Westmoreland category, Page 851
Westmoreland judge rejects request to overturn conviction in 2016 Latrobe murder case
Jurors had enough evidence to convict a Johnstown man for the 2016 murder of a friend in Latrobe, a judge ruled Tuesday. Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court Judge Meagan Bilik-DeFazio, in a 32-page opinion, denied defense requests seeking to overturn the conviction and sentence for 20-year-old Austin Krinock, who following...
Westmoreland prison worker may be disciplined after inmate’s premature release
Westmoreland officials said Tuesday an investigation is ongoing to determine how to discipline a county prison worker responsible for the premature release last week of an inmate sentenced to serve up to 23 months behind bars. Sheriff Jonathan Held, who serves as chairman of the county’s prison board, said it...
Probation officers ask Greensburg man’s parole be revoked after multiple arrests last week
The Westmoreland County Adult Probation office has asked a judge to revoke the parole of a 19-year-old man who was arrested twice last week by Greensburg police for allegedly stiffing a cab driver out of a $90 fare just a few hours after he was accused of illegal possession of...
Greensburg man accused of sexually abusing girl
A Greensburg man is accused of sexually abusing a girl when she was 8 and 15 years old, according to court papers. Charles Samuel Battistoni, 60, is charged with numerous sex assault-related offenses including rape. He is free on $5,000 unsecured bail. State police allege the sexual abuse occurred in...
Latrobe hires new police officer, commends 2 othersVideo
Latrobe shored up its police roster Monday by hiring a local native as the force’s newest officer. Council also commended two city officers for recently administering an opioid overdose reversal drug to revive unresponsive patients. Unity District Judge Michael Mahady administered the oath of office Monday to Latrobe’s newest police...
Westmoreland happenings: Feb. 15 and beyond
Fundraisers • Spring gala: Havana Nights fundraiser, hosted by Westmoreland County Blind Association, is planned 6 p.m. March 1 in Greensburg Country Club, 309 Pleasant Valley Road. Cost: $50, includes Cuban dinner buffet, rum bar along with a cigar lounge, entertainment provided by disc jockey. Details: 724-837-1250. • Night at...
West Hempfield Elementary School students raise money for American Heart Association
West Hempfield Elementary School students raised $12,000 for the American Heart Association. The Jump Rope for Heart program encouraged the Hempfield Area School District kids to compete in daily challenges that lead to a healthy lifestyle, taught them jump rope skills and gave them a chance to learn how the...
Norwin considers replacing football field turf
Eight years of playing football, lacrosse, soccer and field hockey at Norwin Stadium has taken its toll, tearing up the artificial turf to the extent it needs to be replaced, according to Norwin athletic director Brandon Rapp. Replacing the surface on the Knights’ football field “is one of our more...
Latrobe rejects outsourcing garbage hauling from transfer stationVideo
Latrobe last month approved a new five-year contract with municipal garbage hauler Republic Services, but city council has since turned down the company’s separate proposal to also truck refuse deposited in large roll-off bins from the city’s transfer station to the local landfill. Republic proposed charging $200 per load —...
Multiple rape cases against Mt. Pleasant cop to be tried together in Westmoreland County
Allegations that a suspended Mt. Pleasant Borough police officer raped and sexually assaulted six different woman in four counties can be tried together in Westmoreland County, a judge ruled on Monday. Common Pleas Court Judge Christopher Feliciani, following a brief hearing, reaffirmed a ruling he issued in 2017 that consolidated...
Fairfield cruelty case involving 99 animals to head to trial
Hundreds of animal cruelty charges against a Fairfield woman and her parents will go to trial after a Westmoreland County judge Monday refused to dismiss the cases. “It’s clear to me there is enough evidence to make a … case,” Common Pleas Judge Christopher Feliciani said after hearing testimony from...
Isolated ‘casing issue’ likely caused problems at gas well near Beaver Run Reservoir, company reports
A pressure anomaly that recently forced the shutdown of a Utica shale gas well near Beaver Run Reservoir was likely caused by a “casing integrity issue” about a mile underground, CNX Resources told investors. The update was contained in a footnote in the company’s 2018 annual report, posted late last...
Judge finds suspended Westmoreland sheriff’s captain not guilty of trespassing charge
A suspended Westmoreland County sheriff’s captain was acquitted Monday of trespassing at the state police barracks in Greensburg. Senior Common Pleas Judge Richard E. McCormick Jr., following testimony from three witnesses during a summary appeal hearing, ruled there was not enough evidence to support the citation issued against Travis Day...
Cops: Jeannette man jailed on $30K bond after 12-mile chase
State police arrested a Jeannette man early Sunday after allegedly leading police through multiple Westmoreland County communities for 12 miles at speeds often exceeding 90 mph. Darrick L. Brown, 22, was charged with one felony count of fleeing and eluding police and 70 multiple traffic counts, including driving without a...
West Newton parents accused of refusing to have infant treated for medical concerns
The parents of an infant girl in West Newton were arrested Saturday on charges of child endangerment and reckless endangerment for failing to follow a pediatrician’s advice to have the child treated at an area hospital for concerns over low weight and having a below-normal body temperature. Tiffany M. Aquilina,...
Westmoreland asks state to investigate sale of Rivertowne tavern property
A Mt. Lebanon real estate company got quite a deal when it bought the 2.9-acre parcel containing the vacant Rivertowne tavern on Route 30 in North Huntingdon for $7,500 — or $512,500 less than the Rivertowne owners paid in 2011. The sale by Christian Fyke, who owned one-half interest in...
1 hurt when wires fall after Hempfield vehicle crash
One person was hurt Monday morning after a crash on Penn Adamsburg Road in Hempfield, according to a Westmoreland 911 dispatcher. The person was taken by ambulance to an area hospital after live wires came down on the vehicle just before 8 a.m. Nearby resident Paul Berginc said he noticed...
2nd day of search in Brush Creek fails to locate reported body, officials say
For a second day Sunday, multiple Westmoreland and Allegheny County emergency response crews were unable to locate a body that a witness told police he saw floating Saturday in Brush Creek in North Huntingdon. Crews on Sunday entered the creek in inflatable rafts, dive teams from Monroeville and Murrysville responded,...
Keystone park vistas inspire award-winning New Alexandria photographerVideo
Keystone State Park hides few sites around its 78-acre lake that Carolyn Anderson hasn’t explored. “I have probably been at every spot you can be at,” said the lifelong resident of nearby New Alexandria. “I’ve been in the bushes, hanging from trees, everything.” Anderson travels to the Derry Township park...
Lawyer: Head injury effects render Laurel Mountain man unfit for murder trial
The lawyer for a Laurel Mountain man jailed nearly five years on charges that he killed his live-in girlfriend wants a county judge to rule him incompetent to stand trial. Defense attorney Brian Aston, in court documents filed this week, argued Gregory Randall, 62, suffers memory and cognitive impairments as...
Hundreds of Seton Hill students volunteer in honor of Martin Luther KingVideo
A lot of college students might have woken up Saturday, saw the temperatures outside dipped to the low teens, rolled over and hit the snooze button. But that was the furthest thing from Seton Hill University junior Molly Carbone’s mind. “No way. I love doing carpentry, and I really love...
Search continues for body in Brush Creek in North HuntingdonVideo
The search for a body along Brush Creek in North Huntingdon Township has entered its second day as rescue crews resumed Sunday morning. A Westmoreland County 911 dispatcher confirmed the search had resumed, but no other updates were immediately available. Police received a report Saturday that a body was spotted...
Westmoreland pension fund reported in good shape
Westmoreland County’s pension fund lost more than $45 million in 2018 and for the first time in five years has been designated at a minimum distressed level. The account, which provides benefits to about 1,300 government retirees, has more than $415 million in assets after its value dipped by nearly...
Lyme, West Nile prevention focus of Hempfield program
A bug as small as the period at the end of a sentence is the cause of a major health concern in Pennsylvania. Tiny blacklegged ticks, and the Lyme disease they can transmit, will be discussed at a Feb. 21 program sponsored by the Westmoreland Woodlands Improvement Association. The 6:30...
Westmoreland Manor administrator out, replacement named
The private company that manages Westmoreland Manor has hired a new administrator to oversee day-to-day operations at the county-owned nursing home. Premier Healthcare Resources, the Penn Township-based firm that was paid more than $586,000 last year to run the 408-bed facility in Hempfield, this week replaced John Austin, the nursing...
