Rich Cholodofsky stories, Page 87
New Stanton man to serve up to 3 years in prison for child sexual assault
A New Stanton man will serve up to three years in prison for the sexual assault of a young girl, his third child victim in more than a decade, according to Westmoreland County prosecutors. Paul E. Chamberlain, 33, pleaded guilty Tuesday to three counts of indecent assault for improper sexual...
Allegheny Township man charged with 5 sexual assaults seeks house arrest
An Allegheny Township man charged with sexually assaulting three juveniles and two adults wants a Westmoreland County judge to release him to house arrest while he awaits trial. Police contend Eric Alan Wright, 49, raped two children over a 20-year period dating to 2000, fondled another teenage girl, exposed himself...
Westmoreland prosecutors claim anti-bullying advocate threatened police
A Derry man who calls himself the “Bully Monster” was placed on house arrest Monday after Westmoreland County prosecutors say he threatened a police officer. Justin Juan De La Cruz Martinez, 41, originally was charged with trespassing, criminal mischief and resisting arrest in November 2019 after he refused to comply...
Westmoreland prosecutor makes 2nd bid for Derry district judge seat
A two-decade veteran of the Westmoreland County District Attorney’s office has announced a second campaign for the district judge seat in Derry. Kelly Tua Hammers, 49, a Democrat from Derry Township, said she will run to replace retiring District Judge Mark Bilik. He announced last month his planned retirement in...
Death row inmate seeks new lawyer for appeal in Greensburg torture killing case
A death row inmate convicted in the 2010 torture and murder of a mentally disabled woman in Greensburg wants a new lawyer after waiting more than three years for his court-appointed counsel to file an appeal. Ricky Smyrnes, 34, formerly of North Huntingdon, was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced...
Route 22 high-speed chase in Salem nets New York man jail time
A New York man federal investigators said was a heroin supplier to a drug gang based on Pittsburgh’s South Side pleaded guilty Friday to leading police on a high-speed chase two years ago on Route 22 through Salem. Holiday L. Vaughn, 36, formerly the Bronx, was sentenced to serve up...
Upper Burrell man charged with woman’s attempted murder to remain in jail
An Upper Burrell man charged with the attempted murder of a woman will remain in jail after a Westmoreland County judge said Wednesday he is a danger to society. Police contend Matthew Best, 32, pointed a rifle and pulled the trigger during a confrontation Oct. 23. The woman’s life was...
Former Pennsylvania State Police officer’s felony conviction upheld by Westmoreland judge
A Westmoreland County judge rejected the appeal of a former Pennsylvania State Police officer convicted of falsifying public records as he attempted to repurchase two service revolvers. Common Pleas Judge Tim Krieger said evidence presented against Chad D. Corbett during a jury trial last February was sufficient to support guilty...
Megan Loughner announces campaign bid for Westmoreland County Clerk of Courts
The woman poised to become the acting Westmoreland County Clerk of Courts later this month hopes to fill the post in a more permanent manner. Megan Loughner, 35, a Republican from Unity, said she will seek a full four-year term this year to run the courthouse office that handles all...
Westmoreland County fields bids to print, mail ballots for primary
Westmoreland County has received proposals from seven companies to print and mail ballots for the spring primary, including one from the Cleveland-based firm that has yet to be paid as a result of production delays last fall that impacted thousands of local voters. Elections Bureau director JoAnn Sebastiani said Midwest...
Westmoreland judge rejects bid to toss sex charges against suspended Pirates pitcher
A Westmoreland County judge denied suspended Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Felipe Vazquez’s bid to dismiss sex and pornography charges, setting the stage for a trial scheduled to begin in March. Vazquez, 29, was charged in August 2019 after police in both Westmoreland County and Florida contended the Venezuela-born athlete had sexual...
Penn Hills man sentenced for Allegheny Township child’s zombie-like appearance
A Penn Hills man will serve up to 23 months in jail for his role in injuries sustained by a 2-year-old girl who police said still “looked like a zombie” days after a December 2017 incident in an Allegheny Township home. James Michael Bucci, 35, pleaded guilty Thursday to a...
Judge questions competency of Delmont man charged with attempting to murder neighbor
A Westmoreland County judge on Friday said he wants additional testing before he decides the competency of a Delmont man in jail for more than a year on charges that he tried to kill his neighbor with a homemade rifle. Although defense attorney James Crosby said a mental health expert...
Westmoreland jury trials to resume in February
After a two-month hiatus caused by the winter surge of new coronavirus cases, jury trials in Westmoreland County will resume in February. President Judge Rita Hathaway said, with new cases of the virus on the decline, it appears safe to reconvene trials, which were suspended in December and January. “When...
Rebecca Calisti Tyburski announces run for Penn Township district judge seat
Westmoreland County Assistant District Attorney Rebecca Calisti Tyburski announced she plans to run for the soon-to-be vacated district justice seat in Penn Township. Tyburski, 44, lives in the township and has served as a county prosecutor since 2002, specializing in sexual and child abuse cases. “I want to continue with...
Kline to resign as Clerk of Courts on Feb. 19, begin new job as jail wardenVideo
When Bryan Kline became the Westmoreland County Clerk of Courts more than a decade ago, he was the first Republican elected to a courthouse row office job in more than a half-century. After serving 11 years, Kline will step down Feb. 19 to become warden at the Westmoreland County Prison....
Westmoreland Sheriff’s Office, Park Police receive covid vaccines at courthouse clinic
About 40 members of the Westmoreland County Sheriff’s Office and a dozen Park Police officers received their first covid-19 vaccine doses Thursday at the courthouse. “We looked and looked and looked for doses, and finally we heard about this pharmacy in Washington County that had some,” Sheriff James Albert said....
Pittsburgh man accused of threats against New Kensington police to serve probation for trashing jail cell
A Pittsburgh man was sentenced Wednesday to serve a year on probation after he pleaded guilty to charges of escape and that he vandalized a holding cell following his arrest last summer in New Kensington. Daevar Lamont Stevens, 21, will remain behind bars, though, to answer a new set of...
Penn Township man sentenced to probation for role in fatal North Huntingdon crash
A Penn Township man will serve two years on probation for his role in a fatal crash last year on Route 30. Chad Gregorini, 45, pleaded guilty Wednesday to one misdemeanor count of reckless endangerment and two summary traffic citations in connection with the Jan. 21, 2020, crash that resulted...
Westmoreland pension fund hits record value of more than $500M
Westmoreland County’s pension fund exceeded $500 million for the first time, officials announced Wednesday. The fund, which pays benefits to more than 1,300 retired county workers, was valued at $521 million at the end of December, finishing a roller coaster year that saw the account lose about $68 million through...
McKeesport man ordered to serve 12-year prison sentence for failure to register as sex offender
A McKeesport man will serve up to another 12 years in prison after he pleaded guilty Tuesday in Westmoreland County court for failure to register as a convicted sex offender. Eric Michael Britt, 53, was originally convicted in 2007 of sexual assault and was sentenced to serve three to six...
Jeannette woman’s appeal of murder conviction rejected
A three-judge panel of the Pennsylvania Superior Court rejected the appeal of a Jeannette woman sentenced last year to serve up to 30 years in prison for the third-degree murder of her 19-year-old boyfriend. Crystal Belle, 41, was convicted by a Westmoreland County jury for the June 2016 beating death...
Covid grants awarded to Westmoreland fire, EMS companies
Additional covid relief money is headed to Westmoreland County emergency medical service companies and volunteer fire departments left out of previous funding rounds last year. County commissioners have approved more than $600,000 in grants, including $343,500 to 16 fire companies and $60,000 to four rescue units, to cover coronavirus-related expenses...
New administrator named at Westmoreland Manor
Abby Testa has first-hand knowledge of what it’s like to have loved ones who live at Westmoreland Manor. As three of her grandparents called the Manor home in 2013, Testa, then a college student, volunteered at the Hempfield nursing home to help care for family and other residents. For more...
Kline favored for vacant Westmoreland jail warden job
The vacant warden’s job at Westmoreland County Prison was formally offered Monday to Bryan Kline, the county’s three-term Republican incumbent Clerk of Courts. Kline, who will turn 40 on Wednesday, of Penn Township was the top choice of a bipartisan majority of the county prison board. Members said his educational...
