Paul Peirce stories, Page 10
Hempfield fugitive found in laundry basket remanded to jail on firearm, drug charges
A Hempfield fugitive who was taken into custody last week after he was discovered hiding in a laundry basket by county sheriff’s deputies was arraigned Thursday on charges of illegal possession of a .44-caliber handgun and drug offenses. Sheriff’s deputies were trying to find William Rettinger, 27, at his home...
Police: Unity brothers’ brawl during morning alcohol run ends in injury, arrest
Two Unity brothers’ early morning run for alcohol led to a brawl during the trip, landing one in a hospital with severe facial injuries and the other in the Westmoreland County Prison charged with aggravated assault and DUI. Steven R. Clem, 29, was arrested just after 3 a.m. Tuesday by...
Police: Hit-run driver drove to liquor store after causing Route 30 crash in North Huntingdon
North Huntingdon police say a man was under the influence of alcohol, hit another driver and left the scene before making a quick stop at a liquor store and circling back past the crash on Route 30. Dennis M. Moog Jr., 58, of Jeannette, was arrested Saturday on multiple misdemeanor...
State police: Derry Township man admits to sexually abusing 2 children
A Derry Township man is charged with raping an 8-year-old girl and sexually assaulting a boy more than six years ago, according to court documents filed by state police. Matthew T. Buchinsky, 35, is charged with rape and sexual assault in cases involving two children on multiple occasions between 2013...
Youngwood man arrested by troopers on multiple drug delivery, possession charges
After staking out a Youngwood apartment after receiving a report of an alleged sexual assault, state police said a search of the residence led to multiple drug trafficking and possession charges against the man who lived there, according to court records. Troopers detained Brandon J. Giron, 22, when he left...
Westmoreland sheriff’s department sergeant testifies fugitive attempted to grab gun during struggle
A Westmoreland County Sheriff’s Department sergeant testified Friday that a fugitive repeatedly tried to grab his gun as the pair struggled on the floor of a St. Clair Township mobile home where the man was found hiding last month. Sgt. Irvin Shipley testified that a search team of four sheriff’s...
Westmoreland Sheriff names retired state police veteran as new chief deputy
Westmoreland County’s new chief deputy sheriff should be familiar to a lot of residents throughout Western Pennsylvania as well as many in law enforcement. John P. Rock, 66, of Crabtree, who retired in 2008 after 25 years with the state police, began his duties this week after his appointment by...
Seven Springs daily snow report with stumbling skier goes viral
Daily snow reports posted by ski resorts often can be boring, simply listing the amount of fresh snow, ski conditions, temperatures and the number of open slopes. A report posted Thursday by Seven Springs’ narrator Abbey Way via Twitter hit it big, garnering attention across the country with a slipping,...
Jeannette man accused of fighting with sheriff’s department warrant team ordered jailed without bond
A Jeannette man remains in custody without bail after he told members of the Westmoreland County Sheriff’s Department warrant squad that he would rather be shot than go to jail during a skirmish at a downtown pharmacy. Deputies reported finding Justin L. Turner, 41, standing outside the Rite Aid on...
Unity man arrested by troopers for DUI, resisting arrest after high-speed pursuit
A Unity man was arrested for DUI, resisting arrest and driving on a suspended license after, police said, he led a trooper on a 3-mile pursuit from Youngstown into Latrobe and then ran on foot after crashing his car into a snow bank. Glenn D. Jones, 23, of Hostetter was...
Man accused of fighting with police at St. Clair Township apartment
A Sewickley Township man is accused of attempting to punch state troopers who were called to his mother’s apartment in St. Clair Township to investigate a raucous disturbance, according to court documents. State police, assisted by Ligonier Valley police, responded to an apartment on the 100 block of Kuvinka Avenue...
I-70 in Rostraver reopens after collision between car, tri-axle truck
A section of I-70 in Rostraver was temporarily closed Tuesday in both directions after a two-vehicle crash near the North Belle Vernon exit, according to firefighters. The crash occurred after 8:30 a.m., a dispatch supervisor for Westmoreland County Emergency Management reported. Authorities said a tri-axle truck became lodged on top...
FBI warning of hoax Mexican kidnapping scam targeting Western Pennsylvanians
A hoax kidnapping scam originating in Mexico is targeting Western Pennsylvanians, FBI’s Pittsburgh office warned Tuesday. Over the past week, the FBI said more than 450 calls were made by someone living in Mexico to people in the area who have 724 area codes. The scam was recently uncovered during...
Detectives: ‘Anonymous’ note left for guards results in discovery of shank at Westmoreland Prison
An anonymous note left in a message box to guards at the Westmoreland County Prison led to the discovery of a makeshift weapon beneath a cell mattress, according to county detectives. Inmate Anthony A. Bittinger, 22, of Jeannette was charged last week with possessing instruments of crime, illegally making an...
Westmoreland jail inmate charged with making over 200 calls to victim demanding she drop charges
A New Kensington man awaiting trial on charges of ramming a car with two young children inside is now accused of making more than 200 calls from the county jail to the woman driving that car, asking her not to testify against him, according to county detectives. Jamar L. Freshley,...
State police warn of counterfeit $100 bills circulating in Westmoreland
Pennsylvania State Police are warning area businesses that some counterfeit $100 bills have been circulated in the area that appear to defy rapid detection using the standard counterfeit detector pens. “We’ve had two reports in the past few days of the counterfeits being passed locally. In over 20 years as...
Fayette County man ordered to jail without bond on accusations of severely abusing toddler
A 26-year-old Fayette County man is accused of severely abusing his 20-month-old daughter, police said. Keith A. Kalbaugh is being held without bond in the county prison after state police arrested him Wednesday. His daughter remains in the intensive care unit of a West Virginia hospital. Kalbaugh was arraigned Wednesday...
Area residents peruse potential job opportunities at Latrobe job fair
“Help Wanted” signs were displayed en masse Thursday at the Westmoreland County Community College Latrobe Education Center. “This is great,” said Rebecca Davis of New Alexandria. “And it came at a perfect time for me.” In the past year, Davis said she lost her job as an administrative assistant, where...
Youngwood man arrested on multiple criminal complaints after confrontation with trooper
A 35-year-old Youngwood man who is accused of physically confronting a state trooper as he was questioned about trespassing outside a New Stanton woman’s apartment Tuesday was arrested on multiple criminal charges, according to court documents. David W. Rundle was arrested on charges of criminal trespass, possession of drug paraphernalia,...
Unity landscaper, off-duty state trooper recognized for rescue of 78-year-old Hempfield woman after crash
Unity landscaper Mike Uschock said he wasn’t sure what had just happened Nov. 17 when he saw an overturned SUV “just teetering back and forth on its side” in a large drainage culvert behind Greengate Centre Shopping Plaza in Hempfield. “I was pulling in right behind and I saw the...
U.S. Air Force Viper tactical flight demonstration to headline 2022 Westmoreland County Airshow
A tactical flight demonstration by a U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon jet, more commonly called a Viper, will highlight the 2022 Shop ‘n Save Westmoreland County Airshow June 11 and 12, the airport authority announced Tuesday. The F-16 Fighting Falcon, a single-engine supersonic fighter aircraft, can fly twice the...
What’s that? Ligonier’s 100-year-old, 3-tray fountain fit for ‘man or beast’
(Editor’s note: ‘What’s That?’ is a recurring feature in the Tribune-Review’s Westmoreland Plus edition. If there’s something you’d like to see explored here, send an email to gtrcity@tribweb.com.) Ligonier’s Diamond Park had a $3.5 million makeover that included a shiny, new copper roof on the bandstand only three years ago,...
Hempfield woman accused of punching trooper in the face
A 38-year-old Hempfield woman posted bail and was released from the county prison Monday after being held there over the weekend for allegedly punching a state trooper who responded to break up an altercation among family members at her home. Regina S. Glott is charged with aggravated assault, harassment, resisting...
Off-duty state trooper suspended after alleged assault at private party in Cambria County
A state trooper from the Ebensburg station in Cambria County was suspended without pay after investigators say he was involved in an off-duty physical altercation with another man during a private party. Trooper Scott Myers, 34, was arrested early Saturday on charges of aggravated assault, harassment, simple assault and terroristic...
2 injured in multi-vehicle crash in Derry Township, dispatchers say
Two people were transported to area hospitals early Monday after a crash involving a tractor-trailer and two vehicles along Route 982 in Derry Township, according to a Westmoreland County dispatcher. The crash occurred at 4:18 a.m. at the highway’s intersection with Lincoln Road, at the township’s border with Latrobe. Firefighters...
