Rich Cholodofsky stories, Page 86
Westmoreland prosecutor says DNA links Greensburg man to rape of unconscious woman
A Westmoreland County prosecutor said Tuesday investigators found DNA evidence that links a Greensburg man to what police contend was the rape of an unconscious woman in a city home in 2019. Testimony in the rape and sexual assault trial of Emmanuel Lebbie, 25, is expected to begin Wednesday before...
Murder charge upheld in Arnold shooting case
A Westmoreland County judge rejected a defense request to dismiss second-degree murder and robbery charges against a Butler woman implicated in the 2019 shooting death of an Armstrong County man in Arnold. Common Pleas Court Judge Christopher Feliciani ruled prosecutors have presented enough evidence to allow the murder case against...
Woman testifies in Hempfield robbery case
Sophia King told a Westmoreland County jury Tuesday she had no problem identifying the Black man she claims robbed her at gunpoint in a Hempfield shopping center parking lot more than four years ago. “I see his eyes,” King said as she pointed out a mask-wearing Norman Jack in a...
Westmoreland vaccine registry on hold
Westmoreland County commissioners’ plan to create a covid-19 vaccine registry is on hold as county leaders search out a potential third party to help craft a waiting list for inoculations. Commissioners said Monday Excela Health will not participate in the creation of a registry and that it is unlikely the...
Defense claims Hempfield robbery suspect wrongly identified because of race
Police say Norman Jack confessed to the armed robbery of a Blairsville woman more than four years ago in a Hempfield shopping center parking lot. But Jack maintains his innocence and his defense attorney claimed in court Monday that his client was identified by his accuser only because he is...
Westmoreland commissioners create online link for public comments
Westmoreland County commissioners still have no firm plans to provide remote access to public meetings, but the manner in which residents can comment at the monthly sessions has been streamlined. Officials created a form on the county website in which citizens can register and submit comments to be read at...
Greensburg woman mulls plea deal over wife’s overdose death
A Greensburg woman remains in jail as she mulls whether to accept a plea deal that would result in the dismissal of a felony charge of drug delivery resulting in death in connection the fatal overdose last February of her wife. Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court Judge Christopher Feliciani on...
Loughner sworn in as acting Westmoreland Clerk of CourtsVideo
Westmoreland County has a new Clerk of Courts. Megan Loughner, 35, of Unity was sworn in to office Friday to take over the final 10 months of the clerk’s term, replacing Bryan Kline. He was hired last month as the new warden of Westmoreland County Prison. The office oversees all...
Westmoreland chief deputy sheriff Eckels retires after year on the job
Westmoreland County Sheriff James Albert said Thursday he is in no rush to find a replacement for his former chief deputy, who retired last week after serving just a year in the role. Albert confirmed Roger Eckels, a former district judge from Mt. Pleasant, has left the job as the...
Chad Amond honored for decade-long run as head of Westmoreland chamber of commerce
Current and former county commissioners on Thursday honored Chad Amond, the longtime president and CEO of the Westmoreland County Chamber of Commerce, for his work over the last decade in leading the organization that promotes local businesses. Amond, 46, of Unity announced last summer he was diagnosed with primary progressive...
Commissioners dash calls for Westmoreland health department, trumpet broadband upgrade
With covid-19 still a constant threat and source of concern, county leaders on Thursday said they see a brighter future born from lessons learned during the ongoing pandemic. Commissioners speaking at the Westmoreland County Chamber of Commerce’s virtual State of the County conference outlined coronavirus-related challenges and successes, a plan...
Westmoreland County bars and restaurants in line for nearly $4M in grants
Westmoreland County will hand out nearly $4 million in grants to local restaurants and other hospitality businesses struggling to remain open during the coronavirus pandemic. The money comes from the $145 million Pennsylvania Hospitality Industry Recovery Program approved by state lawmakers and Gov. Tom Wolf. Westmoreland is slated to receive $3.95...
Charges dismissed against Somerset DA
Summary charges filed last fall against Somerset County District Attorney Jeffrey L. Thomas II were dismissed this week as part of a deal with Cambria County’s top prosecutor. Thomas, 35, a first-term Republican, was charged with by Richland Township police in October with single counts of disorderly conduct and harassment...
Scottdale man gets prison sentence for child rape
A Scottdale man will serve up to 40 years in prison for the rape and repeated sexual assault of a young girl over a five-year period that ended in 2016. Dylan Chiaramonte, 28, declined to speak during his a sentencing hearing Wednesday during which his accuser, now 14, told him...
Fayette man’s Virginia confession results in guilty plea to sex charges
A former Fayette County man will serve up to 10 years in prison for sexually assaulting a girl 20 years ago. Lawrence Wesley Henry Jr., 50, formerly of Normalville and East Huntingdon, will serve his prison sentence in Virginia, where he first confessed to his crime in Westmoreland County following...
Westmoreland DA says accused Ruffs Dale shooter has violent history with boyfriends
Just hours before Andrew Pristas was gunned down, the woman charged with shooting him — his former girlfriend — had a similar violent confrontation with her current boyfriend, a Westmoreland County prosecutor said on Tuesday. Meghan West, 30, of Ruffs Dale, is accused of killing Pristas but contends there is...
Westmoreland County divorces decline during coronavirus pandemic
Captain & Tennille, the soft rock duo of the 1970s, once crooned that “Love Will Keep Us Together.” So, apparently, does the covid-19 pandemic. Divorces overall are on the decline throughout the United States. The divorce rate fell from 9.7 new divorces per 1,000 women age 15 and over in...
North Huntingdon woman to run for Westmoreland County Clerk of Courts
A North Huntingdon woman said her experience as a crime victim will be an asset needed to run the Westmoreland County Clerk of Courts office. Dorey Stabile McCarron, 46, a Republican, announced her candidacy this week to run the courthouse office that oversees the filing of criminal court records and...
Westmoreland commissioners plan for vaccine registryVideo
The Westmoreland County commissioners, bowing to public pressure and a growing frustration among residents, said Thursday they will create a county registry to assist residents to receive coronavirus vaccines. “We are doing something at this point to assist and make sure that the residents of Westmoreland County who want a...
Covid cases down to zero at Westmoreland courthouse
Coronavirus is on a break at the Westmoreland County Courthouse. It’s been two weeks since a new case among employees was reported at the courthouse and, as a result, temperature screenings at the building’s entry points were halted Thursday. “We’ve seen a downward trend,” said Alexis Bevan, the county’s human...
Trafford council president to seek Penn Township district judge seat
A Trafford borough councilman is hoping to be the next district judge in Penn Township. Kristopher Cardiff, 43, is seeking to win the seat currently held by District Judge Helen Kistler, who said she will retire at the end of this year when her third six-year term expires. “I was...
Nicole Ziccarelli announces bid for Westmoreland County district attorney
Fresh off a razor-thin defeat in a bid to upset a two-term incumbent state senator, New Kensington lawyer Nicole Ziccarelli announced Wednesday she is seeking to oust another entrenched Democrat. Ziccarelli, a Republican, said she will run against six-term incumbent John Peck for the Westmoreland County District Attorney office in...
Former Westmoreland Recorder of Deeds Tom Murphy to run for new office
Tom Murphy spent 16 years as Westmoreland County’s recorder of deeds and, until last month, never considered running for another courthouse elected office. Murphy, who for the last year has been working the private sector after losing his re-election bid in 2019, received a call from his friend, Democratic incumbent...
Hempfield landlord sued over fall
The estate of a Hempfield man who died two months after he crashed through the front porch railing of his rented home wants his former landlord to pay funeral and burial expenses even though he died from an unrelated medical condition. According to a lawsuit filed Tuesday in Westmoreland County,...
Peck seeks to extend quarter-century run as Westmoreland DA
District Attorney John Peck announced he will try to extend his quarter-century run as Westmoreland County’s top prosecutor for another four years. Peck, 74, a Democrat from New Kensington, said he will seek a seventh term in office this year. “Leadership in law enforcement and justice in the courts are...
