Tony LaRussa stories, Page 8
Woman who killed motorist in 2014 while distracted now accused of being high with child in car, causing wreck
A West Deer woman who admitted to killing a man when she hit his disabled car along Route 28 in 2014 is now accused of being high on fentanyl and cocaine when she caused a head-on collision in late May while driving her child to school. Rachel Rebecca Bailie, 32,...
Police: Barrel of loaded pistol spotted in SUV during traffic stop in New Kensington
New Kensington police say a man they pulled over for allegedly running a stop sign had a loaded pistol stuffed between the seat and center console of his vehicle. Police said Laquinta Dewayne Shuford, 31, did not have a license to carry the gun. Shuford of the 1700 block of...
New Kensington woman accused of stealing ex-boyfriend’s identity to get credit card while he was in prison
A New Kensington woman is accused of stealing her former boyfriend’s identity to get a credit card in his name, charging more than $3,500 on it after they broke up while he was in state prison. Melissa A. McGreal, 41, of the 600 block of Campbell Avenue was charged July...
Pair ordered to stand trial in connection with June 12 shooting in Tarentum that injured 2
A man accused of firing at least eight shots at two people in Tarentum in May has been ordered to stand trial. A district judge also ordered a woman who police said instigated an argument earlier in the day that resulted in the shooting to stand trial. Steven Jermain Prezzie,...
No one injured after early riser alerts Harmar neighbors to laundromat fire; 6 apartments evacuated
Donna Bendel was already done showering and feeding her dog, Jet, before heading out for work about 3:45 a.m. Thursday when a fire broke out in the laundromat in the same building as her apartment and five others. “I heard the front security door bang shut, but didn’t think anything...
Pine man who pleaded guilty to child-porn charge last year accused of same crime again
A Pine Township man who pleaded guilty last year to having child pornography was arrested by Allegheny County police for allegedly downloading illegal images and video on the day of a scheduled meeting with his parole agent. Kyle Donnelly, 28, of the 200 block of McKinney Road was charged by...
Plea deal drops 9 felony counts against O’Hara skills coach accused of sexually assaulting teen student
A former standout high school and college basketball player who was accused of sexually assaulting a teenage student at a skills school he operated in Ford City has pleaded guilty to misdemeanor indecent assault after prosecutors agreed to drop nine felony counts. Last October, South Buffalo police charged Mark Anthony...
Ford City insurance agent guilty of working with lapsed license, taking money for bogus policy
An Armstrong County insurance agent pleaded guilty to operating with an expired license and taking money from a customer for a policy that never was issued. Last summer, the state Attorney General’s Officie charged Thomas John Scheeren, 42, of the 100 block of Sherwood Drive in East Franklin with felony...
Lower Burrell woman accused of stalking neighbor on same day she was ordered to trial on stalking charge
Lower Burrell police charged a woman with a felony count of stalking on the day a judge ordered her to stand trial for the same charge filed against her late last year, according to authorities. Shannon Lee Marie Dotto, 44, of the 7200 block of Guyer Road in Lower Burrell...
Building the Valley: More than just sweet styles offered at Honeybee & Co. boutique in Leechburg
When Rachelle Beavers and her daughter, Destiney Beatty, decided to expand their growing online clothing business last year by adding a retail shop, their goal was simple. They wanted to create a place where customers could see, touch and try on the high-quality, affordably priced apparel they sell for women...
New Kensington police say Penn Hills man reached for loaded stolen gun during traffic stop
New Kensington police accused a man of reaching for a stolen pistol in his vehicle when he was pulled over for running a stop sign. Tory Windel Jones, 29, of the 1100 block of Hulton Road in Penn Hills was charged with a felony count of receiving stolen property along...
Police say New Kensington man punched the EMT who took him to the hospital
A New Kensington man is accused of punching an emergency medical technician while being highly intoxicated as the EMT transported him to Allegheny Valley Hospital. James Howard Mott, 57, of the 1700 block of Ridge Road was charged by Highmark Health Police with a felony count of aggravated assault along...
Trooper says handgun seized from 20-year-old during checkpoint stop in East Deer
State police arrested a Verona man at a traffic safety checkpoint set up on Route 28 in East Deer after he admitted to having a gun and marijuana inside the car in which he was a passenger. Matthew Howard Yots, 20, of the 400 block of Center Avenue was charged...
Pine-Richland using summer break to focus on improvement projects
Work on an ambitious list of projects is underway in the Pine-Richland School District. More than three dozen projects totaling $12 million are being done, including major upgrades at the high school, the stadium and the middle school along with smaller improvements in all other buildings. Dana Kirk, the district’s...
Lower Burrell man accused of exchanging nicotine vape cartridge for sex with 15-year-old faces felony charge
Lower Burrell police accused a man of having sex with a 15-year-old in exchange for a nicotine vape cartridge last year and trying to do the same thing with a 14-year-old a month earlier. Dylan Michael Jacobs, 20, of the 100 block of Reed Street in Lower Burrell was charged...
Leechburg police, fire departments hosting bike safety program for kids; event includes free helmets, visit from county K-9
Kids in Leechburg can learn how to be safer while riding their bikes at a free program Aug. 10. Sponsored by the Leechburg Police Department and the Leechburg Volunteer Fire Company, the event will run from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. at the fire hall on Canal Street. Staff from UPMC...
Trooper says man stopped for speeding in North Buffalo had 4 ounces of crack, nearly $5K cash
State police said a man pulled over in North Buffalo Township for speeding had more than 4 ounces of crack cocaine in the glove box and nearly $5,000 under the seat. Kahn Mykle Holliday, 30, of the 1100 block of Leishman Avenue in Arnold was charged July 12 with a...
Police say 3 guns stolen from unlocked vehicles in Leechburg past week
Leechburg police are asking residents to be vigilant about locking their vehicle doors after three guns were stolen in less than a week. Police Chief Jason Schaeffer said all three handguns were stolen overnight from unlocked vehicles. The first one was taken from a vehicle parked along Logan Street early...
Police say baby was in home when New Kensington man arrested with guns, body armor, drugs
A New Kensington man is accused of having body armor in his apartment along with a semi-automatic pistol loaded with armor-piercing ammo, police said, and drugs that were within easy reach of his 18-month-old child. Cameron Robert Blystone, 22, of the 700 block of Carl Avenue was charged with possession...
Frazer police accuse Ohio man of shoplifting $22K worth of perfume, clothing
Frazer police accused an Ohio man of stealing $22,000 worth of perfume and designer clothing from Macy’s after they arrested him in the parking lot with a garment bag altered to stop security scanners from going off at the registers. Angelo Aaron Dowdell, 25, of Warren was arrested Tuesday and...
Wexford kids set up 7 lemonade stands to help raise money for charity
If you had to pick a nice day for kids to set up a lemonade stand, it would have been hard to top the first Friday in July. Under a blue sky with white puffy clouds and temperatures in the mid-80s, children in Pine and Marshall helped a new charitable...
Police say 900 packets of fentanyl seized during raid at New Kensington woman’s home; 2nd suspect sought
State and county narcotics agents accused a New Kensington woman of being a drug dealer after, they say, 900 packets of fentanyl were confiscated during a raid at her home. Ieesha Franshawn Rajab, 41, of the 1100 block of Fifth Avenue was charged with two felony counts of possession of...
Trooper: Stolen car pulled over speeding through Turnpike construction zone in Richland
State police accused a man of having pot in the car while he was speeding through a Turnpike construction zone in Richland in a stolen vehicle. Alexander David Rocco, 22, of Dover Drive in Cranberry was charged with a felony count of receiving stolen property along a count of prohibited...
Police: Man who stole 3-wheel bike from Iron City brewery returned days later on different stolen bike
A homeless man from Colorado accused of breaking into the Pittsburgh Brewing plant in East Deer and stealing a three-wheeled pedal bike told police he stole another bicycle three days later to ride back to the facility, according to authorities. David Austin Jay, 45, was charged by Allegheny Valley Regional...
Trial ordered for Vandergrift woman accused of exposing kids to drugs, living in unsanitary home
A Vandergrift woman accused of exposing her children to drugs and alcohol and forcing them to live in filthy conditions with food that was expired or rotting has been ordered to stand trial. Rebecca Elaine Toth, 29, of the 400 block of Jackson Avenue was charged April 5 with a...
