Jeannette man pleads guilty to strangling woman, smuggling phone into county jail
A Jeannette man was ordered to serve up to 23 months in jail after he pleaded guilty to charges in five separate cases, including allegations that he strangled a woman and smuggled a cellphone into the Westmoreland County Prison.
Leon D. Fair, 24, was sentenced Tuesday to serve at least 11 1/2 months in jail in connection with the strangulation case from 2021 and another case in which he was charged with drug possession.
He also was ordered to serve five years on probation in connection with charges that he possessed contraband in the jail.
According to court records, Fair confessed that he sneaked a cellphone into the jail Aug. 3, 2022, when he was booked into the facility and planned to use it to watch pornography and call family members to arrange bail.
Investigators said that Fair initially placed his cellphone and wallet on a counter to be inventoried as he entered the jail, then took the device when a guard looked away, hid it and carried it with him to his cell.
Fair also pleaded guilty to charges in other cases, including allegations that he fled from police and drove without a valid license.
Rich Cholodofsky is a TribLive reporter covering Westmoreland County government, politics and courts. He can be reached at rcholodofsky@triblive.com.
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