Rich Cholodofsky stories, Page 71
Vandergrift man sentenced for break-in
A Vandergrift man will serve up to five years in prison for an incident in which police said he threatened to kill himself. Justin Danjou, 23, pleaded guilty Wednesday to one felony count of criminal trespassing and a misdemeanor offense of unlawful restraint after police said he broke into a...
Wecht testifies fentanyl caused Export man’s death in trial of coworker accused of supplying drug
Closing arguments are expected to begin Thursday morning in the trial of an Export man accused of selling the drugs used in the 2018 fatal overdose of a coworker. Westmoreland County prosecutors contend Kelly Ryan Frank sold the drugs that killed 29-year-old Keith Robert Alexander, who was found dead by...
Hempfield man’s appeal in wife’s murder rejected for 3rd time
A Hempfield man’s third appeal of his first-degree murder conviction for the 2012 killing of his wife has been rejected by a Westmoreland County judge. Common Pleas Court Judge Scott Mears ruled there was no evidence to support the claims made by David Stahl that his former appeals lawyer did...
Export co-worker on trial for sale of drugs in fatal overdose
Dina Alexander knew something wasn’t right when she drove by the Murrysville restaurant where her son had worked for the last 11 years and didn’t see his car parked out front. So when he didn’t return her calls she drove over to his Export apartment and found his car parked...
Sex charges dismissed against McKeesport home health care worker
Rape and sexual assault charges against a McKeesport home health care provider were dismissed Monday when prosecutors said his accuser did not want to testify at trial. Roy L. Marks Sr., 68, was charged in 2018 with multiple sex charges that include rape, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and neglect of...
Westmoreland drug court still awaiting Chew pledge as others step up with donations
A donation Commissioner Doug Chew promised in September to keep a weekend testing program in place through the end of the year for Westmoreland County’s drug court never was made, the Tribune-Review confirmed Monday. Chew, a first-term Republican, faced criticism this summer when it was disclosed he had yet to...
Westmoreland Manor vaccine mandate on hold as nearly a third of staff remains unprotected
More than a third of employees at Westmoreland Manor will remain on the job without coronavirus vaccinations after the county last week deferred a vaccine mandate following a federal appeals court ruling that temporarily halted the requirement. Manor administrator Abby Testa said Friday that just 64% of the more than...
Training program approved for guards at Westmoreland jail
Westmoreland County Prison guards will be required to complete an annual training program designed to deescalate potentially violent situations with inmates. The county’s prison board approved hiring a Delmont-based trainer to a 40-hour session for prison staffers as part of an effort officials hope ultimately will result in fewer dust-ups...
Washington County man says he was treated ‘like an idiot’ during 2015 murder trial
A Washington County man serving a life prison sentence for the 2013 murder of his father-in-law in Donegal Township told a Westmoreland County judge his trial lawyer ignored his wishes when he failed to challenge a two-hour police confession and his desire to testify in his own defense. Michael Martin,...
Sutersville man to serve up to 20 years in prison for sexual assaults of 2 children
A Sutersville man will serve up to an additional 20 years in prison for the rape and sexual assaults of two children. Ronald E. Styche III, 43, pleaded guilty to three felony counts based on allegations made to two young girls who claimed they sexually assaulted for more than two...
Warrant issued for New Florence man acquitted in 2015 police officer killing
A Westmoreland County judge issued an arrest warrant Friday for a New Florence man who was acquitted in the 2015 killing of a St. Clair Township police officer. Common Pleas Judge Meagan Bilik- DeFazio signed the paperwork for the arrest of Ray A. Shetler Jr., 37, after he failed to...
Monessen mayor-elect seeks write-in vote totals
Ron Mozer, mayor-elect of Monessen, was sure he captured the city’s top elected office last month when he received nearly 1,100 votes cast as the only candidate on the ballot. What he didn’t know, though, was who received more than 550 write-in votes in the race. “Maybe I’m old school....
Salem man sentenced in pornography blackmail case
A Salem man was ordered Thursday to serve at least nine months in jail for a series of sex crimes in which authorities said he blackmailed teenage girls to send him sexually explicit pictures. Dylan James Krupitzer, 20, pleaded guilty in September to more than two dozen charges in two...
Jeannette teen seeks transfer of attempted homicide case to juvenile court
The lawyer for a Jeannette teen awaiting trial on charges that he attempted to kill two men in a shooting last year says the case should be prosecuted in juvenile court. Khalil Myers was 16 when he was charged in connection with a shooting on Oct. 21, 2020, in Jeannette...
Judge accuses Westmoreland district attorney’s office of misconduct in Stanko case
A Westmoreland County judge accused the district attorney’s office of misconduct in its handling of three criminal cases against a Unity man named as a potential suspect in the disappearance of a former girlfriend missing since April 2018. In a blistering 26-page opinion made public Wednesday, Common Pleas Judge Tim...
Final election results certified in Westmoreland County
The Westmoreland County Elections Board on Monday closed the book on the Nov. 2 general election. The board issued its final certifications in the races for judges of election and election inspectors, two categories of races that took an additional week to tally results. Commissioners, who serve as the board...
Covid outbreak hits Westmoreland jail as caseload surges throughout county
Westmoreland County Prison is dealing with another coronavirus outbreak. Nine inmates tested positive Monday at the Hempfield lockup after 37 active cases were discovered last week, warden Brian Kline said. “We shut down the work release program last week and stopped all outside volunteers from entering the jail,” Kline said....
Hempfield teen charged in knife threat released on unsecured bond
A Hempfield teen charged in connection with an attempted knife attack last month in a Greensburg park was granted an unsecured bond and released from custody on Tuesday. Janis Biller, 16, was charged earlier this month as an adult with multiple counts of aggravated assault, robbery and conspiracy based on...
11-vehicle crash in West Mifflin blamed on icy road where water line broke
West Mifflin police said no one was injured in an 11-vehicle crash late Monday along Lebanon Church Road. Police said a Port Authority of Allegheny County bus and 10 other vehicles were involved in the crash that was first reported just before 11 p.m. A broken water line caused the...
Lawsuit over stone removal nets Mt. Pleasant man $5,000
The Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County was ordered to pay $5,000 in damages to a Mt. Pleasant man who claimed the utility removed as much as $700,000 in slate and shale from his property during a water line extension project a decade ago. A jury heard two days of evidence...
Monroeville man charged after woman is shot in road-rage incident on Pa. Turnpike
A Monroeville man who police say shot a woman Sunday during a road-rage incident on the Pennsylvania Turnpike attempted to thwart investigators by hiding a 9 mm handgun in the trunk of his car. Andrew Michael Skinner, 30, shot the woman after investigators say she accidentally drifted into his lane...
I-79 in northern Allegheny County reopens following multi-vehicle crash
A section of Interstate 79 in Franklin Park closed Monday morning after a multiple-vehicle crash, according to PennDOT. The southbound lanes between I-279 (exit 72) and Mt. Nebo Road (exit 68) were closed for about 90 minutes before reopening shortly after 7 a.m. after the highway was cleared. PennDOT said...
Lots drawn to declare winners in 39 tied election races in Westmoreland County
Lady Luck eluded Nancy Peters on Friday afternoon. Peters, an incumbent councilwoman in Jeannette, was one of 30 people who tied with one write-in vote in the Nov. 2 election for city controller. Ties were broken Friday afternoon through a random casting of lots for that race — and 38...
Churchill man convicted of voluntary manslaughter in Arnold killing
Devon Askew doubled over and cried as a Westmoreland County jury read a verdict that rejected his self-defense claims in connection with a fatal shooting last year in Arnold. Askew, 28, of Churchill, was convicted Friday of voluntary manslaughter — a verdict neither the defense nor prosecutors originally sought —...
Jury deliberating fate of Churchill man accused of killing intruder at home in Arnold to return Friday morning
A Westmoreland County jury will return Friday morning to continue deliberations in the criminal homicide trial of a Churchill man accused in the killing last year of an intruder at an Arnold home. Devon Askew, 28, contends he acted in self-defense when he shot and killed 34-year-old Richard Hildreth on...
