. Council unanimously, by a 9-0 vote, approved a resolution during a special meeting Saturday afternoon that set the pay for city workers and ultimately raised the...
Firefighters respond to blaze in Homer City
Multiple fire companies were dispatched to a structure fire Sunday morning in Homer City. According to Indiana County 911 as many as a dozen fire departments responded to 315 Main St. shortly after 5 a.m. where a two-story apartment building was reported as engulfed in flames. An Indiana County 911...
Hempfield boy, 6, wins top speed at Scouts’ Pinewood Derby Championship
Bradley Walker couldn’t contain his excitement as he clutched his sleek, blue racer in one hand and his trophy in the other as the 6-year-old kindergarten student from Hempfield celebrated his victory Saturday morning. Walker was among the more than 175 kids who raced homemade wooden cars down a 40-foot...
Westmoreland DA Nicole Ziccarelli seeks removal of 2 elected constables
Westmoreland County District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli is seeking to remove two elected constables from office, one in Arona and another in New Kensington. Ziccarelli, a first-term Republican who took office in January after ousting Democrat John Peck — who served as the county’s top prosecutor for a quarter century —...
Uniontown man withdraws guilty plea in East Huntingdon baby’s drowning death
A Uniontown man who agreed to plead guilty to a lesser charge in the 2019 drowning death of a baby in East Huntingdon will go to trial after a judge allowed him to withdraw his admission of guilt. Derrick A. Bass, 31, now claims he is innocent of the murder...
Motorist in driveway crash that injured 3 at Derry birthday bash found not guilty of assault
A Greensburg man was found not guilty of serious felony offenses for the assaults of three people caused when he ran over them with his pickup two years ago in the driveway of a Derry Township apartment building. Police said Dominic G. Bellone, now 21, was drunk when he backed...
Western Pa. health care facilities in compliance with federal vaccine mandate
Western Pennsylvania’s health care facilities largely are in compliance with the first deadline of a federal mandate requiring employees to be vaccinated against covid-19. The U.S. Supreme Court earlier this month upheld the mandate requiring all employees at health care providers that receive federal funding to be fully vaccinated by...
Greensburg man sentenced for sex with teens
A Greensburg man was ordered Monday to serve two years on probation for having sexual relations with two teen girls. Jerome J. Garrett, 21, pleaded guilty in November to two felony counts of statutory sexual assault. Police said Garrett assaulted two girls, then 14 and 15 years old, during a...
Westmoreland prison officials say covid cases on the decline
The most recent surge of coronavirus cases at Westmoreland County Prison appears to have peaked. Warden Bryan Kline said Monday that no additional cases among inmates have been diagnosed since late last week. The number of inmates who were in quarantine reached as high as 102 on Jan. 26. That...
Westmoreland commissioners approve $1.3 million plan for 2022 tourism
The Westmoreland County commissioners approved spending $1.3 million to promote what one called the “crown jewels” of the region. The money, generated through a portion of the county’s 5% hotel tax, will pay for marketing efforts as well as upgrades to parks, the purchase of property and grants to help...
Visitation and inmate transfers halted as covid-19 surges through Westmoreland County Prison
Westmoreland County Prison brass on Thursday suspended inmate visits as another surge of covid-19 cases has erupted at the lockup in Hempfield. Warden Bryan Kline said more than 100 inmates have the coronavirus and additional cases are expected once pending test results are reported. The outbreak involves about 20% of...
Judge rules that Greensburg police illegally searched sleeping man’s car
A Westmoreland County judge has ruled that police illegally searched a sleeping man’s parked car outside of a Greensburg convenience store. City police had no legal authority to search the vehicle, in which they found drugs, cash and a loaded weapon, without a warrant, Common Pleas Court Judge Christopher Feliciani...
Greensburg man not guilty in shooting at New Kensington police
A Greensburg man was acquitted Wednesday of the attempted murder and assaults of three New Kensington police officers who were shot at as they rode in an unmarked surveillance van during a search for a suspect in an unrelated criminal case two years ago. After nearly three hours of deliberations,...
