Chuck Biedka stories

Chuck Biedka
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Pope Francis, first Latin American pontiff, dies at 88
Man convicted of guarding Penn Hills drug house gets 2 years in prison
A man convicted of guarding a Penn Hills drug house linked to Mexican drug cartels was sentenced Tuesday in federal court in Pittsburgh to almost two years in federal prison. Chace Johnson, 21, must serve three years of supervised release after he completes his prison sentence, according to federal prosecutors....
State grants will help Alle-Kiski fire companies pay debts, buy equipment
More than 60 Alle-Kiski Valley fire and ambulance companies were recently awarded more than $775,000 through the annual state Fire Company and Emergency Medical Service Grant Program. Some of the companies plan to use the money to pay down what they owe on new fire trucks. Others will buy protective...
Police: Heroin hidden inside can of baby formula in New Ken apartment
New Kensington police and state drug agents say they found heroin packets hidden inside a can of baby formula when they raided a New Kensington apartment. The raid on Constitution Boulevard Thursday turned up about 9.5 grams of uncut, loose heroin, six pieces of crack cocaine, two baggies of marijuana...
Tarentum man jailed for allegedly chasing, shooting at moving vehicle in New Ken
A Tarentum man who police said fired four gunshots at two people earlier this month was sent to the Westmoreland County Prison on Wednesday without bond pending a preliminary hearing. Sean Marcus Talley, 21, is accused of attempted homicide and related charges. He has has various addresses in the Alle-Kiski...
Police: Arnold man had gun, drugs near child that he held when arrested
An Arnold man accused of selling heroin and cocaine is also accused of keeping a handgun in a child’s bedroom , police said. Elbert Lewis Thompson II, 30, of Leishman Avenue was arrested Monday after allegedly pushing a police officer on a porch, fleeing upstairs, and coming out holding a...
Fat Cats Subs starts benefit for Cheswick fire family 
A Cheswick sub shop is starting a benefit to help a Cheswick family of four whose home and belongings were destroyed in a fire last Jan. 17. Kayla Fischerkeller and Ryan Brittingham and their two children, ages 3 and 5, were not at home when fire destroyed their modular home...
Oklahoma Borough man dies 2 days after being accused of indecent assault
Authorities withdrew charges against an Oklahoma Borough man accused of sexually assaulting a mentally disabled man because the suspect died two days after being arraigned, court records show. Brian K. Ferguson, 52, was charged Jan. 16 with indecent assault of a person with a mental disability and unlawful restraint in...
Man accused of starting North Apollo bar fight, then fighting with cops
A New Kensington man faces charges after police said he started a fight early Tuesday at a North Apollo bar and then fought with officers who responded. Kiski Township police said they arrived at the R Bar on 16th Street to see Nicholas Jack, 25, throwing punches at people who...
Vandergrift man accused of hitting girlfriend with hammer during argument
A Vandergrift man accused of hitting his live-in girlfriend in the head with a hammer allegedly told police he only “nicked her.” Police said Thomas Andrew Funkhouser, 34, had fresh blood on his hands when officers arrived at a Grant Street apartment at about 12:30 a.m. last Thursday. His girlfriend,...
Police: 14-year-old Avonmore girl was high when she led police on chase
A 14-year-old Avonmore girl is accused of being high on drugs Monday morning when she took her mother’s car and led Gilpin police on a high-speed chase before crashing, according to police. Gilpin police Chief Chris Fabec did not identify the girl but said she faces juvenile charges including reckless...
Volunteers work to improve Freeport Community Park 
Wednesday’s sunshine encouraged volunteers to move ahead with plans to add electricity to the Freeport Area High School’s girl’s softball and fast-pitch softball field inside the expansive Freeport Community Park. David Zembrzuski, who owns DRZ Excavating in Harrison, donated know-how and operated equipment to dig a trench from the electrical...
Fire destroys Cheswick home of couple planning spring wedding 
A Cheswick house fire Friday killed a family’s two dogs and destroyed almost everything owned by a couple who are planning to marry this spring. Kayla Fischerkeller and Ryan Brittingham were at work when the fire engulfed their house about 10:20 a.m. Their two children, ages 3 and 5, were...
5th person accuses Allegheny Township man of sex assault
An Allegheny Township man previously accused of sexually assaulting four people now faces rape charges in connection with an alleged 2018 incident. Township police on Thursday charged Eric Alan Wright, 48, with rape, sexual assault, burglary, indecent exposure and two counts of indecent assault. Police Sgt. Dan Uncapher said the...
Man killed in New Kensington shooting attacked in December, police say
The man identified as the victim in Wednesday’s deadly shooting in New Kensington was pistol-whipped in an Arnold home invasion last month, according to police. Anthone Williams, 31, of Arnold’s Kenneth Avenue was shot multiple times as he sat in his vehicle in a closed section of New Kensington’s East...
New charges filed against Allegheny Township man accused of raping girls
A 48-year-old man already accused of raping two Alle-Kiski Valley girls faces new charges after another alleged victim has said she was assaulted as a child and as an adult. Eric A. Wright, who had been living in Allegheny Township, is accused of exposing himself to the third girl, watching...
Motorists identified in Route 28 crash near Harrison
Suspected serious injuries resulted from a Monday afternoon collision just south of the Harrison exit on northbound Route 28, state police said. Two Armstrong County people were inside a Chevrolet Camaro that veered into the right lane, hit a guardrail and then was driven back into the left lane at...
Philadelphia man gets 6 to 12 years for raping 2 girls in Harrison
A Philadelphia man accused last year of sexually assaulting two girls in Harrison was sentenced to prison after accepting a plea bargain Monday in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court. Willie James Porter III, 46, was sentenced to six to 12 years for rape of a child and five years of...
David John Croyle, Kittanning councilman and former pastor, convicted of sexual assault of boy
A Kittanning businessman, councilman and former church pastor was found guilty Friday of sexually assaulting a boy about four years ago. David John Croyle, 61, was found guilty of statutory sexual assault, unlawful contact with a minor and related charges. Armstrong County District Attorney Katie Charlton said the jury deliberated...
Allegheny Township man accused of raping 2 girls over course of 20 years
A 48-year-old man Friday appeared to dispute accusations that he raped two girls in Allegheny Township and Vandergrift. Eric Wright, who had been living in Allegheny Township, shook his head “no” each time a district judge read the 23 charges filed against him during his preliminary arraignment. Wright is accused...
Springdale man accused of DUI said, ‘If I want to drive through the house, I will,’ court docs show
A Springdale man is accused of drunken driving and intentionally crashing through the garage door attached to his North Street house Thursday night. Anthony Hallo, 65, is facing numerous charges, including causing or risking a catastrophe. The 11:50 p.m. collision and fire posed a danger to Hallo’s wife inside the...
Pittsburgh man gets prison for ethnic intimidation
One of three black victims of a 2018 Avalon bar beating told a judge in a statement he was only in the Jackman Inn in July 2018 to give a thank-you note to a friend in the kitchen. The friend had catered a meal to celebrate the victim’s son’s high...
Meals on Wheels rolls on in Freeport-Saxonburg area 
Three days a week, Dan Heilman spends about an hour delivering meals to recipients of the Freeport Area Meals on Wheels. He pays for the gas, donates his time and enjoys the weekly project. “My wife, Dawn, died five years ago. It’s me and my cat,” the 80-year-old retired doctor...
Alleged drunken driver accused of ramming Harmar police car
A suspected drunken driver allegedly drove into oncoming traffic in Harmar — right at the police car summoned to look for her. Police say Michele Sweet, 52, of West Deer, missed the patrol car driven by Officer Ryan Valasek that time, but not long afterward tried to ram it. Valasek...
Police: Tarentum homeowner chases burglars, uses discarded phone to call 911
A Tarentum homeowner interrupted a burglary at his Corbet Street home Tuesday morning and then used his cellphone to call 911 after one of the burglary suspects threw the phone into a yard as the homeowner gave chase, according to police. Joshua Michael Such, 19, of New Kensington and a...
PennDOT driver cited in connection with Fawn crash
Police cited a PennDOT salt truck driver who they said drove into the path of a station wagon Monday morning in Fawn. John Graham, 36, of McKees­port failed to yield to oncoming traffic about 6:40 a.m. when he turned left from a Route 28 exit ramp onto Bull Creek Road, according...


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