Rich Cholodofsky stories, Page 52
Felony charges dismissed as part of New Kensington man’s guilty plea
A New Kensington man pleaded guilty Monday to simple assault of three juveniles after prosecutors dismissed more serious felony charges. Lawrence William Barber, 67, was charged in January with multiple counts of child endangerment, corruption of minors, indecent assault and terroristic threats in connection with claims that he engaged in...
Westmoreland recount complete; officials say no evidence of widespread errors found
A court-ordered recount of four Westmoreland County precincts completed Monday revealed a three-vote change from unofficial results released last month. Westmoreland County Election Bureau Director Greg McCloskey said the review of more than 4,200 ballots cast in person on Election Day and ballots mailed in by voters from precincts in...
Westmoreland broadband survey identifies service gaps
Westmoreland County officials said an appeal will be filed early next year challenging data published by the Federal Communications Commission that claims most local homes and businesses have adequate high-speed internet service. That appeal will be based on preliminary results from a local study conducted this summer and fall that...
North Huntingdon care home, nursing agency sued by staffer following sexual assault claim
A former nursing aide is suing a North Huntingdon nursing home and a Murrysville-based nursing agency claiming both firms failed to conduct an adequate criminal background check, which led to her being sexually assaulted last year by a coworker. According to a three-count lawsuit filed last week in Westmoreland County,...
Penn Township man sentenced to probation for neglect of cows
A Penn Township man was ordered to serve two years on probation and repay humane agents more than $21,000 in connection with about a dozen malnourished cows that were confiscated from his property in March. David Parsons, 60, was charged with aggravated cruelty to animals and 18 other related offenses...
Westmoreland deputy sheriff sentenced for drunk driving
A Westmoreland County deputy sheriff charged with drunk driving in May was ordered to serve one year on probation. Eugene T. Cavaliere, 59, of Youngwood appeared in court Wednesday to enter the Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition program for first-time nonviolent offenders. The diversionary program does not require those charged with crimes...
Court hearing held for all 7 suspects in July shooting in New Kensington
A Westmoreland County judge said he will consider early next year requests to transfer to juvenile court four criminal homicide prosecutions in connection with the July fatal shooting of a man in New Kensington. All seven suspects accused in last summer’s alleged murder of 39-year-old Jason Raiford appeared in court...
Latrobe man pleads guilty to sexual assault of teen
A Latrobe man pleaded guilty Thursday to sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl. Christofer R. Dowden, 23, has been in jail since his arrest in December 2020 and will remain behind bars for at least the next year under the terms of a proposed sentence. It was part of a plea...
Scottdale contractor jailed on home improvement fraud charges in 3 counties
A Westmoreland County judge on Wednesday ordered a Scottdale contractor accused of bilking customers in three Southwestern Pennsylvania counties to remain in jail pending the outcome of his pending criminal cases. Jason Ray Pirl, 41, was taken into custody Tuesday by Westmoreland County deputy sheriffs following a three-week search that...
Judge orders machine recounts in 4 Westmoreland voting precincts
A Westmoreland County judge on Tuesday ordered machine recounts of election results from four voting precincts, but in doing so rejected requests to review by hand each ballot cast this month in the race for governor and U.S. senator. Voters in five of the county’s 307 voting precincts filed court...
Jeannette man sentenced for 2019 fatal shooting outside of high school football game
A Jeannette man told a judge he was trying to protect himself when he shot and killed another man in 2019 outside a high school football stadium. “It happened so fast,” said Greg Harper as he explained the circumstances surrounding the Sept. 6, 2019 killing of 48-year-old Dameian Williams in...
New Kensington teen seeks to move murder case to juvenile court
On Monday, the lawyer for a teenager charged in connection with a fatal shooting in New Kensington asked a Westmoreland County judge to transfer the case to juvenile court. Da’Montae Marquis Brooks, 16, of New Kensington was the last suspect to be arrested in connection with the July 3 shooting...
Raises approved for Westmoreland transit leaders
The Westmoreland County Transit Authority’s director and its top deputy will be getting raises approved last week by the authority’s board. The board unanimously authorized a more than 23% pay raise for Executive Director Alan Blahovec, his first raise since being promoted to the authority’s top job in 2014. Blahovec’s...
MAWC, union reach new labor deal
The Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County and a union representing more than 260 workers have agreed to a new five-year labor contract. Authority board members last week approved the collective bargaining agreement with the Utility Workers of America Local 164 that includes pay raises totaling 14% over the life of...
MAWC seeks state grants for water, sewer upgrades
Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County has requested nearly $11 million in grants from the state’s covid-relief funds to pay for water and sewer system upgrades. Authority officials said last week identified five projects from different state programs funded with American Rescue Plan funds. “They would have gotten done but these...
Lawsuits request hand recounts of votes for governor, senator
Lawsuits alleging fraud and requesting hand recounts of results in the races for Pennsylvania governor and U.S. Senator have been filed in Westmoreland County and across the state. As of Friday, four cases were filed in Westmoreland County from voters in Lower Burrell, Delmont, Hempfield and Loyalhanna. One case was...
Westmoreland judge announces bid for opening on Commonwealth Court
Westmoreland County Common Pleas Judge Harry Smail Jr. on Friday announced he will run for a vacant seat on the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court. Smail, 56, of Hempfield has served as a county judge since 2014. “My 8 1/2 years of experience in hearing a wide variety of cases is a...
Mt. Pleasant man pleads guilty to drug sale in 2017 fatal overdose
A Westmoreland County judge made no guarantees but promised he would consider imposing a sentence with no time behind bars for a Mt. Pleasant man implicated in the fatal overdose of a friend nearly five years ago. The comments from Common Pleas Judge Scott Mears came during a hearing in...
Jury unable to reach verdict in Irwin man’s trial
A Westmoreland County jury was unable to reach a verdict on charges that an Irwin man had improper sexual contact with a 10-year-old girl. Jurors deliberated about six hours into Wednesday night before Common Pleas Judge Meagan Bilik-DeFazio declared a mistrial in the case against Justin M. Hartung. Prosecutors claimed...
Jeannette man not guilty of attempted homicide of neighbor
A Jeannette man was found not guilty Thursday of attempted murder and aggravated assault charges in connection with allegations he fired a rifle at his neighbor nearly three years ago. Dale A. Shaw, 66, was convicted of lesser misdemeanor offenses of reckless endangerment, resisting arrest and terroristic threats in connection...
Westmoreland commissioners proposed deficit budget with no tax increase
Westmoreland commissioners will use more than $8.6 million in covid relief funds next year to outside agencies as part of the county’s 2023 budget introduced on Thursday. The $418 million spending plan keeps the 21.49 mill property tax rate that has been in place since 2019, but carries a nearly...
Jeannette man on trial for attempted homicide denies shooting at neighbor
A Jeannette man told a jurors Wednesday he fired a BB gun and set off a firecracker during an altercation with a neighbor. Westmoreland County prosecutors contend Dale Shaw used a rifle and fired at least one round that struck a home next door as his neighbor recorded video of...
Confession barred from evidence in trial of man accused in Jeannette fatal fire
Two confessions from a man charged with murder in connection with a fire in Jeannette were improperly obtained by investigators, a Westmoreland County judge has ruled. In a 27-page opinion, Common Pleas Judge Meagan Bilik-DeFazio said Brian Rendon, 38, of Jeannette was incapable of voluntarily waiving his rights to remain...
Some MAWC water customers warned of potential health risks, but no corrective measures required
Notifications were sent out Wednesday to more than 50,000 Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County customers who live south of Route 30 about a potential hazard caused by a high level of a chemical that is a byproduct of the process used to clean drinking water. Officials said tests at the...
Attorney for Irwin man denies sex crime allegations
The lawyer for an Irwin man charged with sex crimes against a 10-year-old girl on Tuesday told a Westmoreland County jury his client denies any wrongdoing. Justin Hartung, 40, is charged with two misdemeanor counts, indecent assault and indecent exposure, based on allegations from a now 14-year-old girl who claimed...
