Rich Cholodofsky stories, Page 78
Westmoreland Bar Association welcomes new membersVideo
A group of 10 men and women sat quietly in the jury box of a Westmoreland County courtroom on Tuesday. Their task was not to weigh evidence of a defendant’s innocence or guilt, but were there instead to join the club as the Westmoreland Bar Association welcomed new members to...
Scottdale man appeals child rape conviction
A Scottdale man serving a 40-year-prison sentence for the sexual assault of a child is now claiming that Westmoreland County prosecutors coached witnesses during his trial last year. According to an appeal filed Tuesday, Dylan Chiaramonte said the judge who presided over his rape trial improperly allowed the prosecution to...
Teen charged in Greensburg shooting denied bail reduction
A Westmoreland County judge on Tuesday rejected a defense request to reduce a $200,000 cash bond that has kept an 18-year-old man in jail since he was charged last month with three counts of attempted murder in connection with a shooting in Greensburg. Common Pleas Court Judge Christopher Feliciani said...
Arnold murder suspect pleads to minor drug-related offense
A New Kensington man charged in a fatal shooting last year in Arnold appeared in a Westmoreland County courtroom Monday and pleaded guilty to a minor drug-related offense as he continues to await trial on a charge of first-degree murder. Mario M. Gatti, 31, is scheduled for trial in October...
New Kensington prostitute sentenced for sex trafficking of teen
A former New Kensington woman will serve up to 10 years in prison for her role in a sex trafficking and prostitution ring that utilized a 14-year-old girl to maximize their earnings. Shannon Lynn Shannon, 46, formerly of Texas, pleaded guilty in November to felony counts of trafficking in minors,...
Contaminants found in McKeesport water system, do not drink order extended for 30 customers
Water restrictions in McKeesport were extended Friday for about 30 residents in the city’s Lower 10th Ward after contaminants were found in samples collected from homes this week. Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County officials said a majority of the homes and businesses were removed from the “Do Not Drink” order...
Jury complies with Jeannette woman’s wishes and finds her guilty
A Jeannette woman dared Westmoreland County jurors to convict her Friday. After nearly two hours of deliberations, they complied. Deborah Samulski, 62, was convicted of two misdemeanor counts of filing false reports with a local gas company and city police. During a two-day trial, jurors questioned her mental health, and...
Greensburg man who fathered child with teen pleads guilty to sexual assault
A Greensburg man will serve up to 23 months in jail for the sexual assault of a New Kensington teenager who gave birth to his child. Marcus Franklin Crawford, 25, formerly of Jeannette, pleaded guilty Friday to statutory sexual assault, corruption of a minor and involuntary deviate sexual intercourse. Police...
Jury unable to reach verdict in Jeannette drug, gun case
A Westmoreland County prosecutor will seek to retry a Pittsburgh man on gun and drug charges after a jury was unable to reach a verdict this week. Prosecutors contend Stefon Wilson, 23, along with other adults and a juvenile, sold heroin and cocaine from a Jeannette home in 2019. Jurors...
Grant funds will revamp Westmoreland’s human services department, hire new director
Although human services account for 35% of Westmoreland’s $339 million annual budget, it has been several years since any one person oversaw operations for child welfare, aging, behavioral health and developmental programs operated by the county. That is expected to change later this year through $250,000 grant from the Richard...
Jury convicts Monessen man of sexual assault of a child
A Westmoreland County jury convicted a Monessen man of the sexual assault of a 7-year-old girl. Jurors heard testimony from six witnesses over two days and deliberated more than four hours on Wednesday before finding Damien R. Bryan, 20, guilty of two felony charges of indecent assault of a person...
Do Not Drink order remains in place for McKeesport water customers; residents directed to flush home water fixtures
Water restrictions for about 250 Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County customers in McKeesport will remain in place for a least several additional days as officials await results from ongoing testing to determine if dangerous chemicals used to fight a fire last weekend contaminated a section of the city’s water system....
Suspected drug mule found guilty in Westmoreland heroin trafficking scheme
A woman who prosecutors said served as a drug mule for a heroin trafficking organization in Westmoreland County that was conceived of as a way to pay a convicted drug dealer’s legal expenses was herself convicted Wednesday. A jury deliberated about two hours before finding Sade Franklin, 34, formerly of...
Westmoreland prosecutors contend drug trafficking scheme designed to pay inmate’s legal costs
A Westmoreland County prosecutor on Tuesday said a Harrisburg woman brought thousands of dollars worth of heroin into the region five years ago as part of a scheme by a convicted drug dealer to pay for the appeal of his 30-year prison sentence. Assistant District Attorney Jim Lazar told jurors...
Homeless man charged in Sutersville shooting, robbery paroled after guilty plea
A homeless man was released from jail Monday after he pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and other offenses in connection with a November 2018 robbery and shooting in Sutersville that left two people wounded. Chad W. Wolfe, 36, was one of four men charged in connection the incident police said...
Westmoreland commissioner says sheriff ‘derelict’ for refusing to transport sick inmates
Westmoreland Commissioner Doug Chew on Monday accused Sheriff James Albert of ignoring a court order that officials say requires his deputies to take sick inmates to and from the county jail. “The sheriff is derelict in his duties,” said Chew, chairman of the Westmoreland County Prison Board. Chew’s comments came...
Raises approved for much-needed Go Westmoreland bus drivers
Go Westmoreland paratransit bus drivers are getting raises. Westmoreland County Transit Authority board members this week approved 4.6% raises for nonunion drivers with the agency’s shared-ride program which provides subsidized door-to-door trips in small buses to seniors, disabled and low-income riders. Driver pay will increase to $15 per hour starting...
Westmoreland increases signing bonuses for Manor nurses
Westmoreland County is upping the ante to hire nurses. With nearly three dozen openings at Westmoreland Manor, the county-owned nursing home in Hempfield, officials said increased signing bonuses will be paid to new hires during the final five months of this year. They will receive up to $6,000 in addition...
9-year-old ‘America’s Got Talent’ opera singer from Unity honored by Westmoreland commissionersVideo
Unity’s Victory Brinker might have been on a bigger stage last week when she wowed the judges during her appearance on “America’s Got Talent.” But her smile was nearly as wide this week during an appearance at the Westmoreland County Courthouse when she was honored for her performance, which pushed...
Mt. Pleasant massage parlor owner facing deportation seeks withdrawal of human trafficking plea
A former Mt. Pleasant massage parlor owner who served more than a year in jail for human trafficking told a Westmoreland County judge Thursday she did not understand English well enough to plead guilty in late 2019. Hui Xu, 46, testifying through a translator, claimed she did not fully comprehend...
Westmoreland commissioners said mistakes led to election bureau director firing
Westmoreland commissioners on Thursday said the recent firing of the county’s election bureau director was necessary in response to a series of errors that plagued the May primary. Speaking publicly for the first time about the decision to oust JoAnn Sebastiani, commissioners said the county conducted “administrative inquires” that initially...
Westmoreland controller blasts commissioner for failure to meet campaign pledge
Westmoreland Commissioner Doug Chew on Thursday defended his decision to withhold a promised donation to fund the county’s drug court program. During his campaign for county commissioner in 2019, Chew, a first-term Republican, pledged to donate 60% of his salary to help fund drug court. After questioned by county Controller...
Hempfield rape nets former Latrobe man 20-year prison sentence
A former Latrobe man will serve up to 20 years in prison for the rape of a Hempfield woman that police said took place just hours after he was released from jail last fall. Zachery David Kimmick, 31, of Homer City pleaded guilty to felony counts of rape and involuntary...
Advance registration and fee required to bid on tax delinquent Westmoreland properties
Potential buyers at Westmoreland County’s next sale of tax-delinquent properties will have to register in advance and pay a required fee to be eligible to bid at auction. County commissioners are expected on Thursday to approve a new $25 registration fee to cover administrative costs. New registration provisions, enacted through...
Unity woman charged with pen assault against nurse ruled incompetent to stand trial
A judge on Tuesday said a Unity woman jailed for the past year after she was accused of using a pen to attack a nurse at Excela Westmoreland Hospital is not competent to stand trial. Susan Barkley, 42, will undergo treatment for the next two months in an effort to...
