Rich Cholodofsky stories, Page 39
Westmoreland law librarian remembered as friendly helping hand to all
Shelves of books and manuals lined the walls and aisles in the law library at the Westmoreland County Courthouse, but it was the puzzles and the librarian who set them out that became the main attraction. Lawyers, county employees and citizens routinely stopped their busy days in Greensburg to add...
Doctor testifies Delmont child was victim of ongoing abuse, torture
Five-year-old Landon Maloberti suffered bruises over most of his body and massive brain bleeding and was the victim of torture at the hands of his adoptive mother and her husband, according to testimony Tuesday by a physician and child advocate. Dr. Michelle Clayton testified during a preliminary hearing for Lauren...
Democrats scrambling after Hovis withdraws from Westmoreland commissioner race
Westmoreland Democrats are scrambling to fill a vacancy on the November ballot after learning through a social media post Monday that one of the party’s two candidates for county commissioner withdrew from the race. Sydney Hovis, 28, of Scottdale announced via Facebook she formally petitioned to have her name removed...
East Huntingdon couple to serve probation for handling of elderly aunt’s estate
Blair and Chester Loffer wanted an apology. Instead, the brothers will receive more than $91,000 in cash and the deed to their dead sister’s Scottdale home as part of a deal with Westmoreland County prosecutors to end the case against the Loffers’ niece and her husband. John and Jane Kiliany,...
Westmoreland courthouse plaza to reopen Monday
After months of construction delays, the main entrance and plaza in front of the Westmoreland County Courthouse will reopen Monday. Workers have spent the last several days adding the finishing cosmetic touches and landscaping to finish a 16-month project to rebuild a two-story underground parking garage and refurbish the front...
Jury convicts Lower Burrell man of sexual assault, gun counts
A Westmoreland County jury convicted a Lower Burrell man of sexual assault and weapons offenses in connection with allegations raised in 2020 by a preteen. Jurors found Edgar Lee Williams, 42, guilty of all eight charges following two days of testimony and more than three hours of deliberations Thursday. Williams...
Lower Burrell man denies sex assault, gun charges
A Lower Burrell man denied to a Westmoreland County jury on Wednesday that he had sexual contact with a preteen girl who claimed she was molested. “I did nothing close to anything like that,” Edgar Lee Williams testified during the second day of his trial in which a now teen-age...
Lower Burrell man on trial for sex assault charges against child
A mother’s questioning of her 10-year-old daughter over suspicions of stolen rent money led to allegations of sexual improprieties against a neighbor, a Westmoreland County prosecutor said Tuesday. Assistant District Attorney Judi Petrush told jurors that instead of admitting to theft of the cash the child unexpectedly disclosed reports of...
Third state probe of Westmoreland juvenile center finds potential riot averted despite inadequate staff training
A state agency Tuesday disclosed findings from a third investigation of operations at Westmoreland County’s temporarily closed juvenile detention center. The investigation resulted in an additional violation related to a physical altercation this year between a staff member and a teen that officials feared created a potential for a riot...
Herminie man pleads guilty to finger gun threat
A Herminie man pleaded guilty Monday to allegations he made a gun-pointing gesture with his fingers at potential witnesses during a court hearing last year. Michael Wichelmann, 60, was sentenced to up to 23 months in jail in connection to the July 7, 2022, incident in a Westmoreland County courtroom....
State issues violations against closed Westmoreland juvenile detention center
State investigators issued multiple violations against Westmoreland County’s juvenile detention center after two teens suffered injuries while incarcerated, officials confirmed Monday. Controller Jeffrey Balzer, who serves as chairman of the county’s Juvenile Detention Board, said the violations focused on staffing issues at the Regional Youth Services Center in Hempfield. “It’s...
Avonmore man sentenced to prison for attacks on girlfriend, police
An Avonmore man was ordered to serve up to four years in prison in connection with a knife attack inside an Avonmore home last year and an unrelated confrontation with police. Richard William O’Brien, 47, pleaded guilty to charges of aggravated simple assault, reckless endangerment and resisting arrest related to...
Salem gun threat nets prison sentence
A Washington County man was ordered to serve up to five years in prison for threats made during a confrontation last year with a former girlfriend in her Salem home. Robert Wisdom, 36, of California pleaded guilty to simple assault, terroristic threats and reckless endangerment in connection with allegations that...
Police pension fund audits find accounting errors
Accounting errors were identified in new state audits of South Huntingdon and Ligonier Township police pension funds. According to findings released this week by Pennsylvania Auditor General Timothy L. DeFoor both townships saw funding discrepancies associated with contributions made to the pension funds. Two errors were identified related to Ligonier’s...
Discounted court fees result from stalled state budget
Divorce-seekers are in line for a discount. Costs to file court documents in Pennsylvania are more than $20 cheaper, for now. An under-the-radar casualty of the state’s financial uncertainty related to a monthlong budget impasse is an annual surcharge added to fees for the filing of most court documents. That...
Indiana DA finds police justified in fatal in shooting
State police were justified in the fatal shooting of a 51-year-old man killed following a traffic stop last month near Homer City, Indiana County District Attorney Robert Manzi Jr. announced Wednesday. Manzi said the monthlong investigation into the circumstances of the July 3 fatal shooting of John V. Dye determined...
Judge OKs access to mental health records in firearms prosecution of Trump defender
Westmoreland County prosecutors will have access to the mental health records of a Hunker man who was charged with illegal gun possession at a Delmont restaurant where he claimed he was defending former President Donald Trump. Common Pleas Judge Tim Krieger authorized the release of records as part of a...
Indiana DA finds police justified in fatal shooting
State police were justified in the fatal shooting of a 51-year-old man killed following a traffic stop last month near Homer City, Indiana County District Attorney Robert Manzi Jr. announced Wednesday. Manzi said the monthlong investigation into the circumstances of the July 3 fatal shooting of John V. Dye determined...
Ted Kopas returns to work as Westmoreland commissioner
Ted Kopas didn’t need directions to get to work Tuesday morning. Kopas, a Democrat who lives in Hempfield, was sworn in to office as a Westmoreland County commissioner. He takes over the minority role on the county’s board of commissioners from Democrat Gina Cerilli Thrasher, who left office a day...
Accused Upper Burrell bar shooter competent for trial
A Westmoreland County judge ruled Tuesday that a man charged in connection with a fatal shooting in an Upper Burrell bar nearly two years ago is competent to stand trial. Police claim Daniel Moles, 77, of Lower Burrell shot and killed 31-year-old Randy Jenereaux at Woodpeckers Pub & Grub tavern...
North Huntingdon man sentenced to probation for 2020 armed robbery
A North Huntingdon man was ordered Monday to serve seven years on probation for his role in an armed robbery nearly three years ago in Mt. Pleasant Township. Elijah Ben Chaabane, 20, pleaded guilty earlier this year to robbery, conspiracy and weapons offense related to a Dec. 19, 2020 incident...
Thrasher ends tenure as Westmoreland commissioner
Gina Cerilli Thrasher’s title will remain the same. In her next role, Thrasher will serve as a commissioner on the state’s Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board when she starts her new job Tuesday. Her more than seven years as a member of Westmoreland County’s Board of Commissioners ended Monday. “It’s bittersweet...
Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County looks to continue expansion efforts
Sewers are the new growth industry for the Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County. The agency last week completed the purchase of a municipal sewer system that services Scottdale, Everson, Upper Tyrone and part of East Huntingdon, and officials said the utility, whose primary business during its first 60 years has...
Murrysville Golf Club tees up for court battle
The operator of a Murrysville golf course claims the landlord wants to take over what has become a successful business. J.K. Golf Inc., the operator of the Murrysville Golf Club, filed a lawsuit this week seeking an arbitration panel be convened to determine the future of the 18-hole course on...
Westmoreland courthouse to host veteran benefits clinic
Westmoreland County’s Department of Veterans Affairs will host an open house at the courthouse on Thursday to assist with applications for special benefits authorized by the federal government last year. The clinic will operate from noon to 3 p.m. to provide assistance for veterans and their families to apply for...
