Rich Cholodofsky stories, Page 45
Former Seward police chief pleads guilty to sex extortion plot
Former Seward police Chief Robert I. Baldwin Jr. pleaded guilty Monday to charges he offered two women leniency in exchange for sex. Westmoreland County prosecutors claimed Baldwin used his position as head of the police department in the small borough that sits along the Conemaugh River to have a sexual...
Crime spree nets Ligonier man prison term
A Ligonier man will serve up to 12 years in prison for a string of thefts and burglaries from a Donegal Township banquet facility where he worked and surrounding properties. Donald Bailey, 62, pleaded guilty Monday to charges in nine separate cases where police said he stole items from Stonehenge...
Westmoreland County on pace to pay more than $5 million in overtime this year
Ryan Perry and his co-workers know there is no other choice but to take on extra shifts to ensure the Westmoreland County Prison has enough guards on duty each day. Along with that mandatory overtime comes a financial windfall — but also a struggle to maintain a work-life balance. “It’s...
Westmoreland DA says forensics lab will speed investigations
A new in-house digital forensics laboratory may speed investigations and solve crimes more quickly, Westmoreland County District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli said. The lab, paid for through a $497,000 grant from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency, is expected to be available later this year. Local investigators can use the...
Suspect in Ross Dress for Less store theft ring pleads guilty
A Florida man pleaded guilty this week to his role in a multi-state theft ring from a local clothing retailer. Yan Roynell Duquesne Martinez, 31, was charged in December with theft of clothing and other items from multiple Ross Dress for Less stores in Westmoreland, Allegheny, Blair and Cambria counties....
Grant funds tapped for Westmoreland human services reorganization
A $250,000 grant from the Hillman Foundation will pay for reorganization of Westmoreland County’s human services department. Commissioners accepted the grant that will pay for the hiring of three administrators and further an effort to integrate multiple programs into a consolidated department for social services, including the children’s bureau, behavioral...
Convicted Latrobe sex offender ordered to serve up to 20 years in prison
A Latrobe man will serve up to 20 years in prison for failing to register as a convicted sex offender. Douglas Arthur Truxal, 45, was convicted by a Westmoreland County jury in December. He was sentenced Tuesday. According to court records, Truxal pleaded guilty in 2000 to charges connected to...
Mt. Pleasant man receives 25-year prison sentence for girlfriend’s roadside assault
A Mt. Pleasant woman told a judge she remains haunted by memories of her assault nearly three years ago. The 42-year-old woman crawled two miles after being beaten and left to die in a roadside ditch. “I screamed for my mom and dad, and I screamed, ‘Please help me.’ It...
Westmoreland eyes life after blight removal
As Westmoreland officials spend more than $10 million to tackle the county’s blight problem, they find themselves faced with a new conundrum: What do to with the hundreds of properties once they are cleared? A $20,000 study was commissioned by the county redevelopment authority this week to address that issue....
Lawsuit claims Excela secretly shared patient data with Facebook
A lawsuit filed this week in Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court alleges Excela Health disclosed personal patient information to Facebook and Google. The court filing on behalf of two unnamed Westmoreland County residents claims the health system allowed confidential medical and personal data collected through Excela’s web portal for patients...
Former New Kensington mother to testify against boyfriend charged with killing young son
A former New Kensington woman charged in connection with the death of her 2-year-old son will testify against the man prosecutors said beat the child to death in 2020, her lawyer said. Teresa Fetterman, 26, now of Lower Burrell, appeared in court Monday as she awaits trial on charges of...
Appeals court rules Ventre, Kosko to remain on GOP ballot for Westmoreland commissioner
Two Republican candidates for Westmoreland County commissioner can remain on the May ballot, according to an appeals court ruling issued Friday. John Ventre and Paul Kosko will continue in their bids to oust Republican incumbents Sean Kertes and Doug Chew in the May 16 GOP primary. Commonwealth Court rejected the...
Mt. Pleasant man jailed for child corruption
A Mt. Pleasant Township man will serve up to nearly two years in jail for having improper sexual contact with a teenage girl. Brandon Joel Rose, 24, pleaded guilty in January to indecent assault and corruption of a minor in connection with allegations made by a teen who claimed she...
Woman pleads guilty to exposing kids to drugs in Delmont home
A former Penn Township woman was ordered to serve up to 23 months in jail after she pleaded guilty to exposing two children to illegal drugs at a Delmont home. Courtney N. Cline, 31, now of Duquesne, pleaded guilty to drug possession and two counts of child endangerment. According to...
Westmoreland DA vehicle usage declines as a result of crash
Westmoreland District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli has been driving a county-owned vehicle less frequently since she was involved in a December crash in Murrysville, according to records obtained by the Tribune-Review. Ziccarelli, a first-term Republican from Lower Burrell, drove her county vehicle nine days and 533 miles in February, according to...
Irwin, Export bars challenge covid fines, license suspensions
Two local restaurant owners are asking a Westmoreland County judge to overturn fines and liquor license suspensions they incurred after they were accused of failing to follow covid-19 mandates. Brandy’s on Main in Irwin and Jiggers Pub in Export claim health and safety orders instituted by former Gov. Tom Wolf...
Ex-Fayette drug kingpin back home after parole from state, federal prisons
A former Fayette County drug kingpin is living in Masontown after serving more than 30 years in state and federal prison. Ronald Whethers, who was among those convicted of ordering the killing of a Monessen man whose heart and liver were transplanted into then-Gov. Robert Casey as part of a...
Westmoreland County unveils new social services grant program
Westmoreland leaders expect a $3 million grant program launched Monday to make a significant impact on mental health care in the county. Up to 20 grants will be distributed to nonprofit agencies and organizations that serve residents who have become increasingly in need of social services since the onset of...
Sutersville woman to serve probation for sexual assault of teen
A Sutersville woman was ordered Thursday to serve two years on probation for having sex with a 13-year-old boy she tutored during the coronavirus pandemic lockdown. Ashley E. Sherry, 23, pleaded guilty in January to felony charges of statutory sexual assault and corruption of minors. A more serious count of...
Fortuneteller to remain in custody pending court hearing
A fortuneteller accused of bilking clients will remain in the Westmoreland County Prison after she was arrested earlier this month in Florida. Alexis Mitchell, 29, was charged with theft and other offenses after a North Huntingdon man claimed he paid her $10,000 for illegal fortunetelling services last August. Police said...
North Huntingdon man serving life sentences seeks return of seized property
A North Huntingdon man serving two life prison sentences for the 2021 murders of a Penn Township couple wants his belongings back. The lawyer for Victor F. Steban asked a judge during a court hearing Thursday to order prosecutors to return dozens of items that were seized after Steban’s arrest...
Romanian nationals plead guilty to Walmart thefts in Hempfield, North Huntingdon
Three Romanian nationals face potential deportation after pleading guilty to stealing gift cards from two local Walmart stores. Police said the two women and one man, who listed home addresses in Baltimore, initially claimed they were part of a global identity theft ring but with help from a translator told...
Westmoreland courthouse garage rebuild nears completion
A parade of 49 trucks hauling nearly 2,000 tons of concrete will travel through Greensburg on Saturday morning as part of a final push to complete construction of a two-story underground parking garage at the Westmoreland County Courthouse. Main Street will be closed to traffic in front of the courthouse...
Westmoreland primary election on track as legal challenge progresses
Uncertainty about whether two Republicans can remain on the ballot in the race for Westmoreland commissioner is not expected to impact the county’s preparations for the spring election. “Our schedule is intact right at this second. We have until April 5 to get answers,” election bureau Director Greg McCloskey said...
Lawyer for New Kensington man accused of killing son asks for more time to prepare for trial
The lawyer for a Brackenridge man accused of killing his 9-year-old son told a Westmoreland County judge on Tuesday he needs additional time to prepare for trial. Assistant Public Defender Michael Garofalo said he needs about six months to prepare his defense of Jean J. Charles, 41, who was charged...
