Renatta Signorini stories, Page 136
Police: Unity man sexually assaulted teen girl, bought her heroin
A Unity Township man was jailed Thursday on state police allegations that he sexually assaulted a teenage girl and bought her drugs. Michael Alan Rager, 33, is charged with statutory sexual assault, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, child endangerment, corruption of minors and indecent assault. The girl told police she was...
Police: Jeannette man wanted for cutting off court ankle bracelet had crack cocaine
A Jeannette man wanted for cutting off his court-ordered electronic monitoring ankle bracelet was found Wednesday with drugs and cash at his house, according to police. Jermayne Michael Ramsey, 24, is charged with flight to avoid apprehension and drug offenses. Jeannette police and agents from the state attorney general’s office...
Texas man accused of gun violations after arrest in Washington Township parking lot
A Texas man was being held in the Westmoreland County Prison without bail on gun violations after he was spotted in the parking lot of a Washington Township concrete supplier in the middle of the night, according to police. Bayron Ivan Lopez, 27, of Houston, was arrested at 12:35 a.m....
Mt. Pleasant library earns educational designation through state program
The Mt. Pleasant Free Public Library recently was recognized as a PA Forward Star Library, joining a few others in Westmoreland County that have achieved the designation in the past. Mt. Pleasant library director Brian Dawson said officials there have been working toward the designation for awhile. “We are all...
Frigid temperatures can’t cool enthusiasm for Hempfield mini casinoVideo
The gaming facility being built at Westmoreland Mall might be licensed as a so-called mini casino, but officials said there won’t be anything small about it. “Let us assure you, there is nothing that is second class about this facility,” said Joe Weinberg, managing partner and CEO of resort and...
Blair County mother reported missing arrested on drug, child endangerment charges
Charges were filed Tuesday against a Blair County woman who, along with her two children, was reported missing and possibly in danger with her father-in-law, but were later found safe in Indiana County. Trooper Cliff Greenfield said Alicia Rose Brumbaugh, 31, of Imler, is charged with child endangerment, drug possession...
Police: Youngwood man locked out of bar after threat to kill patron with sledgehammer
A Youngwood man allegedly tried to attack a bar patron with a sledgehammer Saturday in an effort to get “street justice,” according to state police. Michael Paul Davis, 37, is charged with aggravated assault, burglary, criminal trespass and related offenses in connection with the 1:30 a.m. incident outside Delaney’s Pub...
WCCC to host workshop on flooding issues for municipal leaders
Flooding can cause problems for property owners, infrastructure and municipal budgets. State Sen. Kim Ward wants municipal leaders to have tools they need to prevent those issues and respond to them after heavy rains, which have become more common during the past couple of years. “When flooding happens, municipalities are...
2 hurt in crash on Route 30 in Unity
Two people were hurt, one seriously, after a car ran a red light last week on Route 30 in Unity and crashed into another vehicle, according to state police. Robert S. Mayer, 55, of Jeannette, was driving an Infiniti I30 east just before 11 p.m. Wednesday when he ran a...
Missing Blair County mother, 2 kids found in Indiana County
A Blair County woman and her two children were found safe in Indiana County Tuesday morning after state police said they were missing and possibly in danger, according to Trooper Cliff Greenfield. A motorist spotted a black 2005 Chevrolet Avalanche Alicia Rose Brumbaugh, 31, and her children Maverick, 1, and...
Police: Greensburg man shot at neighbors’ homes through attic window
A Greensburg man was being held in the Westmoreland County Prison without bail after police said he shot at two neighbors’ homes from the attic of his apartment. Joshua Aaron Dowell-Miller, 26, is charged with discharge of a firearm into an occupied structure, reckless endangerment and disorderly conduct. Police were...
Mercury passing between sun and Earth
Mercury will pass between the sun and Earth today, but the rare event may be blocked by Southwestern Pennsylvania’s cloudy skies. Mingo Observatory live-streamed the event, according to the Amateur Astronomers Association of Pittsburgh’s Facebook page. A planned event at Nicholas E. Wagman Observatory in Deer Lakes Regional Park was...
Staycation: Plenty of year-round activities at OhiopyleVideo
Ohiopyle State Park is home to a plethora of outdoor activities any time of the year. Pennsylvania’s largest state park, it attracts millions of visitors annually and is centered around the tiny town of Ohiopyle in Fayette County, which had a population of 57 people in 2018, according to census...
Toomey-led federal animal cruelty law awaits Trump’s signature
A bill making “heinous” forms of animal cruelty a federal felony was awaiting the president’s signature after it passed the House and Senate in recent weeks. The PACT — Prevent Animal Cruelty and Torture — Act makes crushing, burning, drowning, suffocating and impaling of animals punishable by up to seven...
Ligonier Valley grad gets juvenile justice scholarship
Angel Scritchfield might be done with the juvenile court system, but the lessons she learned are going to stick with her. “It just kind of helped me figure out how to make my life better as a whole,” she said. That attitude and Scritchfield’s strides in life won her a...
Experts weigh in on medical marijuana and the workplace at Greensburg workshopVideo
High on the to-do list for bosses and business owners is to consider that some employees might use medical marijuana and how that could affect workplace operations, experts said Thursday in Greensburg. “As employers, this requires our utmost attention and we really have to stay on board with the latest...
Former Donora man sentenced to federal prison for fentanyl shipments from China
A former Donora man was sentenced Tuesday to four months in a federal prison for conspiring to have fentanyl shipped from China into the United States and a weapons violation, according to court records. Christian B. Drennan, 28, now of St. Clairsville, Ohio, was ordered to spend three years on...
442 tons of prescription drugs collected nationwide during DEA Drug Take Back Day
Nearly 442 tons of prescription medications were collected nationwide during the Drug Enforcement Administration’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Oct. 26. That includes nearly 37,000 pounds collected by Pennsylvania police departments. The agency released figures on Monday. Three police departments in Westmoreland County participated in the event as...
Cops: Pair used fake IDs to buy $24K of iPhones in Westmoreland, elsewhere
A New York City man and woman are accused of using fraudulent identification cards to buy $24,000 worth of iPhones in Westmoreland and surrounding counties, according to state police. Jose Miguel Jorge, 31, and Jessica K. Cocco, 41, allegedly used identification information for people living in Utah, Missouri and Minnesota...
Ohio men accused of burglary after being found sleeping in Salem house
An Ohio man was arrested Sunday after he apparently broke into a Salem home and went to sleep, according to state police. Brendan Scott Szrenkanyi, 37, of Cleveland, is charged with burglary, criminal trespass and loitering at night. A Salem resident called state police at 2:41 a.m. Sunday after he...
2 arrested in Jeannette pistol exchange
Two men were arrested last week in Jeannette after police said they exchanged a pistol that had the serial number obliterated. Timothy Joshua Bertrand, 28, of Jeannette, and Joseph Raymond Thornton, 52, of Manor, are both being held in the Westmoreland County Prison without bail. City police and agents from...
First graduating class of Westmoreland County Veterans Court set
The first graduate of Westmoreland County Veterans Court will be recognized on Nov. 19. County officials reinstated the program in May for veterans charged with certain crimes, allowing them to earn a reduced sentence. Veterans work through the six- to 12-month program that gives them opportunities to address issues such...
Braddock police chief suspended with pay after arrest
The police chief in Braddock has been suspended with pay while an investigation into accusations of domestic violence are investigated, the borough’s mayor said Sunday. Guy Collins, 59, was arrested Saturday and is charged with simple assault. “We are investigating this to the fullest potential because we take domestic violence...
Hempfield building destroyed in fire
A Hempfield building was destroyed in a fire early Sunday. The blaze was reported at 4:33 a.m. at a structure on secluded Smith Road near Historic Hanna’s Town. A Westmoreland 911 dispatcher said no injuries were reported. Hempfield fire officials did not respond to a request for information. The property...
Railcar enthusiasts to collect toys, cash for Toys for Tots on railroad line
The annual caravan of festive railcars collecting items for Toys for Tots will make the 40-mile trek from East Huntingdon to Hempfield on Nov. 16. Members of the North American Railcar Operators Association will brave the weather to collect new, unwrapped toys or monetary donations for children in need. The...
