Plum hires police officers, honors sports teams

Three new police officers were approved by the Plum Borough Council members at their July meeting: Timothy Troy, Cara Sterling and Jeffrey Bonicky.

Troy and Sterling were at the meeting to meet with the council, and Bonicky was on a military assignment.

“New faces, new blood, new energy,” said police Chief Lanny Conley. “The department is getting younger as I’m getting older, which is a good thing.”

Troy previously worked at Milano’s Pizza in Hampton and in the construction industry to get life experience prior to joining the police academy. He and Sterling are 2023 graduates, although from different academies.

Sterling is realizing a lifelong dream to become a police officer. The mother of two children, ages 11 and 13, has experience in martial arts and as a baker for 10 years, and she volunteered at North Allegheny School District’s Marshall Elementary.

Bonicky finished first in the testing for the position and has prior experience with the city of Pittsburgh, during which he had the opportunity to work with members of Plum’s department.

“He’s going to hit the ground running,” said Conley. “He knows fellow officers. He lives in town. We expect big things from him.”

With the three hires, Plum has a contingent of 28 officers, which is considered a full department, although that number will drop to 27 in August after a retirement.

Council also honored two local sports teams: the Plum Chaos U10 girls soccer team and the 8U girls softball team, which recently won championships in their respective sports.

Chaos was congratulated for winning a gold medal at the Pennsylvania West Open Tournament in Edinboro, with both the semifinal and championship games decided in overtime.

Mayor Harry Schlegel said in the proclamation that the team represented Plum “with pride through their outside their outstanding commitment to athletic excellence, a never-say-die attitude that put them at the top, a strong commitment to family and community, along with a belief in the power of teamwork and hard work to achieve success.”

On the roster are Sophia Altrudo, Gillian Bechtold, Liliana Devine, McKaylah Duffy-Morgan, Caitlyn Horvath, Dempsey Lintelman, Giuseppina Lorio, Marlena Mashraky, Arianna Tavella, Maria Tresco and Kamryn Wastchak. They were coached by Chris Wastchak and assistant coaches Brian Bechtold, Mike Devine and Vince Tresco.

The softball team won the Eastern Fast-Pitch league with a record of 14-0-1, including a 12-7 win over a previously undefeated team in the league championship game.

Team members are Emma Beresford, Scarlett Carol, Penny Devine, Quinn Garris, Sophia Gongaware, Carlee Kiss, Adalina Lauricia Casey, Casey Mancovich, Madelyn Miller, Jenna Mills, Charles O’Neil, Kate Oesch, Chloe Serena and Kylie Smith. They were coached by Mike Devine, Jeremy Mills, Jim Garris, Jackie Beresford, John Pater and John Parotta.