Paul Peirce stories, Page 3
Bedford County toddler’s death ruled homicide, stepmother charged in death
The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s office has ruled the death of a 3-year-old Bedford County toddler who died May 29 as a homicide due to asphyxiation. The examiner’s office said Travis W. Young died at 4 p.m. at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh about 18 hours after he was taken...
Pedestrian struck, killed by vehicle in Plum
A pedestrian was struck and killed Monday by a vehicle traveling along Route 286 in Plum. At 11:18 p.m., county dispatchers were notified of a vehicle-pedestrian crash along the 2200 block of the roadway, in the borough’s Holiday Park section, police said. First responders found a single vehicle had struck...
Homicide suspect arrested in Homewood after standoff with Pittsburgh police
A 21-year-old man wanted for a fatal shooting March 19 in South Side Slopes was arrested early Tuesday inside an apartment in Homewood after a standoff with Pittsburgh police that lasted several hours. Zahvair Palmer of McKeesport was taken into custody early Tuesday, according to city public safety officials. The...
North Huntingdon police accuse man of intentionally striking pedestrian with SUV
An Allegheny County man accused of intentionally striking a man with his SUV in the parking lot of a North Huntingdon Sheetz was arrested by police. Alan B. Israel, 45, of White Oak was charged after the incident at 8:19 a.m. Sunday outside the store at 13700 Route 30. The...
Woman rescued from house fire in Bethel Park
Firefighters from Bethel Park responded to a house fire early Monday. A female occupant reportedly had to be rescued from the burning house located on the 2800 block of Oak Street, according to Tribune-Review news partner WPXI. Bethel Park police reported in a tweet that sections of Main and Cedar...
TSA finds loaded gun in West Virginia man’s carry-on bag at Pittsburgh International Airport
Transportation Security Administration officials at Pittsburgh International Airport confiscated a loaded handgun Sunday from a West Virginia man. The .22 caliber handgun, which was loaded was five bullets, was the 10th gun detected this year at the airport’s security checkpoints. When the TSA officer spotted the gun in the Wheeling...
West Mifflin man killed in ATV crash in Somerset County, troopers say
A 21-year-old West Mifflin man died early Saturday after he crashed his all-terrain vehicle into a tree in Somerset County, state police said. Ethan Leskovitz was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash in rural Elk Lick Township at 12:11 a.m. Saturday, according to Trooper Ryan Platt of Somerset....
Troopers say North Apollo woman killed in crash while fleeing Armstrong County traffic stop
Pennsylvania State Police said a 21-year-old North Apollo woman died after she crashed her vehicle into a tree while attempting to flee a traffic stop Sunday in Armstrong County. Madison L. Sapinsky was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash that occurred on Margaret Road in Plumcreek Township at...
Police: Man detained after woman shot in Stowe
Allegheny County Police continue to investigate a shooting Sunday that injured a woman in Stowe. Authorities said 911 dispatchers were notified of a shooting at 8:50 p.m. along the 800 block of 13th Street. When first responders arrived they located a woman with a gunshot wound to her arm, police...
Troopers seek man accused of passing fake $100 bills in Derry Township
Police are seeking help to identify a man accused of passing several counterfeit $100 bills at two discount stores in Derry Township last month. Trooper Steve Limani said the first incident occurred 6 p.m. May 18 at the Dollar General store in Millwood where a white male entered and purchased...
Troopers: Maryland woman ran with toddler from 2-vehicle crash on Route 30
A 39-year-old woman ran away from a two-vehicle crash early Wednesday on Route 30 in Unity carrying her toddler, state police said. The woman, Amy M. Bernstein of Hagerstown, Md., was later located and arrested on charges of aggravated assault while drunken driving, child endangerment, hit and run, fleeing the...
Crabtree church social hall temporarily turned into sheriff’s deputy training center
St. Bartholomew Parish’s Marian Hall in the tiny village of Crabtree has been turned into a temporary law enforcement training center through Friday. Some 74 Westmoreland County Sheriff’s Department deputies are using the hall for special scenario training by a security expert from Golden Seal Enterprises in Winchester, Va. Karl...
Teen in hot dog costume, another in gas mask prompt lockdown at Hempfield schools
State police suspect the last day of school in Hempfield Area School District may have been the impetus for two bizarre, unrelated incidents that prompted a lockdown of three schools Thursday. Police said a 14-year-old wearing a hot dog costume with his face painted as the Joker, a DC Comics...
GoFundMe established for 12-year-old struck while riding hoverboard in South Huntingdon
Family and friends of a 12-year-old girl who was critically injured Saturday when she was pinned beneath a pickup while riding a hoverboard in South Huntingdon continue to wish for her recovery and have set up a GoFundMe account to defray expenses. Peyton Benner, a sixth grader at Yough Middle...
Man accused of leading police on 120 mph pursuit on Route 22 before crashing in Salem
A Baltimore man is accused of leading state troopers on a 5-mile pursuit through a construction zone on Route 22 Sunday at speeds of 120 mph before crashing his car over a guardrail at the Route 66 interchange in Salem, according to court records. Steven T. Randall, 42, is charged...
Greensburg man charged with rape, sexually assaulting 2 girls in 1990s
A 64-year-old Greensburg man was arrested by state police Friday after he was accused of raping and repeatedly sexually assaulting a girl over five years in the 1990s and sexually assaulting another girl during the same time period, according to court records. Morton W. Thomson Jr., 64, was arraigned on...
Free fraud prevention seminar slated in Irwin
Representatives from Irwin police, the state banking and securities department and the Westmoreland County District Attorney’s office will discuss consumer fraud at a free presentation June 1 at the Lamp Theatre. State Rep. George Dunbar, a Penn Township Republican, is hosting the “ScamJam!” event aimed at helping consumers avoid fraud...
Westmoreland coroner’s office plans funeral for unclaimed remains of deceased veterans
The cremated remains of 15 veterans discovered in storage at the Westmoreland County Coroner’s office — some for as long as 29 years — will have a formal memorial service in July before being laid to rest with full military honors, Coroner Tim Carson said. The memorial service will be...
Monessen man accused by police of beating man with cinder block during robbery arrested
A Monessen man wanted by city police for beating a man with a cinder block during a robbery Friday was arrested this week in Washington County. Dwayne M. “Peenie” Grogan, 55, was arraigned on multiple criminal charges including attempted homicide Monday after he was arrested Monongahela police on an arrest...
Truck driver who spilled hot dog filler on I-70 will be charged, police say
A tractor-trailer driver who crashed on Interstate 70 in Rostraver, spilling more than seven tons of hot dog filler on the highway and snarling traffic for five hours Friday, will receive multiple citations — including one for speeding, police said. Makendy Lachald, 30, of Laurel, Del., was speeding westbound near...
Flight of the Flags ceremony planned during Westmoreland air show
A new tribute to deceased service members and first responders will debut June 11 at this year’s Shop ‘n Save Westmoreland Airshow in a ceremony called Flight of the Flags. Families of the deceased who have received trifold flags in honor of their loved ones will have an opportunity to...
Monessen police seek man accused of using cinderblock in assault, robbery
Monessen police are seeking a 55-year-old man accused of beating a man with a cinderblock during a robbery in the city early Friday. Dwayne M. “Peenie” Grogan is charged with attempted homicide, assault and robbery in connection with the 12:50 a.m. attack at a home in the 200 block of...
Former Mt. Pleasant funeral director, state legislator Eugene Saloom spent life ‘helping people’
Whether it was helping a constituent acquire a replacement driver’s license, working on a grant application for a local community or assisting someone with funeral preparations, former state representative and Mt. Pleasant funeral director Eugene G. Saloom always enjoyed helping others, according to family members. Saloom, 87, of Mt. Pleasant...
Turnpike delays expected Saturday at Allegheny Tunnel in Somerset County
Motorists traveling on the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Somerset County Saturday should be prepared for possible delays at the Allegheny Tunnel as single-lane, two-way traffic patterns will be in place, the turnpike commission said. The westbound tunnel is slated to close from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday. Two-way traffic will...
Greensburg policeman recalls chaotic scene at hospital as suspect lunged for officer’s gun
A Greensburg policeman said the scene was frantic as he ran into the emergency room at Excela Health Westmoreland Hospital in Greensburg upon hearing reports there was a man with a gun inside. “There were about 20 to 25 people all in hospital scrubs — hospital staff — running out,...
