Rich Cholodofsky stories, Page 71
Covid outbreak hits Westmoreland jail as caseload surges throughout county
Westmoreland County Prison is dealing with another coronavirus outbreak. Nine inmates tested positive Monday at the Hempfield lockup after 37 active cases were discovered last week, warden Brian Kline said. “We shut down the work release program last week and stopped all outside volunteers from entering the jail,” Kline said....
Hempfield teen charged in knife threat released on unsecured bond
A Hempfield teen charged in connection with an attempted knife attack last month in a Greensburg park was granted an unsecured bond and released from custody on Tuesday. Janis Biller, 16, was charged earlier this month as an adult with multiple counts of aggravated assault, robbery and conspiracy based on...
11-vehicle crash in West Mifflin blamed on icy road where water line broke
West Mifflin police said no one was injured in an 11-vehicle crash late Monday along Lebanon Church Road. Police said a Port Authority of Allegheny County bus and 10 other vehicles were involved in the crash that was first reported just before 11 p.m. A broken water line caused the...
Lawsuit over stone removal nets Mt. Pleasant man $5,000
The Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County was ordered to pay $5,000 in damages to a Mt. Pleasant man who claimed the utility removed as much as $700,000 in slate and shale from his property during a water line extension project a decade ago. A jury heard two days of evidence...
Monroeville man charged after woman is shot in road-rage incident on Pa. Turnpike
A Monroeville man who police say shot a woman Sunday during a road-rage incident on the Pennsylvania Turnpike attempted to thwart investigators by hiding a 9 mm handgun in the trunk of his car. Andrew Michael Skinner, 30, shot the woman after investigators say she accidentally drifted into his lane...
I-79 in northern Allegheny County reopens following multi-vehicle crash
A section of Interstate 79 in Franklin Park closed Monday morning after a multiple-vehicle crash, according to PennDOT. The southbound lanes between I-279 (exit 72) and Mt. Nebo Road (exit 68) were closed for about 90 minutes before reopening shortly after 7 a.m. after the highway was cleared. PennDOT said...
Lots drawn to declare winners in 39 tied election races in Westmoreland County
Lady Luck eluded Nancy Peters on Friday afternoon. Peters, an incumbent councilwoman in Jeannette, was one of 30 people who tied with one write-in vote in the Nov. 2 election for city controller. Ties were broken Friday afternoon through a random casting of lots for that race — and 38...
Churchill man convicted of voluntary manslaughter in Arnold killing
Devon Askew doubled over and cried as a Westmoreland County jury read a verdict that rejected his self-defense claims in connection with a fatal shooting last year in Arnold. Askew, 28, of Churchill, was convicted Friday of voluntary manslaughter — a verdict neither the defense nor prosecutors originally sought —...
Jury deliberating fate of Churchill man accused of killing intruder at home in Arnold to return Friday morning
A Westmoreland County jury will return Friday morning to continue deliberations in the criminal homicide trial of a Churchill man accused in the killing last year of an intruder at an Arnold home. Devon Askew, 28, contends he acted in self-defense when he shot and killed 34-year-old Richard Hildreth on...
Private consulting firm hired to help manage Westmoreland Manor
The eastern Pennsylvania company that for two decades ran Westmoreland Manor until it was replaced in 2014 will again hold administrative duties at the county-owned nursing home. Westmoreland commissioners on Thursday hired Complete Healthcare Resources-Eastern to manage and consult in the operation of the 408-bed facility in Hempfield. The company...
Preliminary Westmoreland budget proposal calls for no tax hike but includes $10.5 million deficit
Westmoreland County commissioners on Monday unveiled a preliminary budget for 2022 that keeps the property tax rate at its current level while also continues the decades-long trend of deficit spending. The proposed $365.5 million budget carries no cuts in services and is expected to be trimmed in the coming weeks...
Convicted sex offender to serve 9 years in prison for failing to register with police
A former Greensburg man living in North Carolina was ordered Wednesday to serve up to nine years in prison failing to register as a convicted sex offender. Ozzy James Bowland, 37, pleaded guilty to one felony charge that requires convicted sex offenders to register current addresses and provide their photographs...
Ties in 39 races to be broken Friday in Westmoreland County
Westmoreland County election officials said 39 races on the Nov. 2 ballot ended in ties that will be broken Friday through a casting of lots, including one open seat for Jeannette city controller where 30 candidates each received one write-in vote. The county’s elections board on Wednesday issued a precertification...
Castle Doctrine debated as defense in Arnold shooting trial
A Westmoreland County prosecutor argued Wednesday that Pennsylvania’s Castle Doctrine is not an applicable defense in the murder trial of a Churchill man charged in connection with a fatal shooting last year in Arnold. Assistant District Attorney Pete Caravello said jurors should not receive legal instructions about the statute that...
Youngwood woman not guilty of hit-and-run for crash that left 5-year-old boy injured
A Westmoreland County jury on Tuesday acquitted a Youngwood woman of hit-and-run charges in connection with an incident two years ago in which a 5-year-old boy on a bicycle collided with a sports utility vehicle in Hempfield. Beth Ann Briggs, 50, did not testify during the one-day trial. But her...
Police testify suspected murder weapon in Arnold slaying was found in a shoe
Detectives who searched the Arnold home where police said a man was gunned down last year testified Tuesday the suspected murder weapon was found hidden inside of a shoe left behind at the home. Statepolice Detective Nick Iera said he initially didn’t see the weapon as he walked through the...
Westmoreland commissioners to meet Thursday in courthouse lobby
Westmoreland County commissioners’ monthly voting meeting will be more public than usual. The Nov. 18 voting session, where commissioners are expected to unveil a preliminary 2022 budget, will be held in the courthouse lobby at 10 a.m. Commissioners typically convene public sessions in the large meeting room just off the...
Kelly Tua Hammers sworn in as Derry Township district judge
Kelly Tua Hammers was sworn in as Monday as the new district judge in Derry Township. Hammers, 50, was appointed in October by Gov. Tom Wolf to fill out the remaining two months in the term of District Judge Mark Bilik, who retired in August. Bilik had been hearing cases...
Self-defense claimed in Arnold fatal shooting
The lawyer for the man charged in the fatal shooting of a man in Arnold last year told a Westmoreland County jury that his client acted in self defense. Devon Askew, 28, of Churchill feared for his life and fired two shots to protect himself, a woman and her young...
North Huntingdon mom opposes sentence in Westmoreland child corruption plea
The mother of a North Huntingdon girl who was sent sexually explicit photographs told a Westmoreland County judge she didn’t approve of the five-year probation sentence imposed. Tyler James Heck, 20, of Danville, Perry County, pleaded guilty to one felony charge of corruption of minors in a deal approved by...
State recount forces Westmoreland commissioners to relocate public meetings
Westmoreland commissioners are likely to relocate two scheduled public meetings next week to accommodate a state-ordered recount in the race to fill one of two seats on the state’s Commonwealth Court. Democrat Lori Dumas held a small lead over Republican Drew Crompton, by just 16,804 votes as of earlier this...
3rd lawsuit filed over injuries on Mammoth Park’s Giant Slide
A third lawsuit has been filed against Westmoreland County over the newly built Giant Slide in Mammoth Park. Katherine McClelland of Fayette City, in court documents filed this week, claims she broke her ankle and suffered other injuries as a result of a ride down the slide July 14, 2020....
Lawyer change approved in Jeannette murder, arson case
A Jeannette man awaiting trial on homicide and arson charges will have new lawyers. Westmoreland County Public Defender Wayne McGrew said he, along with assistant Jennifer DeFlitch, will serve as primary attorneys for Brian Rendon as he continues to weigh a potential plea deal or going to trial next year...
Defense attorney second guesses trial strategy in Arnold murder appeal
Defense attorney Ralph Karsh told a Westmoreland County judge on Monday that he never considered evidence during a 2017 murder trial that his client’s young age mitigated the decision to shoot and kill a man during a 2015 melee in Arnold between two families. “In retrospect, I wish I had...
Voter turnout at 36% in Westmoreland County; elections board reviews problem ballots
More than 88,000 registered voters in Westmoreland County cast ballots in last week’s general election as turnout for the municipal races neared 36%, officials said. That figure exceeded the predicted turnout of 30% and represented 22,000 more ballots than were cast during a similar election cycle in 2017. This fall’s...
