Tony LaRussa stories, Page 11
Lower Burrell man accused of dragging 11-year-old down steps ordered to stand trial on assault charge
A Lower Burrell man accused of injuring his 11-year-old son by dragging him down a staircase and across a parking lot to his car has been ordered to stand trial. Richard John Acierno, 41, of the 2800 block of Edgecliff Road faces a June 15 arraignment in Westmoreland County Court...
Allegheny Township police accuse man of assault, stealing gold chain after inviting acquaintance to smoke weed
An Allegheny Township man is accused of beating a man and stealing an $1,800 gold chain that he ripped from the man’s neck after inviting him to take a ride to smoke marijuana, according to authorities. George Zachary Senko, 37, of Dewey Alley was charged with a felony county of...
Harrison doctor ordered to stand trial on accusation he touched woman inappropriately during exam
A physician with a practice in Harrison has been ordered to stand trial on charges he improperly touched a 29-year-old woman while examining her. Mohan Patel, 69, of the 400 block of Jamesborough Drive in Fox Chapel was charged May 11 by Allegheny County Police with misdemeanor counts of indecent...
Lawsuit claims Leechburg school officials failed to protect 8th grader from being raped in restroom
The mother of a former middle school student alleges in a lawsuit filed against the Leechburg Area School District that a lack of supervision during an after-school program allowed another student to rape her daughter in a school bathroom in 2021. The civil lawsuit filed in Armstrong County Court by...
State narcotics agents accuse Vandergrift men of exchanging guns for crystal meth
State narcotics agents accused a Vandergrift man of buying guns from shops in Westmoreland and Armstrong counties and then using them to pay for the crystal methamphetamine he was selling. James Bernard Wolfe, 30, of the 100 block of Farragut Avenue faces 15 felony gun charges along with counts of...
Celebrity Care Fest taking a pause this year
A popular summer concert held in Pine Township since 2014 to raise money for charity will be taking a pause this year, but there are plans to resume the event in 2024, according to organizers. The Celebrity Care Fest, which has been hosted and produced by HM3 Partners since 2015,...
Harmar police say surveillance photo used to track down man accused of thefts from Target
Harmar police accused a man of stealing more than $1,500 from the Target store in the township after images from surveillance video were used to find a match with a booking photo from a previous arrest, according to investigators. Jonathan Lee Neal, 22, of the 500 block of South Trenton...
Family of late Pine-Richland teen Matt Graf creating youth behavioral health fund
An annual charity golf outing honoring a Pine-Richland High School student who died a few weeks before graduation in 2013 will begin using some of the money raised to help children suffering from behavioral issues. Since its inception in 2015, the Matt Graf Golf Outing has donated $96,000 for student...
Police say Verona man punched nurse at Allegheny Valley Hospital
A Verona man who was arrested three times this year for allegedly causing problems at Allegheny Valley Hospital in Harrison is accused of punching an emergency room nurse who tried to give him a covid test. John Meckel, 51, of the 400 block of Seldon Avenue was charged by Highmark...
Crossbow, cologne, men’s underwear among items woman accused of stealing from Tarentum apartments
A Pittsburgh woman accused of entering unlocked apartments in Tarentum and stealing random items — including a crossbow, cologne, cleaning supplies, loose change and men’s underwear — faces multiple felony charges. Darcy Lynn Hudson, 57, of the 2300 block of Cobden Street in the city’s Arlington neighborhood was charged with...
Charges dropped against Arnold code officer, 2nd man involved in brawl after both decline to testify
Charges were dismissed Thursday against two men involved in brawl outside a firefighters club in Arnold after they decided not to testify against each other. One of the men, Albert Colelli Jr., 51, of Arnold, faced a felony count of aggravated assault along with simple assault and disorderly conduct in...
All primary candidates for Pine-Richland school board win party nominations
All the candidates seeking party nominations to run for three open seats on the Pine-Richland school board emerged victorious in the primary for a square-off in the fall general election. In Region 1, incumbents Greg DiTullio and Mark Casciani secured the top two spots in a field of three candidates...
Police accuse man of kidnapping, beating Philly girl found abandoned in Marshall
Northern Regional Police accused a man of repeatedly beating a 15-year-old girl that he kidnapped in Philadelphia nearly two months ago and then abandoning her at a Marshall Township fast food restaurant. Mikhail Martin, 25, of Alma Avenue in Johnstown was charged with felony counts of aggravated assault, kidnapping a...
Police: Man found passed out behind wheel at Richland gas station faces felony drug charge
A Butler County man is charged with a felony count of possession of drugs with the intent to deliver and DUI after Northern Regional Police say he was found passed out behind the wheel of a car parked at a gas station in Richland. Matthew Austin Thomas, 33, of Church...
Crime Stoppers offering reward in connection with fatal New Kensington shooting in December
Pennsylvania Crime Stoppers is offering a cash reward for information leading to an arrest in connection with the fatal shooting of a New Kensington man outside his apartment building in December. James Michael Hayes, 31, was found shot to death about 10:30 p.m. Dec. 9 in the parking lot behind...
Springdale pet clinic employee accused of stealing drugs, money, gift cards faces felony charges
State narcotics agents accused an employee at a veterinary clinic in Springdale of stealing drugs, cash and gift cards from the company and her co-workers. Heidi E. Schumacher, 42, of Orchard Street in Shaler was charged with seven counts of prohibited acts and a count of forgery, which are all...
West Deer man accused by trooper of driving with suspended license, transporting drugs ordered to trial
A West Deer man was ordered to stand trial on drug and other charges after a state trooper accused him of driving with a license suspended for DUI and having heroin and crack in his car. Troy Allen Cyphert, 58, of the 1000 block of Mueller Street was charged with...
New Kensington police nab man suspected of assaulting child at an Easter egg hunt; drug charges added
New Kensington police investigating an attempted burglary early Thursday arrested a man who was wanted on a warrant and charged him with drug possession after an officer spotted him sitting in a running car nearby. Deron Shaquille Hinton, 30, of Pittsburgh’s Allentown neighborhood was charged with two felony counts of...
Apollo man accused of tackling, strangling woman during argument ordered to stand trial
An Apollo man accused of tackling a woman and strangling her during an argument has been ordered to stand trial. Joseph Kipling Norris, 38, of the 300 block of South Fourth Street was charged with a felony count of strangulation along with simple assault, criminal mischief and harassment. Norris waived...
Pine-Richland School District plans to keep property taxes unchanged
Pine-Richland School District officials have as unveiled a budget for the 2023-24 school year that calls for spending nearly $5 million more than this year without the need to increase property taxes. If the school board votes to adopt the budget at its June 12 meeting, it will be the...
Man accused by Buffalo Township police of terrorizing woman in her home ordered to trial
A man accused of terrorizing a woman in her Buffalo Township home after she broke off their relationship has been ordered to stand trial. Nicholas D. Brown, 34, of the 1100 block of Airedale Drive in Bethel Park was charged with counts of making terroristic threats, criminal mischief, disorderly conduct...
District Judge Cheryl Peck Yakopec running for 6th term on bench
Cheryl Peck Yakopec is seeking reelection to a sixth term as a district judge. The judge for Magisterial District 10-1-04 covers Lower Burrell, Upper Burrell, Allegheny Township, Vandergrift, Hyde Park, East Vandergrift, West Leechburg and Oklahoma Borough. She is being opposed by attorney Leslie Uncapher Zellers, 56, of Allegheny Township....
Woman accused of being high, slapping Arnold officer who pulled her over for careless driving
Arnold police accused a woman of being high and slapping an officer in the face when he pulled her over for careless driving. Lucy Lynn Haun, 33, of the 200 block of Campbell Avenue in Leechburg was charged with a felony count of aggravated assault along with three drug-related charges...
Allegheny Township man with record tried to buy gun at North Hills shop, police say
An arrest warrant has been issued for an Allegheny Township man accused of illegally trying to buy a gun at a shop in the North Hills. Teige Fredrick Townsend, 24, of the 1900 block of Route 356 was charged by Northern Regional Police with a felony count of illegal sale...
Arnold police say man wanted on DUI warrant was driving with no license, high on crack
Arnold police working with state and county agents arrested a man wanted on a warrant and filed drug and other charges against him after he almost caused an accident while driving high on crack with a suspended license, according to authorities. Michael Thomas McCarthy, 41, of the 500 block of...
