Rich Cholodofsky stories, Page 81
Westmoreland primary voter turnout tops 31%
More than 76,000 ballots were cast in Westmoreland County during this month’s primary as voter turnout topped more than 31%, a figure substantially surpassing totals from four years ago. According to figures released Friday by the county election bureau, 35% of registered Republicans and 31% of Democrats cast ballots earlier...
Sexual assault charge against Greensburg man dismissed following mistrial
A pending sexual assault charge filed against a Greensburg man — who in February was found not guilty of the rape of an unconscious woman — was dismissed Thursday. Following a three-day trial, jurors acquitted Emmanuel Lebbie, 25, of Greensburg of the felony rape count but deadlocked and failed to...
Westmoreland senior centers to reopen June 1
Westmoreland County announced Thursday it will reopen 13 senior citizen centers June 1, more than 14 months after they were shuttered at the start of the coronavirus pandemic. The centers, scattered throughout the county, served as a gathering spot for as many as 3,500 seniors for education, socialization and meals...
Westmoreland courthouse bomb threat nets probation sentence
A South Huntingdon man will serve one month on probation for a threat police said he made late last year to bomb the Westmoreland County Courthouse. Micheal W. Stephens, 58, was charged Dec. 30 with misdemeanor counts of terroristic threats and disorderly conduct in connection with an incident in front...
Former Pagans leader Katona granted 1 month delay to report to county prison
The former national leader of the Pagans motorcycle club will have an additional period of freedom before he must report to the Westmoreland County Prison to serve out the remaining months of his sentence on prior drug offenses. Dennis “Rooster” Katona, 54, of Hempfield was expected to turn himself in...
Defense attorney says prosecution inaction warrants dismissal of Unity man’s criminal charges
The lawyer for a Unity man police said is linked to the 2018 disappearance of his former girlfriend said inaction by Westmoreland County prosecutors violated the state’s speedy trial rules. As a result, he wants a judge to dismiss three pending criminal cases. Defense attorney Dante Bertani in court documents...
Monessen man blames addiction to porn for rape of teen
A Monessen man on Tuesday said his addiction to pornography ultimately led to what he called an improper relationship with a 17-year-old girl. Daniel Powell, 37, formerly of North Versailles, told a Westmoreland County judge during his sentencing hearing for rape and other offenses he was sorry for his actions...
In-person visits set to resume at Westmoreland prison as inmate vaccinations begin
In-person visits with inmates at the Westmoreland County Prison will resume in June as officials ease restrictions enacted last year during the coronavirus pandemic. Inmates have been limited to video visits with friends and family as the coronavirus surged through the community and inside the Hempfield lockup. Warden Bryan Kline...
Help wanted: Westmoreland County seeks applicants for vacant jobs
Westmoreland County has the “help wanted” sign out to fill jobs in several departments but, as has been the case in the private sector, there isn’t enough community interest to fill vacant positions. It has been so much of a challenge to fill the roster of guards at the county...
Latrobe man convicted of sexual assault; jury says not guilty of rape
A Westmoreland County jury on Thursday convicted a Latrobe man of sexual assault but not rape. Prosecutors said Hunter Jones Hoyle, 22, assaulted a 20-year-old woman after she fell asleep in a friend’s room in the early morning hours of Jan. 1, 2020, following a party at a home on...
Westmoreland poll workers awarded big raises
Civic duty hasn’t quite been the lure Westmoreland elections officials had hoped to attract people to work the polls on Election Day, so county commissioners will offer more cash as an incentive. Commissioners, acting as the elections board, on Friday issued massive raises to reward those who worked at the...
Jury finds Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Vazquez guilty of sexual assault of a teen girl
A Westmoreland County jury late Thursday found former Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Felipe Vazquez guilty of sexual assault of a 13-year-old girl. The jury found Vazquez guilty on 15 counts, including the most serious charges of statutory sexual assault, unlawful contact or communication with a minor, indecent assault and corruption of...
Technical issue, ballot reviews cause reporting delay of Westmoreland election results
It took more than 22 hours after Westmoreland County polls closed Tuesday night before complete unofficial results from the hundreds of primary races were posted to the county’s website. Updated results to reflect totals from all 307 precincts and the nearly 13,000 mail-in ballots that arrived at the courthouse by...
Pirates pitcher testified teen accuser sent him fake ID to make him believe she was of age
Suspended Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Felipe Vazquez told a Westmoreland County jury Wednesday that he religiously sought confirmation of the 50 woman he met online to ensure they were above the age of consent during the two years prosecutors said he conducted a sexual relationship with a teenager. Vazquez, 29, served...
Hammers, Mahady, Tyburski and Fanchalsky appear to win district judge races
Westmoreland County voters in November will officially elect new magisterial district judges to preside over courts based in Derry, Penn Township, Unity and Youngwood. But it appeared from unofficial election returns that all four races had already been decided. Each district had contested races Tuesday in which candidates cross-filed to...
Acting Westmoreland Clerk of Court jumps out to strong lead in GOP primary
Westmoreland County’s Acting Clerk of Courts Megan Loughner held a wide lead in Tuesday’s Republican primary to run for a full four-year term to run the office to oversee the county’s criminal court records. With 288 of the 307 precincts reporting, Loughner, 36, of Unity, had 65% of the votes...
Investigator testifies Pirates pitcher Vazquez knew Scottdale girl was ‘too young’
Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Felipe Vazquez, during a police interrogation at his Strip District apartment in September 2019, initially claimed he knew his teen accuser was young and told investigators her age was why he refused to communicate with her over the previous two years. Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Michael Thompson,...
Former WCCC accountant pleads guilty to theft from school
A former accountant at Westmoreland County Community College was ordered to serve five years of probation for the theft of more than $54,000 from the school’s student government account. Shirley Ferrenberg, 60, of Unity, pleaded guilty Monday to one felony theft count in connection with the funds police say were...
Teen testifies to sexual relationship with ex-Pirates pitcher Felipe Vazquez, says initial contact was ‘super cool’
A 17-year-old girl testified Monday she thought it was “super cool” when Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Felipe Vazquez responded to her social media message in which she wished him a happy birthday in July 2017. Six weeks later, with her parents away for the day, Vazquez had sex with her...
A ‘Tony’ for Tony: County detective honored for commitment to Westmoreland drug court
For months as the coronavirus pandemic raged, Westmoreland County drug court participants quarantined at home and away from the much-needed counsel and treatment for their addictions. That’s where Tony Marcocci, a detective with the county District Attorney’s Office, stepped up, according to the two judges who oversee the special court...
Masks no longer required for vaccinated staff, visitors at Westmoreland courthouse
Westmoreland officials on Friday said anyone who is fully vaccinated against coronavirus will no longer be required to wear masks at the courthouse and in most other government buildings. “We are all looking forward to getting back to normal,” county Commissioner Gina Cerilli Thrasher said. According to a memo released...
Jury seated in Pirates pitcher’s sexual assault trial, testimony to begin Monday
Testimony in the sexual assault trial of former Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Felipe Vazquez will begin Monday morning in a Westmoreland County courtroom. Twelve jurors and two alternates were seated Friday for what is expected to be a three-day trial after Vazquez was accused of having sexual relations with a 13-year...
Westmoreland elections office to open over weekend for mail-in ballots
Westmoreland County’s Election Bureau will be open this weekend to distribute ballots to voters who requested but not received their mail-in and absentee ballots for Tuesday’s primary election. The courthouse office will operate from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday to reissue ballots, said Election Bureau Director JoAnn Sebastiani....
Westmoreland officials say voters who receive mail-in ballots this weekend should use drop boxes
Westmoreland County elections officials said Thursday that all 18,000-plus mail-in ballots requested for Tuesday’s primary have been sent. Election Bureau Director JoAnn Sebastiani said the last batch of ballots, requested in the final days before the May 11 deadline, were mailed Wednesday and should arrive by this weekend. As of...
Westmoreland to get $105M in covid relief funds, could use money for capital improvements
Westmoreland commissioners said the county will receive $105.3 million in federal coronavirus relief funds that will be used to fund a variety of needed capital improvements and ultimately negate the need for a tax hike. Commissioners on Thursday formally applied for the money allocated through the $1.9 trillion American Rescue...
