Rich Cholodofsky stories, Page 79
Westmoreland jail to house former Pagan leader and his accused attacker
The former Pagan’s Motorcycle Club leader who police said was a target of a North Huntingdon man now awaiting trial for two murders and shooting at three local homes will be under the same roof at the end of July. An amended court order signed July 9 by Westmoreland County...
Jeannette man pleads guilty to Sutersville robbery,shooting; police suspect foul play in disappearance of woman linked to plot
A Jeannette man will serve up to 10 years in prison for his role in the gunpoint robbery and shooting of two men at a Sutersville home almost three years ago. Aaron Devaugntae Brown, 29, pleaded guilty Monday to four counts of aggravated assault, two robbery charges and single burglary...
Judge compares attack on Saint Vincent student to horror film, imposes 10-year sentence
A Westmoreland County judge on Monday compared the September 2017 attack on a Saint Vincent College student to a horror movie as she imposed a 10-year prison sentence against the former Somerset County man convicted in April of attempted rape. “This type of offense is truly the kind of things...
Westmoreland commissioner forms nonprofit to help students land skilled labor jobs
Westmoreland Commissioner Sean Kertes, along with his chief of staff and the county treasurer, on Thursday announced the formation of a private, nonprofit entity that will work to connect high school students and young adults with skilled labor jobs. Grow Westmoreland will solicit private donations and conduct fundraising events to...
Westmoreland elections director fired days before her ouster was made public
Westmoreland County’s former election bureau director was out of a job a week before her bosses officially signed off on her removal, according to a document obtained by the Tribune-Review. JoAnn Sebastiani was fired as elections bureau director effective June 19, according to an “action form” created by the county’s...
Armstrong woman to serve jail sentence for 2017 New Kensington crash
An Armstrong County woman police said was drunk when she caused a vehicle crash in New Kensington that seriously injured two women will serve almost two years in jail. Victoria Fink, 60, of Dayton, was sentenced Thursday to serve one year, less a day, to two years less two days...
Carjacking, kidnapping outside Westmoreland prison nets Jeannette man up to 30 years
A Jeannette man will serve up to 30 years in prison for carjacking a West Leechburg woman parked in front of the Westmoreland County Prison as her 13-month-old grandson was in the vehicle, which later crashed two miles from the lockup. Thomas Lee Williams, 38, formerly of Philadelphia, pleaded guilty...
Westmoreland County election bureau director ousted
The Westmoreland County commissioners said Tuesday they will hire a new election bureau director. Election Bureau Director JoAnn Sebastiani was suspended with pay on June 8, and none of the three commissioners has disclosed reasons for that disciplinary action. Sebastiani, 63, was hired last August to run the department. She...
Defense seeks plea deal in 2019 death of East Huntingdon baby
The lawyer for a Fayette County man charged with first-degree murder of an 11-month old East Huntingdon child told a judge on Tuesday his client was ready to plead guilty to a lesser charge. Assistant Public Defender Jack Manderino said Derrick A. Bass, 31, of Uniontown indicated his desire to...
Former Pagans leader ordered to report to state prison July 30
A Westmoreland County judge on Tuesday ordered the former leader of the Pagan’s Motorcycle Club to report to a Somerset County state prison in late July to resume serving an 80-month sentence for a drug conviction based on a 2011 raid of his Hempfield home. Dennis “Rooster” Katona, 54, was...
Prison sentence imposed for rape of Vandergrift child
A Greensburg man will serve up to eight years in prison for the rape of a 5-year-old Vandergrift girl. Eric Jermain Emory, 35, pleaded guilty last week to one count of rape of a child for repeated sexual assaults of a girl in 2019 and 2020 and three additional charges...
Lawyer’s alleged disclosure at issue in Arnold homicide case
The lawyer for a Churchill man charged in a fatal shooting in Arnold last summer told a judge that statements made to police by another attorney should not be used as evidence at his upcoming homicide trial. The trial for Devon Askew, 26, is scheduled to begin Nov. 15. Westmoreland...
2 coronavirus cases reported at Westmoreland prison
Two Westmoreland County Prison inmates have active coronavirus infections but the facility’s warden on Monday said there is no sign of an additional outbreak at the Hempfield lockup. One inmate developed an infection while in quarantine and another tested positive after he was placed in a general population unit, said...
Driver shortage limits Westmoreland shared-ride system; hiring event planned for July 1
Door-to-door shared rides on the Westmoreland County Transit Authority’s paratransit system will be limited because of an ongoing driver shortage, officials announced this weekend. Authority Executive Director Alan Blahovec said the Go Westmoreland system needs to hire up to 15 full-time drivers to ensure the service that provides subsidized rides...
Police seek suspects in West End Overlook brush fire
Pittsburgh police said three male suspects are wanted for questioning in connection with a brush fire set Sunday early morning near the West End Overlook building. Witnesses said three males, estimated to be between 17 to 19 years old, attempted to break the glass doors at the front of the...
Man dead in New Stanton crash of classic car
A 72-year-old man was killed Sunday morning when a classic car ran off a winding road near New Stanton, state police said. According to Westmoreland County 911, rescue crews were dispatched at 8:14 a.m. to South Center Avenue near Sandworks Road in response to a report that a person had...
Drone program offers job skills to Westmoreland, Fayette studentsVideo
Hannah Sutton said flying drones runs in the family. The Uniontown native, who graduated last month from Laurel Highlands High School, wants to follow in her grandfather’s footsteps that saw him serve in the U.S. Air Force and later earn a license to pilot a drone. Sutton, 18, like her...
Connellsville man killed on Armstrong County road
A Connellsville man was killed early Saturday when he was struck by a vehicle in Armstrong County. Pennsylvania State Police in Kittanning said Alan Lipscomb, 29, was laying in the middle of State Route 422 near Worthington Slate Lick Road shortly after 2:30 a.m. when he was hit by an...
Westmoreland Transit to use federal grants to keep bus fares steady, for now
Fares to ride Westmoreland County Transit Authority buses and paratransit vehicles will remain unchanged under a new operating budget approved this week. The spending plan relies heavily on federal stimulus grants as revenues continue to lag more than a year after the coronavirus pandemic caused a dramatic drop-off in passenger...
Judge rejects Westmoreland primary challenges
A Westmoreland County judge on Friday rejected two lawsuits seeking to invalidate results from the May primary. Judge Harry Smail Jr. said the lawsuits, both filed without the help of lawyers, were improperly submitted because they did not include verified signatures from 20 district voters and failed to include required...
No Juneteenth holiday this year for Westmoreland County government
Westmoreland County government offices will be open Friday as the federal and state governments, along with neighboring Allegheny County, are closed to observe the Juneteenth holiday. Westmoreland officials said there are no concrete plans to add Juneteenth to the holiday schedule, but discussions to consider doing so could be in...
Westmoreland commissioners restructure election bureau; director’s job in limboVideo
Westmoreland commissioners on Thursday overhauled the county election bureau to add a layer of management, increased pay for staff and, for the first time, acknowledged a potential change in leadership of the department. The move comes a month after numerous operational and administrative issues plagued the bureau the days before...
Water quality testing to continue at Beaver Run Reservoir in Bell Township
Water quality tests at the reservoir that supplies drinking water to about half of all Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County customers will continue for the next year. Authority board members this week approved a new contract with Indiana University of Pennsylvania to collect samples and analyze the water at Beaver...
Hempfield man sentenced to 2 years in prison for 2019 knife attack
A Hempfield man was sentenced to serve at least two years in prison for an attack that left his neighbor bloodied and in a coma for days following a vicious attack two years ago. Vincente Alejo Andres V, 36, pleaded guilty last summer to aggravated and simple assault charges. On...
Bolivar man pleads guilty to role in failed drug smuggling plot
A Bolivar man will serve up to four years in prison after pleading guilty Wednesday to his role in a failed plot to smuggle drugs into the county jail and for threatening a witness. David Lee McGinnis, 28, was among six people — including his mother — charged in connection...
