Tony LaRussa stories, Page 38
State police: Man accused of dealing drugs after car stopped for speeding in North Buffalo
State police accused a man of dealing drugs after, police say, they found nearly 9 ounces of marijuana in his car during a traffic stop in North Buffalo Township. Bradly Alan Wiles, 35, of Oliver Road in Boggs Township, Armstrong County, was charged with one felony count of possession of...
When there’s no room at nursing facilities, convicted sex offenders often land in unregulated boarding homes
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When there’s no room at nursing facilities, convicted sex offenders often land in unregulated boarding homes
Christopher Farkas said he’s not one to judge the 23 convicted sex offenders living at his boarding house in a rundown, troubled section of McKeesport. Without Farkas’ Hospitality House, he said those offenders, most needing help with basic daily tasks such as cooking, laundry and complying with the rules for...
Vandergrift women accused of cruelty to animals, abandoning cats at shelter
A Vandergrift woman and her daughter each face 33 animal cruelty and neglect charges after a state humane officer accused them of improperly caring for 11 cats and then abandoning them at a shelter. Callie Jo McCluskey, 51, and Katherine McCluskey, 18, of 37th Street, each were charged with 11...
Police charge New Kensington man with assaulting woman during argument
New Kensington police charged a Victoria Avenue man with felony aggravated assault after his girlfriend accused him of breaking her wrist during an argument. Ernest Darnell Prince, 30, also faces a misdemeanor charge of unlawful restraint in connection with the Dec. 5 incident. He faces a preliminary hearing on the...
Experts say vaccinated people with health problems still face serious covid risks
Despite recent cases in which vaccinated people got infected and died from coronavirus, getting inoculated is still the best protection against the virus, according to medical experts. While the Allegheny County Health Department’s online covid dashboard does not distinguish between vaccinated and unvaccinated people in its death data, it does...
Tarentum woman charged with lying on application to buy gun
A Tarentum woman was charged with a felony after police say she intentionally provided false information about her past when filling out an application to buy a gun at a sporting goods store. Robin A. Ratz, 66, of Heuser Way was charged by Harrison Township police with a felony count...
East Vandergrift man accused of stealing $42K from nursing home patient
An East Vandergrift man is accused of stealing nearly $43,000 from a man who gave him access to his bank and credit card accounts when he went into a nursing home. John William Ebner, 33, of McKinley Avenue, was charged by Vandergrift police with theft, receiving stolen property, access device...
New coffee shop in Freeport creates cozy gathering place for cup of joe
Virginia Lindsay didn’t set out to open a coffee and tea shop in Freeport when she and business partner Karen Heilman started looking for a new venture in which to get involved. But they knew they wanted to put their creativity and energy into something that was in the heart...
Concerns about possible covid exposure draw people to mobile testing site in Tarentum
Scores of people lined up in the rain outside a church in Tarentum on Monday for free tests to determine if they have been infected by the coronavirus. A number of the people who went for tests at First United Presbyterian Church on Lock Street said they did so because...
Coroner: 2 Pittsburgh residents killed in Route 28 crash
The Armstrong County Coroner’s Office has identified two people killed in a multi-vehicle crash that shut down both lanes of northbound Route 28 for a time on Monday morning. The road was shut down shortly after 9 a.m. between Exit 18 PA 128 — Slate Lick/Northpointe and Exit 19 US...
Police seek tips in attempt to solve slaying of Tarentum mother of 2
Kristina Arndt thought somebody suffered a medical emergency when she arrived at her apartment building on Fifth Avenue in Tarentum late Thursday night and saw police cars and ambulances lining the block. It wasn’t long before she learned they were there because her neighbor and friend had been shot to...
Ex-cop who used police gear to stalk woman pleads guilty; sentenced to jail, probation
A former police officer who worked for three Alle-Kiski Valley police departments has pleaded guilty to charges filed in connection with his arrest for using police-tracking software to monitor a woman who ended a relationship with him. Michael McSherry, 29, of Harrison pleaded guilty Wednesday, Dec. 15 to two counts,...
Police charge 19-year-old who shot himself in foot with unlawful carry
A Lower Burrell man was charged with carrying a gun without a license after police say he got drunk and shot himself in the foot while showing off the weapon to a friend. Logan Robert Farr, 19, of Violet Drive was charged by Lower Burrell police with a felony count...
Harrison man accused of shooting up house while people watched football game
A Harrison man was charged with felony criminal mischief and a dozen other counts accusing him of shooting up a house after getting into an argument with people there watching a Steelers game. In addition to the felony count, Zeya Dixon, 24, of Park Avenue, Sheldon Park, was charged with...
Highlands school officials say threat to high school on social media not credible
Highlands School District officials say rumors of a threat against the high school that circulated on social media Thursday morning are not credible. In an email message sent to parents, high school co-principal Laura Burns said school police worked with members of the administration to conduct “a thorough investigation of...
Police: Suspect ID’d after his Social Security card found in confiscated bag of drugs
Allegheny Township police say they were able to identify a suspect who gave them a fake name when they found a satchel of drugs on him with his Social Security card inside the bag. Antwuan Duane Berry, 25, of Broadway Avenue in Pittsburgh’s Banksville neighborhood was charged with felony flight...
90-year-old man charged with threatening to shoot social worker, assaulting Kiski Township police officer
Kiski Township police charged a 90-year-old man with aggravated assault and making terroristic threats after, they say, he pulled a gun on a social worker who was checking on a report that the man was neglecting his wife, who requires in-home hospice care. Kay Leland Dunmire, of Ridge Road, Kiski...
Police: Parks Township woman grabbed for cop’s gun while being arrested
A Parks Township woman is accused of grabbing a police officer’s gun while being arrested for allegedly assaulting her partner during a domestic dispute, according to police. Although she didn’t get control of the gun, Leah Rachelle Wuchevich, 31, is charged with a felony count of disarming a law enforcement...
Worker flown to hospital after fall from Valley High School auditorium ceiling
A contractor working above the drop ceiling in the auditorium at Valley High School in New Kensington was injured after falling about 30 feet, according to authorities. Emergency responders were dispatched to the high school on Stevenson Boulevard shortly before 10:30 a.m., according to a Westmoreland County 911 dispatcher. No...
Most school districts in Alle-Kiski Valley dropping mask mandates following court ruling
Two-thirds of the school districts in the Alle-Kiski Valley are using last week’s state Supreme Court ruling striking down the state’s mask mandate in schools to return to mask-optional policies in their buildings. The state Department of Health in late August ordered that face coverings be worn by everyone in...
New Kensington police charge man with sexual misconduct with 3 young girls during summer visits
New Kensington police have charged a man with engaging in inappropriate sexual behavior with three sisters ages 11, 13 and 14 during a five-month period. Lawrence William Barber, 66, of Parkview Drive in New Kensington was charged with five felonies — three counts of endangering the welfare of children and...
High winds topple scaffolding at Etna construction site across the street from houses, no one hurt
Etna residents who live across a narrow street from an industrial building being overhauled were evacuated Saturday when high winds pulled scaffolding from the building. The incident took place at about 4:30 p.m. near the intersection of Butler and Bridge streets. There was a fire at the three-story industrial building...
Vandergrift man accused of strangling girlfriend when she caught him using dating app
Vandergrift police say a man beat and strangled his girlfriend after she discovered him using the Tinder dating app, authorities say. Steven Joseph Trenga, 26, of Wallace Street in Vandergrift was charged with a felony count of strangulation and a lesser charge of simple assault in connection with a Dec....
Police say Lower Burrell man driving with toddler in car had heroin, other narcotics
A man has been charged with three felony drug counts and a dozen other offenses, including endangering the welfare of a child, after an Arnold patrol officer said he saw him toss a bag of suspected narcotics out of his vehicle. Joseph Christopher Marzullo, 34, of Michigan Avenue, Lower Burrell,...
