Rich Cholodofsky stories, Page 8
Contraband concerns cited for refusal to transport yarmulke-wearing Westmoreland inmate
Concerns that contraband could be smuggled into the Westmoreland County Prison led officials to deny the scheduled transfer of a yarmulke-wearing inmate to the courthouse this week. After nearly two days of silence, county commissioners emailed a brief, two-sentence statement Tuesday night. They confirmed that Kort Noel Eckman was held...
Former Latrobe man pleads guilty in friend’s overdose death
A former Latrobe man pleaded guilty to his role in the 2021 overdose death of his friend. Kevin. B. Shaffer, 52, faces up to 20 years in prison when he is sentenced in about three months after he pleaded guilty Monday to one felony count of drug delivery resulting in...
New Kensington murder suspect given deadline to decide on plea deal ahead of August retrial
A New Kensington man has just hours to decide whether to accept a plea deal involving the 2020 murder during a botched robbery and the unrelated shooting of four others a year earlier. The combined plea offer comes just weeks before the scheduled retrial of Latresse T. Williams, 34. Prosecutors...
Westmoreland prison inmate misses hearing after refusing to remove yarmulke, attorney claims
A Mt. Pleasant Township man accused of trying to kill his mother missed a court hearing Monday because he refused to remove his yarmulke, his attorney said. Defense attorney Tim Andrews said Westmoreland County Prison officials would not take his client, Kort Noel Eckman, on the 3-mile car trip from...
Judge says Scottdale man’s role in 2023 shootout was ‘major stupidity’
A Scottdale man was ordered to serve seven years of probation for his role in a 2023 shootout with a juvenile in a dispute that arose out of an alleged deal for drug-laced candy. Joseph A. Greep Jr., 21, pleaded guilty in April to lesser charges after prosecutors agreed to...
Politics from the pulpit now OK, IRS says
The Rev. Bob Ross’ weekly messages to parishioners at Heritage Baptist Church in Jeannette never tackle politics. It’s the way Ross views his role as a local faith leader. “I”m not political, so I’m not going to talk about politics from the pulpit,” Ross said. “My job is not to...
Monessen man appeals life prison term for rape, child murders
A judge abused his discretion by reimposing a life prison sentence for a Monessen man convicted of raping of a young mother and murdering her children in 1973, his attorney claims in court papers. Defense attorney Mark Shire argued in an appeal filed Friday that his client, John Veltre Jr.,...
Time’s up for lengthy public comments at Westmoreland commissioners meetings
The Westmoreland County commissioners have no time for excessive talk. Responding to what they said was a growing level of belligerency in political speech, the county commissioners, before the start of Thursday’s public meeting, announced a heightened enforcement of time constraints placed on public comments. Commissioners Chairman Sean Kertes told...
Westmoreland County OKs settlement of racial discrimination lawsuit
The Westmoreland County commissioners have approved a $12,000 payout to settle a lawsuit filed by a former jail guard who claimed she was improperly fired after she raised allegations of racial discrimination. According to the lawsuit filed in 2019, Bonita Hughey of Jeannette contended she was fired from her job...
Westmoreland plots program to shelter more homeless during cold winter
As the mercury continues to rise this summer, Westmoreland officials have started to explore how the county might keep its homeless residents warm this winter. The county’s Homeless Advisory Board met Wednesday at the courthouse in Greensburg to consider the expansion of a program that, since 2015, has helped to...
Westmoreland County launches review team with goal to reduce suicides
Heather McLean knows even one loss from suicide is too many. Because of that, she and a group of Westmoreland County leaders have started to explore the root causes and common themes that could improve treatment and prevention to reduce the number of suicides in the county, which reached a...
Mt. Pleasant man convicted of sexual assault of child
A Westmoreland County jury on Tuesday convicted a Mt. Pleasant man of the repeated sexual abuse of a teen about a decade ago. Following a brief trial that started Monday and included testimony from the alleged victim and their mother, the jury deliberated more than four hours before reaching its...
McGrew out as Westmoreland’s chief public defender
Westmoreland County’s longtime chief public defender, Wayne McGrew, resigned late last week. “His last day officially was last Friday,” said Commissioner Ted Kopas. “I believe his resignation is in the best interest of the office.” It was not clear what prompted the resignation. McGrew did not return a phone call...
Former Monessen man resentenced to life in prison for children’s murder in 1973
Susan Worlton only knew her sisters from her mother’s stories and the few pictures that remain. In a courtroom Friday, Worlton told a Westmoreland County judge how the violent murders of her sisters five decades earlier have impacted her family. She and her mother were among the witnesses at the...
Plans progress for Westmoreland human services hub
Westmoreland County’s plan for centralized hub to house its human services programs received a $500,000 boost from a Pittsburgh foundation. Commissioners this week accepted a grant from the Eden Hall Foundation that officials said could help pay for relocation of hundreds of employees and social service programs to one location....
Westmoreland commissioners say opioid settlement funds needed but won’t cover prior costs
Westmoreland commissioners said the roughly $2.6 million doled out Thursday from legal settlements with major drug makers and distributors will not even come close to covering the damages the county sustained from the opioid addiction crisis. The money was awarded to agencies and nonprofits aimed at drug treatment, recovery and...
OnlyFans performer pleads guilty to extorting $24K from North Huntington man in online scheme
A North Carolina woman was paroled from the Westmoreland County Prison on Wednesday after she pleaded guilty to operating an online theft and extortion plot last year against a North Huntingdon man. Prosecutors said the scheme had the victim paying nearly $24,000 over several months to a woman who investigators...
Westmoreland County launches grant program to increase access to online services
The Westmoreland County commissioners are expected to launch a grant program this week to provide funding to help low-income residents access the internet. Commissioners are slated to vote Thursday on the proposal to establish a digital technology grant program. They also are expected to award three $15,000 grants to local...
Victim’s father offers no forgiveness for brother charged in nephew’s fatal overdose
Daniel Rebosky told a Westmoreland County judge Tuesday he will not forgive his brother for the role he played in his son’s 2021 overdose death. “God teaches us to forgive, but I cannot forgive Michael Rebosky because he let this happen,” Daniel Rebosky said during a sentencing hearing for his...
Torture claim allowed against Delmont parents charged in adopted son’s murder
Testimony that a 5-year-old Delmont boy was tortured by his adoptive parents will be admissible at an upcoming trial, a Westmoreland County judge ruled on Monday. Following a daylong hearing, Common Pleas Judge Scott Mears said he will allow prosecutors to present the evidence of torture against parents Lauren and...
Pa. AG Sunday to defer to state’s Democratic governor in Trump legal fights
Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday says he’s not looking for a fight with the Trump administration. The attorney general, during a wide-ranging interview with TribLive on Friday afternoon during a stop at the White Rabbit Cafe in Greensburg, said dealing with the political tension that has ripped through the nation...
Yough River crossing included in MAWC system upgrades
The Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County intends to cross the Youghiogheny River. The agency’s board on Wednesday signed off on $12.7 million upgrades to its system that provides water to more than 123,000 customers in Westmoreland, Allegheny, Armstrong, Fayette and Indiana counties. Among the upgrades is installation of a 48-inch...
New Alexandria man sentenced for 2023 confrontation with police
A New Alexandria man convicted of resisting arrest during a 2023 confrontation with state police in Unity was ordered to undergo a mental health evaluation but will serve no additional jail time. Denton G. Krapf, 49, was found guilty in February of one misdemeanor count by a Westmoreland County jury....
Observation of federal Juneteenth holiday varies throughout region
Many areas of Western Pennsylvania are inconsistent in their approach to observing Juneteenth. Federal and state offices are closed and employees will have a paid day off Thursday for the official holiday that was designated in 2021. Meanwhile, workers at courthouses in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties will be on the...
Housing authority director says federal budget cuts to have drastic impact on residents
Two key programs that assist low-income Westmoreland County Housing Authority residents are on the chopping block as part of the Trump administration’s federal budget proposal awaiting congressional approval. Housing Authority Executive Director Michael Washowich said the bill passed last month by the U.S. House, and awaiting a Senate vote, slashes...
