Renatta Signorini stories, Page 37
5 arrested in connection with 2023 raid at Murrysville vape shop
Two owners of a Murrysville vape shop and three employees are facing charges after authorities said they were selling illegal substances out of the business. In court papers filed Tuesday, police listed six occasions between January and March 2023 when undercover officers bought items from PA Vapor & Glassroom that...
State police find 273 pounds of marijuana in minivan after traffic stop near New Stanton
A state police canine helped troopers find 273 pounds of marijuana Monday in a minivan that was traveling in Hempfield, according to court papers. Troopers said they also confiscated two guns. They filed charges Tuesday against two men — Qingxue Guo, 42, of Texas, and Tingting Huang, 33, who did...
Water use restrictions lifted as Beaver Run Reservoir levels return to normal
About 56,000 Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County customers are free to use water as they choose as levels at the Beaver Run Reservoir have bounced back. The authority on Tuesday ended its voluntary conservation order, days after the state lifted its drought watch for the county. The reservoir stood at...
Scottdale driver charged in fatal wrong-way crash on I-70 in South Huntingdon
Marcia Fuller was relieved Thursday to learn an arrest had been made in a wrong-way crash on Interstate 70 in South Huntingdon that killed her son. For nearly two years, she’s kept a close eye on the investigation into David Ott’s June 19, 2022 death. “It’s just been so hard,”...
Derry man accused of breaking trucker’s cell phone in Toll Route 66 incident
A Derry Borough man is accused of stopping his SUV in the left lane of Toll Route 66 and arguing with a truck driver, breaking the trucker’s cell phone, according to court papers. State troopers said the encounter with Marshall C. Dolfi, 30, was captured on cameras in the tractor-trailer....
‘Burning’ millions of dollars, Mutual Aid ambulance looks to communities it serves to boost revenue
Mutual Aid ambulance is hoping to match the success of other emergency medical services in the region as it turns to the communities it serves to boost revenue. Ken Bacha, director of community outreach, hasn’t seen any checkbooks open yet, but he hopes that providing the municipalities that Mutual Aid...
East Huntingdon man accused of shooting at troopers now charged with attempted homicide
A number of new charges, including attempted homicide, were filed Wednesday against an East Huntingdon man who was wounded in an encounter with state troopers. James R. Miller Jr., 61, sat in a wheelchair during his arraignment on the new complaint in district court. State police withdrew the original, less...
Police accuse Penn Township nurse practitioner of illegally ‘prescribing pills by the thousands’
The arrest of a nurse practitioner accused of writing fake prescriptions culminated from months of police work, including examining trash put out at the suspect’s Penn Township home, executing search warrants at 19 locations and surveillance, court filings show. Penn Township police Chief John Otto said his department received a...
Man’s body recovered from Yough in Ohiopyle State Park
A man’s body was recovered from the Youghiogheny River in Ohiopyle State Park on Sunday afternoon, according to park manager Ken Bisbee. The body was spotted by hikers on the Great Allegheny Passage between Confluence and Ohiopyle around 3:45 p.m. He appeared to be a fisherman, Bisbee said. In a...
Jeannette officials seek answers for restoring dilapidated properties
It sounded like William Gaines had a pretty good plan. He wanted to buy a property on North Fourth Street in Jeannette from the Westmoreland County repository. But first, he had to get approval from city council. Gaines told council members in December that he intended to rehabilitate the home...
‘From the archive’ features construction of the Amos K. Hutchinson Bypass
(Editor’s note: “From the archive” is a recurring series highlighting vintage photos submitted by community members or gathered from the Tribune-Review’s files. If you have a photo you would like to see featured here, please contact gtrcity@triblive.com.) It is the site of a steady hum of traffic now, but decades...
Case against teacher, aide accused of assaulting Greensburg Salem students heads to county court
The criminal cases against two women accused of assaulting three students at a Greensburg Salem elementary school will proceed to Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court, and more people could be charged, a detective said Thursday at a hearing. Prosecutors suggested two witnesses who testified during preliminary hearings for Brooke A....
Laurel Valley seniors director accused of theft, receiving stolen property
A St. Clair woman is accused of stealing $4,000 from the Laurel Valley Senior Citizens Corp. while she worked as the director, according to court papers. State police arrested Rocky Jo Yeager, 53, Wednesday on charges of theft and receiving stolen property. Troopers reported in arrest papers that Yeager wrote...
Attempted homicide, assault charges filed after Murrysville woman is stabbed during dispute
A Murrysville man was awaiting arraignment Wednesday morning after police said he stabbed a woman twice with a knife. Murrysville police Chief Thomas Seefeld said Andrew James Farbarik, 32, was charged with attempted homicide and two counts of aggravated assault. Authorities were called to Hills Church Road at 9:30 p.m....
Police arrest Hempfield man wanted after fleeing, prompting Seton Hill lockdown
A man who fled from state police earlier this month, prompting a lockdown at Seton Hill University, was arrested last week at a junkyard hiding underneath a trap door, according to Chief Deputy Jennifer Shipley of the Westmoreland County Sheriff’s Office. Troopers have been searching for Joseph Alan Pees, 31,...
Mt. Pleasant School District honors bus driver Denise Fontanazza for decades of service
As Denise Fontanazza followed her familiar school bus route around Mt. Pleasant Township Tuesday morning, she wondered why so many students were missing from their stops. She found out why when she pulled bus No. 15 up to Norvelt Elementary. Fontanazza was honored Tuesday by district officials for a rewards...
Bail set at $250,000 after drug bust in North Huntingdon
A West Mifflin man is behind bars after police said he sold $520 worth of suspected heroin/fentanyl on Monday to an undercover officer and confidential informant in North Huntingdon. Investigators from North Huntingdon, the Westmoreland County Drug Task Force and the state attorney general’s office worked together in the bust...
Everson man receives 2 years probation for assault of Lyft driver
A former Hempfield man was ordered Monday to spend two years on probation for assaulting a Lyft driver who took him home from a gentlemen’s club in 2022. Carl L. Beltz, 43, of Everson, pleaded guilty Monday to simple assault, resisting arrest and theft. Prosecutors agreed to dismiss charges of...
Woman pleads guilty in catalytic converter theft ring targeting Westmoreland, Indiana counties
An Indiana County woman pleaded guilty Monday to involvement in a catalytic converter theft ring, and attorneys indicated another suspect may do the same. Debbra Lynn McAdams, 56, of Homer City entered a general plea to theft, receiving stolen property, criminal mischief and criminal use of a communication facility. Two...
American Legion plans expansion of banner display for veterans
Members of the Jeannette American Legion Post 344 are looking to expand a popular program honoring the city’s military veterans. First vice commander Jim Henderson said there are 100 more veterans set to be recognized, adding to the 100 service members who have already been memorialized through banners being affixed...
Audit: Jeannette underpaid pension funds nearly $190K; city manager says issue has been resolved
Jeannette underpaid its three pension funds by $189,356 in 2021, and the state auditor general’s office said turnover in the fiscal office in 2020 and 2021 contributed to the error. The compliance audit of the city’s fire, police and nonuniformed pension plans recommended that Jeannette add the amount, plus interest,...
Rillton-Herminie robbery, kidnap suspect charged; 2nd man sought
State police used DNA evidence to arrest a North Huntingdon man Thursday in connection with what investigators described as a kidnapping and brutal beating in 2020. Trooper Steve Limani said Danny Joe Lambert, 59, and a second man were involved in the Sept. 25, 2020 incident in the Sewickley Township...
Homer City woman, police thwart utility bill scam
State troopers said they thwarted a scam this month in Indiana County and arrested a New Jersey man believed to be part of it. Trooper Cliff Greenfield said a Homer City woman noticed on Feb. 12 an unusual charge on a utility bill. A person who she believed was in...
Police file new charge against Coraopolis man accused in death of Murrysville businessman
A new charge was filed Wednesday against an Allegheny County man accused in the fatal shooting of a Murrysville businessman. Allegheny County Police said they believe Jeremy T. Fisher, 41, of Coraopolis, asked a former business associate to kill George Dayieb, 57, about a month before Dayieb’s Dec. 27 death,...
Mt. Lebanon man accused of insurance fraud has ties to Westmoreland County properties
A Mt. Lebanon man is accused of asking someone to set fire to a Pittsburgh property he controlled, filing a fraudulent insurance claim related to the loss and attempting to hide behind multiple fake bankruptcy filings in an effort to avoid paying debts, according to a federal indictment unsealed Wednesday....
