Renatta Signorini stories, Page 46
Fatal shooting stuns Indiana County community as police search for suspects
Tears welled up in Lillian Clemons’ eyes as she stopped her vehicle in front of the Chevy Chase Community Center. With a cup of coffee in her hand, she took in the yellow police tape surrounding the building and recounted how much the residents rely on the center, which regularly...
Westmoreland Coroner: Salem man killed in Route 22 crash
A Salem man was killed in a crash on Route 22 in Murrysville on Saturday evening after a suspected impaired driver ran a red light and hit his car broadside, according to the Westmoreland County Coroner’s Office and municipal police. Michael D. Poholsky, 65, was driving a Chrysler Concorde on...
1 dead, at least 8 others injured in mass shooting at Indiana County party
Moments after Pennsylvania State Police troopers on horseback arrived at the Chevy Chase Community Center in Indiana County expecting to engage in crowd control after midnight on Sunday, dozens of gunshots rang out. More than 150 people began streaming out of the White Township building. “They exited that building in...
Lots to fall for during Delmont Apple ’n Arts Festival, which benefits local organizations
It’ll be a good memory one day for Ashley Cramer to tell her son. She will recall how they dressed in color-coordinating outfits and how 4-month-old Rodney stood on stage, with help from mom, with a banana-shaped teething ring clutched in his teeny hand. It didn’t matter that he didn’t...
Officers describe intense struggle to arrest New Florence man wanted on bench warrant; defense questions police motives
The injuries Ray A. Shetler Jr. suffered in December 2021 while he was taken into custody on a bench warrant didn’t need to happen, according to police. But, when Shetler, 39, of New Florence, was confronted in a St. Clair Township mobile home, police officers serving that warrant said, he...
Testimony about chloroform presented at trial of man accused of trying to make wife fall down basement stairs
The bottle of chloroform was tucked away in William “B.J.” Dankesreiter’s Derry Township basement behind numerous paint cans, according to neighbor Gary Simms. He was helping Laura Dankesreiter clean the basement last year and immediately became suspicious. The paper label was turned in to the face the wall, Simms testified...
Greensburg police charge attorney with resisting arrest after traffic stop
A Westmoreland County assistant public defender who is on probation for a 2021 incident at Seven Springs Mountain Resort was arrested Wednesday by Greensburg police. Authorities said David E. Mulock, 38, of Murrysville walked away from a traffic stop after an officer reported seeing Mulock driving a Volkswagen that didn’t...
Greensburg street to close for water line repairs
The block of North Pennsylvania Avenue behind the Westmoreland County Courthouse will be blocked off for two days next week to allow for repairs on a water line, according to county public works director Greg McCloskey. It will be closed to vehicle traffic Oct. 10 and 11 between West Otterman...
Derry Township woman testifies about finding purported trip wire at top of basement stairs
It was a normal Saturday morning until Laura Dankesreiter discovered something odd at her Derry Township home. At first, she thought she had tripped on a ripped piece of carpet after opening the basement door, something she initially attributed to one of her cats. But on further inspection, Dankesreiter noticed...
Greensburg dog walker hit by drunk SUV driver, police say
A woman who was walking her dog in Greensburg was hit by an intoxicated driver moments after she threatened to call police because she saw the person stumble out of a bar and get behind the wheel of an SUV, according to court papers. The driver — Shannon Leigh Ryan,...
Ray A. Shetler’s trial for assault of a police officer set to begin
Trial is expected to begin Wednesday morning in the case of a New Florence man who is accused of assaulting police officers. A jury was empaneled Tuesday and will hear evidence against Ray A. Shetler Jr., 39. He has been in jail awaiting trial since his arrest in December 2021...
Derry Township man on trial, accused of installing trip wire on stairs to kill wife
The fate of a Derry Township man hinges on whom jurors believe. Prosecutors plan to present evidence during trial this week that William Joseph Dankesreiter Jr., 63, set up a trip wire at the top of his basement steps three years ago in hopes that his wife would fall down...
Steelers vs. Texans: What they’re saying in Houston after win
For a team predicted to finish last in the AFC South, the Houston Texans appear to be riding high after thrashing the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday afternoon. The 30-6 win in Texas had Chron.com sports writer Josh Criswell wondering if the Texans could be playoff contenders. “Such a statement would...
Slippery Rock grad termed ‘hero’ for rescuing trucker on Pa. Turnpike in Hempfield
Lifesaving efforts to free a man from a burning tractor-trailer last year on the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Hempfield earned his rescuer a Carnegie Medal. The honor was bestowed upon David P. Duffey, 26, a Slippery Rock University student who was traveling on the turnpike after being released early from a...
Woman sentenced in connection with Loyalhanna meth lab
A former Loyalhanna woman was sentenced Friday to four years of probation in connection with a methamphetamine lab at her home that was shut down by state police. Jennifer Lynn Williams, 55, now of Indiana County, was ordered to spend 18 months on house arrest. She pleaded guilty Friday to...
‘I wasn’t raised this way’ Hempfield man who got involved with drugs tells judge
A Hempfield man who turned to drugs and then began selling them to support his own habit was sentenced to jail and probation Friday. “I wasn’t raised this way and I’m sorry for what I did,” said Chad J. Gilbert, 53. “All my life I worked hard and I ruined...
$136 check to Tree of Life altered to $6K payment to Wilkinsburg woman, Penn Township police say
A Wilkinsburg woman was arrested this week after Penn Township police say she altered a check that was intended to be a donation to the Tree of Life synagogue. Employees at a township bank grew suspicious of the check when Anna M. Krause, 30, opened a checking account and tried...
Bolivar man gets lengthy sentence in ‘chilling’ case involving Ligonier Township jogger
Janell Emery looked up from her written statement at the defendant, wondering aloud if Frank Springer knew the pain he’s caused her family. Has he thought about the terror Emery felt when she raced to her daughter after the college student fought off Springer’s abduction attempt in Ligonier Township earlier...
Death at Westmoreland County Prison under investigation
A 33-year-old man was found dead in in his cell Thursday morning at the Westmoreland County Prison. Terry L. Brumley Jr. was discovered unresponsive at about 7:45 a.m., according to a news release from the Westmoreland County Coroner’s Office. An autopsy was scheduled for Friday. Three other inmates were also...
Judge to decide whether case involving Jeannette man can move to juvenile court
A judge is weighing two opposing opinions about whether or not a Jeannette man can be rehabilitated in the juvenile court system after he was arrested in connection with a 2021 shooting. An expert for the defense said Dasean Ingram, who was 16 at the time of the shooting and...
South Greensburg man charged with luring will be released from prison under speedy trial rule
A South Greensburg man awaiting trial on police accusations that he lured an 11-year-old girl into a vehicle and sexually assaulted her was set to be released on $5,000 unsecured bail. Attorneys said in court Tuesday that Keith E. Lilliock, 43, has been held at the Westmoreland County Prison for...
Latrobe man sentenced in police chase
A Latrobe man was sentenced to two to five years in a state prison Monday in connection with a police chase in Indiana County. Matthew Rebar, 30, who also lists a Connellsville address in court records, pleaded guilty in June to aggravated assault, fleeing from police, driving under the influence...
Former Latrobe woman gets probation in cat neglect case
A former Latrobe woman was sentenced Monday to three years of probation after police said she left 24 cats in an abandoned home. Kristine M. Pfeffer, 42, of Mt. Pleasant Township, pleaded guilty to three counts of neglect of animals. The remaining 93 charges against her were dismissed as part...
Pair charged in attack on Greensburg woman
Arrest warrants have been issued for two people accused of beating and robbing a Greensburg woman during the weekend. City police said the suspects — Christopher McAteer, 38, of Derry Township, and Karisa A. McAteer, 35, of Bell — fled from the scene on Alexander Avenue after the 4 a.m....
North Huntingdon man arrested in connection with Penn Township crash
The back seat passenger of a car being pursued by police Sunday in Penn Township was seriously hurt when it crashed into a guide rail, according to court papers. Township officers said Collin Joseph Turley, 19, of North Huntingdon, was behind the wheel. He was being held on $10,000 bail...
