Paul Peirce stories, Page 4
Acme man jailed on $250K bond, accused of raping boy
A 33-year-old Mt. Pleasant Township man is accused of raping and sexually assaulting a six-year-old boy in 2020-2021. Brandon J. Hoffer of Acme was arrested and ordered held in the county prison after failing to post $250,000 bond after he was charged with 26 felony and misdemeanor criminal counts filed...
1 person reported seriously injured in Route 22 crash in Murrysville
At least one person was reported seriously injured Wednesday in a two-vehicle crash along Route 22 in Murrysville, according to a Westmoreland County 911 dispatcher. The crash occurred at 11:08 a.m. at the highway intersection with Harrison City Road, the dispatcher reported. The highway stretch was temporarily closed. It re-opened...
Police: 17-year-old Unity girl returned home to mother
A 17-year-old Unity girl who left home with her boyfriend last month and had not been seen since has returned home to her mother, according to state police in Greensburg. State police had put out an alert Tuesday about the missing teen, Kylie Madison Germello, 17, of Crabtree, after the...
Former manager of Salem discount store charged in theft of $18K
A man accused of stealing $18,097 earlier this month from a Dollar General store where he worked in Salem apologized for the thefts to other employees in the store, according to state police. Austin M. Rider, 23, of Jeannette, was charged with receiving stolen property and theft in connection with...
Hempfield man jailed, accused by police of beating, choking woman
A 31-year-old Hempfield man is in the county prison after state troopers say he severely beat and choked a woman with a television cable and threatened her with a shotgun. Cody J. Mattei was arrested Sunday after the woman was able to escape a residence in the 100 block of...
Derry Township man accused of assaulting child
A Derry Township man is charged with assaulting a child. Jordache R. Larrabee, 32, of the village of Torrance, was arrested on multiple charges this week including aggravated assault of a child after state police troopers discovered multiple bruises on a child, according to Trooper Gregory Frank. The child was...
State appellate court upholds attempted rape verdict in 2017 assault case in Unity
A state appellate court on Friday upheld the 10-year prison sentence and attempted rape conviction of a former Somerset County man in the September 2017 attack on a former Saint Vincent College student in Unity. Luke W. Hoover, 25, had appealed his 2021 conviction and sentence to state Superior Court,...
Troopers accuse man accused of fleeing traffic stop in North Belle Vernon
State troopers said they identified a 31-year-old man accused of fleeing a traffic stop Saturday and leading police on a chase for several blocks through North Belle Vernon after he jumped out of his pickup and left behind his cellphone. Lorenzo D. Russell, 31, of Monessen, was arraigned Wednesday in...
Arnold Palmer airport expansion plans unveiled
The Westmoreland County Airport Authority on Tuesday got its first formal views of the proposed expansion of the Arnold Palmer Regional Airport terminal in Unity that would double its size to about 90,000 square feet. “It really looks impressive,” authority Chairman Janice Smarto told Ethan J. Hine of KTH Architects...
New accusation leveled over favoritism shown to Westmoreland airport restaurateur
Although the Westmoreland County Airport Authority thought a new lease agreement a year ago put to rest accusations about alleged favoritism shown to DeNunzio’s Italian Chophouse, the authority heard from a new critic Tuesday. Ron Forkey, owner of Racer’s Sports Bar in Derry Township, complained that the airport’s vending consultant...
Fundraiser planned to establish scholarship in memory of Penn Township couple killed last year
As the one-year anniversary of the shooting deaths of Jacob Erdeljac and Mara Casale in Penn Township approaches, Liz Amend said it doesn’t get any easier for family still questioning why the couple’s lives were cut short. “I’m still in limbo. … My head knows what happened, but my heart...
Man accused by police in theft of $200K from Rostraver ATV-motorcycle shop is arraigned
A co-owner of a Rostraver motor sports company who is accused of fleeing to Poland after his partners claimed he stole $200,000 from the company turned himself in to authorities last week, according to court dockets. Edward Zdobinski, 49, part owner of Triple A Motorsports, is free on $50,000 unsecured...
Soggy conditions can’t dampen enthusiasm at Historic Hanna’s Town outdoor antique market
Soggy fields from days of steady rain marked the start of Historic Hanna’s Town’s outdoor antiques and collectibles sale Sunday. The conditions, however, didn’t deter bargain hunters like 71-year-old Marcia Anderson of Acme. “I’ve been coming here for a lot of years,” Anderson said. “I love looking at all the...
Allegheny County police arrest woman in McKees Rocks shooting
A 27-year-old woman was arrested after being accused in a shooting late Saturday that injured a woman inside a McKees Rocks residence, according to Allegheny County police. Police said they were dispatched to investigate a shooting on Locust Street in the Hays Manor Housing Community, where they discovered a woman...
Shooting in South Side injures 2
Pittsburgh police said they are continuing to investigate a shooting on the South Side early Sunday that sent two people to the hospital. Police responded to South 12th Street and Bedford Square about 3 a.m. to investigate after receiving a ShotSpotter notification. When officers arrived, public information officer Maurice Matthews...
Allegheny County police probe Glassport shooting
Allegheny County Police said a man was critically injured Saturday after being shot in Glassport. Police said the shooting occurred in the 600 block of Ohio Avenue about 7:26 p.m. No arrests were reported. First responders said when they arrived at the scene they found a man suffering from multiple...
Parkway West ramp reopened after mudslide closure
Two Pittsburgh roads that were closed Saturday because of mudslides have reopened. Pittsburgh Public Safety reported on Twitter that West Liberty Avenue was reopened to both inbound and outbound traffic late Saturday afternoon after it was closed several hours earlier. A mudslide also caused the closure of the ramp that...
After decades of talk, new $1.8 million fire station dedicated in Bradenville
Anyone who wonders what a monumental occasion the completion of Derry Township’s new fire station in Bradenville means to the community only needs to meet lifetime township firefighter Brian Balega. Balega, 51, is now a retired fire investigator from the Anchorage (Alaska) Fire Department. But he traveled 4,000-miles to his...
Allegheny County Police warn residents of telephone extortion scheme
The Allegheny County Police are warning area residents of a telephone scam where a man claiming to be a law enforcement officer is attempting to extort money. Police received information Friday that a man with a distinct southern accent attempted to extort money from people by falsely representing himself as...
Man accused of attempting to take officer’s gun at hospital accused of earlier police assault in South Greensburg
A 30-year-old burglary suspect, who injured his foot during a failed escape attempt as police arrested him Thursday in South Greensburg, is accused of attempting to grab an officer’s gun at a Greensburg hospital as he was discharged, according to court documents. Cory J. Lonsinger, who lists a Johnstown address,...
Rostraver commissioner wants to enter ARD probation program in harassment case
John J. Lorenzo, a Rostraver Township commissioner, waived his right to a preliminary hearing Wednesday on accusations that he used “burner” phones and set up fake Facebook accounts to harass political opponents and rivals. His attorney, Martin A. Dietz of Pittsburgh, said the first-term Republican commissioner will apply to enter...
New Stanton Dollar General closed after fire
No injuries were reported in a fire early Wednesday that damaged the Dollar General store in New Stanton, according to borough fire Chief Rob Cammarata. The fire was reported at 4:53 a.m. at the store at 115 W. Pennsylvania Ave. and multiple area fire departments responded, Cammarata said. “We got...
Police say clerk at Jeannette convenience store thwarted robbery
Jeannette police arrested a city man early Monday after a convenience store clerk accused him of grabbing a money bag containing $1,565 from the cash register and attempting to run from the store, according to police. Andre J. Sanders, 43, was taken into custody by police just outside the Jeannette...
Hempfield substitute teacher accused of passing ‘lewd’ poem to high school student
A former substitute teacher at Hempfield Area High School was released from the Westmoreland County Prison on $50,000 bond over the weekend after being arrested for allegedly passing a “lewd” poem to a female student. State police arrested Troy T. Perkins, 41, on Friday, charging him with disorderly conduct and...
Westmoreland officials suit up to get firsthand look at emergency services
Westmoreland County Commissioner Sean Kertes has had to extinguish a lot of small political fires in his first term, but admitted Friday was the first time he ever entered a burning building. “I’ve never even worn this type of fire gear before,” Kertes said minutes after going through the decontamination...
