Tom Davidson stories, Page 28
Pitcairn man pleads guilty in 2019 stabbing death of girlfriend
A 60-year-old Pitcairn man pleaded guilty to third-degree murder Tuesday in connection with the stabbing death of his girlfriend. Derrick “Deke” Avant admitted to stabbing Alison Fritzius, 55, on April 7, 2019, inside an apartment in the 800 block of Broadway Street. In exchange for the plea, the Allegheny County...
Pittsburgh-filmed episode of ‘Cops’ to premiere tonightVideo
When the television show “Cops” calls, police listen and cooperate. “They show the daily realities of what being a cop is,” Pittsburgh Public Safety spokesman Chris Togneri said. “They know how to not get in the way, how to let police do their job.” The department didn’t hesitate when “Cops”...
‘This is my fault,’ Pittsburgh man allegedly tells police after shotgun blast kills 3-year-old
A 51-year-old Beltzhoover man allegedly told Pittsburgh police he was to blame for an early Sunday morning shooting that killed a 3-year-old girl. Marlin Pritchard told police he had been sleeping with a shotgun under his pillow with the barrel pointed toward two children sleeping in the same bed as...
Pittsburgh’s Chinese population postpones parade to focus on helping coronavirus victims
The Chinese community in Pittsburgh would normally be celebrating this time of year, but the outbreak of the coronavirus in parts of China has spurred officials with the area’s Asian Pacific American advocacy group to postpone a planned Lunar New Year Parade. It was set for Sunday in the city’s...
Even on cloudy days, Green Tree nonprofit will be powered by solarVideo
It isn’t always sunny in Pittsburgh. But there’s enough sunshine to cover at least 82% of the power needs of the Global Links’ building in Green Tree, its executive director said. “Despite Pittsburghers thinking it’s cloudy and solar doesn’t make sense, it does,” Global Links executive director Angela Garcia said,...
New ‘Cops’ episodes to feature Pittsburgh police in action
The long-running TV show “Cops” will use footage filmed last summer in Pittsburgh in upcoming episodes, according to Pittsburgh Public Safety spokeswoman Cara Cruz. Promotion for the Pittsburgh-based episodes started Tuesday on Twitter, when the show tweeted, “Pittsburgh we have arrived.” Pittsburgh, we have arrived ? ? episode Monday, Feb.10...
Pittsburgh woman found dead after fire in Beechview
A Pittsburgh woman was found dead after a fire Tuesday morning in Pittsburgh’s Beechview neighborhood, according to Pittsburgh Public Safety spokesman Maurice Matthews. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the woman as Suzanne Green, 45. The fire was reported at about 7:40 a.m. in the 1600 block of Dagmar...
Pittsburgh police officers will carry specialized gauze to control bleeding
Pittsburgh police officers will now be carrying special gauze that can help control bleeding in cases of gunshot wounds or other injuries, thanks to a donation from Allegheny Health Network. Each Pittsburgh police officer will be provided with a NuStat Tactical gauze package. Allegheny Health Network donated 1,000 packages to...
Police: Shaler teacher used colleagues’ driver’s licenses to make fraudulent store returns
A Shaler Area Middle School teacher is accused of stealing her colleagues’ driver’s licenses and using them to make fraudulent returns at discount stores in the area, police said. Jeannine Vittorino, 45, of Robinson, was charged Saturday by Millvale police, who started investigating in September when one of Vittorino’s colleagues...
Close call between orbiting space junk expected above Pittsburgh
What happens if a space telescope weighing more than a ton collides with a 10-pound experimental satellite about 600 miles above Pittsburgh? “You probably wouldn’t see anything here at all,” National Weather Service meteorologist Lee Hendricks said. The gloomy, overcast cloud cover is expected to continue through 6:39 p.m. Wednesday,...
Wilkinsburg man on trial for fatal 2017 crash in Squirrel Hill
A Wilkinsburg man accused of being drunk, crashing the car he was driving and killing one of his passengers is on trial this week in Allegheny County. Daquan Lamont Thompson, 25, is facing charges including homicide by vehicle for the crash. Thompson and three passengers were in a Chevrolet Cobalt...
Pittsburgh man wanted in Homewood double homicide arrested in Philadelphia
A 22-year-old Pittsburgh man wanted for a November double homicide in the city’s Homewood neighborhood was arrested Monday in Philadelphia, according to the U.S. Marshals Service. Darryl Barnett was taken into custody at 7:30 a.m. by the marshals of the Philadelphia Violent Offender Task Force after an extensive investigation involving...
Bark and circumstance: Police dogs, partners graduate in PittsburghVideo
Five newly-trained police dogs had their day at the Pittsburgh Police K9 Training Academy in Highland Park. Shadow, Miky, Chooch, Rico, Baki and their human handlers were celebrated Friday as they graduated from a three-month training program at the academy. They’ll begin working in their home departments soon. As the...
Brashear staffer on leave as authorities probe ‘inappropriate’ social media video
Authorities in Washington County are investigating the circumstances surrounding a video posted to a social media site earlier this month by a staffer of Pittsburgh’s Brashear High School. The staff member was placed on leave after the post was reported Jan. 13, according to Pittsburgh Public Schools spokeswoman Ebony Pugh....
Fight over shrimp in Pittsburgh lands 2 women in jail
Two women were hurt while fighting over a bag of shrimp inside a Pittsburgh home, police said. They were charged with aggravated assault after the fracas. Nandine Bell, 46, of Pittsburgh, told police she was buying a bag of shrimp from Pamela Freshley, 55, of Swissvale at about 12:34 p.m....
Police seek ID of man caught painting ‘CAVIAR’ on South Side wall
Pittsburgh police are asking for help to identify a man caught spray painting graffiti Saturday on South 20th Street on the South Side. The tag reads “CAVIAR” and could be in other locations as well. Police released photos of the man, who was caught on video making tag at about...
Police: Verona cop arrested on charges he had sex with a 16-year-old boy
A Verona police officer was arrested Wednesday on charges he shared nude photos with and performed a sex act on a 16-year-old boy, according to Allegheny County police. The boy told police he met Anthony David Ogline, 34, of Verona, through the online dating app Grindr about three months ago,...
Verona cop arrested on charges he had sex with 16-year-old boy
A Verona police officer was arrested Wednesday on charges that he shared nude photos with and performed a sex act on a 16-year-old boy, according to Allegheny County police. The boy told police he met Anthony David Ogline, 34, of Verona, through the online dating app Grindr about three months...
Authorities investigating after 2 children found unresponsive in Wilkinsburg home
Two 5-year-olds were hospitalized Wednesday, and Allegheny County police are investigating why after the Wilkinsburg home they were found inside tested negative for carbon monoxide. Wilkinsburg police and Pittsburgh firefighters were called at 7:35 a.m. to the home in the 1100 block of Franklin Avenue for suspected carbon monoxide poisoning....
Mom inspired to help others after son’s death at Pittsburgh youth football practice
The mother of the 13-year-old youth football player from Carrick who collapsed and later died after an August practice is working to start a rapid medical response team to monitor football practices and games so what happened to her son doesn’t happen to others. Jordan Duckett of Carrick died on...
Why TV stations and cable providers keep viewers in the dark about their contracts
TV viewers in the Pittsburgh region have been recently warned about losing the ability to watch their local television stations: • DirecTV viewers lose WTAE after negotiations for a new deal fail • WPXI Channel 11 announces PCNC changes • Attention Dish customers: You could lose access to WPXI-TV They’re...
Former cop Michael Rosfeld sues University of Pittsburgh over 2018 firing
The former police officer acquitted last year in connection with the June 2018 shooting death of Antwon Rose is suing the University of Pittsburgh, its police department and a vice chancellor for his firing from the university’s police department. The lawsuit filed Thursday afternoon in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court...
Chicago-area man falls ill on plane, dies after emergency landing at Pittsburgh International
A 48-year-old man from suburban Chicago became unresponsive Wednesday afternoon while on a Southwest Airlines flight from New York to Chicago. The plane made an emergency landing at Pittsburgh International Airport shortly before 1 p.m. and the man was transported to a hospital, according to Allegheny County Airport Authority spokesman...
Police: 2 charged in Carrick child rape case
A New Castle man and an Ingram woman were charged Wednesday with allegedly beating and raping two young children more than 10 years ago in Pittsburgh’s Carrick neighborhood. Seth Price, 36, of New Castle, and Trista Price, 36, of Ingram, are facing a host of charges in the case. Both...
Pittsburgh police nab suspect in North Side graffiti case
A Sharpsburg man with a history as a graffiti artist was arrested Tuesday by Pittsburgh police for allegedly painting on Norfolk Southern property near Federal Street on the city’s North Side. The graffiti covered 264 square feet and could cost $7,000 to clean up, according to Detective Alphonso Sloan, the...
