Rich Cholodofsky stories, Page 25
Prosecutors: Arnold man’s murder a robbery gone bad
Westmoreland County prosecutors said DNA evidence will prove a New Kensington man attempted to rob and kill an Arnold man in a vacant parking lot more than four years ago. “Anthone Williams was set up by the defendant to be robbed of drugs and money. At an abandoned projects, there...
Stabbing victim testifies in Rialto attempted murder trial
Joseph Williams told a Westmoreland County jury he had no memory of the seconds that preceded a violent encounter outside the former Rialto Cafe in downtown Greensburg that left him hospitalized with as many as 10 stab wounds. Williams, 24, testified Tuesday during the second day in the trial of...
Unity man gets up to 16 years for role in Latrobe woman’s 2019 deadly overdose
A Unity man was ordered to serve up to 16 years in prison for selling drugs that caused a fatal overdose of a Latrobe woman in 2019. Chad E. Ghrist, 46, pleaded guilty Monday to drug delivery resulting in death and other felony counts in connection with the death of...
Jeannette man claims Rialto stabbing justified as self-defense
The lawyer for a Jeannette man accused of the attempted murder of a former high school friend with a pocket knife said Monday his client acted in self defense. Defense attorney Stephen Colafella told jurors that Anthony J. Sharp was tackled and flailed with a knife to break free from...
Former Arnold cop pleads guilty to filing false report
A former Arnold police pleaded guilty Monday in connection with allegations that he lied to investigators after he staged what he called a hit and run crash of his city-issued SUV. Ryan Matthew Clark, 33, of Sarver, told a Westmoreland County judge he was ready to move on with his...
Register of wills conservator no stranger to Westmoreland courthouse
Jim Antoniono’s travels have taken him from Cold War-era Germany to the Westmoreland County Courthouse, through thousands of miles of mountain trails and into courtrooms and boardrooms. After a more than a half- century, Antoniono, 78, of Unity, will return to his roots in county government when on Tuesday he begins...
Bids to demolish Jeannette’s Fort Pitt Brewery range from $335K to $1.4M
It will cost less than expected to raze the former Fort Pitt Brewery complex in Jeannette. Proposals from 10 demolition companies were opened Friday for the job that when completed will remove the industrial complex that has been a presence in the city for more than a century. Bids for...
New veterans clinic planned for Westmoreland County
Veterans in Westmoreland County will have a new, larger outpatient medical clinic to serve them by 2026. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs confirmed Thursday a new 33,000-square-foot facility will replace what officials said is an outdated, smaller clinic that opened in 2007 behind Westmoreland Mall in Hempfield. A location...
Judge sets $250K bond for Jeannette man facing child porn charges
A Jeannette man charged this month with possessing and distributing images of sexual assaults against infants and toddlers can pay a $250,000 cash bond to be released from jail as he awaits trial, a Westmoreland County judge ruled Wednesday. Anthony Cortazzo IV, 38, was charged May 8 by Greensburg police...
Defense seeks dismissal of charges for father charged with son’s murder in New Kensington
Lawyers for a Brackenridge man who faces a potential death penalty for the alleged murder of his 9-year-old son in New Kensington claim prosecutors violated the state’s standard for a speedy trial. They asked a Westmoreland County judge Tuesday to dismiss homicide and other related charges against Jean Charles, 44,...
Greensburg woman ordered to serve additional prison sentence for spouse’s overdose
A Greensburg woman was ordered Tuesday to serve up to an additional three years in prison for her role in the 2020 overdose of her spouse. Mary Crimboli-Baker, 37, has been in jail after her probation and parole were revoked in March for a series of violations that included repeated...
Assault on unborn child charge dismissed as part of New Kensington man’s plea deal
A New Kensington man pleaded guilty to the simple assault of his pregnant girlfriend last year and nearly a year later to ransacking the home of a former girlfriend in Monessen. Jamar Al Gee Jr., 22, was ordered to serve up to two years on probation after he pleaded guilty...
Theft ringleader’s role as mother of 3 spares her prison sentence, judge says
A judge said Monday he had little choice but to offer leniency to an Indiana County woman who pleaded guilty earlier this year for her role in a series of catalytic converter thefts throughout Westmoreland County. Common Pleas Judge Scott Mears said the prospect of having three young children placed...
Westmoreland register of wills ordered to pay about $500K in fees to county
Embattled Westmoreland County Register of Wills Sherry Magretti Hamilton was ordered to transfer an estimated $500,000 in funds collected by her office over the last four months to the controller’s office by May 28. The register of wills office — which oversees the filing and processing of adoptions, guardianships, wills...
Westmoreland residents need to log internet speed if county is to qualify for federal cash
Westmoreland County is looking at internet speed, and fast. County officials put out a last-minute call urging residents to participate in online testing of existing internet services as part of a necessary requirement to qualify for funds needed to enhance local broadband infrastructure. Testing needs to be completed before Thursday...
Former Valley High School music teacher to remain in jail pending new sentence
A former Valley High School music teacher who pleaded guilty in 2022 to sending sexually themed text messages to two teenage students will remain in jail while he awaits a new sentencing hearing. Westmoreland County prosecutors said Sean Timothy O’Neil, 37, of North Apollo could face a potential state prison...
Register of wills yet to turn over $500K in revenue to Westmoreland County
As much as $500,000 in revenue generated through fees and other payments made to Westmoreland’s Register of Wills Office during the first four months of 2024 has yet to be turned over to the county treasury, officials said Thursday. Controller Jeffrey Balzer said the register of wills and other county...
Westmoreland municipal authority approves $3M for tank painting, vehicle replacements
Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County board members authorized nearly $3 million in spending Wednesday to repaint and repair water tanks and replace 17 trucks and work vans in its fleet of 220 vehicles. Officials said a nearly 3-million-gallon tank in Mt. Pleasant Township and a 500,000-gallon tank in Hempfield will...
Delmont-area McDonald’s sued over sex claims involving manager taking advantage of teen employee
A lawsuit filed this week alleges the owners of the Delmont-area McDonald’s failed to adequately investigate the criminal background of a manager who was charged by police with sexually assaulting a 15-year-old employee. According to a two-count lawsuit filed in Westmoreland County Court, the fast-food restaurant owners are accused of...
Salary surcharge pitched to cover Westmoreland register of wills conservator pay
The nearly $90,000 annual salary paid to Westmoreland Register of Wills Sherry Magretti Hamilton could be used to finance costs for a court-appointed conservator for the office, county officials said Tuesday. Controller Jeffrey Balzer said a policy approved in 2020 by commissioners allows the county to hold elected row officers...
Water used for fracking on the rise but remains a small slice of MAWC sales
Water sales for fracking activities throughout Westmoreland and its neighboring counties represent only a small portion of what is distributed daily to local residential, commercial and industrial customers, according to recently released data. Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County said water purchased by local energy companies accounts for just 4% of...
Embattled Westmoreland County register of wills fires office lawyer
Westmoreland County Register of Wills Sherry Magretti Hamilton on Friday fired the taxpayer-funded lawyer who has represented her courthouse office since 2012. Michael Nestico, who has served as the register’s solicitor since before Hamilton first took office in 2016, was told he was removed from his part-time position in favor...
Removal options vary for embattled Westmoreland register of wills
Efforts to remove Westmoreland County Register of Wills Sherry Magretti Hamilton from office could come down to three words: “Misbehavior in office.” Duquesne University School of Law Professor Bruce Ledewitz said judges could make that finding as part of a sentence imposed next month for contempt of court that allows...
Sewickley Township woman convicted in fatal head-on Arona Road crash
Dawn Coyne’s two daughters embraced outside of a Westmoreland County courtroom Thursday after the woman police said caused the crash that resulted their mother’s death was convicted of vehicular homicide and 16 other charges. Ahna L. Malik, 44, of Sewickley Township was handcuffed and taken to prison to await a...
Driver in fatal crash intended to sell drugs found in car, prosecutors claim
A Sewickley Township woman told investigators two days after she was involved in a fatal crash that she intended to sell the drugs that investigators found in her car’s center console. “Oh, wow. There was a lot of stuff in that car,” Ahna L. Malik said in a recorded interview...
