Rich Cholodofsky stories, Page 5
Former Jeannette man awaiting retrial for 1993 fatal fire seeks release from jail
A former Jeannette man jailed for more than three decades in connection with the deaths of his wife and two young children wants to be released from custody as his case moves through the court system. Lawyers for James Young, 58, contend his speedy trial rights have been violated. They...
Southmoreland district, teachers in legal fight over weight-loss drugs
Southmoreland School District is in a legal battle with its teachers union over insurance coverage for prescription weight-loss drugs. The district has filed a lawsuit in Westmoreland County, asking a judge to overturn an arbiter’s decision that sided with the union. According to court filings, the district’s decision to stop...
Westmoreland Housing Authority OKs $17.1 million budget
Westmoreland County Housing Authority board members on Tuesday approved the agency’s annual operating budget that officials hope will be an accurate spending plan for the upcoming fiscal year. Rachel Fritz, the authority’s chief financial officer, told board members the budgets for administrative costs and public housing programs total $17.1 million...
Rape charge dismissed as part of New Kensington man’s plea deal
A New Kensington man pleaded guilty Monday to reduced charges following allegations of a violent sexual assault last year in Arnold. As part of a negotiated plea deal, prosecutors dismissed felony charges of rape, aggravated indecent assault, aggravated assault and sexual assault against Marque Angelo Sanders in return for guilty...
Longtime chief of staff to Senate leader Kim Ward resigns
A shakeup is coming to the legislative staff of Pennsylvania Senate President Tempore Kim Ward. Ward, R-Hempfield, announced Friday her longtime chief of staff Rob Ritson has resigned to take at job at UPMC. Ritson has served as Ward’s top aide for 23 years. “Rob’s professionalism and demeanor set an...
Westmoreland commissioners decline to consider ballot curing for November election
The Westmoreland County commissioners Thursday again rejected calls to allow mail-in voters an opportunity to fix errors that could lead to the disqualification of their ballots in November. During the public comment period of the commissioners’ meeting at the courthouse, a handful of voters — most of them registered Democrats...
Jury convicts East Huntingdon man wounded in shootout with state police
A Westmoreland County jury on Wednesday rejected defense claims that an East Huntingdon man’s shootout with state police last year was covered up by investigators to shield authorities from allegations of improper use of force. Jurors deliberated nearly five hours before returning 18 guilty verdicts against James R. Miller Jr.,...
Westmoreland halts spending; threatens service cuts, layoffs amid state budget impasse
Westmoreland County leaders said a looming financial crisis could result in layoffs, service cuts and facility closures without a quick resolution to the ongoing state budget impasse in Harrisburg. The county commissioners this week instructed department heads to limit spending as part of an initial phase of mandatory cost-containment measures....
Troopers testify they feared for their lives during 2024 East Huntingdon shootoutVideo
Two Pennsylvania State Police troopers testified Tuesday they feared for their life when they opened fire last year on an East Huntingdon man during what they called a routine neighborhood canvass after responding to a shots fired report earlier that night. “He refused to drop his weapon,” testified Tpr. Brandon...
Paper ballots now an Election Day option for Westmoreland voters
Westmoreland County voters in November will be given the option to use paper ballots on Election Day. Republican Commissioners Sean Kertes and Doug Chew on Tuesday, acting as the county’s Election Board, authorized an optional shift to paper ballots while also saying voters can still use the touch-screen voting machine...
Defense claims police cover-up as trial begins for man charged in East Huntingdon shootout
The lawyer for an East Huntingdon man charged with the attempted murder of two state police officers told a Westmoreland County jury Monday that the case against her client is based on a police cover-up. In her opening statement to jurors, defense attorney Jill Devine claimed officers concocted evidence to...
Mt. Pleasant man pleads guilty in friend’s overdose death
A former Fayette County man pleaded guilty on Monday to a reduced charge of involuntary manslaughter for providing drugs to an East Huntingdon man who died of an overdose in 2020. Steven T. Shively, 36, now of Mt. Pleasant Township, was originally charged with a felony count of drug delivery...
Washington Township man sentenced for possession of ‘obscene amount’ of drugs
A Washington Township man was sentenced Friday to serve at least 4 1/2 years in prison for possession of what prosecutors described as an obscene amount of drugs discovered during a search earlier this year. Michael Stephen Sisco, 54, pleaded guilty in June to four felony counts of possession with...
Hempfield man guilty of assault against first responders
A Hempfield man was convicted Thursday of aggravated assaults against two first responders as they attempted to treat and transport him to a local hospital for a stomach ailment. Westmoreland County prosecutors said Anthony Michael Flowers, 33, spit on two emergency medical technicians, threatened additional violence and to bomb a...
Preliminary hearings ordered for retired detective facing drugs, witness intimidation charges
Criminal cases against a retired Allegheny County detective were remanded to a district court Thursday after plea negotiations faltered. Raymond W. Bonacci, 59, of Murrysville was charged last year with drug offenses in connection with allegations that in 2019 he injected his then-juvenile son with testosterone and provided him with...
Defense questions trooper’s overdose in bid to nix assault, drug charges
A Pennsylvania State Police trooper testified this week he overdosed after being exposed to fentanyl during an arrest of a Pittsburgh man last year. “I woke up in the hospital later that day and was treated for a suspected overdose,” Trooper Joshua Wiskeman said during a pretrial hearing related to...
Delmont couple accused in torture killing of adopted son, 5, to have separate trials
A Delmont couple charged with the torture killing of their adopted 5-year-old son will be prosecuted separately, a Westmoreland County judge ruled. The move sets the stage for the spouses to blame each other for the February 2023 death of Landon Maloberti, according to Lauren Maloberti’s lawyer. Lauren Maloberti, 36,...
Legal expert: Misconduct allegations lodged against DA’s office, police may be difficult to prove
Allegations of misconduct aired this week against a former Westmoreland County prosecutor and the New Kensington Police Department could be difficult to prove, according to a legal expert. Saint Vincent College law professor Bruce Antkowiak said Thursday that defense attorneys for a former Pittsburgh man not only have a high...
Westmoreland DA accused of history of misconduct during murder appeal
A former Pittsburgh man twice convicted of a 1999 murder outside a New Kensington bar claims he was the victim of a systematic effort by Westmoreland County prosecutors to subvert and hide evidence. During a hearing Tuesday, lawyers for Denard Galloway, 59, argued the county district attorney’s office withheld key...
Man admits stealing car with Lucky the dog inside, but provides no leads
Willard Martz and his dog, Lucky, were nearly inseparable. Martz, a retired Marine from Donegal Township, had cared for his late son’s dog since 2020, and they were rarely apart until last fall, his daughter told a Westmoreland County judge Monday. She addressed the court during a guilty plea hearing...
Trial date set for man charged in Unity woman’s murder
A Westmoreland County judge has set a February trial for a Unity man accused in the suspected murder of his girlfriend more than seven years ago. Cassandra Gross was last seen in April 2018, and authorities almost immediately named her boyfriend, Thomas Stanko, as a person of interest in her...
MAWC approves upgraded security at New Stanton campus
The Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County will spend about $350,000 to upgrade security at its New Stanton headquarters. Officials announced the plan last week that includes upgraded surveillance cameras and a gate to prevent unsupervised access to the water and sewer agency’s garages and warehouse. “Over the years we’ve had...
State budget stalemate not expected to result in Westmoreland transit authority service cuts
The ongoing budget stalemate in Harrisburg will have little impact on Westmoreland County Transit Authority operations, officials said. Executive Director Alan Blahovec, during the authority’s monthly board meeting Thursday, said the agency has enough funding in place to continue its current schedule of fixed-route bus service and paratransit programs throughout...
Allegheny jail guard to serve probation for drunken driving crash in North Huntingdon
An Allegheny County Jail guard pleaded guilty this week to being drunk when he caused a violent crash three years ago in North Huntingdon, injuring another motorist. Dwight D. Edwards, 52, of Penn Township was charged following the Nov. 14, 2022, crash on Morris Avenue. Police said Edwards’ pickup truck...
Unity plumber pleads guilty to bilking homeowner
A Unity plumber was ordered to serve at least 11½ months in jail for failing to complete a sewer replacement job at a Hempfield home in 2022. Mark E. Loughran, 55, pleaded guilty to felony counts of deceptive business practices, theft and receiving advance payment for work not completed. But...
