Morning Roundup: City activates fireworks task force to crack down on scofflaws

Here are some of the latest news items from Friday, June 30:

Pittsburgh fireworks task force activated for July Fourth holiday

It’s legal to buy fireworks in Pennsylvania. But there are rules about how, when and where to use them in the City of Pittsburgh.

The city’s Department of Public Safety activated its Fireworks Task Force on Thursday night to respond to complaints and calls related to fireworks.

The task force will operate nightly through July 6 to crackdown on the illegal use of fireworks. People caught discharging fireworks that cause an injury or property damage face fines and will be liable for the damage caused, authorities said.

Public safety officials said fireworks cannot be set off on public or private property without permission from the owner.

Fireworks also cannot be:

• Discharged within 150 feet of a building or vehicle, regardless of whether the building or vehicle is owned by the user.

• Directed at another person or discharged while a person is under the influence of alcohol, a controlled substances or other drugs.

• Set off between 10 p.m. and 10 a.m. except for July 2, 3 and 4, when they can be used until 1 a.m.

Pittsburgh man indicted for shooting at postal worker

A man accused of firing three gunshots at a postal carrier in Pittsburgh in early January has been indicted by a federal grand jury.

Martinel Humphries, 28, was arrested Jan. 5 by Pittsburgh police after a U.S. Postal worker told police he was delivering mail just after 2 p.m. in the 200 block of Waldorf Street in Pittsburgh’s Perry North when a man, later identified as Humphries, shot at him at least three times.

The postal worker was not injured, but a nearby home was damaged from gunfire, according to investigators.

Federal prosecutors said Humphries was not permitted to have a firearm because of his prior felony convictions, which include being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.

If convicted on all three counts presented in the indictment, Humpries he could be sentenced to a minimum of 10 years in prison for using a firearm while committing a crime, up to 20 years for the assault charge and an additional 15 years for being a felon in possession of a firearm along with a fine of up to $250,000 for each of the three counts.

Allegheny County 911 dispatcher arrested on child porn charge

A Turtle Creek man who works as an Allegheny County 911 dispatcher has been arrested for possession of child pornography, according to authorities.

Allegheny County police began investigating Robert Bookshar, 46, of the 400 block of Boyd Street on May 31 after being contacted by police in Tampa, Fla., about a child pornography case on which they were working.

On Thursdaymorning, detectives executed a search warrant at Bookshar’s home and confiscated several electronic devices that contained images and videos of child pornography, according to investigators.

Bookshar was arrested and charged with five felony counts of possession of child pornography and one felony count of criminal use of a communication facility.

He was being detained in the Allegheny County Jail in lieu of a $100,000 cash bond, according to court records.

Bookshar was hired in November 2014 as a a telecommunications officer for Allegheny County Emergency Services.

He was placed on indefinite, unpaid leave after the charges were filed.