Rich Cholodofsky stories, Page 84
Giant Slide at Mammoth Park set to reopen
The new Giant Slide at Mammoth Park in Mt. Pleasant Township is expected to reopen in late spring. The complex featuring two 100-foot slides was shut down a month after it was unveiled last July when reports of injured children and adults surfaced. Westmoreland County officials said is targeted to...
Homeless man to serve prison term for attack on girlfriend in Greensburg
A former Washington County man who most recently lived in a tent near Lynch Field in Greensburg will serve up to five years in prison for attacking his girlfriend. Chad T. Abbott, 26, who authorities said was homeless when charged in 2019, pleaded guilty Tuesday to charges of strangulation, terroristic...
Smoking pot with teen daughter, friend nets mom 2-year probation sentence
A Connellsville mother pleaded guilty Monday to charges she smoked marijuana with her teenage daughter and a friend at a New Stanton home in 2017. Dawni Monholland, 39, according to court records, was charged with four criminal counts after police received a Child Line tip from a mandated reporter about...
Coronavirus cases slow at Westmoreland County Prison
Two additional inmates at the Westmoreland County Prison tested positive for coronavirus over the weekend, but the number of infections decreased at the facility over the last week. Warden Bryan Kline said Monday there were 20 active cases among the 495 inmates lodged in the Hempfield lockup, down about 47%,...
Police: Attempted fake drug test leads to new charges against New Stanton man
A New Stanton man was charged Thursday after police said he used a homemade device to simulate urination as part of a botched attempt to falsify a drug test at the Westmoreland County Courthouse. Dennis Shank, 43, was charged by Park Police with a misdemeanor count of furnishing drug-free urine...
Jeannette woman’s turnaround not enough to avoid jail time in overdose death
A former Hempfield woman told a judge on Thursday she never really knew the man who died from the drugs she sold him in 2019, but, in the two years since his overdose, she got sober, got married, gave birth to a daughter and has turned her life around. Hollie...
How much is your town slated to get from the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan?
The American Rescue Plan, the $1.9 trillion stimulus package signed into law by President Joe Biden on March 11, includes funding for counties and local municipalities. The money, which will be sent in two batches, must be spent by the end of 2024 on projects that include reimbursement and expenses...
City of Jeannette and police officer sued for false arrest
A former Jeannette man on Wednesday filed a lawsuit against the city and a police officer, contending he was the victim of a false arrest in July 2018. Richard Berger, 53, now of Hempfield, in the two-count lawsuit filed in Westmoreland County said police acted without probable cause and with...
Wait over, visits at Westmoreland Manor to resume
After more than a year of meeting through windows or via video chats, Westmoreland Manor residents will have an opportunity to meet in person with family and friends starting Saturday. Officials announced Friday that outside visits for the nearly 300 nursing home residents at the county-owned facility in Hempfield will...
Former Pirates pitcher Vazquez to claim teen accuser lied about her age
A judge on Friday rejected a defense request to dismiss three sex-related charges against former Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Felipe Vazquez, who claims his female accuser told him she was almost an adult when police say they engaged in sexual activity. Vazquez, 29, is in Westmoreland County Prison without bond as...
Suicide at Westmoreland jail disclosed months later, results in homicide case being dropped
A woman’s death at Westmoreland County Prison in December was confirmed Thursday, more than three months later. According to Coroner Ken Bacha, Linda Kay Quidetto, 43, of Sharon, Mercer County, was pronounced dead at 3:06 a.m. on Dec. 11 in the emergency room at Excela Health Westmoreland Hospital in Greensburg...
Jailed Youngwood man accused in fatal overdose furloughed to attend drug rehab
A Youngwood man awaiting trial on charges he sold drugs used in the fatal overdose of a Greensburg woman in 2019 will be furloughed from Westmoreland County Prison to attend an inpatient drug rehabilitation treatment program. Westmoreland County Judge Christopher Feliciani on Wednesday granted the request from Matthew Thomas Caughey,...
Judge rejects appeal in Youngwood man’s murder case
A Westmoreland County judge rejected the appeal of Youngwood man who last year was sentenced to serve up to 70 years in prison for his role in a 2017 robbery that resulted in the death of a drug dealer. Christopher James David, 43, in September pleaded guilty to third-degree murder,...
Westmoreland commissioner says county voters want end to no-excuse mail-in ballots, another disputes that
Drawing criticism from county Democrats, Republican Westmoreland Commissioner Doug Chew on Tuesday told a Pennsylvania Senate committee that his constituents want to eliminate no-excuse mail-in voting. Chew testified before the Senate committee on election integrity and reform that more than 20,000 county residents were potentially disenfranchised during the 2020 presidential...
Westmoreland Co. prosecutors claim anti-bullying advocate threatened police
Correction: This story published Feb. 8, 2021, on TribLIVE.com contains information from a court hearing in which Westmoreland County prosecutors successfully argued to modify the pretrial bond of Justin De La Cruz Martinez, who is charged with disorderly conduct and trespassing for an incident police said occurred Nov. 7, 2019,...
Allegheny Township man to remain in jail pending trial on charges of multiple sexual assaults
An Allegheny Township man awaiting trial on charges he sexually assaulted five people will remain in jail after a Westmoreland County judge ruled Monday he was a potential danger to the community. Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court Judge Meagan Bilik DeFazio rejected a bond modification request from Eric Alan Wright...
Westmoreland commissioners to hold info session on coronavirus vaccines
Westmoreland County’s Republican commissioners want the public to learn about coronavirus vaccines and will convene a webinar this week to pass along information they said will allow residents to make a more informed decision about whether they will join the ongoing immunity effort. Commissioners Doug Chew and Sean Kertes said...
In a battle to preserve history dating to 1770s, Westmoreland County running out of space
From British rule to the coronavirus, Westmoreland County government stores millions of paper records spanning more than two centuries of local history. Rows of boxes stacked to the ceiling hold government and court records dating to the time of King George III. They occupy thousands of square feet of warehouse...
Adaptive bikes presented to Westmoreland’s young ridersVideo
Amiyr Mack couldn’t contain his excitement as he crossed the finish line, pedaling away on his new bike, one that for the first time will allow him to enjoy the same fun as most other 11-year-old boys. Mack of New Kensington whooped and waved his arms as he crossed the...
Greensburg man convicted of BB gun shooting in Jeannette
A Greensburg man was found guilty Tuesday of two counts of simple assault in connection with a BB gun battle among teens in Jeannette nearly four years ago that ended when a 13-year boy was shot in the eye. After an hour of deliberations a Westmoreland County jury convicted Darnell...
Commissioners to declare Westmoreland a ‘Second Amendment County’ in favor of gun rights
Westmoreland County commissioners will approve a resolution to support gun rights this week. Republican commissioners Sean Kertes and Doug Chew, along with Democrat Gina Cerilli Thrasher, said they will declare Westmoreland a “Second Amendment County,” a move they concede has no teeth but shows support for gun owners. “There are...
Westmoreland DA candidate Ziccarelli a no-show for jury duty
Nicole Ziccarelli, a candidate for Westmoreland County District Attorney, was a no-show Monday morning for jury duty at the courthouse. Court officials confirmed Ziccarelli, a lawyer from New Kensington, was one of 160 prospective jurors summoned to appear the first day of the March criminal trial term. Ziccarelli, a Republican,...
Westmoreland County hospitality grant program opens Monday
Westmoreland County will begin accepting applications for hospitality grants Monday. Commissioners have said they expect to award up to 200 grants, which will be capped at $20,000 each, to local restaurants, taverns and hotels as part of a state program to assist businesses among the hardest hit by the ongoing...
Overtime, hazard pay boost Westmoreland County employee wages in 2020
Nearly a quarter of Westmoreland County employees were forced to sit home without a paycheck for several months last year while furloughed during the early days of the coronavirus pandemic. Other staffers, though, more than doubled their annual salaries though hazard pay and overtime. A Tribune-Review analysis of overtime and...
Westmoreland County preps for expected $107 million stimulus windfall
Westmoreland County could receive about $107.1 million from the federal American Rescue Plan to bolster its budget and fund projects to help recover from the coronavirus pandemic. The allocation is part of the $13.7 billion awarded to Pennsylvania and includes funding for county and local governments, according to a report...
