Rich Cholodofsky stories, Page 38
Derry man found not guilty of resisting arrest
A Derry Borough man who has been in jail for more than a year after he was charged with resisting arrest last summer was found not guilty on Tuesday. Justin J. Jones, 38, was acquitted by Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court Judge Christopher Feliciani of misdemeanor and summary counts following...
Immigration status halts guilty plea in Greensburg meat cleaver attack
A proposed plea deal for a man charged with attacking a co-worker last month in Greensburg with a meat cleaver was put on hold Tuesday over a judge’s concerns about the immigration status of both men involved. Westmoreland County prosecutors attempted to push through the unusually quick court disposition, less...
Madison, a town without a working government, gets court intervention to pay bills
Joe Borkovich doesn’t pay much attention to the inner workings of his hometown. He just knows tiny Madison Borough remains a nice place to live. Standing in the driveway of his home that overlooks the town’s park and playground, Borkovich, 81, said he sees no signs of Madison’s stagnant government...
Greensburg man not guilty in 2020 fatal Hempfield crash
A former Greensburg man was found not guilty of causing a fatal crash three years ago in Hempfield in which his longtime friend was killed. Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court Judge Tim Krieger on Thursday issued a verdict to acquit Nick M. Rossi, 36, of felony vehicular homicide and two...
Retrial set for Unity couple accused in sexual assault case
After years of delays, a Westmoreland County judge ordered a married Unity couple to go to trial in early 2024 on allegations they were responsible for the sexual assault of a teenage girl a decade ago. “This needs to go to trial. It’s been eight years now,” said Common Pleas...
Questions surface over East Huntingdon candidates’ eligibility to serve in office
Two candidates for public office in East Huntingdon who have prior felony convictions may not be able to serve if elected. Jonathan Newill Perkey, a Republican candidate for township supervisor, and Tina Curry-Bashioum, a Republican who is running for a seat on East Huntingdon’s board of auditors face potential legal...
Westmoreland Commissioner Kopas calls for cap on raises for elected county officials
Westmoreland Commissioner Ted Kopas on Tuesday proposed capping annual raises awarded to county elected officials. Kopas, a Democrat who took office at the beginning of August, pitched a revision to a county ordinance approved nearly two decades ago that guarantees yearly cost-of-living pay hikes to commissioners and row officers based...
New Kensington man sentenced for child sex assault
A New Kensington man was ordered to serve up to 13 years in prison for the sexual assault of a child. Chester Elmer Green Jr. 63, was convicted in June by a Westmoreland County jury of molesting a 9-year-old girl in 2013 and 2014. Green was found guilty aggravated indecent...
Whistleblower claims Westmoreland prison inmates lack sufficient mental health treatment
A former behavioral health clinician claims inmates at Westmoreland County Prison received substandard mental health care and that she was fired when she reported her allegations to the facility’s private medical provider. In a whistleblower lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Pittsburgh, Carla Rhodes, a licensed social worker, says...
Prosecution says speeding caused 2020 fatal Hempfield crash
Nick Rossi said he was asked to drive his friend’s car nearly three years ago because he knew the location of the destination they never reached. Westmoreland County prosecutors said Rossi was speeding as he drove on Arona Road in Hempfield, drifted up an embankment and crashed into a tree....
Delmont man, 83, sentenced to state prison for attempted murder of neighbor
An 83-year-old wheelchair-bound Delmont man was sentenced Friday to serve up to eight years in state prison for the 2019 attempted murder of his neighbor. Westmoreland County Common Pleas Judge Tim Krieger said prison confinement was not the preferred option but was the one that offered the best choice to...
Murrysville mayor loses lawsuit but retains seat through 2025
Murrysville Mayor Regis Synan can remain in office through 2025, a judge ruled Friday. Common Pleas Court Judge Jim Silvis dismissed Synan’s lawsuit, filed in April, that sought to force the county election bureau to put the mayor’s race on the November ballot. Synan contended elections officials erred two years...
Terminally ill convicted arsonist gets early release from prison
A former Derry Township man who has served more than two decades in prison for hiring an arsonist to set fire to three properties will be allowed to die at home, a judge ruled Thursday. Donald Queer, 66, was convicted in 2001 of multiple counts of arson and related offenses...
Democrats nominate committee stalwart to run for Westmoreland commissioner
Westmoreland Democrats nominated a Mt. Pleasant Township woman to run for a seat on the county board of commissioners. Party officials on Thursday announced that longtime committee member Lisa Gephart will fill a vacancy on the November ballot to run alongside Commissioner Ted Kopas as Democrats seek to reclaim a...
Mt. Pleasant man to remain on probation under new sentence for armed robbery
A Mt. Pleasant man convicted of armed robbery will remain on supervised release, according to a new sentence imposed Tuesday. Jake Daniel Franklin, 20, was given credit for more than two years he served in jail before he pleaded guilty this year to charges related to his role in the...
Greensburg’s Rialto to reopen as gastropub
The restaurant and bar in downtown Greensburg that was closed last year after a series of violent incidents is expected to reopen this fall with a new name and new owners. “There’s definitely a deal in place,” said Rich Butcher, who along with his wife, Danielle, are finalizing the purchase...
2 plead guilty to charges in downtown Greensburg shootout
Two men involved in shootout in downtown Greensburg last year pleaded guilty to reduced charges on Wednesday. Police said Evan Curley, 24, of Greensburg and Stevin German, 28, formerly of Uniontown, exchanged gunfire following a confrontation inside the Rialto Bar & Bistro on Jan. 31, 2022. Curley sustained two gunshot...
Jeannette man pleads guilty to strangling woman, smuggling phone into county jail
A Jeannette man was ordered to serve up to 23 months in jail after he pleaded guilty to charges in five separate cases, including allegations that he strangled a woman and smuggled a cellphone into the Westmoreland County Prison. Leon D. Fair, 24, was sentenced Tuesday to serve at least...
Whistleblower lawsuit claims Pa. state police bypassed spouse of fellow officer for promotion
A state police trooper is claiming she was passed over for promotions on the force in retaliation for her husband’s role as a whistleblower. Lauren Spallone of Unity, a 14-year veteran with the Pennsylvania State Police and a sergeant since 2019, claims in a lawsuit filed in Westmoreland County court...
Murrysville man pleads guilty to arson of Route 22 landmark
The Spaghetti & Steakhouse and Hot Rod Lounge operated more than a half-century in Murrysville before it burned to the ground in 2021. Two years later, the man who police said set fire to the Route 22 landmark pleaded guilty to arson. Brian P. Lucas, 45, of Murrysville, offered no...
Former Seward police chief jailed for sexual extortion
Former Seward Police Chief Robert I. Baldwin Jr. was sentenced to a short jail term on Friday. Baldwin, 52, was ordered to serve at least 30 days behind bars in connection with charges that he offered two women leniency in exchange for sex. Baldwin had been free on a $25,000...
Appeal reinstated for man convicted in 1993 fatal Jeannette house fire
Pennsylvania’s Superior Court has reinstated the appeal of a former Jeannette man serving three life sentences for the 1993 murder of his wife and two young children. James Young, now 56, contends his conviction to three counts of first-degree murder were based on since-revised investigatory techniques. Investigators said the fire...
Westmoreland commissioners settle juvenile detention center discrimination lawsuit
Westmoreland County will pay $90,000 to the deputy director of the county’s shuttered juvenile detention center to end a federal discrimination lawsuit. Commissioners Sean Kertes and Doug Chew voted to authorize the settlement with Nicole Kamer, who claimed she was passed over for the top job at the Hempfield facility...
New restaurant planned for Westmoreland courthouse
The chow line at the Westmoreland County Courthouse is expected to reopen this fall. Commissioners on Thursday approved a contract with the owners of Caffe Barista in Greensburg to operate the cafeteria space on the Upper Park level of the courthouse that since 2016 has been a Subway restaurant. Subway...
Westmoreland officials hopeful Amazon warehouse portends future growth
Amazon’s plans to open a massive warehouse in New Stanton may be just the first step in a wave of economic development, Westmoreland officials said Wednesday. Amazon confirmed Tuesday it will occupy a 1 million-square foot warehouse in what has become an industrial hub for the county near the intersection...
