Rich Cholodofsky stories, Page 32
Trial begins for New Stanton man charged with bathroom rape at 2020 Halloween party
A Mt. Pleasant woman testified Monday that she intentionally kept quiet during an alleged rape in a bathroom because her daughter was sleeping in the next room. “I just left the bathroom and didn’t call out for help because my daughter was in the next room sleeping,” she said in...
DA drops alleged rape case after accuser declines to testify
Westmoreland County prosecutors on Monday dismissed rape and related charges against a Blairsville man who police claimed was linked to alleged sexual assaults through DNA evidence. Felony counts of rape, sexual assault, possession of child pornography and other offenses were dropped as jury selection in the case against Lawrence Paul...
Greensburg man pleads guilty to Hempfield bank robbery
A Greensburg man pleaded guilty Monday to the robbery of a Hempfield bank two years ago. Jonathan Smith Jr., 31, will remain free on $50,000 unsecured bond until he is sentenced in about three months. He pleaded guilty to charges of robbery, theft, receiving stolen property and making a terroristic...
What’s that? Robot stands guard at Hempfield concrete business
Editor’s note: “What’s That?” is a recurring feature in the Tribune-Review’s Westmoreland Plus edition. If there’s something you’d like to see explored here, send an email to gtrcity@tribweb.com. A 10-foot statue may surprise some motorists as they pass by the front entrance to a Hempfield concrete company. The steel creation...
Judge rules former Derry man charged with sexual assaults of multiple teens competent to stand trial
A former Derry man will stand trial in five cases in which he is charged with sexual assaults and other crimes against multiple teenage girls over the last year. Christopher Fraser, 20, was charged last year in connection with allegations he had improper sexual contact with children ranging from 12...
‘I will never be who I was before the shooting,’ woman shot on Pa. Turnpike tells gunman
As Morgan King drove to her Eastern Pennsylvania home after a weekend in Pittsburgh, the last thing she expected was to be shot in a fit of road rage. King, 40, was hospitalized for five days for injuries suffered from the shot fired by Andrew Skinner, 33, of Monroeville moments...
Death penalty prosecution can continue against New Kensington man accused of child’s murder
A Westmoreland County judge ruled Thursday that prosecutors have enough evidence to bring a New Kensington man to trial and seek the death penalty for the alleged first-degree murder of a 2-year-old boy in 2020. Common Pleas Judge Scott Mears rejected defense claims that medical evidence was insufficient to prove...
Delmont man pleads guilty to sexual assault of teen
A Delmont man pleaded guilty Wednesday to the sexual assault of a 15-year-old girl. Dezhane M. Amey, 23, was sentenced by Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court Judge Tim Krieger to serve nine months on house arrest as part of a two-year probation term in return for his plea to one...
Judge rejects Monessen teen’s bid to transfer homicide case to juvenile court
A Monessen teenager will be prosecuted as an adult for the fatal shooting of a 16-year-old friend in late 2022. Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court Judge Scott Mears, in a ruling made public on Wednesday, rejected defense calls to transfer the criminal homicide case against now 17-year-old Terry Newton to...
Pay hikes approved for Westmoreland lawyers, jail guards
Starting salaries for Westmoreland County assistant district attorneys and public defenders will increase 24% this year under terms of a new labor deal approved Tuesday. The county’s salary board, which includes the three commissioners and Controller Jeffrey Balzer, signed off on the four-year labor deal for the collective bargaining unit...
Prosecutor calls New Florence man convicted of assaulting police a ‘menace to society’
Although he was acquitted of murder charges in the 2015 fatal shooting of a St. Clair police officer, Ray A. Shetler Jr. remains a “menace to society” who should kept in prison, a Westmoreland County prosecutor told a judge Tuesday. Shetler, 39, was in court Tuesday to be sentenced for...
Kertes retained as board chairman
Westmoreland County Commissioners on Tuesday retained Sean Kertes as the board’s chairman. Kertes, a second-term Republican from Greensburg, was unanimously elected to head the board of commissioners, a position he has held since he first took office in 2020. As chairman, Kertes runs the board’s public meetings. It’s a duty...
Westmoreland County in 25 years: Bots, planes and Taylor Swift?
Westmoreland County’s chief clerk, Vera Spina, spent months collecting items for a time capsule she hopes will be a window into the past when it is opened in 25 years. The capsule was sealed and buried in front of the courthouse and will be opened in 2048. What will the...
Longtime judge Rita Hathaway, Westmoreland’s 1st woman president judge, set to retire
Rita Hathaway was a young mother and third grade teacher in 1983 when she suspected one of her students had been the victim of abuse. When her efforts to intervene on behalf of the child went unanswered, she decided she’d never again be in a position where she couldn’t help....
Murrysville landmark owner backs leniency for building’s arsonist
Monica Meehan sat quietly in a Westmoreland County courtroom Friday to watch the man who burned down her business, the Spaghetti & Steakhouse and Hot Rod Lounge in Murrysville, receive a state prison sentence. “It’s pretty devastating and the land is for sale now,” Meehan said. “At the time, things...
Westmoreland commissioners approve $4 million stake for airport expansion
Westmoreland County will provide the final piece of financing needed to double the size of the terminal building at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport near Latrobe. The county’s airport authority will receive $4 million from Westmoreland County Industrial Development Corp. “We want to support our assets in our area. This is...
Teen who fled Westmoreland juvenile shelter faces new charges
The teenager charged with second-degree murder in connection with a shooting last year in New Kensington is facing additional criminal offenses related to an attack against a shelter worker and his disappearance from an unsecured facility this month. Assistant District Attorney Jackie Knupp said Thursday those new charges warrant the...
Westmoreland commissioners blame past fiscal neglect in approving 32.5% tax hike
A 32.5% property tax increase approved Thursday by Westmoreland County commissioners was necessary, they said, to balance the county’s 2024 budget while allowing the county to preserve some fiscal reserves. Commissioners cited spiraling costs to pay off existing debt, increases in the cost of health benefits for employees and added...
Westmoreland commissioners expected to pass 32.5% tax hike
Westmoreland commissioners are expected to implement the largest county property tax increase in more than two decades when they meet Thursday morning to approve the 2024 operating budget. The proposal calls for taxpayers to see a 32.5% increase next year through two separate levies, one that will fund general government...
Export teen sentenced to prison term for Jeannette shooting
An Export man pleaded guilty Wednesday to shooting two men in a Jeannette home in October 2020. Khalil Myers, 19, was originally charged with attempted homicide and aggravated assault in connection with a shooting that injured two men at a South Third Street home. Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court Judge...
Hempfield Area students plead guilty to weapons charges
Three teens charged in juvenile court were admonished by a judge Wednesday after they agreed to plead guilty to possessing guns at Hempfield Area High School in October. Earl Aughinbaugh, 15, pleaded guilty to nine criminal counts including multiple felony charges of theft, possessing a gun on school property, illegal...
Expansion of inpatient drug treatment program funded by Westmoreland opioid settlement
The Westmoreland commissioners are expected to allocate more than $577,000 in revenue from the county’s opioid lawsuit settlement to pay for the expansion of a private drug rehabilitation center at Independence Health Frick Hospital in Mt. Pleasant. The money will help finance a portion of a $1.4 million project that...
St. Clair man pleads guilty to child sexual assaults
A former Unity man was ordered to serve up to 12 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to the sexual assaults of three children. Shawn Waulk, 36, of St. Clair, was originally charged in 2021 with the rape of a child and earlier this year additional charges were filed...
Guards hired to ease staff crunch at Westmoreland County Prison
Westmoreland County’s Prison Board on Monday approved the hiring of 13 corrections officers who, officials said, will ease a staffing crunch that has impacted the operations at the lockup in Hempfield. “This helps our staffing tremendously,” interim Warden Steve Pelesky said. “Once these folks start, we’ll have just 14 or...
Westmoreland juvenile detention center on track to fully reopen soon
Westmoreland officials said Monday hiring efforts could result in a full-scale reopening of the county’s juvenile detention center next month. The 16-bed secure detention center at the Regional Youth Services Center in Hempfield was closed in June amid staffing shortages and state inspections critical of employment levels and training. It...
