'Great mistake' leads to jail sentence in Greensburg armed robbery

A Mt. Pleasant man who was acquitted two years ago in connection with a shooting in Arnold pleaded guilty to the armed robbery last year at a Greensburg home.

Nicholas Haynes, 27, was ordered Monday to serve nine to 23 months in jail and an additional five years on probation for his involvement in the June 14, 2022, heist that police said netted $7,300 of gaming equipment and other items.

Police said the home’s occupant identified Haynes and Dominic DiLorenzo as the robbers. DiLorenzo brandished a gun and both men threatened her harm if she notified police, according to court records.

Haynes pleaded guilty to felony counts of robbery, burglary, conspiracy, theft and receiving stolen property. He also pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor charge of terroristic threats.

Westmoreland County Common Pleas Judge Christopher Feliciani sentenced Haynes to the jail term but declined to give him credit for more than 15 months he has served in jail since his arrest.

“The defendant’s age played a part in this sentence and because of his level of remorse. He said he made a great mistake in judgment,” Feliciani said.

Assistant District Attorney Mike Pacek said prosecutors proposed a plea deal that called for Haynes to serve five to 10 years in prison and denied a defense suggestion that evidentiary issues could impact a potential guilty verdict should the case go to trial.

“We have eyewitnesses prepared to testify,” Pacek said.

DiLorenzo, 18, of Greensburg pleaded guilty earlier this month to identical charges and was sentenced to one to three years in prison and five additional years on probation.

According to court records, prosecutors threatened to call DiLorenzo as a witness against Haynes at a potential trial. Pacek said prosecutors proposed a two- to four-year prison sentence for DiLorenzo as part of a plea deal.

Haynes last appeared in court in 2021 when a Westmoreland County jury found him not guilty of attempted homicide, aggravated assault and other charges in connection with a shooting in Arnold. In that case, prosecutors said the alleged victim and other witnesses identified Haynes as the shooter of a man he believed was a cooperating witness in an unrelated robbery case.

Prosecutors claimed Haynes fired three shots from a .22 caliber semiautomatic pistol, leaving his accuser seriously wounded.

In May 2021, Haynes pleaded guilty to aggravated assault by a prisoner for spitting at guards while incarcerated at Westmoreland County Prison and was given credit for time he served in jail since 2018 and three additional years on probation.