Tom Davidson stories, Page 31
Astrobotic to set up ground control for lunar mission on Pittsburgh’s North Side
A 47,000-square-foot building being renovated on Pittsburgh’s North Side is expected to be a key player in America’s next space odyssey. Astrobotic Technology Inc. announced Thursday it will locate its headquarters at 1016 North Lincoln Ave., near the Manchester neighborhood, thanks in part to $285,000 in state job-creation tax credits....
Former Munhall firefighter who set porch fires could spend 3 years in prison
A former Munhall firefighter who told police he set two porches on fire in December 2018 because he was bored will spend between 18 months and three years in prison and then serve seven years probation. Allegheny County Judge Randal Todd sentenced Ryan Laubham, 19, on Wednesday. A former volunteer...
Police: Knoxville woman tied dog to dumpster on cold morning
The girlfriend of the man who owned the emaciated dog found last week tied to a dumpster at an apartment complex in Pittsburgh’s Knoxville neighborhood is charged with animal neglect and cruelty in connection with the incident. The dog, a female pit bull/boxer mix, is named Remy and was found...
Police respond to suspicious box at Pittsburgh Goodwill store
A suspicious box at the Goodwill on Banksville Road prompted a large police response to the store at about 11:15 a.m. Wednesday, Pittsburgh police said. The building was evacuated by the staff of the Goodwill and police closed Banksville Road between Potomac and Wenzell avenues as authorities including the bomb...
Police release photos of suspect in Nov. 29 Downtown robbery
Pittsburgh police released photos of a man suspected in a Nov. 29 robbery and assault on Strawberry Way near Smithfield Street in Downtown. A group of men pushed a man to the ground and stole items from his pockets, Pittsburgh police said in a Facebook post. In the post, police...
Tuberculosis case at Pittsburgh school isn’t cause for panic, health department saysVideo
A confirmed case of tuberculosis at Arsenal 6-8 school in Pittsburgh’s Lawrenceville neighborhood doesn’t pose a risk of the disease spreading through the community, health officials said Wednesday “There is absolutely no reason for the general public or the parents at the school to worry,” said Dr. Kristen Mertz, an...
Western Pa. native burned in New Zealand volcano eruption
A Western Pennsylvania native and his wife were among the 18 people who were hurt when a volcano erupted Monday in New Zealand. At least five people were killed and dozens of others were missing after the eruption on White Island, New Zealand’s most active cone volcano. Matthew Urey, 36,...
Man accused of punching Port Authority bus driver turns self in
A man facing charges for punching a Port Authority of Allegheny County bus driver told police he did so because the doors to the bus closed on him and it triggered his anger, according to a criminal complaint filed against the man. Richard David Hickman, 36, turned himself into authorities...
Israeli citizen pleads guilty in 2004 sexual assault of girl in Dormont
A 54-year-old Israeli citizen, who was accused of raping a teenage girl 15 years ago and fled to Israel until being extradited back to Pittsburgh in February, pleaded guilty Monday to four sex crimes before an Allegheny County judge. Moshe Journo lived in Beechview at the time the charges were...
Wilkinsburg man could serve 87 years in prison after exchanging shots with police in 2018
A Wilkinsburg man who was shot by police after exchanging gunfire with officers responding to a 2018 burglary call was sentenced to between 43½ and 87 years in prison on aggravated assault charges. Allegheny County Judge Kevin Sasinoski sentenced Randall Hockett, 34, on Monday. Following the sentence, the Allegheny County...
Deputies say they found pound of pot in Liberty Bridge traffic stop
A North Side man is facing felony drug charges after Allegheny County Sheriff’s deputies said they found a pound of suspected marijuana in his vehicle after a traffic stop Sunday afternoon on the Liberty Bridge. Craig Nash, 31, of Pittsburgh’s Central North Side, was stopped on suspicion of reckless driving...
Unattended suitcase prompts bomb squad call to St. Paul Cathedral in Pittsburgh
A suitcase that was left unattended Monday morning near the sacristy of St. Paul Cathedral in Oakland prompted a call to police and a bomb squad investigation. The bag was removed by robots to an outside courtyard for X-rays. Nothing harmful was found inside, according to Pittsburgh Public Safety spokeswoman...
Police chief: Nevada authorities in town investigating Bethel Park woman’s death
Authorities from Nevada were in Allegheny County on Friday investigating the case of a Bethel Park woman who was found dead more than two months ago in the desert north of Las Vegas. Bethel Park police Chief Tim O’Connor said his department was cooperating with the Nevada authorities but would...
Former North Braddock cop files whistleblower suit against borough, police
A former North Braddock police officer is suing the borough, council members, the mayor, its police department and acting police chief in federal court over his June 18 firing. The officer, Ryan Johnston, is alleging civil rights, whistleblower and wiretap violations. Johnston claims he was cooperating with federal and Allegheny...
Body found in river at Point State Park ID’d as Munhall man
The body found Wednesday morning floating in the Ohio River near Point State Park was identified Friday by the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office. Brian Foster Greenhow, 27, of Munhall, was found at 8:30 a.m. just off the point. The cause of death was drowning, the medical examiner said. Greenhow...
East Liberty man acquitted of homicide and robbery charges in 2017 Pitcairn case
An Allegheny County jury Friday acquitted a 31-year-old East Liberty man of most of the charges he faced for his suspected role in a 2017 Pitcairn robbery-turned-homicide. “We are obviously pleased with the jury’s verdict,” said defense attorney Randall McKinney. McKinney represented Jamal Darnell Pamplin in the case that was...
Mt. Oliver man is 3rd arrest in connection with Carrick double-shooting
All three men accused of being involved in a Nov. 14 double shooting in Carrick after a robbery are in custody. Allegheny County Sheriff’s deputies arrested Steven Hill, 25, of Mt. Oliver on Thursday. Hill faces two counts of robbery and one count of conspiracy for his suspected role in...
Retired astronaut talks to Pittsburgh students at Carnegie Science CenterVideo
Mike Foale’s home movies are out of this world. Foale, 62, is a retired NASA astronaut, and Thursday he was in Pittsburgh to celebrate the opening of the Bosch Soundsee Research and Test Facility in the Strip District. He also made a stop at the Buhl Planetarium in the Carnegie...
Pittsburgh man confesses to 2015 homicide that had bothered him for a while
A North Side man confessed to a 2015 killing in Pittsburgh’s Northview Heights neighborhood because he’s been bothered by it for a while, police wrote in a criminal complaint. Randy Johnson, 25, provided a handwritten confession last week to the Nov. 16, 2015, killing of Deron McCray, 23, at a...
Police: Pittsburgh man found hiding in hollow log after chase in stolen car
A Pittsburgh man accused fleeing a traffic stop in a stolen car Saturday afternoon on Route 22 in Indiana County was found two hours later hiding in a hollow log in the woods, state police said. Andrew Lamont McCrommon, 28, was driving the 2016 Audi A4 on Route 22 in...
Handler of slain Pittsburgh police K-9 Rocco promoted to sergeant
The newest Pittsburgh police sergeant proved his ability as a leader on Jan. 28, 2014, when his partner, the police K-9 Rocco, was killed in the line of duty. Mayor Bill Peduto swore in Sgt. Philip Lerza on Tuesday. “The one thing I will always remember is your compassion,”Peduto told...
Aliquippa football coach Mike Warfield tapped as feds’ new law enforcement coordinator
The leader of Aliquippa High’s storied football program has a new day job. Mike Warfield recently completed his second year as the Quips head coach. On Monday, U.S. Attorney Scott W. Brady tapped Warfield, 50, of Center, to be the law enforcement coordinator for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the...
Coast Guard still investigating cause of barge crash into Smithfield Street Bridge
There are no long-term impacts after empty barges hit the Smithfield Street Bridge late Sunday night on the Monongahela River, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. Investigators have yet to determine how many barges hit the bridge at about 11:20 p.m., Ensign William Russell said. There were 15 empty barges...
Court denies new trial for man convicted of 2014 murder of East Liberty sisters
A state appeals court has denied a Pittsburgh man’s request for a new trial in the 2014 killing of two sisters who lived next door to him in East Liberty. Allen Wade, 48, is serving consecutive life sentences, one for each victim, plus three consecutive terms of 10 to 20...
Police: Man shot with BB gun after fight between East Liberty neighbors
A man was hurt after being shot with a BB gun Saturday afternoon during a dispute between neighbors in East Liberty, police said. Pittsburgh Public Safety spokeswoman Cara Cruz said police were called at about 12:45 p.m. to the 500 block of North Negley Avenue and the found a man...
