Rich Cholodofsky stories, Page 4
Derry man convicted for causing 2019 crash that injured passenger
A Westmoreland County jury convicted a Derry Township man for causing a 2019 vehicle crash in Unity in which his passenger sustained serious injuries. Robert S. Mayer, 61, following a two-day trial, was found guilty this week of two felony offenses, aggravated assault by vehicle and causing an accident while...
Westmoreland jury acquits suspended trooper of girlfriend’s assault
Suspended state police Trooper Nicholas Hood was found not guilty Wednesday in connection to an alleged domestic violence incident two years in his Derry Township home. A Westmoreland County jury deliberated two hours before finding Hood not guilty of one misdemeanor count of simple assault. Common Pleas Judge Michael Stewart...
Westmoreland extends election bureau hours, OKs polling place changes for November
Westmoreland County announced it will extend hours of operation for its election bureau for a two-week period prior to the Nov. 4 general election. The county’s election board on Tuesday also approved new locations for five voting of the 306 precincts that will be used on Election Day. Voters will...
Assault trial begins for suspended state police trooper
Sarah Hellmann told a Westmoreland County jury Tuesday she was hesitant to contact police to report allegations that one of their own had assaulted her during a fight in a Derry Township home. She said it was only after she was encouraged by her employers that she went to the...
Westmoreland County approves ballot curing process for November election
The Westmoreland County commissioners on Tuesday approved a process to allow voters this fall to correct mail-in ballots. Republicans Sean Kertes and Doug Chew, who for the past five years have opposed efforts to allow what is known as ballot curing, said they were required to reverse course and implement...
Allegheny Twp. man pleads no contest to fentanyl possession
An Allegheny Township man faces up to 10 years in prison after pleading no contest Monday to fentanyl possession. George Zachary Senko, 40, was charged in May 2023 following a traffic stop on South Leechburg Hill Road after police found four bricks of fentanyl in his vehicle. As jury selection...
Jury convicts brother, acquits sister in New Kensington Easter Egg hunt assault
A Westmoreland County jury acquitted a New Kensington woman but convicted her older brother of the assault against of an autistic teen during a neighborhood Easter egg hunt. Stacey Oneal Jr., 36, of New Kensington was found guilty of a felony count of aggravated assault and misdemeanor simple assault and...
Brother, sister on trial for teen’s assault during New Kensington Easter egg hunt
Westmoreland County prosecutors contend a New Kensington brother and sister conspired to assault an autistic teenager two years ago during a neighborhood Easter egg hunt. Jurors will begin hearing evidence Thursday in the trial of Stacey Oneal Jr., 36, and his younger sister, Krystae Oneal, 33, who are charged in...
Father of New Kensington cop killer pleads guilty to open lewdness charge
The father of the man on death row for the murder of New Kensington police officer Brian Shaw pleaded guilty Tuesday in connection to claims he propositioned two teenage girls in Latrobe. Gregory Baucum Jr., 54, was sentenced to serve six to 12 months in jail but was immediately paroled...
Blairsville woman sentenced to jail term for 2024 fatal Derry Twp. crash
John Higgins said he and his 10-year-old daughter continue to struggle with the death of his fiance, who was killed in a head-on crash last year in Derry Township. Ashley Kelley, 33, pleaded guilty to reduced charges and was sentenced to serve nearly one year in jail for her role...
Judge withdraws from Westmoreland County prison board
Westmoreland County’s jail oversight board for now will operate without representation from the court. Prison Board Chairman Doug Chew said Monday during the board’s monthly meeting that Common Pleas Judge Harry Smail Jr. has withdrawn from the body that includes the three county commissioners, Sheriff James Albert, District Attorney Nicole...
Westmoreland commissioners cancel public meetings amid state budget crisis
Because there’s no money to spend, Westmoreland County commissioners say, there is no need to conduct this week’s regularly scheduled public meetings at the courthouse. Commissioners canceled their agenda meeting set for Tuesday morning and Thursday’s public voting session in response to the ongoing state budget impasse that has halted...
Mt. Pleasant Twp. man pleads guilty in December shooting incident
A Mt. Pleasant Township man was sentenced Monday to serve up to five years in prison in connection with a shooting incident in December 2024. Police claimed he and his father chased a motorist and fired multiple rounds during the incident. Paul Anthony Caletri III, 31, pleaded guilty to one...
Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Jeannette celebrates 135th birthday
Karen and Bill Davis of Penn Township grew up at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Jeannette, where they met and later married before moving away to Maryland in the late 1980s. After the birth of their first child in 1994, they returned home and to the church where they spent...
2 dead in Aliquippa shooting
Two people were shot and killed Saturday night in Aliquippa in an incident state police said involved no other people. Cynthia Zipfel, 43, of Aliquippa was discovered by police inside of her parked vehicle in a lot behind a building on Franklin Avenue shortly before 11 p.m. Police said Jalen...
Woman stabbed, another detained in Glen Hazel
Pittsburgh police said Sunday that a woman was taken into custody following a stabbing in the city’s Glen Hazel neighborhood. Investigators said they responded to a residence on the 620 block of Johnstown Avenue at about 8:20 a.m. and found an adult female with one stab wound to the stomach....
Nothing to see: Westmoreland commissioners debate streaming of public meetings
Despite public pleas, Westmoreland commissioners have yet to reach consensus on a plan to make video viewing an option for those who want to watch how county business is conducted. Commissioner Ted Kopas this month endorsed a plan to livestream public meetings that are conducted once or twice monthly at...
Hempfield unveils 1st phase of new $15 million park
A 43-acre plot adjacent to Route 30 in Hempfield that a decade ago was to be home to a medical complex was opened Saturday for what township leaders anticipate will be the centerpiece of a rejuvenated recreational system servicing central Westmoreland County. Hempfield officials unveiled the nearly completed first-phase of...
‘A lot of anxiety’: Westmoreland furlough plan could impact more than 100 staffers
As many as 100 Westmoreland County employees are expected to be furloughed as commissioners finalize plans to reduce spending amid the ongoing state budget impasse. Commissioner Ted Kopas said Wednesday administrators and human resource officials are expected to begin notifying nonunion staffers this week who will be temporarily removed from...
Ohio man pleads guilty in fatal Route 22 crash
An Ohio man pleaded guilty Monday to a reduced charge for causing a fatal 2023 crash on Route 22 in Salem that killed his 16-year-old passenger. Ricardo Pierre Hardy Jr., 24, was ordered to serve five years of probation, including 18 months of house arrest, after Westmoreland County prosecutors agreed...
Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County sets fee for lead line replacements
The Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County will charge property owners in eight northern communities $3,200 to voluntarily replace lead water lines in their homes and businesses. Authority board members approved a plan last week they said caps charges and subsidizes water line replacements as part of what is expected to...
Westmoreland looks to finalize job cut plan as state budget talks lag
Westmoreland County Treasurer Jared Squires will repay his October salary to the county so furloughs in his office can be prevented, he said Friday. “They (commissioners) wanted me to furlough at least one person, so I thought the sacrifice needs to come from leadership first,” Squires said. Commissioners this week...
Irwin man pleads guilty to possession of child porn, sentenced to at least 4 years in prison
An Irwin man was ordered to serve at least 4 years in prison for possession of child pornography. Joshua David Ward, 34, pleaded guilty this week to three felony counts in connection with allegations he distributed and possessed more than 100 images that depicted child sexual assaults, police said. According...
Westmoreland County to furlough staff, partially close parks as Pa. budget impasse continues
Westmoreland commissioners said employees will be furloughed in two weeks and the county parks will partially close in early October as a result of the ongoing state budget impasse. Commissioners on Thursday instructed department heads to make recommendations for a temporary job reduction plan as part of continued cost-savings efforts....
E-bike rider gets probation after police say he ignored order to avoid crash scene
A Greensburg e-bike rider pleaded guilty Wednesday to one count of disorderly conduct after police said he stumbled into and refused to leave the scene of a fatal hit-and-run crash in Hempfield this summer. Jonathan V. Mezeivtch, 35, was sentenced to one year of probation. He was charged after police...
