Rich Cholodofsky stories, Page 22
Greensburg teen’s lawyer argues armed robbery prosecution endangers community
The attorney for a Greensburg teenager charged in connection with what police said was a violent armed robbery warned Tuesday that continued prosecution in adult court will only teach the juvenile to be a better criminal. Defense attorney Tim Andrews argued that robbery and other related offenses filed against Cayden...
Security review underway after Westmoreland inmate jammed lock with paper to escape cell
Westmoreland officials said a review of security protocols at the county jail is underway after an inmate used a piece of paper to escape from his cell and then assaulted a guard making early-morning rounds last week. Warden Steve Pelesky said the inmate — identified in court documents as John...
Derry Township man pleads guilty to sex assaults of 6 teens
A Derry Township man was ordered to serve up to 40 years in prison for the sexual assaults of six teenage girls last year. Christopher R. Fraser, 20, pleaded guilty to 19 charges in six cases in which he was charged with having sex with girls between the ages of...
Judge to rule if lack of remains prevents continuation of murder case against Thomas Stanko
A Westmoreland County judge will decide early next year whether there is sufficient evidence for the murder case to proceed against a Unity man charged with killing his former girlfriend. Defense attorney Marc Daffner argued during a court appearance Monday for Thomas Stanko, 53, that, because the body of his...
West Newton man to serve decade-long prison term for 3-year crime spree
A West Newton man was ordered to serve up to 10 years in prison for a series of crimes over a three-year period that included an assault, threats made against police and the theft of an American flag from a Madison funeral home. Shayne R. Moore, 33, pleaded guilty to...
Prosecutor calls for jury to decide how Greensburg mother’s mental state impacts attempted murder case
A Westmoreland County prosecutor said Thursday a jury should decide how a Greensburg woman’s mental health issues impacted what police contend was an attempt to kill her 8-year-old daughter with illegal drugs. Assistant District Attorney Jim Lazar said during a pretrial hearing that a pending psychological evaluation of 31-year-old Skye...
Westmoreland DA unveils courthouse retreat for crime victims
It was a pre-teen victim of a sexual assault who two years ago made it clear to Westmoreland prosecutors that the sterile courthouse environment was not a comfortable place to spend time. Victims and their families had few options during court downtime. They could sit outside the courtroom as a...
Guilty plea averts trial for woman accused of running over man with car in Hempfield
A woman pleaded guilty to lesser charges Wednesday in a case brought after she was accused of running over her boyfriend with a car at a Hempfield home last year. Cassidy Christi Colbert, 30, of East McKeesport, was originally charged with multiple counts of aggravated assault, simple assault and other...
Defense contends biased probe led to arrest in New Kensington boy’s death
Lawyers for Brackenridge man facing a potential death penalty if he is convicted of killing of his 9-year-old son contend the investigation that led to his arrest in 2022 was the product of biased prosecutors and based on insufficient evidence. Jean J. Charles, 44, is awaiting trial on charges of...
Judge orders Arnold man accused of fatally stabbing his mother to undergo mental health evaluation
A Westmoreland County judge ordered an Arnold man jailed earlier this month after being charged in connection to the fatal stabbing of his mother to undergo a mental health evaluation. Brian Rebold, 38, was charged with criminal homicide and first-degree murder following the Aug. 4 death of his 73-year-old mother...
Westmoreland broadband upgrades on track for completion, future projects eyed
Installation of about 50 miles of fiber optic cable needed for high-speed internet access in remote areas of Westmoreland County is about 60% complete, officials said Tuesday. The $3.5 million project is expected to be finished by year’s end. The work is part of an ongoing effort to bring broadband...
New Stanton man to serve jail term for sexual assault at Hempfield Halloween party
A New Stanton man was ordered Tuesday to serve nearly two years in jail for the sexual assault of a Mt. Pleasant woman during a 2020 Halloween house party in Hempfield. Anthony Edward Lucas, 29, was convicted following a jury trial in January of lesser charges of sexual assault and...
Man accused of stalking Murrysville rock singer to remain jailed in Westmoreland
Lacey Sturm knows she and others in her industry could be a potential target. The decorated rock singer said Monday following a court hearing for an Ohio man accused of stalking her that she understands the relationship between music and mental health. “I make rock music, and there’s a risk...
Pa. voters along Lincoln Highway see little impact of reshaped presidential race
Nicholas Peiffer isn’t sure he will vote in November. Along with his mother, Peiffer, 21, owns a small skateboard shop in downtown Chambersburg, just across the street from the Franklin County Courthouse. “I know things aren’t great right now, but I’ve never been very political. Since I turned 18, my...
Hunker woman is latest to sue county over Giant Slide safety concerns at Mammoth Park
A Hunker woman, who says she was injured in February on the Giant Slide in Mammoth Park, claims in a lawsuit filed this week that the 100-foot amusement ride is unsafe. Ashley M. Coonelly says that she traveled down the slide at a high rate of speed and was unable...
Westmoreland register of wills to leave office 4 months early
Westmoreland County’s Register of Wills Sherry Magretti Hamilton will leave office four months early. County officials on Thursday confirmed that Hamilton, the three-term Republican officerholder who last spring was stripped of her administrative duties, said she will resign her elected position effective Sept. 3. Hamilton previously agreed leave Dec. 31...
Gov. Josh Shapiro delivers rousing speech at Kamala Harris rally after VP snub
PHILADELPHIA — Anticipation grew over the past several weeks that Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro would join Vice President Kamala Harris onstage in Philadelphia for Tuesday’s announcement of the new Democratic ticket running this fall for the White House. As expected, Shapiro was onstage, but not in the role many envisioned...
Just $10.5M remains of Westmoreland’s $105.3M pandemic relief allocation
Westmoreland commissioners have allocated nearly 90% of the $105.3 million in American Rescue Plan funds awarded to the county in 2022 as part of the federal government’s covid relief effort, according to a report released this month. County leaders will have until the end of this year to designate how...
Westmoreland returns part of grant to pay for 911 upgrades; blames bookkeeping error
Westmoreland County has returned nearly 75% of a federal grant meant to pay for mobile backups of the county’s 911 dispatch system. Officials said bookkeeping errors impacted the $529,000 project to purchase the mobile 911 dispatch units. Those units could be relocated if public safety services were forced to evacuate...
Westmoreland vehicle tracking policy could put deputies in danger, sheriff says as he files lawsuit
Westmoreland Sheriff James Albert claims a new fleet policy that tracks the county’s 180 vehicles through GPS technology will put his deputies in danger. The sheriff this week filed a lawsuit challenging the county’s updated fleet policy and is seeking an injunction to keep it from being enforced. “I think...
Defense claims judge’s conflict should result in dismissal of assisted suicide case
Attorneys for a South Greensburg woman who prosecutors say bullied her boyfriend into committing suicide in 2021 say the criminal case against their client should be dismissed. Defense attorney Tim Lyon said the district judge who held the case for trial last year participated in the initial investigation while still...
Westmoreland County loan boosts long-planned Brush Creek remediation project
A long-planned remediation effort to remove orange-tinted polluted mine drainage discharged int0 Brush Creek may finally be a reality. The eight-mile creek runs through Irwin and Trafford and into Turtle Creek. Westmoreland County commissioners on Thursday approved a $75,000 interest-free loan to the Turtle Creek Watershed Association that officials said...
Westmoreland commissioners reject call for property reassessment
Westmoreland commissioners on Thursday conceded the county’s property assessments are decades out of date but they rejected calls to modernize the system that controls valuations used to determine tax bills. “I am still not in favor of a countywide reassessment. We can’t commit the money it will cost,” said Commissioner...
Next stop could be White House for ‘dynamic’ Shapiro
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro told graduates at his college alma mater last year he might not have ventured into politics if he hadn’t failed a science test and been cut from the basketball team during his freshman year. “I planned to be the first doctor to get drafted by the...
Judge rejects effort to dismiss charges against East Huntingdon man injured in police shootout
A Westmoreland County judge has rejected defense calls for dismissal of charges against an East Huntingdon man wounded by Pennsylvania State Police in an exchange of gunfire last winter. Defense attorney Jill Devine during a court hearing Tuesday contended there was no evidence James R. Miller Jr. intended to kill...
