Paul Peirce stories, Page 6
SUV theft suspect apprehended in Indiana County, back to Greensburg for arraignment, police say
An Indiana County man wanted in Greensburg for stealing a woman’s vehicle as she pumped gas this week was arraigned Thursday on multiple criminal charges and ordered held in the the Westmoreland County Prison after failing to post $25,000 bond. City police Chief Shawn Denning said Darryl L. Higgins, 38,...
Troopers: Hempfield man accused of abusing infant
State police arrested a 35-year-old Hempfield man Wednesday, accusing him of abusing an infant boy in his care last year, according to court documents. Matthew Anson Nathaniel Davis, who lives in Carbon, was arraigned on a charge of child endangerment and ordered held in the county jail on $150,000 bond....
Greensburg police looking for Indiana County man in connection with daylight SUV theft
Greensburg police have obtained an arrest warrant for an Indiana County man who they accuse of stealing a woman’s SUV as she was filling it with gas Tuesday after receiving a tip regarding the theft, according to court documents. Police are still looking for the suspect, Darryl L. Higgins, 38....
Troopers arrest father, son at Hempfield home after being called to break up fight
A father and son were arrested early Wednesday at their Hempfield residence on assault charges after state troopers were called there to break up a fight. The father, John M. Schein, 64, also is charged with aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, resisting arrest and related criminal charges after...
Former Westmoreland Coroner Ken Bacha hired as chief operations officer at Mutual Aid
Kenneth Bacha, who served as Westmoreland County’s coroner for 20 years until he was defeated in the 2021 election, has taken a new job with Mutual Aid Ambulance Service Inc. as its chief operations officer. Bacha, 60, of Greensburg, began his new job last week. “I’m really excited about it....
Greensburg police seeking ‘shoeless’ SUV theft suspect
Greensburg police are asking the public’s help identifying a shoeless thief who jumped into a woman’s SUV as she was pumping gas Tuesday and drove away. Police said the theft occurred just before noon at the Sunoco/7-Eleven store on Mt. Pleasant Street. Lt. Jason Gain said the owner of the...
Police: Murrysville Sheetz workers credited with stopping assault
Two employees at Sheetz in Murrysville are credited with pinning a man to the ground after he assaulted and choked a woman in the store parking lot, police said. The suspect, Cyle J. Reed, 23, of Altoona, was subdued by workers who held him on the ground outside the store...
Hempfield man accused by state police of feigning injuries to avoid jail
A Hempfield man is accused by state police of fighting with an emergency room nurse and a trooper at Excela Health Westmoreland hospital in Greensburg to avoid jail. Philip M. Nicklow, 39, was taken into custody as state police investigated a traffic accident about 4:30 p.m. Sunday in Hempfield and...
Latrobe man paroled for Hollow Tavern arson accused of 2nd DUI since 2021 release
A man paroled just over a year ago after serving more than a decade in state prison for setting fire to the landmark Hollow Tavern in 2008 was arraigned Monday on DUI and related charges for a Christmas Eve motorcycle crash on Route 30 that injured his passenger. It is...
Police deploy ‘stop sticks’ to end 8-mile pursuit in Westmoreland County
A 38-year-old Herminie man was jailed on multiple charges including DUI and fleeing police following an 8-mile chase that ended when he lost control of his van and drove off the highway in the Hempfield village of Darragh, according to court documents. Christopher D. Troutman was taken into custody near...
Man to stand trial for Hempfield arson that caused $1 million damage, killed 3 dogs
The day before a Hempfield family departed for a Christmas vacation to the Caribbean, a Greensburg man who did household chores for them showed up unexpectedly “with a plate of brownies” as a departing gift, according to testimony at a preliminary hearing Friday. State police allege 9 days after the...
Worker accused of assaulting Ligonier Township resident
A 24-year-old man is accused of assaulting a man who hired him to do work inside his home, according to court documents. Demtris D. Spottedbear, 24, whose last known address was in the Latrobe area, was arraigned on charges of aggravated assault, harassment and simple assault after the incident about...
Stained-glass windows from former Mt. Pleasant parish rescued by historical society
A last-minute rescue this month resulted in several pieces of century-old Mt. Pleasant history being returned to Western Pennsylvania after spending almost two decades of being stored inside a warehouse near Columbus, Ohio. Nine stained-glass windows, weighing between 700 and 900 pounds each, that adorned the former Transfiguration Roman Catholic...
Greensburg police accuse Youngwood man of failing to return ailing woman’s car
A man who offered to repair a disabled Greensburg woman’s car in early 2021 as she recuperated from serious medical issues is accused of failing to return it more than a year later, according to police. Robert A. Foringer, 50, of Youngwood is charged with receiving stolen property, theft by...
Pittsburgh man accused by troopers of stealing a friend’s van after altercation on Route 22 in Salem
A Pittsburgh man is accused of beating his friend and stealing his van after asking for a ride home from Latrobe late Friday, according to court documents. Nathan S. Baron, 46, is being held in the Westmoreland County Prison on $50,000 bond. He is charged with two counts of simple...
Unity man accused in theft of relative’s $100K coin collection
A 19-year-old Unity man is accused of stealing a relative’s $100,000 coin collection, intending to trade it for marijuana, according to court papers. Troopers said Alec S. Curran, a senior at Greater Latrobe Area High School, initially denied taking the gold, silver and platinum coins in February but later admitted...
No one transported from 2-vehicle crash on Route 22 in New Alexandria
A crash between a tanker truck and a PennDOT triaxle Monday in New Alexandria caused backups for westbound traffic. The collision was reported at noon about 1 mile west of the Route 981 interchange. No one was transported by ambulance from the scene, according to Mutual Aid director of emergency...
‘God & Cod’: Community Church of Harrison City hosts first Lenten fish fry in 3 years
The fully outfitted fisherman standing along Route 130 — replete with coat, boots, hat and a three-foot long artificial cod dangling from a fishing pole — was the first sign that the traditional Friday Lenten fish fry had returned to the Community Church of Harrison City after a three-year hiatus....
Vail Resorts announces raise in base minimum wage to $20 an hour next ski season
Vail Resorts, the parent company of Seven Springs, Hidden Valley and Laurel Mountain ski areas, announced this week the company will be increasing its minimum wage to $20 per hour for next ski season. The company’s new Chief Executive Officer Kirsten Lynch announced the $20 per hour minimum wage for...
New owners of Seven Springs, Hidden Valley, Laurel Mountain optimistic about futureVideo
As the ski season at Seven Springs begins to wind down, all indications are that the three most well-known Western Pennsylvania ski resorts — Seven Springs, Hidden Valley and Laurel Mountain— bounced back after the covid-19 pandemic. Although the resorts’ new owner, Vail Resorts Inc., does not disclose resort-specific visitor...
‘God & Cod’: Community Church of Harrison City hosts 1st Lenten fish fry in 3 years
The fully outfitted fisherman standing along Route 130 — replete with coat, boots, hat and a three-foot long artificial cod dangling from a fishing pole — was the first sign that the traditional Friday Lenten fish fry had returned to the Community Church of Harrison City after a three-year hiatus....
Report of Derry Township man shooting gun leads to drug, firearm arrest
State police investigating a Derry Township man for firing a handgun off his back porch Wednesday later arrested him after troopers said they seized 17 handguns, rifles and shotguns along with more than a half pound of suspected cocaine and $30,000 cash found inside his home. Anthony “JR” Desport, 33,...
Police allege Greensburg man burned down Hempfield house to mask coin theft
A Greensburg man jailed since January, accused of burglary and criminal trespass in the break-in of a Hempfield home to steal silver coins, was charged Thursday with burning down the house. Randy W. Bryner, 58, of Greensburg is charged with arson and reckless endangerment. State police fire marshals also charged...
Murrysville police arrest man after accusations of prowling, stalking ex-girlfriend
A 55-year-old man was arrested for stalking and related charges by Murrysville police after a former girlfriend said he entered her yard to look through her windows and repeatedly drove his car along her street. Brian Begor of Mt. Lebanon was arraigned Tuesday on multiple charges of harassment, prowling and...
Fayette County district judge rejects suspended trooper’s request for bond
A suspended state trooper assigned to the New Stanton turnpike detail will remain in the Fayette County Prison without bond as he awaits a preliminary hearing on multiple charges of possessing child pornography, a district judge ruled Tuesday. Cpl. Sean R. McKenzie III, 37, was suspended March 1 after state...
