Laurels & lances: Policy & pension

Laurel: To appropriate action. Allegheny County President Judge Susan Evashavik DiLucente has taken the right steps to address a problem in the courtrooms, and she did it with a two-line email.

“Dear Judges, I write to remind you all that you only have authority to adjudicate cases and enter orders in the specific divisions to which you have been assigned,” she wrote. “There are exceptions to this general rule, but those exceptions are authorized by administrative orders.”

That might seem vague, but a policy that covers everyone rarely details the catalyst. However, TribLive confirmed the direction is in response to a tragic chain of events.

Isreal Moseby, 19, was charged with aggravated assault after a 2023 incident in which, police say, he stabbed a woman in the neck twice. He was being held at Allegheny County Jail, and experts have found him incompetent to stand trial.

Bail requests were denied four times by Judge Edward J. Borkowski before Moseby’s public defender took the case to Orphan’s Court to address the mental health and intellectual disability issues at play. An additional motion was added asking that court’s judge, Michael McCarthy, to modify bail. He did, and Moseby was subsequently moved to an unsecured facility. Moseby escaped from that facility in May and is accused of killing a woman in June.

Evashavik DiLucente and Borkowski have both addressed this with the lawyers in stern court sessions. Evashavik DiLucente’s email to the Allegheny County judges makes it clear she expects the judges to police the problem themselves to prevent a repeat.

Lance: To inappropriate collections. It was one thing when former Greensburg police Officer Regina McAtee was able to retire and start collecting her pension five months after being suspended in February 2023.

It was quite another when she continued to pocket more than $5,000 a month after being charged with federal drug crimes in March 2024. It was worse when the checks kept coming after she pleaded guilty in May 2024 to conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. It was compounded when she was sentenced to 36 months of probation in May.

But now it is August, and the money keeps rolling. Despite the plea and sentencing to conspiracy that violated everything about her commitment to her community and the law, McAtee has received more than $110,000 in pension payments.

What speaks to the insulting nature of her continued collection is the reaction of a current Greensburg police officer, William Newmyer, who brought up the issue at Monday’s police pension committee meeting. While the committee, and Greensburg Solicitor Zachary Kansler, are looking to pursue action, that is complicated by the fact the committee only meets quarterly.

“I don’t want to wait three more months here to move forward,” Newmyer said.

It isn’t Greensburg’s fault. Any attempt to address McAtee’s pension required prior steps to be completed. But Newmyer’s urgency is understandable. Every officer and every resident should be offended by every dollar that goes into McAtee’s account.