Rich Cholodofsky stories, Page 6
Judge orders closure of sex assault case against former Pirates pitcher
A Westmoreland County judge has ordered the closure of the criminal case that ended the Major League Baseball career of former Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Felipe Vazquez. Vazquez, 34, was convicted of the sexual assault of a Scottdale teenager and served about four years in prison before he was deported in...
Westmoreland launches program to assist searches for missing at-risk residents
First responders in Westmoreland County know all too well the dangers that exist for those with dementia, autism, Alzheimer’s and other cognitive disorders who wander away from home. In the last year, nearly three dozen searches throughout the county were undertaken in response to missing person reports filed by caregivers,...
Prosecutors say threats continue following 2021 Election Day assault
An East Huntingdon man charged with a 2021 Election Day assault at a Westmoreland County voting precinct was jailed Tuesday. Prosecutors told a judge that continued threats have been made against the alleged victim and her family. Zachary Lambing, 38, of Alverton, is awaiting trial on charges of simple assault...
Staffing woes, economics threaten future of Westmoreland Manor
Westmoreland Manor has seen better days. County leaders this month issued a warning that persistent nursing shortages and a dwindling number of residents have created economic pitfalls that could endanger the facility in the years to come. The six-story nursing home in Hempfield has served Westmoreland County’s aging and disabled...
Southwest Greensburg father pleads guilty to charges related to infant’s death
A Southwest Greensburg man will serve 10 years on probation for his role in the 2023 death of his 8-month-old son. Jason Frederick Ludwig, 40, pleaded guilty Monday to a felony count of child endangerment and misdemeanor charges of obstruction of justice and tampering with evidence. Police said he attempted...
Sale of Sutersville-Sewickley sewer system awaits state approval
A $3.25 million deal to sell the Sutersville-Sewickley Sewage Authority is awaiting approval from the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission. Authority chairman Bruce Riley confirmed Friday a deal was reached this spring for Pennsylvania-American Water Co. to purchase the small system’s infrastructure and provide service to nearly 500 customers. “It needs...
Westmoreland convention center study revealed, casino area is preferred site
An $86 million hotel and conference center adjacent to Live Casino Pittsburgh at Westmoreland Mall could infuse more than $720 million into the community in just 10 years. That was the conclusion of a six-month study commissioned by the Westmoreland County Chamber of Commerce. Local leaders are hopeful the study...
Jeannette’s Smarto remembered for strong community ties, commitment to family
Janice Smarto made a name for herself in real estate and community service, but it was dedication to her family where she stood tall, her daughter said Wednesday. Smarto, 82, died Aug. 10 from injuries sustained in a fall two weeks earlier in her Jeannette home. “She was a spitfire...
Former county purchasing head claims public records refute theft allegations
In court documents filed Monday, the lawyer for Westmoreland County’s former purchasing director claimed that county leaders approved a transfer of the funds prosecutors contend was stolen during a yearlong payroll scheme. Kristopher Cardiff, 48, of Trafford was charged with felony theft counts in connection with allegations that he misappropriated...
School district to turn over student records in criminal cases against special ed teacher, aides
The Greensburg Salem School District was ordered Monday to turn over sensitive student records to prosecutors and a defense attorney in the case of alleged mistreatment of three children in a special education classroom. Teacher Brooke Stanko, classroom aide Teri Kepchia and four other employees are awaiting trial on allegations...
Westmoreland’s covid cash could ease financial crunch as state budget impasse persists
Westmoreland County may tap federal coronavirus pandemic grant funds to cover impending budgetary shortfalls. The county still holds less than a third of the $105.4 million in federal grants that it received. Finance Director Meghan McCandless said even though all of the funds received through the American Rescue Plan program...
Westmoreland County announces plan to renovate former Jeannette glass site
Westmoreland County development officials will spend $1.6 million to renovate the last remaining vacant space in the Jeannette Industrial Park. A former centerpiece of Jeannette’s glass making past, the more than 211,000-square-foot property has served as one of 19 industrial parks in the county since the mid 1990s. It is...
New Kensington man’s murder retrial ends after 2nd jury unable to reach a verdict
Westmoreland County District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli on Thursday said her office will seek a third trial for a New Kensington man charged in connection with the 2020 fatal shooting of an Arnold drug dealer. After 10 hours of deliberations over two days, jurors failed to reach a verdict for charges...
Jury deliberations to continue in New Kensington murder trial
A Westmoreland County jury will resume deliberations Thursday morning in the retrial of a New Kensington man charged with the murder and robbery of an Arnold drug dealer. Jurors heard three days of testimony and deliberated nearly six hours Wednesday without reaching a verdict in the case against Letresse Williams....
Witnesses link New Kensington man to 2020 murder of Arnold drug dealer
A New Kensington woman testified Tuesday that her former boyfriend confessed to his role in a fatal shooting of an Arnold drug dealer nearly five years ago. Shawnti Lee told a Westmoreland County jury that Letresse Williams made a frantic call to her in the late afternoon of Jan. 15,...
Retrial begins in 2020 New Kensington fatal shooting
For the second time in 14 months, Westmoreland County prosecutors will attempt to convince a jury that Letresse Williams killed a suspected drug dealer during a botched robbery attempt. Assistant District Attorney Anthony Iannamorelli said the Jan. 15, 2020, fatal shooting of Anthone Williams warrants a second-degree murder conviction. (Letresse...
Former Greensburg police chief pleads guilty to evidence tampering charges
Former Greensburg police chief Shawn Denning pleaded guilty Monday in Westmoreland County court to three misdemeanor counts of tampering with evidence. Denning, 44, of Delmont was sentenced to serve three concurrent one-year probation terms, which will run alongside the 15-month federal prison sentence he is serving after pleading guilty this...
Ex-Greensburg police chief set for Monday court appearance in county theft case
Former Greensburg police chief Shawn Denning is back in Westmoreland County. Denning, 44, of Delmont was transferred this week to the county jail to await a court appearance Monday, when he is expected to consider a possible guilty plea to misdemeanor charges in connection with allegations that he stole evidence...
Bedbug outbreak disrupts tenants at Jeannette high rise
Kristina Trent said Friday her father hasn’t been able to be at home much over the last two weeks amid another outbreak of bedbugs at a Jeannette high-rise apartment building. “My dad has to stay with me. He can’t go home to a house where he is still paying rent,”...
Westmoreland commissioners OK updated land development ordinance
Fees for Westmoreland planners to review development proposals will increase after commissioners approved a revision of the county’s decade-old subdivision ordinance. Commissioners signed off on the updated guidelines that officials said could spur future growth and development. Fees paid by developers and property owners for the county to review plans...
Westmoreland County OKs drug lawsuit settlement
Westmoreland County has signed on to the settlement of a federal lawsuit with the makers of Oxycontin. The $7 billion overall resolution to the litigation filed against Purdue Pharma and its owners, the Sackler family, was approved earlier this year. It is expected to result in $200 million earmarked for...
Deputy director hired for Westmoreland election bureau
For the first time in five years, Westmoreland County has a deputy director of the election bureau. The county commissioners on Thursday announced the hiring of Hannah Lindley, 31, of Bentleyville, Washington County, to serve as second in command of the office that oversees elections in Westmoreland County. Lindley served...
Rabbi enlisted to assess faith of Westmoreland jail inmate
A Pittsburgh rabbi was brought in to assess claims that a county jail inmate’s religious convictions qualify him to receive kosher meals while incarcerated, the Westmoreland County commissioners said. The lawyer for Kort Noel Eckman, who is awaiting trial in the attempted murder of his mother, said jail officials have...
DA says New Kensington murder arrest 1st to come from Westmoreland grand jury
Criminal homicide charges filed in connection with the fatal shooting of a man in New Kensington more than two years ago was the first to result from a Westmoreland County investigating grand jury seated early last year, prosecutors said Wednesday. Larry Osborn Nix II, 41, of West Brownsville, Washington County,...
Philadelphia men sentenced for drug bust on PA Turnpike
Two Philadelphia men arrested for possession of an estimated $140,000 in fentanyl-laced heroin during a 2023 traffic stop along the Pennsylvania Turnpike were sentenced Tuesday to serve lengthy prison terms. Mario Antonio Caba, 39, and Elvis Luis Holguin Ventura, 29, were convicted of one felony and misdemeanor drug counts following...
