Tony LaRussa stories, Page 34
Police: Driver taken to hospital after crashing car into Pittsburgh warehouse
One person was taken to the hospital Thursday after a car crashed into a warehouse along Washington Boulevard in Pittsburgh’s Larimer neighborhood. Emergency responders found a car had crashed through a wall at the warehouse when they were dispatched to the 1000 block of Washington Boulevard around noon. Police said...
Police: Fayette County woman arrested in Arnold for trying to trade AK-47 for 2 bricks of heroin
Police say a Fayette County woman tried to trade an AK-47 rifle for heroin after a source tipped off agents from the Westmoreland County Drug Task Force who were conducting a drug sweep in Arnold. Jessica Sue Thorpe, 41, of Clinton Road, Saltlick, was charged with felony counts of illegal...
Motorists stop to assist driver of car that flipped on Route 28 near East Deer
State police are investigating the cause of a crash Thursday morning near the East Deer exit along Route 28, according to authorities. The accident was reported around 10 a.m. in the northbound lanes. Several passing motorists stopped to help the occupant of the vehicle get out before emergency crews responded...
Lower Burrell woman gets probation, fine for fiery crash in bridge construction zone
A Lower Burrell woman accused of causing a fiery crash in a work zone while the Tarentum Bridge was closed in June has been sentenced to two years of probation and ordered to pay $1,500 in fines. Allison Plusquellic, 40, was sentenced during a nonjury trial Wednesday, Feb. 23 before...
Ross police union members cast ‘no confidence’ vote for chief
For a second time, members of the union representing police officers in Ross have taken a “no-confidence” vote in the leadership of Chief Joe Ley. A letter sent on Tuesday from the executive board of the Ross Township Police Association announced that 27 officers voted in favor of the no...
Former Leechburg police chief Michael Diebold ordered to prison for failing to register as sex offender
Despite an impassioned plea to serve his sentence on house arrest, former Leechburg police Chief Michael Diebold will spend 18 to 36 months in prison for failing to properly register as a sex offender. Diebold, 44, pleaded guilty in December 2018 to soliciting sex online from a state trooper posing...
Pine Community Center programs offer path to personal fitness
Pack on some unwanted pounds during the coronavirus shutdown that are still difficult to shed? Or maybe that New Year’s resolution to finally get in shape is still gnawing at you. Whatever the reason, if fitness is your goal, there are a host of programs being offered at the Pine...
1 person hit by vehicle in Tarentum, taken to hospital by medical helicopter
A pedestrian who was hit be a vehicle Monday afternoon in Tarentum was flown by medical helicopter to a hospital, authorities said. Emergency crews were called about 3 p.m. to the 100 block of East Seventh Avenue for the single-vehicle crash in which a pedestrian was struck, according to an...
New Kensington man accused of sending email to extort $35K from former employer
A New Kensington man is accused of trying to extort $35,000 from the Butler County company where he worked by threatening to report alleged workplace violations to federal inspectors and union officials. Saxonburg police charged Ramon Presco Livingston, 43, of Fifth Avenue, New Kensington, with two counts of felony attempted...
Police: Tarentum officers responding to domestic call nab man who skipped 2020 drug charge hearing
An Arnold man who failed to show up for a hearing on felony drug charges in 2020 was arrested Tuesday after his girlfriend called police while they were arguing. Police said the suspect ran off when they showed up at the house but dropped a backpack with drugs inside as...
State police accuse Ford City woman of stealing former neighbor’s car
State police accused a Ford City woman of stealing a former neighbor’s car when he went back to the neighborhood to pick up mail. Crissy Dawn Bowser, 42, of the 300 block of 3rd Avenue, was charged with felony counts of theft and receiving stolen property along with criminal mischief....
Cocaine, fentanyl, guns, body armor found when cops raid New Kensington house; 2 people arrested
Investigators say crack cocaine, fentanyl, guns, body armor and other evidence of a drug-dealing operation were discovered Wednesday when they raided a home in New Kensington. Markus Jaquell Bryant, 28, and Khadijah Wright, 27, were taken into custody when officers from the Westmoreland County Drug Task Force and state narcotics...
Police: Pine man charged with felony after going to hospital with self-inflicted gunshot wound
Northern Regional Police filed felony gun charges against a Pine man after they say he showed up at a hospital suffering from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. James Brady Thompson, 48, of the 100 block of Fieldview Drive, was charged with two counts of illegal possession of a firearm in connection...
Police: Allegheny Township woman charged with felony for shoplifting $12 pair of leggings
Allegheny Township police charged a woman with a felony count of retail theft after, they say, she stole a $12 pair of leggings from the Family Dollar store along Hyde Park Road, according to her arrest papers. Barbara Ellen Sanders, 48, of the 1100 block of Route 356 in Allegheny...
AHN positive patient experience team earns national certification
Allegheny Health Network officials know that it takes more than a top-notch medical team to ensure patients have a positive experience when they visit one of their hospitals or clinics. To make sure that each visit to the hospital is the best it can be, the regional healthcare network has...
Cocaine, guns, cash seized in 10-suspect roundup; 5 face felony child endangerment charge
Police say nearly two ounces of cocaine — along with handguns, digital scales and about $20,000 in cash — were confiscated during a raid at a New Kensington home Friday that netted some of the 10 people charged with felonies as part of a drug sweep. In addition to multiple...
Oakmont Bakery pumping out pastries with help from businesses after wreck damages building
Baking is back to full capacity at Oakmont Bakery after a vehicle crashed into the building late Friday. Several local companies made quick work of repairing damage — and local competitors offered use of their ovens. “The owners of Bethel Bakery, Prantl’s Bakery and Pastries A-La-Carte reached out to offer...
New Kensington police say man charged after selling crack cocaine to informant
A New Kensington police detective filed multiple felony drug charges against a Tarentum man after an informant bought drugs from him, according to authorities. Brian Lamont Kellum, 43, of the 500 block of Main Street, was charged with two felony counts of possession of drugs with the intent to deliver,...
State police charge man with felony heroin possession after South Buffalo traffic stop
State police charged a Tioga County man with felony drug possession after he was pulled over in South Buffalo Township for driving erratically. John D. Reed, 65, of Duncan Township, was charged with a felony count of possession with the intent to deliver drugs. He also faces two misdemeanor drug...
DA Ziccarelli: 10 charged in drug sweep in New Kensington, Arnold, Harrison
Police from New Kensington, Arnold and Harrison worked with state and county drug agents on an investigation that resulted in criminal charges against 10 people on Friday and the seizure of narcotics, guns and cash, according to authorities. Westmoreland County District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli announced that during the Feb. 11...
North Apollo supermarket ‘nibbler’ now held on felony drug charges
A man charged with disorderly conduct in January — for taking bites out of food at a North Apollo supermarket and returning the items to shelves — is now facing a felony drug charge after police say they found methamphetamine in his vehicle when it was searched this week. Kiski...
Man charged with felony after Tarentum police pull over vehicle reported stolen
Tarentum police arrested a man accused of driving a stolen car after patrol officers spotted the vehicle traveling on Ross Street toward Route 28. Tevin Randall Williams, 28, of Talisman Lane, Harrison, was charged with a felony count of receiving stolen property along with driving with a suspended license and traffic...
Harmar police: Speeding driver had stolen gun, 10 ounces of pot in car when pulled over
Harmar police charged a Pittsburgh man with multiple felonies after he was pulled over for speeding and a stolen gun and drugs allegedly were found in the vehicle. Omarion Darnell Pashel, 18, of Greenwood Street in the city’s Morningside neighborhood, was charged with felony counts of receiving stolen property, possession...
West Hills Intermediate School in Kittanning evacuated after smoke reported in computer room
Students at West Hills Intermediate School in Kittanning were evacuated from the building after smoke and the smell of burning rubber was reported in a computer room, according to authorities. Student were placed on a bus and taken to nearby West Hills Primary while firefighters set up operations at the...
Bocce match at Fox Chapel serves as event to find bone-marrow match for 7-year-old boy
Students and spectators at Fox Chapel High School’s home bocce match against Pine-Richland recently joined the effort to find a bone-marrow match for a 7-year-old Butler County boy suffering from a rare genetic disorder. “I feel like this is a very easy way to help a child in need,” said...
