Rich Cholodofsky stories, Page 76
Youngwood man ordered to serve 6-year prison sentence for 2-month crime spree
A Youngwood man was ordered to serve up to six years in prison Monday for a series of eight thefts police said occurred over a two-month period in 2019. Police said Michael A. Krautz IV, 36, conducted a one-man crime spree in Westmoreland, Fayette and Indiana counties, stealing items from...
‘You don’t get it’: Judge gives Jeannette BB gun shooter prison term
Just three weeks after a jury found Darnell Dennison not guilty of the most serious offenses he faced in connection with a shooting incident that left a Jeannette teen without an eye, he was charged in another shooting, this time suffering an injury himself. “After the jury trial, I was...
Trustee objects to implementation of mask mandate at WCCC
Westmoreland County Community College Board of Trustees member Doug Weimer said he isn’t personally opposed to masks, but on Friday he questioned a mandate issued by the school’s president to require all students, faculty and others to wear face coverings inside the institution’s buildings. “I feel we jumped the gun...
Westmoreland commissioners continue search for election bureau director
Westmoreland commissioners said they plan to have a new election bureau director in place before voters go to the polls in just over two months. The bureau’s top job been vacant since mid June, when commissioners fired director JoAnn Sebastiani after 10 months in the position, during which she oversaw...
Ex-Ligonier Township man admits setting fire to his own home
Robert Forgie acknowledged he endangered himself, police and firefighters two years ago when he set his new Ligonier Township home ablaze. “I’m sorry for what happened. I know I caused a lot of trouble,” said Forgie, 69, just after he pleaded guilty on Thursday to a lesser charge of risking...
Ex-Greensburg man pleads guilty to possession of sexually graphic pictures, videos of teen girl
A former Greensburg man will serve up to 10 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to charges he possessed sexually graphic pictures and videos of a teenage girl. The prosecution dismissed 57 charges, including three counts each of rape and involuntary deviate sexual intercourse of an unconscious victim, against...
Sutersville robbery/shooting suspect pleads guilty, agrees to cooperate with potential murder investigation
An Allegheny County man pleaded guilty Thursday to charges in connection with the shooting of two men during a 2018 drug robbery in Sutersville. Curtis Thomas Everett, 28, of Glassport, was sentenced to serve 3 to 10 years in prison and cooperate with an ongoing investigation into the disappearance and...
Quarantined commissioners say no to Westmoreland courthouse mask mandate
Westmoreland County commissioners, in quarantine this week after exposure to an office staffer who tested positive for coronavirus, said Thursday they will not require masks be worn at the courthouse. Face coverings have been optional for workers and visitors to the courthouse in downtown Greensburg since Gov. Tom Wolf lifted...
Hempfield man pleads guilty in prison cell vandalism, escape attempt charge dismissed
A Hempfield man was ordered to serve up to 18 months in prison for an incident earlier this year in which police said he tried to escape from the county’s lockup. Jule Aaron Mascherma, 33, pleaded guilty to a charge of institutional vandalism after Westmoreland County prosecutors agreed to dismiss...
Westmoreland officials say no plans to accept juveniles from soon-to-close facility in Pittsburgh
Westmoreland officials said Wednesday there are no plans for the county’s juvenile detention center to accept troubled youth from the soon-to-shutter Shuman Center in Pittsburgh. Allegheny County officials announced this week the 120-bed Shuman facility would close Sept. 18, after state regulators rescinded the detention center’s operating license following disclosure...
Fired Westmoreland election bureau director claims commissioners set her up to fail
Former Westmoreland County Election Bureau Director JoAnn Sebastiani said she worked sometimes 16 hours a day and struggled through health issues as she was belittled and set up for failure by her bosses before being ultimately fired without cause. Sebastiani, 63, appeared with her lawyers at virtual news conference Tuesday...
Westmoreland’s former elections director claims political coercion and scapegoating in federal lawsuit
JoAnn Sebastiani, former director of the Westmoreland County Election Bureau, claimed in a federal lawsuit filed Monday against all three county commissioners that she was “scapegoated,” belittled and discriminated against before she was fired without adequate cause. Sebastiani, 63, had been on the job for 10 months when she was...
Westmoreland controller questions approved raises in new union contract
Raises handed out to about 250 employees in Westmoreland County’s court-related offices appear to be double what was estimated when a new four-year labor contract was ratified in April, according to an analysis from Controller Jeffrey Balzer. Balzer said the deal with the Westmoreland County Court Related Employees Association, approved...
Photo ID program for Westmoreland veterans unveiled
A new photo identification card program for veterans was unveiled this month, part of a renewed effort to entice former military members to officially register their discharge documents with Westmoreland County. Matt Zamosky, director of the county’s Veteran Affairs Office, on Monday urged the county’s nearly 30,000 former military members...
Rape suspect sues Westmoreland DA for malicious prosecution
A Greensburg man who once served a six-year prison sentence for the sexual assault of a young runaway and is currently in jail awaiting trial on charges that he raped a co-worker wants the Westmoreland County District Attorney’s Office to pay him more than $250,000 for the malicious prosecution of...
Driver shortage continues to plague Go Westmoreland shared-ride service
Additional service cuts on the Go Westmoreland shared-ride system could be considered in response to an ongoing driver shortage, transit officials said. Westmoreland County Transit Authority Executive Director Alan Blahovec said recent efforts to beef up and maintain the authority’s roster of drivers who operate small passenger buses as part...
Federal vaccine mandate threatens revenue, staffing at Westmoreland Manor
Westmoreland Manor potentially could forfeit tens of millions of dollars this fall under the new federal policy that requires nursing home employees to be vaccinated for coronavirus. County officials said they are assessing the impact of the vaccination mandate announced Aug. 18 that also carried a threat from President Biden...
Judge rejects plea deal for key witness in Vandergrift woman’s slaying
A Westmoreland County judge on Thursday rejected a proposed plea bargain deal in which prosecutors would have dismissed a murder charge against an Export man who testified to his role in the 2017 killing of a Vandergrift woman near Keystone State Park. The proposed deal called for Devin Akamichi, 28,...
Westmoreland DA accused of favoritism toward the ‘rich and famous’
The lawyer for a Derry man awaiting trial on drunken driving charges contends Westmoreland County District Attorney John Peck gave preferential treatment to a local celebrity and unfairly rejected a bid for his “blue collar” client to enter a jail diversionary program. Defense attorney Robert Domenick, in court documents filed...
Westmoreland County in dire need of foster parents
Westmoreland County child welfare officials on Tuesday put out a call for foster parents saying there was a dire need to find homes for older teens. Children’s Bureau Director Shara Saveikis said they county needs dozens of homes to transition teens ages 14 through 17 from group homes into family...
Former Pirates pitcher Felipe Vazquez sentenced to up to 4 years in prison for sex assaultVideo
Former Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Felipe Vazquez was sentenced Tuesday to serve up to four years in prison for the sexual assault of a 13-year-old girl. Vazquez, 30, was convicted in May by a Westmoreland County jury of 15 offenses in connection with a sexual relationship he had with a Scottdale...
Former Unity group home resident pleads guilty in scissors attack
A former resident at a Latrobe-area juvenile group home pleaded guilty Monday to a charge that he slashed a fellow inmate six times with a scissors during a violent confrontation. Omar Hernandez-Vallejo, 18, told a Westmoreland County judge he was defending himself during the Feb. 20 confrontation. “I feel that...
Former Westmoreland deputy sheriff seeks dismissal of sex charges
A former Westmoreland County deputy sheriff wants a judge to dismiss criminal charges alleging that he solicited sex from female inmates during routine prisoner transfers, claiming there is not enough evidence to support the claims. In court documents filed Monday, the lawyer for Daniel Gradischek, 34, of Unity argued that...
Westmoreland hires private company to train new staff in depleted elections office
Westmoreland County will pay a private company $112,000 over the next 18 months to help oversee the next three elections as officials continue efforts to hire a new director and two middle managers in the aftermath of the problem-plagued May primary. Officials said personnel turnover, which included the June firing...
Former Latrobe wrestling coach not guilty in alleged hazing case
Former Greater Latrobe Area Junior High School wrestling coach Cary Lydic was acquitted Friday of charges alleging that he endangered students and failed to report potential child abuse in connection with suspected hazing incidents last year. Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court Judge Tim Krieger issued the verdict without explanation after...
