Rich Cholodofsky stories, Page 22
Defense contends biased probe led to arrest in New Kensington boy’s death
Lawyers for Brackenridge man facing a potential death penalty if he is convicted of killing of his 9-year-old son contend the investigation that led to his arrest in 2022 was the product of biased prosecutors and based on insufficient evidence. Jean J. Charles, 44, is awaiting trial on charges of...
Judge orders Arnold man accused of fatally stabbing his mother to undergo mental health evaluation
A Westmoreland County judge ordered an Arnold man jailed earlier this month after being charged in connection to the fatal stabbing of his mother to undergo a mental health evaluation. Brian Rebold, 38, was charged with criminal homicide and first-degree murder following the Aug. 4 death of his 73-year-old mother...
Westmoreland broadband upgrades on track for completion, future projects eyed
Installation of about 50 miles of fiber optic cable needed for high-speed internet access in remote areas of Westmoreland County is about 60% complete, officials said Tuesday. The $3.5 million project is expected to be finished by year’s end. The work is part of an ongoing effort to bring broadband...
New Stanton man to serve jail term for sexual assault at Hempfield Halloween party
A New Stanton man was ordered Tuesday to serve nearly two years in jail for the sexual assault of a Mt. Pleasant woman during a 2020 Halloween house party in Hempfield. Anthony Edward Lucas, 29, was convicted following a jury trial in January of lesser charges of sexual assault and...
Man accused of stalking Murrysville rock singer to remain jailed in Westmoreland
Lacey Sturm knows she and others in her industry could be a potential target. The decorated rock singer said Monday following a court hearing for an Ohio man accused of stalking her that she understands the relationship between music and mental health. “I make rock music, and there’s a risk...
Pa. voters along Lincoln Highway see little impact of reshaped presidential race
Nicholas Peiffer isn’t sure he will vote in November. Along with his mother, Peiffer, 21, owns a small skateboard shop in downtown Chambersburg, just across the street from the Franklin County Courthouse. “I know things aren’t great right now, but I’ve never been very political. Since I turned 18, my...
Hunker woman is latest to sue county over Giant Slide safety concerns at Mammoth Park
A Hunker woman, who says she was injured in February on the Giant Slide in Mammoth Park, claims in a lawsuit filed this week that the 100-foot amusement ride is unsafe. Ashley M. Coonelly says that she traveled down the slide at a high rate of speed and was unable...
Westmoreland register of wills to leave office 4 months early
Westmoreland County’s Register of Wills Sherry Magretti Hamilton will leave office four months early. County officials on Thursday confirmed that Hamilton, the three-term Republican officerholder who last spring was stripped of her administrative duties, said she will resign her elected position effective Sept. 3. Hamilton previously agreed leave Dec. 31...
Gov. Josh Shapiro delivers rousing speech at Kamala Harris rally after VP snub
PHILADELPHIA — Anticipation grew over the past several weeks that Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro would join Vice President Kamala Harris onstage in Philadelphia for Tuesday’s announcement of the new Democratic ticket running this fall for the White House. As expected, Shapiro was onstage, but not in the role many envisioned...
Just $10.5M remains of Westmoreland’s $105.3M pandemic relief allocation
Westmoreland commissioners have allocated nearly 90% of the $105.3 million in American Rescue Plan funds awarded to the county in 2022 as part of the federal government’s covid relief effort, according to a report released this month. County leaders will have until the end of this year to designate how...
Westmoreland returns part of grant to pay for 911 upgrades; blames bookkeeping error
Westmoreland County has returned nearly 75% of a federal grant meant to pay for mobile backups of the county’s 911 dispatch system. Officials said bookkeeping errors impacted the $529,000 project to purchase the mobile 911 dispatch units. Those units could be relocated if public safety services were forced to evacuate...
Westmoreland vehicle tracking policy could put deputies in danger, sheriff says as he files lawsuit
Westmoreland Sheriff James Albert claims a new fleet policy that tracks the county’s 180 vehicles through GPS technology will put his deputies in danger. The sheriff this week filed a lawsuit challenging the county’s updated fleet policy and is seeking an injunction to keep it from being enforced. “I think...
Defense claims judge’s conflict should result in dismissal of assisted suicide case
Attorneys for a South Greensburg woman who prosecutors say bullied her boyfriend into committing suicide in 2021 say the criminal case against their client should be dismissed. Defense attorney Tim Lyon said the district judge who held the case for trial last year participated in the initial investigation while still...
Westmoreland County loan boosts long-planned Brush Creek remediation project
A long-planned remediation effort to remove orange-tinted polluted mine drainage discharged int0 Brush Creek may finally be a reality. The eight-mile creek runs through Irwin and Trafford and into Turtle Creek. Westmoreland County commissioners on Thursday approved a $75,000 interest-free loan to the Turtle Creek Watershed Association that officials said...
Westmoreland commissioners reject call for property reassessment
Westmoreland commissioners on Thursday conceded the county’s property assessments are decades out of date but they rejected calls to modernize the system that controls valuations used to determine tax bills. “I am still not in favor of a countywide reassessment. We can’t commit the money it will cost,” said Commissioner...
Next stop could be White House for ‘dynamic’ Shapiro
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro told graduates at his college alma mater last year he might not have ventured into politics if he hadn’t failed a science test and been cut from the basketball team during his freshman year. “I planned to be the first doctor to get drafted by the...
Judge rejects effort to dismiss charges against East Huntingdon man injured in police shootout
A Westmoreland County judge has rejected defense calls for dismissal of charges against an East Huntingdon man wounded by Pennsylvania State Police in an exchange of gunfire last winter. Defense attorney Jill Devine during a court hearing Tuesday contended there was no evidence James R. Miller Jr. intended to kill...
New Kensington man pleads guilty to drive-by shooting of high school classmate
A New Kensington man was ordered Tuesday to serve up to 14 years in prison for the attempted homicide of two occupants of a vehicle during a drive-by shooting in New Kensington. Ernest Gary IV, 20, pleaded guilty to seven offenses including two counts of attempted homicide, aggravated assault, reckless...
Dominican trucker faces second deportation for New Stanton fentanyl sale
Westmoreland County prosecutors said a Dominican Republic national faces deportation for the second time after he serves an eight-year prison sentence for selling fentanyl to an undercover state trooper two years ago in New Stanton. Leonardo Antonio Ramirez was convicted in May by a Westmoreland County jury of three drug-related...
Westmoreland County braces for revenue drop as FCC caps inmate calling fees
Westmoreland officials are bracing for what could be a substantial cut in revenue generated through phone and video calls made by county prison inmates. A new rule issued earlier this month by the Federal Communications Commission limits the amount private companies can charge inmates for calling services. Those new rules...
New Kensington man pleads guilty to sexual assault of teen
A New Kensington man pleaded guilty Monday to the sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl. Nasai Minon Parker-Hill, 19, will be sentenced later this year to three to seven years in prison under terms of a plea deal reached with prosecutors in which the most serious allegations — rape and...
Teen’s mom pleads with judge to protect community from sex offender
The mother of an Arnold girl pleaded with a Westmoreland County judge to protect the public from a man she said she fears would sexually assault another child. “It is your place to make sure he takes those (sex offender) classes so he never does this again. If he doesn’t,...
Experts call for caution as rush to assess new polls in presidential race intensifies
It’s a new ballgame for pollsters. The models, statistics, results and interpretation of public opinion gathered throughout 2024 and over the past three years was tossed out the window last weekend when President Joe Biden withdrew from the presidential race. With the race now shifted to feature Vice President Kamala...
Jeannette company sued after rescinding job offer based on medical marijuana use
An Indiana County man is suing a Jeannette plastic lumber manufacturer, claiming company officials violated state employment laws when they rescinded a job based on the results of his drug test. Michael Howard claims in a two-count lawsuit filed this week in Westmoreland County that he was improperly rejected for...
Jeannette shutters K9 program as ‘cost prohibitive’
Jeannette officials on Thursday announced the city has shuttered its police department’s K9 unit. “Critically, any new and unknown costs associated with the program made maintaining the program cost prohibitive in light of the city’s already stretched funding and budgetary constraints,” according to a statement released by city leaders. The...
