Names of jurors in case against former Westmoreland Sheriff Held to remain under seal

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court will not hear an appeal filed by the Tribune-Review seeking to make public the names of jurors who failed to reach a verdict in the 2018 public corruption trial of former Westmoreland County Sheriff Jonathan Held.

In a one-sentence order, the state’s high court denied the Trib’s effort to appeal a Superior Court ruling that upheld the decision by Common Pleas Judge Timothy Creany, a visiting senior judge from Cambria County who presided over what resulted in a mistrial. He ordered juror names to remain sealed pending Held’s retrial or resolution of the charges.

Prosecutors claim Held ordered on-duty sheriff’s department staff to perform election activities as part of his successful reelection campaign in 2015. A two-term Republican sheriff, Held was defeated in 2019 in his bid for a third term in office.

Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro, whose office prosecuted the case against Held, said he will retry the case, which is on hold while the Supreme Court considers Held’s request to block the move. Creany and the state’s Superior Court previously denied Held’s motion to dismiss the case.