Tony LaRussa stories, Page 6
Home remodeler accused of taking deposit for work in Pine that was never completed
Northern Regional Police accused a home improvement contractor from Ohio of taking a $2,700 down payment in May to remodel a basement in Pine and never showing up to do the work. Joseph Wayne “Joey” Ward, 32, of West Manor Avenue in Youngstown was charged Sept. 6 with felony counts...
Trial ordered for man accused of threatening to shoot woman and burn down her home
An Allegheny Township man accused of causing a woman to flee her apartment in fear after he ignited a torch and threatened to set the place on fire has been ordered to stand trial in Armstrong County Court. Paul Joseph Best II, 37, of Bourbon Hill Lane also is accused...
Miss Little Italy winner from Fox Chapel inspired by participation, plans to compete in other pageants
Kara DiNatale of Fox Chapel really liked participating in pageants when she was a little girl. But around the time she turned 10, soccer and lacrosse left her little time to focus on pageants. But when the 19-year-old Duquesne University marketing student was asked to consider entering the Miss Little...
Springdale police say homeless man found with illegal gun was wanted in Westmoreland County
A homeless man who failed to show up for his trial in October on charges of terroristic threats and harassment was accused by Springdale police of illegally carrying a loaded gun after he was stopped while walking along railroad tracks. Kevin Michael Sifers, 45, whose last known address was in...
Lower Burrell police accuse waterproofing contractor of taking $3K upfront for no-show job, refusing refund
Lower Burrell police accused a waterproofing contractor of taking more than $3,000 upfront from a woman last year for work he never did and then telling her that he was out of business when she asked for a refund. Jason Sims, 49, of the 300 block Murrysville Road in Penn...
Target of undercover drug probe in Lower Burrell accused of selling crack cocaine
Lower Burrell police accused a man of being a crack cocaine dealer after officers working undercover bought crack cocaine from him. Jerrail Albert “Kobe” Carver, 30, of the 900 block of Evans Street in New Kensington was charged with two felony counts of possession of drugs with the intent to...
School bus driver from Ford City accused of sexually assaulting teen at his home
A Ford City man who works as a school bus driver has been accused of sexually assaulting a teenager while on a break between shifts transporting school students. David Lorigan, 40, of the 1600 block of Third Avenue was arrested Sept. 7 and charged with felony counts of corruption of...
Man accused of raping co-worker while they were providing care to special-needs clients at Pine apartment building
A Plum man was charged with rape after his co-worker at a Pine apartment complex accused him of sexually assaulting her. Shawde Steve Jenkins, 31, of Murray Court in Plum is charged with felony counts of rape, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, sexual assault and aggravated indecent assault along with a...
Northern Regional Police using federal grant to add 2nd dog to K9 unit
Northern Regional Police Chief John Sicilia wasn’t banking on actually getting a federal grant when he filed the paperwork to help cover the cost of replacing the dog that was retiring from the department’s K9 unit late last year. “We had no idea if we’d get the money when we...
New Kensington man accused of strangling woman who dropped squirming baby ordered to stand trial
A New Kensington man accused of slapping and strangling a woman has been ordered to stand trial. Keith Allen Thornhill, 31, of the 1000 block of Fourth Avenue was charged July 23 with a felony count of strangulation and released from custody on a $10,000 unsecured bond. Thornhill waived his...
Police say New Kensington man who showed them video of him strangling a woman is ordered to trial
A New Kensington man who, police say, showed them a video of him strangling a woman has been ordered to stand trial. Morris Edward Hayes, 52, of the 300 block of Fifth Avenue, was charged May 25 with a felony count of strangulation and a count of simple assault and...
Convicted sex offender from Vandergrift ordered to trial for failing to comply with Megan’s Law
A convicted sex offender from Vandergrift who was arrested after reporting his Jeep was stolen has been ordered to stand trial on a charge of failing to notify state police when he bought the vehicle. Calvin Walter Kendall Jr., 44, of the 100 block of Longfellow Street was charged June...
A wing and a prayer: Mantis makes meal of pesky spotted lanternfly
There are no known natural enemies able to control the growing population of spotted lanternflies from destroying fruit and landscape trees, grapevines and woody ornamental plants. Native to Asia, the spotted lanternfly was first detected in Pennsylvania in 2014. Since their discovery in Berks County, the tree-hopping pests have spread...
New Kensington landlord accused of strangling, slapping tenant ordered to stand trial
A New Kensington landlord accused of strangling and slapping a woman during a dispute over when she would move out has been ordered to stand trial. Terrance Joel Martin Jr., 57, of the 300 block of Altermoor Drive in Harrison was charged with felony strangulation and a count of simple...
Kiski Township man ordered to trial on multiple felony charges
A Kiski Township man accused of stealing an SUV to flee after assaulting a family member and then eluding capture by police who spotted him the next day has been order to stand trial on multiple felony charges. James Francis Sabino, 37, of the 300 block of Riffler Road was...
Man accused of breaking into cars in East Deer charged with assaulting police chief during arrest
An man accused of trying to break into vehicles along Freeport Road in East Deer was charged with a felony after allegedly kicking a police chief in the chest while officers were trying to arrest him. Jordan Smith, 32, of the 400 block of Freeport Road in East Deer was...
Vandergrift woman accused of trying to stop cops from arresting man wanted on homicide charge
Vandergrift police accused a woman of trying to prevent officers from capturing a man who was on the run after being charged with vehicular homicide. Rachel Lynn Cook, 36, of the 200 block of Bryant Street in Vandergrift was charged with a felony count of hindering apprehension along with counts...
New Kensington man charged with fleeing traffic stop was wanted for skipping trial
A New Kensington man wanted on multiple arrest warrants is accused of fleeing in a vehicle to avoid arrest after the woman who was driving pulled over and surrendered to police. Zion Ethan Lee Wright, 23, of the 1300 block of Victoria Avenue was charged Aug. 18 with felony counts...
‘Concierge’ focused Connected Health in Pine adds wellness coaching to services
About five years ago, Niki Campbell was still in the early stages of a career change when she did some public relations work for the owner of Connected Health in Wexford and saw where she hoped her new vocation would lead her. When she met Betty Rich, the CEO and...
New Kensington woman, homeowner face drug charges after, authorities say, agents find coke and pot during raid
A New Kensington woman and the man who owns the house where she lives were arrested on drug charges after agents raided the home and allegedly found cocaine, marijuana and evidence that they are dealers. Janet Lea Glubish, 55, of the 1000 block of Edgewood Road was charged with a...
Police: Buffalo Township man accused of firing shot at his mother as she left his house
A Buffalo Township man is accused of ordering his mother out of his house at gunpoint and then firing a shot at her while she was walking away. Andrew John Vento, 31, of the 300 block of Shuster Drive was charged with a felony count of aggravated assault with a...
Arrest warrant issued for New Kensington woman accused of stabbing man during domestic dispute
Westmoreland County detectives and New Kensington police have obtained an arrest warrant for a woman accused of getting into an argument with a man during which they stabbed each other. Police on Aug. 3 charged Tamara Lynn Ambrosi, 56, with felony counts of aggravated assault and aggravated assault with a...
Vandergrift man arrested at gunpoint, charged in break-in
Vandergrift police say a woman’s former boyfriend was arrested at gunpoint inside her kitchen Monday after she barricaded herself in the attic and called 911 when she heard somebody break into her home. Adam Richard Younkins, 24, of the 100 block of Lowell Street was charged Monday, Aug. 28 with...
Police charge Brackenridge man with breaking down door, threatening housemates with ax
Tarentum police arrested a man after his housemates told them he used an ax to break through a door because he was angry they weren’t chipping in enough to pay the bills. David Hood Monroe, 64, of the 1100 block of Roup Avenue in Brackenridge, was charged with a felony...
2 of 3 people accused in Tarentum robbery hoax have prior felony arrests for theft
Two of the three people accused of staging an armed robbery at Asay’s newsstand in Tarentum last week already were facing felony theft charges when the alleged crime was committed, according to court records. Connor Whited, 26, and his girlfriend, Leah Baczynski, 24, are accused of hatching a plan for...
