Renatta Signorini stories, Page 148
Police: Fayette woman scammed by fake Amazon customer service number
A Fayette County woman who thought she was calling Amazon customer service ended up getting scammed by the person on the other end of the phone, according to state police. The Springfield Township woman told troopers she didn’t receive an item she bought from the website and searched on March...
Celebration of missing Unity woman Cassandra Gross’ life planned in Crabtree
Friends, relatives and family friends of missing Unity woman Cassandra Gross are invited to a celebration of her life Saturday in Crabtree. Several people are expected to share memories of Gross, who has been missing since April 7, 2018, starting at 1 p.m. at Marian Hall, said her mother Kathe...
State, local officials practice emergency response at Indiana County school
State and local officials participated in an emergency exercise Friday morning at an Indiana County school. There was an increased police presence at United Junior-Senior High School in East Wheatfield Township, state police said. Those involved responded to a simulated critical incident to practice emergency response, lockdown procedures and communication...
Police: Facebook friend request led to beating of New Stanton woman
A Pittsburgh man who police said befriended a New Stanton woman on Facebook is accused of beating her and stealing her laptop and notebook, according to court papers. Brian Craig Wilkinson, 45, of the city’s Greenfield neighborhood, was arrested Wednesday in connection with the March 25 incident. He was being...
Attorney for Turtle Creek man seeks to try 2 overdose death cases separately
It would be unfair for an Allegheny County man accused in two 2017 drug overdose deaths to have one trial for both cases, his attorney argued Thursday. Demetrius Bernard Christmas, 30, of Turtle Creek, is seeking to have separate trials in connection with the deaths of Paul Lucas, 21, of...
Hempfield man sentenced to state prison in marijuana operation
A Hempfield man who police said had more than 50 pounds of marijuana at his home was sentenced Thursday to one to three years in a state prison. Nickolas Boyd Hobaugh, 28, pleaded guilty to several drug offenses in two cases. He was ordered to forfeit $16,720 that police confiscated...
Idlewild offering free admission for veterans, service members
Military veterans and service members will get free admission to Idlewild & SoakZone on May 25 through Veteran X, a peer-support program in Westmoreland County. Three immediate family members of the veteran or service member also will get into the Ligonier Township amusement park for free. A free lunch will...
Greensburg man gets probation in fight with agents investigating his son for child porn
A Greensburg man will serve one year on probation in connection with a late January fight with agents from the state Attorney General’s office who were investigating his son for child pornography. Mark Edward Bittner, 50, has already completed anger management classes and written an apology letter to the officers,...
Herminie man gets 2 years probation for abandoning dog
A Herminie man was sentenced Wednesday to two years of probation in connection with the abandonment of a dog. Shannon Proctor, 29, was ordered to pay $6,934 in restitution to Pet Friends in Irwin. He pleaded guilty to cruelty and neglect of animals in connection with a dog found on...
Police: Jeannette woman hit boy with car during school drop-off
A Jeannette woman is accused of hitting a boy with her car while dropping a child off at McKee Elementary last week and then leaving the scene without checking on him, according to police. Frances Gross, 33, is charged with accidents involving injury, reckless endangerment and two summary counts. Police...
Jeannette school director accused of stealing band group money free on bond
A Jeannette City school director accused of taking thousands from the district’s band parents association is free on $5,000 unsecured bond. Karen Ann Welshons, 56, was arraigned Tuesday morning on two theft counts filed Monday by Westmoreland County detectives. She was ordered to have no contact with any members of...
Stories sought about lives affected by opioid use disorder
A website started by a Penn State University professor is seeking stories from those whose lives have been affected by an opioid addiction. The story can be about a person’s own substance abuse or from another person’s perspective, such as a family member or friend. The website, ShareYourOpioidStory.com, is a...
Police: Jeannette City school director stole money from band parent organization
A Jeannette City school director is accused of taking thousands of dollars from the district’s band parents association, according to court papers. Karen Ann Welshons, 56, previously was the president of the association, police said. She is expected to surrender Tuesday on two theft counts. District officials in February reported...
Teen dies in 1-vehicle crash in St. Clair Township
A 19-year-old from Indiana County died following a crash Monday morning in St. Clair Township. Hunter A. Figard of West Wheatfield Township was identified as the victim of a one-vehicle crash on Route 711 at Robb Road, according to the Westmoreland County coroner’s office. Figard reportedly was unresponsive in an...
Pa. agencies collect 39K pounds of medication in Take Back Day
More than 39,000 pounds of unwanted prescription medication was collected in Pennsylvania during the Drug Enforcement Administration’s National Take Back Day last month. That amount was collected at 323 sites coordinated by 234 local police agencies across the state. The DEA holds National Take Back Days in the spring and...
Trafford woman accused of prostitution
A Trafford woman is facing prostitution charges after witnesses told police they watched men going in and out of her apartment at least 16 times between January and April, according to court papers. The men would stay for 30 minutes or less at the apartment of 30-year-old Sarah Angela Frye,...
Monessen man pleads guilty to weapons violation in 2017 shootout
A Monessen man was sentenced to two to four years in a state prison Thursday in connection with a shootout on a city street nearly two years ago. Delaney Dionte Huggins, 31, pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a firearm. He originally was charged with attempted homicide and other offenses...
Playground installed in place of blight in Sutersville; donations still needed
Children in Sutersville have a new playground to climb on after a park expansion, according to the Westmoreland County Land Bank. The “Play Express” is a four piece train set that includes a tunnel and small slide at the town’s community park on First Avenue, the land bank announced this...
Westmoreland ambulance personnel work to get those with addiction problems help
When paramedics leave the scene of a drug overdose where the patient refused to be taken to the hospital, it can weigh on their minds. Could they have helped more? What happened to the patient? A new partnership in the North Huntingdon and Rostraver areas is finding success in helping...
Mt. Pleasant driver arrested in connection with South Greensburg fatal hit-and-run
A stroke of luck led investigators to an East Huntingdon car dealership last week where they stumbled upon a car they believe was involved in a fatal hit-and-run of an elderly man in South Greensburg last month, according to police But Lauren Gerritsen thinks her grandfather, Clarence Wolff, had something...
Police: Hempfield man was drunk following crash, assault on trooper
A Hempfield man allegedly put his hand around the throat of a state trooper who was trying to arrest him for driving under the influence after a one-vehicle crash in January, according to court papers. Peter Billey, 78, was charged Wednesday with aggravated assault, driving under the influence, resisting arrest...
Bail set at $100K in 2 new cases against Unity man linked to woman’s disappearance
Bail was set Wednesday at $100,000 in two new cases against a Unity man who has been linked to the homicide investigation of Cassandra Gross, a woman last seen more than a year ago. Thomas Stanko, 48, was arraigned on new solicitation allegations filed by state police. He remains in...
Man hit by car in South Greensburg dies; restaurant owner collects donations for reward
The owner of a South Greensburg restaurant plans to offer a reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the driver who hit an elderly man outside the establishment almost two weeks ago. Clarence Wolff, 86, of Hempfield died Tuesday at a Pittsburgh-area hospital, according to the Allegheny...
Police: Somerset man assaulted 15-month-old boy, leaving him with severe brain injury
A Somerset man is accused of assaulting a 15-month-old boy, causing the child to bite his tongue and lose consciousness, according to police. Jared Lee Lehman, 24, is being held in the Somerset County Prison on $100,000 bail. He is charged with aggravated assault, child endangerment and related offenses. According...
Pittsburgh street to close for several weeks for bridge preservation
A Pittsburgh street will close for more than two months starting Wednesday morning, according to Allegheny County Department of Public Works. Ramp Street will be closed until mid-July for crews to preserve Streets Run Bridge No. 2. The street connects Mifflin Road to Baldwin Road near the Glenwood Bridge and...
