Rich Cholodofsky stories, Page 78
Covid concerns prompt Westmoreland tax office to close Monday
The tax office in the Westmoreland County Courthouse complex was closed Monday because of coronavirus concerns. “We have no positive cases,” said Alexis Bevan, the county’s human resources director. The tax office is on the first floor of the Greensburg courthouse annex building on Pennsylvania Avenue and was locked Monday...
Former foster mom pleads guilty to child endangerment, rape count dismissed
A former foster parent was ordered Friday to serve three years on probation after she pleaded guilty to lesser charges in a case in which, police say, she had sex with her foster son more than 500 times. Joelle M. Barozzini, 50, of Greensburg told a Westmoreland County judge it...
Confession challenged in New Kensington police shooting case
The lawyer for an Allegheny County man contends his client’s confession that he fired shots at three New Kensington police officers last year was illegally obtained because the now 19-year-old didn’t have a parent with him during official questioning. According to court documents filed Friday, defense attorney Emily Smarto said...
Sewickley mother pleads guilty in child’s cocaine consumption
A Sewickley woman was sentenced Thursday to serve three years on probation for allowing her two-year-old son to ingest cocaine. Arrica Ann Holwell, 23, pleaded guilty to one felony charge of child endangerment. According to court records, police responded to her home in July 2020 after a Westmoreland County Children’s...
Latrobe man sent to prison for New Year’s party sexual assault
A Latrobe man will serve up to four years in prison for the sexual assault of an unconscious woman at a New Year’s party last year in Hempfield. Hunter Hoyle, 22, told a Westmoreland County judge on Thursday he was sorry for his actions in the early morning hours of...
Irwin fireman pleads guilty for role in mobile home blaze
A felony arson charge filed against an Irwin firefighter was dismissed Wednesday as part of a plea bargain that the prosecutor said came at the direction of the property owner whose vacant mobile home was destroyed in the blaze. Shawn Richard Mann, 25, of North Huntingdon, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor...
Westmoreland DA to seek death penalty against man accused of double murder
Westmoreland County District Attorney John Peck says he will seek the death penalty against a North Huntingdon man accused of gunning down a Penn Township couple. The county’s top prosecutor said the May 16 fatal shootings of Jacob R. Erdeljac, 40, and his girlfriend, Mara Casale, 27, came amid a...
North Huntingdon man seeks transfer of robbery case to juvenile court
A North Huntingdon man who turned 18 earlier this year wants armed robbery charges transferred to juvenile court. During a court hearing on Tuesday, the lawyer for Elijah Ben Chaabane asked a Westmoreland County judge to reduce a $100,000 bond to allow a potential release from jail for his client...
Westmoreland commissioners mum on mask requirement as county sees substantial virus spread
The CDC on Tuesday said there is now a substantial level of coronavirus transmission in Westmoreland County, a designation that puts indoor mask requirements back under consideration for both vaccinated and unvaccinated people under updated federal guidelines. But, county leaders said no mandates have as yet been issued. “At this...
Defense claims Unity man’s confessions illegally obtained, seeks dismissal of homicide charge
The lawyer for Unity man awaiting trial in connection with the killing of a Derry mother who police say was shot while asleep in her bed last summer told a judge Tuesday that two confessions his client gave were illegally obtained. Defense attorney Emily Smarto said Nathan Quidetto should have...
Irwin man to serve probation, house arrest for friend’s fatal overdose
Franceso Ziegler told a judge that he wants to take responsibility for his friend Christopher Holleran’s 2019 overdose death. But Holleran’s family said that two years earlier, Ziegler denied any involvement in the overdose and couldn’t even bother to attend his 28-year-old friend’s funeral. Ziegler, 30, of Irwin was sentenced...
Greensburg strong-arm robbery suspect sentenced to jail, drug rehab
A Mercer County man will serve up to 23 months in jail for the robbery of a stranger they offered to drive home from a Greensburg home last year. Nikolaus A. Beers, 41, pleaded guilty Thursday to charges of robbery and theft in connection with an Jan. 21, 2020 incident...
Judge sets $250,000 cash bond for Arona man charged with witness intimidation
A judge on Thursday set a $250,000 straight cash bond for an Arona man awaiting trial on charges that he attempted to prevent his girlfriend from testifying against him last month in the Westmoreland County Courthouse. Shawn Grbach, 42, has been in jail without bond since his arrest June 14....
Lawyer files new appeal for Franklin Regional school attacker Alex Hribal
A new lawyer for a former Franklin Regional High School student serving a 60-year prison term for a 2014 knife attack that injured 21 people contends not enough evidence was presented on his behalf during his sentencing hearing. Alex Hribal, 23, formerly of Murrysville, was 16 when he was charged...
Judge rejects Greensburg man’s appeal of 100-year prison sentence
For the second time in as many years, a Greensburg man serving up to 100 years in prison for the rape of a child was told he has no legal basis to appeal his sentence. A Westmoreland County judge on Wednesday rejected the appeal of Kenneth Lee Richie, who in...
Jailed Jeannette woman tells judge to do ‘whatever you want’
A Jeannette woman accused of using weapons of mass destruction that caused injuries to water authority crews at her home will remain in jail pending the outcome of her trial. Deborah Samulski, 62, had been in jail since last week following her conviction on charges of making false reports to...
Westmoreland Bar Association welcomes new membersVideo
A group of 10 men and women sat quietly in the jury box of a Westmoreland County courtroom on Tuesday. Their task was not to weigh evidence of a defendant’s innocence or guilt, but were there instead to join the club as the Westmoreland Bar Association welcomed new members to...
Scottdale man appeals child rape conviction
A Scottdale man serving a 40-year-prison sentence for the sexual assault of a child is now claiming that Westmoreland County prosecutors coached witnesses during his trial last year. According to an appeal filed Tuesday, Dylan Chiaramonte said the judge who presided over his rape trial improperly allowed the prosecution to...
Teen charged in Greensburg shooting denied bail reduction
A Westmoreland County judge on Tuesday rejected a defense request to reduce a $200,000 cash bond that has kept an 18-year-old man in jail since he was charged last month with three counts of attempted murder in connection with a shooting in Greensburg. Common Pleas Court Judge Christopher Feliciani said...
Arnold murder suspect pleads to minor drug-related offense
A New Kensington man charged in a fatal shooting last year in Arnold appeared in a Westmoreland County courtroom Monday and pleaded guilty to a minor drug-related offense as he continues to await trial on a charge of first-degree murder. Mario M. Gatti, 31, is scheduled for trial in October...
New Kensington prostitute sentenced for sex trafficking of teen
A former New Kensington woman will serve up to 10 years in prison for her role in a sex trafficking and prostitution ring that utilized a 14-year-old girl to maximize their earnings. Shannon Lynn Shannon, 46, formerly of Texas, pleaded guilty in November to felony counts of trafficking in minors,...
Contaminants found in McKeesport water system, do not drink order extended for 30 customers
Water restrictions in McKeesport were extended Friday for about 30 residents in the city’s Lower 10th Ward after contaminants were found in samples collected from homes this week. Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County officials said a majority of the homes and businesses were removed from the “Do Not Drink” order...
Jury complies with Jeannette woman’s wishes and finds her guilty
A Jeannette woman dared Westmoreland County jurors to convict her Friday. After nearly two hours of deliberations, they complied. Deborah Samulski, 62, was convicted of two misdemeanor counts of filing false reports with a local gas company and city police. During a two-day trial, jurors questioned her mental health, and...
Greensburg man who fathered child with teen pleads guilty to sexual assault
A Greensburg man will serve up to 23 months in jail for the sexual assault of a New Kensington teenager who gave birth to his child. Marcus Franklin Crawford, 25, formerly of Jeannette, pleaded guilty Friday to statutory sexual assault, corruption of a minor and involuntary deviate sexual intercourse. Police...
Jury unable to reach verdict in Jeannette drug, gun case
A Westmoreland County prosecutor will seek to retry a Pittsburgh man on gun and drug charges after a jury was unable to reach a verdict this week. Prosecutors contend Stefon Wilson, 23, along with other adults and a juvenile, sold heroin and cocaine from a Jeannette home in 2019. Jurors...
