Rich Cholodofsky stories, Page 26
Westmoreland commissioner calls for resignation, impeachment of Register of Wills
Westmoreland County Commissioner Ted Kopas on Wednesday demanded the resignation of Register of Wills Sherry Magretti Hamilton and called on the state Senate to initiate proceedings to have her removed from office. Hamilton was not at the courthouse on Wednesday and could not be reached for comment. A Hempfield Republican,...
Defense claims vehicle condition, not drug use, caused fatal Hempfield crash
An hour before a deadly head-on car crash along Arona Road in Hempfield, school secretary Nannette Riles knew something was wrong. Riles confronted Ahna L. Malik as she dropped off her young daughter at H.W. Good Elementary School in Herminie on March 7, 2022. Moments after Malik drove off, Riles...
Judges find Westmoreland register of wills in contempt of court
Westmoreland County’s embattled Register of Wills Sherry Magretti Hamilton faces a potential jail sentence for failing to comply with multiple court orders from two judges. Common Pleas Judges Harry Smail Jr. and Jim Silvis on Tuesday found Hamilton in direct criminal contempt on three counts: disobedience or neglect by an...
New Kensington cook wins Democratic primary to run for state House seat
Nearly 9,200 write-in votes were cast by Westmoreland County voters in last month’s Democratic and Republican primaries. Election Bureau Director Greg McCloskey said the county elections board is expected to issue a preliminary certification of results on Tuesday. Those results will include a victory for one candidate who did not...
Greensburg YMCA extends management deal with Pittsburgh branch
The search for new leadership of the Greensburg YMCA will be suspended until at least next year as officials continue efforts to strengthen the financial health and operational structure at the downtown facility. Board president Sydney Beeler confirmed this week that an agreement with the Greater Pittsburgh YMCA to serve...
New Mexico man fights extradition to Florida after license plate readers used to track him to New Stanton
The lawyer of a man arrested this week at a Pennsylvania Turnpike service plaza told a judge he will challenge efforts to extradite his client to Florida to answer charges that he shot and killed his own brother. John William Tolbert, 58, of New Mexico, is expected to remain in...
Longtime Westmoreland prison staffer hired as new deputy warden
The Westmoreland County Prison Board on Thursday promoted a longtime staffer to serve as the facility’s new deputy warden for security. The board hired Robert Fagan to the position previously held by the jail’s new warden, who was hired in February. Fagan, 46, of South Huntingdon, was initially hired in...
Hempfield man’s ‘nonstop criminal activity’ nets 3- to 6-year prison sentence
A Hempfield man was ordered to serve up to six years in prison for a series of crimes that included an assault against a police officer, two high-speed chases and possession of cocaine in his cell at the Westmoreland County jail. As Antjuan Dewayne Smith, 41, pleaded guilty Thursday, his...
Hempfield man’s ‘nonstop criminal activity’ nets 3-to 6-year prison sentence
A Hempfield man was ordered to serve up to six years in prison for a series of crimes that included an assault against a police officer, two high-speed chases and possession of cocaine in his cell at the Westmoreland County Prison. As Antjuan Dewayne Smith, 41, pleaded guilty Thursday, his...
Investigation launched over allegations of missing funds from North Huntingdon AG Office
The Westmoreland County District Attorney’s Office on Thursday confirmed it has launched an investigation into allegations that an undisclosed amount of money was stolen from an Pennsylvania Attorney General’s office in North Huntingdon. Spokeswoman Melanie Jones said in a statement that the district attorney’s office “is aware of missing funds...
Mt. Pleasant man to serve probation for sexual assault of child
A Mt. Pleasant Borough man was ordered to serve five years on probation after he pleaded guilty Wednesday to the sexual assault of a young girl. Lawrence L. Lewis Jr., 75, was charged last year in connection allegations leveled by a 10-year-old girl who claimed she was molested multiple times...
Vandergrift man sentenced to prison for sex assaults of children
A Vandergrift man will serve at least 16 years in prison for the sexual assault of two children. Timothy Johnson, 38, was convicted by a Westmoreland County jury in February in two separate cases in which he was convicted of 12 counts. Those included involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, conspiracy, indecent...
Youngwood man pleads guilty to drug sales in 2 fatal overdoses
A Youngwood man pleaded guilty Monday to selling drugs to two people who died of overdoses in 2020. Frank Bogley, 71, was charged following the Feb. 1, 2020, death of 39-year-old Tina Johnson in West Newton and again after the Oct. 24, 2020, death of John W. Wiltrout Jr., 58,...
Vandergrift woman to serve probation for theft from roommate
A Vandergrift woman was ordered to serve five years on probation for her role in the theft of more than $30,000 from a roommate over a two-year period that ended in April 2022. Rebecca Lynn Hubert, 56, pleaded guilty to charges of theft and receiving stolen property as part of...
Defense claims prosecutor misconduct during 2016 trial for New Stanton motel killing
The lawyer for a McKeesport man convicted of first-degree murder at a New Stanton motel is accusing prosecutors of misconduct during a 2016 trial. Attorney Chris Rand Eyster said prosecutors failed to adequately disclose key information regarding pending federal charges against an eyewitness. The eyewitness testified that she saw Christopher...
Teen sentenced for role in fatal New Kensington shooting
A Pittsburgh teenager was ordered to serve up to four years in prison for his role in a fatal shooting two summers ago in front of a New Kensington high rise apartment building. Avian Molter, who turned 17 on April 16, told a Westmoreland County judge he’s turned his life...
North Huntingdon man pleads guilty to making and sharing child porn
A North Huntingdon man pleaded guilty Thursday to 32 felony offenses related to allegations he created and distributed images of child pornography. James C. Gockel, 41, was charged in 2022 after state police investigators received notification from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that videos were uploaded to...
Westmoreland politicos put primary in the past, look ahead to November
A day after only 30% of Westmoreland County’s voters cast ballots in a sleepy primary with few contested races, local political leaders said Wednesday they are setting their sights on what they expect to be a rugged general election campaign. Even with just a handful of down-ballot races on the...
Dziados leads in Democratic primary for chance to unseat Reschenthaler in Congress
Retired U.S. Army veteran Chris Dziados, with overwhelming support from his home county, appeared ahead in the race to secure the Democratic nomination in the 14th Congressional District. According to the unofficial results, Dziados will face incumbent Rep. Guy Reschenthaler in November. Dziados, 43, of South Strabane, Washington County, had...
Texas trucker returns home after hit-and-run guilty plea
A Texas truck driver was scheduled to jet home Monday night to Dallas after serving nearly 16 months in the Westmoreland County Prison for a hit-and-run crash in the parking lot of a Hempfield auto parts store. Quantae M. Beavers, 26, pleaded guilty to charges of aggravated assault, simple assault,...
Westmoreland transit launches real time bus tracking
The Westmoreland County Transit Authority this month launched a mobile phone application that provides riders with real-time tracking of local buses. The MyStop app allows passengers to receive updates on bus locations and estimated arrival times along the agency’s route system that includes commuter service to Pittsburgh and local service...
Voting precincts remain inaccessible to some disabled voters in Westmoreland County
Adam Halfill’s job description doesn’t include heavy lifting. But when Halfill reports to work Tuesday as the judge of elections at Greensburg Hose Company No. 3, he understands the job could involve the use of a little muscle. “Voters have to come down four or five steps to get into...
GOP reverses course, says mail-in ballots key to 2024 success
Local Republican leaders are pushing voters to get in the game when it comes to mail-in ballots, even if the most prominent voice in the party still is resistant. “It is important because we’re already starting each election with a deficit,” said Westmoreland GOP Committee Chairman Bill Bretz. “Many Democratic...
Latrobe man will serve at least 15 years in prison for Derry Township dagger, bat attack
A Latrobe man was ordered to serve 15 to 30 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to charges related to a brutal assault in Derry Township that left three people severely injured. Westmoreland County prosecutors say Nicholas McIntyre broke into the Fourth Street apartment where his former girlfriend and...
Scottdale contractor ordered to serve extra prison term for home improvement thefts
Scottdale contractor Jason Pirl said life just got away from him after he suffered two heart attacks in October 2020. His health crisis in the midst of the raging coronavirus pandemic left his home repair business in tatters. Then ongoing alcohol and gambling addictions made his problems worse, Pirl said....
