Tony LaRussa stories, Page 12
State police accuse Apollo man of assaulting bar patrons for being too slow to heed last call
A felony charge was filed against a man accused of throwing a woman to the floor and breaking a man’s jaw at a bar in Oklahoma Borough after she didn’t leave quickly enough when last call was announced. Benjamin Thomas Yaconis, 31, of the 700 block of North Seventh Street...
Tarentum man accused of repeatedly sexually assaulting young child ordered to stand trial
A district judge has ordered a Tarentum man to stand trial on charges that he has been sexually assaulting a young child repeatedly since early this year. Allegheny County Police arrested Brian Lee Jefferies, 26, of Roup Street in late April. He was charged with two counts of aggravated indecent...
Police say video from traffic cameras used to track down man accused of robbing Sheetz in Harrison
Harrison police say video from traffic cameras was used to catch a man accused of robbing the Sheetz on Freeport Road in January even though he tried to avoid being identified by removing the license plate of the vehicle he was driving. Richard Vogan, 40, of Pulaski, Lawrence County, was...
Tarentum man who served prison time for child rape accused of racist tirades, threatening police
Five felony counts of ethnic intimidation are among the nearly two dozen charges a Tarentum man faces after, police say, he repeatedly screamed a string of racial slurs at his neighbors and then threatened to harm officers if they tried to arrest him. In addition to the ethnic intimidation charges,...
Energy company’s latest plan to use Big Sewickley Creek water for fracking draws more pushback
Environmental activists fighting to stop an energy company from drawing millions of gallons of water a day out of Big Sewickley Creek for fracking say the driller has submitted an application to take water from an area that is a popular spot for fishing and swimming. =Members of the Big...
Bud Light sales fizzle locally amid boycott over marketing strategy with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney
The backlash brewing from a movement to boycott Bud Light because of its partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney has drastically cut sales of the top-selling brand at numerous Pittsburgh-area beer distributors. But the sharp dip since Mulvaney’s Instagram post April 1 to promote Bud Light’s March Madness contest does...
Bud Light sales fizzle in Western Pennsylvania amid transgender boycott
The backlash brewing from a movement to boycott Bud Light because of its partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney has drastically cut sales of the top-selling brand at numerous Pittsburgh-area beer distributors. But the sharp dip since Mulvaney’s Instagram post April 1 to promote Bud Light’s March Madness contest does...
DNA links Harrison man accused of burglary to 2 other business break-ins, police say
A man arrested on charges that he broke into an auto repair shop was accused of burglarizing two nearby businesses on the same day after his DNA matched droplets of blood found at all three scenes, according to Harrison police. Mark Bauer, 61, of the 200 block of Summit Drive...
Police say Vandergrift couple blew crack cocaine smoke into the faces of their 2 young kids
A Vandergrift couple was ordered to stand trial after lab tests on their two young children showed they had cocaine in their systems. Craig James Rearick, 36, and Krystal Diane Kus, 30, of the 1100 block of Lincoln Avenue each were charged with two felony counts of endangering the welfare...
Homeless man jailed after New Kensington police say he stole truck left running at gas station
New Kensington police arrested a homeless man Wednesday several hours after he allegedly stole a pickup that was left running while the owner went into the BP station on Tarentum Bridge Road to buy something. Matthew David Geracia, 36, was charged with felony counts of theft and receiving stolen property...
Vandergrift woman accused of using elderly man’s bank info to gamble, buy pizza, get a credit card
Police accused a Vandergrift woman who cared for an 81-year-old man of using his banking information to take out a department store credit card and to withdraw cash to pay for online gambling, groceries, gasoline and pizza. Tonya Lynn Lookabaugh, 42, of the 800 block of Hawthorne Street, was charged...
Police say East Deer man arrested for break-ins after brother offers his suspicions
An East Deer man is accused of breaking into a neighbor’s house twice in four days after the man’s brother told police he thought his brother might be responsible for the burglaries. Shaun Charles Adams, 34, of the 200 block of Freeport Road was charged with felony counts of criminal...
County detectives accuse Fawn man of downloading child pornography; felony charges filed
A former Fawn man has been arrested on charges that he downloaded videos and photos of children engaged in sexual activity to his cellphone. John Matthew McAteer, 38, who is now living in Plum, according to court papers, was charged by Allegheny County Police detectives with five counts of possession...
3 shot, 1 killed in fight between neighbors in Jefferson Hills
A man was shot to death and two other people were critically injured by gunfire during an altercation between neighbors on Sunday afternoon in Jefferson Hills, according to authorities. Jefferson Hills police and medics were dispatched to the 3000 block of Siler Drive at 4:10 p.m. for a 911 call...
1 dead, 1 wounded in shootout near New Kensington playgroundVideo
A gun battle between two males left one dead and another wounded Sunday afternoon near a playground in New Kensington, according to authorities. The shooting was reported at 12:01 p.m. about a half-block away from the city’s police department in the courtyard of an apartment complex, authorities said. Crime-scene tape...
Arnold code officer, fire company president charged with felony assault, will remain on the job
An Arnold man who works as the city’s code enforcement officer and is president of one of the city’s fire companies is accused of beating another man during a brawl outside a social club late Saturday. Albert Colelli Jr., 51, of the 200 block of Victoria Avenue was charged with...
Police: Woman accused of robbing Sheetz in Lower Burrell identified by relative who called store
A woman accused by Lower Burrell police of stealing a bottle of liquor from a convenience store and assaulting a clerk who tried to stop her from leaving has been ordered to stand trial. Investigators said they were able to track the woman down after her aunt called the business...
Allegheny Township man accused of endangering kids to stand trial on separate drug charges
A man arrested earlier this month by Vandergrift police on charges that he and his girlfriend kept the cocaine and marijuana they sold or used within reach of two young children has been ordered to stand trial on drug charges filed late last year. John Edward Johnston Jr., 30, of...
Police: New Kensington couple with kids kept crack cooked in kitchen next to Yoo-hoo drink box
A New Kensington couple is accused of having two young children in a home where, police say, they stored the crack cocaine they cooked in their kitchen next to a Yoo-hoo drink box. Mark Sibley, 42, and Nikki Marie Mcaninch, 30, both of the 600 block of Linden Avenue, were...
Vandergrift couple accused of cutting wire from utility poles for scrap face felony charges
Vandergrift police accused a couple of driving around borough streets and clipping wire from utility poles so they could sell the metal for scrap. David Wayne Siford, 43, of the 100 block of Washington Avenue in Vandergrift was charged with two counts of criminal conspiracy and counts of criminal mischief,...
Building the Valley: New Kensington native teams with Strange Roots, Common Oven to offer downtown brew pub
Tony Vigilante isn’t a master beer brewer or a professional pizza chef. But he sure loves a great pint to wash down a tasty pizza. So when the New Kensington native saw the chance to share his penchant for brew and pie in the town where he lives and works,...
State police say trooper assaulted in Harmar by Miami man being investigated by DEA
A state trooper working with the DEA task force was assaulted in Harmar on Wednesday by a Miami man who was being investigated by the federal agency, according to authorities. Jhon Darwyn Canizales Soto, 30, was charged by state police with a felony count of aggravated assault along with resisting...
Police: Cash from Lower Burrell grab-and-run theft dropped by fleeing suspect; accomplice returns $20 to victim who gave chase
Lower Burrell police accused a man of stealing $100 from a customer at a convenience store as the cash came out of an ATM — and then losing the money while fleeing out the back door. The man’s accomplice, who was waiting outside, picked up the pile of scattered $20...
Arnold man guilty of drug charges after high-speed chase with toddler in car sentenced to 20 years in prison
An Arnold man who was found guilty on drug charges after leading police on a high-speed chase and crashing with a toddler in his car has been sentenced by a federal judge. U.S. District Judge W. Scott Hardy on Tuesday sentenced Kevin Watson, 33, to 20 years in prison. He...
Backyard fire pit sparked blaze that destroyed abandoned house, damaged 2nd home in New Kensington
An ember from a backyard fire pit accidentally sparked a brush fire Wednesday that destroyed an abandoned building in New Kensington and heavily damaged the home next door, according to investigators. The brush fire was reported just before 3 p.m. April 12 in the 800 block of Franklin Avenue and...
