Rich Cholodofsky stories, Page 7
Greensburg teen, 17, sentenced as adult for Hempfield armed robbery
A Greensburg teen has been ordered to serve up to 40 months in prison for his role in an armed robbery last year in Hempfield. Cayden Essway, 17, was prosecuted as an adult and pleaded guilty in May to one felony count of robbery and a misdemeanor weapons offense. Essway’s...
Westmoreland tax office director being let go after just 1 year on the job
The Westmoreland County commissioners on Tuesday confirmed that they are firing the director of the county’s tax office after just one year on the job. According to payroll records released by the county controller’s office, Sarah Minnick, who had served as director of the office that processes property tax payments...
Delmont man expected to blame wife for son’s torture slaying
A Delmont man charged along with his wife for the alleged torture and murder of their adopted son wants a separate trial, his lawyer said during a court hearing on Monday. Defense attorney Ken Noga told a county judge that evidence suggests that Lauren Maloberti was the person who beat...
Westmoreland inmate accused of stabbing mother should have kosher meals, she says
Although her son stands accused of trying to kill her, the mother of a Westmoreland County Prison inmate wants him to receive a special kosher diet based upon his religious beliefs. Rose Eckman asked members of the county’s prison board on Monday to allow her son — jailed for the...
Westmoreland Land Bank amps up effort to sell vacant properties
Formerly vacant properties could soon be on the market in Westmoreland County. The county’s land bank, the agency responsible for collecting and rehabilitating properties, has put out a call for private Realtors as part of an effort to amp up sales that officials say will help pay for the next...
East Huntingdon facility among bankrupt nursing homes scheduled for auction
A 35-bed nursing home in East Huntingdon is among six facilities in Western Pennsylvania targeted for sale this year. A public auction will be held in September to transfer ownership of Scottdale Healthcare & Rehabilitation Center in East Huntingdon, a closed facility in Jefferson Hills, the 67-bed Beaver Healthcare and...
Fraud case dismissed against Leechburg contractor
A judge on Wednesday dismissed the criminal case against a Leechburg contractor charged with defrauding a Unity couple in connection with a $59,000 home improvement project they claimed was never completed. Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court Judge Tim Krieger ruled prosecutors had insufficient evidence to prove that Dawayne W. Redmond,...
Yarmulke-wearing inmate appears in Westmoreland County court
A Mt. Pleasant man attended a court hearing Wednesday with a yarmulke on his head, a week after he was denied transport from the county jail to the courthouse because he refused to remove it. Kort Noel Eckman, 49, sported a white head covering decorated with a floral pattern during...
Unity pizza shop robber sentenced
A Unity man was ordered to serve up to an additional 23 months in jail for the armed robbery last year of a pizza shop. Austin M. Lewis, 25, pleaded guilty in April to two felony robbery counts and two related misdemeanor offenses in connection with a Jan. 8, 2024...
Family of South Greensburg man hit by snowplow files wrongful death lawsuit
The wife of a South Greensburg man who was hit by snowplow in January has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the landscape company hired to clear the parking lot were the crash occurred. Paul Tucci, 73, suffered fatal injuries as he walked to his vehicle Jan. 5 after an...
Jeannette man seeks to withdraw guilty plea in 2019 fatal shooting outside McKee Stadium
A Jeannette man accused in a fatal shooting outside the city high school’s football stadium told a Westmoreland County judge Monday that he was misled when he pleaded guilty to third-degree murder. Greg Harper, 46, is seeking to withdraw the guilty plea he entered in 2022, claiming his then-defense attorney...
Teen tells judge Derry Township couple’s abuse ‘ruined my life’
A teen told a Westmoreland County judge that years of physical abuse suffered at the hands of a Derry Township couple will have a lasting impact and left a permanent disfigurement. “It hurt so bad every day. It ruined my life pretty much, what they did,” the teen, now 16,...
MAWC to update aging pressure flow controls
Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County board members last week approved a $9.6 million project to install new equipment to better control water pressure. The project is part of upgrades that will enable staff to remotely adjust and monitor water flow, said MAWC manager Michael Kukura. Officials said the new equipment...
Lawsuit challenging Westmoreland vehicle tracking policy rolls on
Sheriff James Albert’s initial attempt to invalidate Westmoreland County’s vehicle tracking policy has been rejected by a judge. Common Pleas Judge Harry Smail Jr., in a ruling made public Friday, said more evidence is needed to determine whether the policy violates the sheriff’s ability to independently run his elected office....
MAWC pauses refinancing plan amid concerns over economic downturn
Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County will pause a plan to refinance more than $150 million in existing debt. The authority board of directors have concerns that deteriorating economic conditions could result in a reduction in potential savings for the water and sewer agency. Authority administrators and private financial advisers have...
Ligonier DUI crash that injured 3 motorcyclists nets Washington County man prison sentence
John Creasy has had a long road to recovery after he and two motorcycle riders traveling along Route 30 in Ligonier were hit by a drunk driver. “I’ll be handicapped for the rest of my life,” Creasy said Thursday following a sentencing hearing for a Washington County man who prosecutors...
Advocacy group blasts plea deal in cruelty case against Derry cat shelter operator
A national animal advocacy organization Wednesday criticized a probation sentence imposed against a Derry-area woman who pleaded guilty to animal cruelty offenses. In Defense of Animals, an international animal protection organization based in San Rafael, Calif., said the guilty plea entered by Kimberly Rose, 45, of Blairsville in late June...
Contraband concerns cited for refusal to transport yarmulke-wearing Westmoreland inmate
Concerns that contraband could be smuggled into the Westmoreland County Prison led officials to deny the scheduled transfer of a yarmulke-wearing inmate to the courthouse this week. After nearly two days of silence, county commissioners emailed a brief, two-sentence statement Tuesday night. They confirmed that Kort Noel Eckman was held...
Former Latrobe man pleads guilty in friend’s overdose death
A former Latrobe man pleaded guilty to his role in the 2021 overdose death of his friend. Kevin. B. Shaffer, 52, faces up to 20 years in prison when he is sentenced in about three months after he pleaded guilty Monday to one felony count of drug delivery resulting in...
New Kensington murder suspect given deadline to decide on plea deal ahead of August retrial
A New Kensington man has just hours to decide whether to accept a plea deal involving the 2020 murder during a botched robbery and the unrelated shooting of four others a year earlier. The combined plea offer comes just weeks before the scheduled retrial of Latresse T. Williams, 34. Prosecutors...
Westmoreland prison inmate misses hearing after refusing to remove yarmulke, attorney claims
A Mt. Pleasant Township man accused of trying to kill his mother missed a court hearing Monday because he refused to remove his yarmulke, his attorney said. Defense attorney Tim Andrews said Westmoreland County Prison officials would not take his client, Kort Noel Eckman, on the 3-mile car trip from...
Judge says Scottdale man’s role in 2023 shootout was ‘major stupidity’
A Scottdale man was ordered to serve seven years of probation for his role in a 2023 shootout with a juvenile in a dispute that arose out of an alleged deal for drug-laced candy. Joseph A. Greep Jr., 21, pleaded guilty in April to lesser charges after prosecutors agreed to...
Politics from the pulpit now OK, IRS says
The Rev. Bob Ross’ weekly messages to parishioners at Heritage Baptist Church in Jeannette never tackle politics. It’s the way Ross views his role as a local faith leader. “I”m not political, so I’m not going to talk about politics from the pulpit,” Ross said. “My job is not to...
Monessen man appeals life prison term for rape, child murders
A judge abused his discretion by reimposing a life prison sentence for a Monessen man convicted of raping of a young mother and murdering her children in 1973, his attorney claims in court papers. Defense attorney Mark Shire argued in an appeal filed Friday that his client, John Veltre Jr.,...
Time’s up for lengthy public comments at Westmoreland commissioners meetings
The Westmoreland County commissioners have no time for excessive talk. Responding to what they said was a growing level of belligerency in political speech, the county commissioners, before the start of Thursday’s public meeting, announced a heightened enforcement of time constraints placed on public comments. Commissioners Chairman Sean Kertes told...
