Rich Cholodofsky stories, Page 69
Prosecutors seek to nix plea deal for Derry man now suspected in Florida sexual assault
Westmoreland prosecutors want to void a plea deal made in October with a Derry Township man in two sexual assault cases after it was disclosed that he is a suspect in another attack against a woman authorities contend occurred earlier this month in Florida. “The commonwealth is no longer comfortable...
Plea deal reached in New Kensington man’s fatal overdose in 2017
A Lower Burrell man was ordered to serve up to eight years on probation for the sale of drugs that caused the 2017 fatal overdose of a childhood friend in New Kensington. Donald K. Lewandowski Jr., 37, pleaded guilty Tuesday to one felony drug count in connection with the May...
Mt. Pleasant man pleads guilty to police altercation, burglary charges
A Mt. Pleasant man was sentenced to four years in prison after he pleaded guilty this week to charges in two separate cases related to an incident with police last year and an unrelated burglary of a home a year earlier. Daniel Sebulsky Jr., 37, pleaded guilty in connection with...
Greensburg man claims co-defendant’s plea deal hid from defense
The lawyer for a Greensburg man sentenced this week to serve life in prison for the 2017 murder of a Vandergrift woman claims prosecutors hid evidence of a plea deal offered to a co-defendant and key witness in the case. Defense attorney Tim Andrews contends Westmoreland County prosecutors suppressed evidence...
Derry man awaiting sentencing for attacks against 2 women named suspect in Florida sexual assault
A warrant was issued Friday for the arrest of a Derry Township man who had been free on bail while awaiting sentencing for the sexual assaults of two women. Westmoreland County prosecutors said in court documents Khachek Hamerski is being investigated in Florida in an alleged sexual assault that occurred...
Staffing problems expected at Westmoreland Manor from federal vaccine mandate
Westmoreland Manor could have a growing staffing problem before the end of January after the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the federally imposed covid-19 vaccine mandate for health care workers. Manor administrator Abby Testa said this week that about 77% of staffers at the county-owned nursing home have been...
Former nurse pleads guilty to indecent assault of residents at Lower Burrell care home
A former nurse at a Lower Burrell care nursing home and rehabilitation center was sentenced Wednesday to at least 6 months in jail for indecent assaults against two residents last year. Jacques C. Wagner, 58, of New Kensington pleaded guilty to six offenses in which police said he had sexual...
Prosecutors drop strangulation, assault charges against Arona man
Strangulation and assault charges against an Arona man were dismissed Wednesday by Westmoreland County prosecutors after his accuser said she would not testify against him at trial. Shawn Grbach, 43, pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor charges of harassment and disorderly conduct. He was sentenced to serve one year on probation...
Westmoreland Commissioner Doug Chew tests positive for coronavirus for 2nd time
Westmoreland County Commissioner Doug Chew said Wednesday he again has tested positive for the coronavirus. Chew, a first-term Republican, said he has been at home this week and is experiencing symptoms from the virus. “Today is the worst day of congestion and breathing,” Chew wrote in an email. “It’s expected...
Bail rejected in New Kensington drive-by shooting case
A Westmoreland County judge on Tuesday ruled a suspect in a drive-by shooting last June in New Kensington that left one man wounded will remain in jail pending his attempted homicide trial. Common Pleas Court Judge Scott Mears rejected a request for bail from Ernest Gary IV, 18, of New...
Witness covid disclosure cuts short Westmoreland County rape trial
The nonjury trial of a Monessen man charged with raping a former California University of Pennsylvania student in 2019 was halted Tuesday after the alleged victim testified that she recently tested positive for coronavirus. Common Pleas Court Judge Christopher Feliciani initially allowed the 21-year-old Pitcairn woman to testify while wearing...
Westmoreland district court redistricting plan unveiled
Westmoreland officials this week unveiled a redistricting plan for the county’s district court system that shifts boundaries of two areas but retains all 16 courts. The plan comes more than a year after county court leaders enacted a plan to eliminate one court and shift boundary lines in several districts...
Bell man to remain in jail for alleged knife attack against teen
A Westmoreland County judge on Monday deferred a decision on a defense request from a Bell man accused in an alleged knife attack against a teenage boy in November. Richard Cain, 58, has been held without bail since his arrest on two charges of aggravated assault, reckless endangerment and two...
Greensburg man to serve life in prison for murder, burning of Vandergrift woman
Beverly Richason didn’t hold back her anger in court Monday as she spoke about the horror her daughter endured when killed by friends who then burned her remains beyond recognition and left them in a heap of ashes in the woods more than four years ago. “She had her faults,...
Bail rejected for suspect in North Huntingdon kidnapping
A Westmoreland County judge on Friday rejected a request to set bail for one of three men charged in connection with the alleged kidnapping of a North Huntingdon teen last month. Common Pleas Judge Christopher Feliciani said Cameron Diontra Bessent, 22, of West Mifflin is a danger to society and...
Judge suspends Hempfield man’s driving privileges in sentence for DUI crash
A Hempfield man was ordered to serve up to seven years on probation for causing a violent head-on collision that left another motorist severely injured more than two years ago. Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court Judge Tim Krieger said a key component in the sentence he imposed Thursday against Joseph...
Deal reached on pay raises for key staff in Westmoreland controller’s office
After a monthslong stalemate, Westmoreland officials this week agreed to a salary restructure plan that awards pay hikes to key employees in the county controller’s office. The salary board, which includes all three commissioners and Controller Jeffrey Balzer, unanimously approved raises for the director of accounting and two supervisors. The...
Monessen man to serve prison sentence for sexual assault of child
A Monessen man will serve up to seven years in prison for the sexual assault of a 7-year-old girl. Damien R. Bryan, 21, was convicted by a Westmoreland County jury in July of two felony charges of indecent assault of a person under age 13, corruption of minors and one...
Whistleblower lawsuit filed against Ruffs Dale company
A former quality assurance director at a Ruffs Dale in-home care company contends in a federal lawsuit he was fired after reporting allegations that covid-relief funds were misappropriated and staff-training documents were falsified. Bryan Kantorczyk claimed Gene Cook Supports Inc. — the company where he worked for more than six...
Interim Westmoreland election chief handed bonus as search for new director restarts
The search to fill the vacant director’s job at the Westmoreland County Election Bureau will begin anew as work in advance of the 2022 primary will continue to be overseen by the county’s public works head. Commissioners this week gave a $5,000 bonus to Greg McCloskey, who since last summer...
Former Pirates pitcher’s appeal of sex conviction rejected by Westmoreland judge
The conviction of former Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Felipe Vazquez, who was found guilty last year in the sexual assault of a 13-year-old Scottdale girl, will stand — according to a ruling from a Westmoreland County judge. Common Pleas Judge Scott Mears, in a 78-page opinion, ruled evidence presented during a...
New Kensington man to serve 5-10 year prison term for meth lab in parents’ basement
A New Kensington man will serve up to 10 years in prison in connection with a methamphetamine laboratory found in his parents’ basement. Sean Christopher Smith, 36, was convicted in October by a Westmoreland County jury of multiple charges of possession of drugs used to make methamphetamines and two additional...
Increased salaries set for new Westmoreland DA office heads
Westmoreland County District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli won her first case Monday. Ziccarelli’s victory came not in the courtroom but in the boardroom as the county’s salary board unanimously backed her plan to increase the pay for a newly appointed first assistant and chief detective. The annual salary for First Assistant...
Connellsville man sentenced to 40 years in prison for rape of child
A Connellsville man was ordered Monday to serve up to 40 years in prison for the rape of a child that a Westmoreland County judge described as “one of the worst cases of a sexual nature that I’ve seen.” Shawn Tracy Melville, 44, pleaded guilty in October to eight offenses...
Westmoreland housing authority seeks to scratch out bedbug problem at Jeannette Manor
Ron Tonin has had enough. For days now, Tonin, 53, who is confined to a wheelchair, said he is forced to sleep in the hallway outside his apartment in Jeannette Manor to avoid a bedbug infestation that has left him with welts on his back and extremities. “I’ve lived here...
