Westmoreland category, Page 395
Trial for New Florence man accused of assault of deputy sheriff delayed
The trial of a former New Florence man previously acquitted of killing a police officer and now accused of assaulting a Westmoreland County deputy sheriff has been delayed until at least June. Ray Shetler Jr., 37, appeared in court this week for a procedural hearing to determine if his trial...
Westmoreland happenings: Living tableau, Easter events, pie sale
Church news • Greensburg Church of the Brethren will host a night of fun and fellowship for individuals and groups with developmental disabilities from 5 to 7 p.m. Mondays at the church, 554 Stanton St. Dinner is included. Participants must be accompanied by a family member or caregiver. Donations will...
Derry man indicted on child pornography charges
A Derry Borough man has been indicted by a federal jury on nine counts related to sexual exploitation of minors, U.S. Justice Department officials announced Tuesday. According to the indictment, Michael Wilson, 43, persuaded or coerced multiple minors to engage in sexually explicit conduct in order to create photos and...
Former Westmoreland Coroner Ken Bacha hired as chief operations officer at Mutual Aid
Kenneth Bacha, who served as Westmoreland County’s coroner for 20 years until he was defeated in the 2021 election, has taken a new job with Mutual Aid Ambulance Service Inc. as its chief operations officer. Bacha, 60, of Greensburg, began his new job last week. “I’m really excited about it....
Irwin man accused of killing estranged wife’s boyfriend in North Versailles
A 40-year-old Irwin man is charged with homicide after police say he shot and killed a man in North Versailles last month before shooting himself in the head. Samuel Trusso, who police said is expected to survive, is charged with criminal homicide and firing a gun into an occupied structure...
Greensburg police seeking ‘shoeless’ SUV theft suspect
Greensburg police are asking the public’s help identifying a shoeless thief who jumped into a woman’s SUV as she was pumping gas Tuesday and drove away. Police said the theft occurred just before noon at the Sunoco/7-Eleven store on Mt. Pleasant Street. Lt. Jason Gain said the owner of the...
Police: Murrysville Sheetz workers credited with stopping assault
Two employees at Sheetz in Murrysville are credited with pinning a man to the ground after he assaulted and choked a woman in the store parking lot, police said. The suspect, Cyle J. Reed, 23, of Altoona, was subdued by workers who held him on the ground outside the store...
Man accused in regional bail scam to stand trial on conspiracy charges for Hempfield case
After a Hempfield woman handed over $5,000 to a man she was led to believe was a bail bondsman, she wasn’t able to get in touch with a person who claimed to be her daughter’s attorney. Darlene Johnston, 60, testified Tuesday that she got a phone call on Feb. 28...
Mt. Pleasant man gets house arrest, probation for role in Capitol riot
Samuel Fox was inside the U.S. Capitol for only two minutes during the riot there on Jan. 6, 2021. He didn’t engage in any violence. He didn’t take anything. He had no weapons, no tactical gear and a barely charged cellphone. For those reasons, a judge ruled Tuesday, the Latrobe...
Hempfield man accused by state police of feigning injuries to avoid jail
A Hempfield man is accused by state police of fighting with an emergency room nurse and a trooper at Excela Health Westmoreland hospital in Greensburg to avoid jail. Philip M. Nicklow, 39, was taken into custody as state police investigated a traffic accident about 4:30 p.m. Sunday in Hempfield and...
Prayer vigil for Ukraine set for Saturday in Greensburg
A group of area religious leaders will lead a prayer vigil for the people of Ukraine from 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday at the Bononi & Bononi parking lot at the corner of South Main and East Third streets in Greensburg. “We want to present a unified message on Russia’s...
Grant sends Excela newborns, parents home with sleep sacks
All babies born at Excela Health Westmoreland Hospital’s Family Additions Maternity Center will be sent home with two sleep sacks under a grant from the Westmoreland/Frick Hospital Foundation. Staff at the center have long used the sleep sacks to swaddle infants in their first hours of life, but now their...
What’s That: Murrysville marks site of natural gas discovery
Editor’s note ‘What’s That?’ is a recurring feature in the Tribune-Review’s Westmoreland Plus edition. If there’s something you’d like to see explored here, send an email to gtrcity@triblive.com. In 1878, Michael and Obediah Haymaker drilled a hole in Murrysville, hunting for oil. Instead, they found gas, inadvertently turning the Westmoreland...
70 cats recovered from Hempfield home after owner calls for help
It will take thousands of dollars to get 70 cats and kittens that were rescued Sunday from a Hempfield hoarding situation into adoptable condition, said Jen Johnson, president of Ninth Life Rescue Center. She and volunteers from As They Come Animal Rescue are hoping for some community support to rehabilitate...
Jeannette man sent to jail for Excela break-in
A Jeannette man was ordered to serve up to 23 months in jail for the burglary of three medical offices at Excela Health in Greensburg. Travis Michael Gibson, 37, pleaded guilty this week to charges to felony burglary and trespassing offenses, as well as misdemeanor theft, criminal mischief and receiving...
Latrobe man paroled for Hollow Tavern arson accused of 2nd DUI since 2021 release
A man paroled just over a year ago after serving more than a decade in state prison for setting fire to the landmark Hollow Tavern in 2008 was arraigned Monday on DUI and related charges for a Christmas Eve motorcycle crash on Route 30 that injured his passenger. It is...
Hempfield man convicted in teen’s 2002 murder seeks early end to probation
A Hempfield man who as a teenager pleaded guilty to charges that he participated in the 2002 murder of a classmate’s older brother wants the 10-year probation term portion of his sentence, scheduled to begin this month, terminated to allow him to move to another state. Robert Laskowski, now 35,...
Police deploy ‘stop sticks’ to end 8-mile pursuit in Westmoreland County
A 38-year-old Herminie man was jailed on multiple charges including DUI and fleeing police following an 8-mile chase that ended when he lost control of his van and drove off the highway in the Hempfield village of Darragh, according to court documents. Christopher D. Troutman was taken into custody near...
Scrap yard worker burned in Washington Township
A worker was burned using a torch at scrap yard Monday in Washington Township, a Westmoreland County Public Safety supervisor said. The incident occurred around noon at B&M Auto Recycling scrap yard along Silvis Road, the 911 supervisor said. Fire units were called to the scene to extinguish some vehicles...
Salem man accused by police of pointing gun at man, threatening to kill him
A Salem man who is prohibited from having a firearm is accused by state police of pointing a gun at another person, according to court papers. Bryan Michael Wallace, 31, who also has an address in Monroeville, posted $50,000 bail Monday through a bail bondsman after the Saturday incident. Troopers...
Police: Jeannette man without valid driver’s license crashes stolen Cadillac in Hempfield
A Jeannette man who does not have a valid driver’s license crashed a stolen car Sunday evening on Route 30 in Hempfield, according to state police. The crash snarled eastbound traffic in the area of Westwood Drive near the Alpine Pools store around 6:20 p.m. after troopers said Thomas Anthony...
Police: Driver seriously hurt in Penn Township crash
A man was seriously injured early Monday morning when his pickup truck hit a tree at the Bushy Run Battlefield site in Penn Township, police said. The man, whose name was not released, was freed from the vehicle by Harrison City firefighters using a metal-cutting tool, said Chief John Otto...
Concerts, cookies and crafts all part of National Library Week
Patrons of Alle-Kiski Valley libraries this week can buy a cheap bag full of books, build a stuffed bunny, listen to a teen singing sensation and satisfy their taste buds with homemade cookies. And maybe even check out a good book. The libraries in Harrison, New Kensington, Leechburg, Plum and...
Reinventing the dog crate? This Hempfield native hopes to make it apartment-friendly
When Jack Murray moved into an apartment with his roommates, he quickly noticed something: The “pretty small” three-bedroom wasn’t spacious enough for his dog Heidi’s crate. The crate took up “so much room” in Murray’s home and impacted its visual appeal. If he wanted the crate out of the way...
Truck drivers needed: job fair to offer opportunities
Edward Roberts recalls how a trucking company offered a student — who had left his minimum wage job to obtain a commercial driver’s license in his driver training school in New Stanton — a shot at a $90,000-a-year job. He would just need to take long-distance routes that would require...
