Renatta Signorini stories, Page 158
Police: Uniontown woman used potted tree during assault
A Fayette County woman is accused of attacking someone with a tree over the weekend, according to state police. Ronita Lynn Calloway, 32, of Uniontown, was arguing with someone in South Union at 12:34 p.m. Saturday when she allegedly grabbed a tree by its trunk and ripped it out of...
Structural engineer to evaluate Derry Township home hit by pickup truck
A pickup truck has been lodged in the side of Jesse Noel’s Derry Township home for the last two days. Noel and his wife, Sandy, were waiting Wednesday morning for a structural engineer to assess the damage while coping with the fallout after the truck slammed into their living room...
Judge declares missing Unity woman Cassandra Gross legally dead
Cassandra Gross hasn’t used her credit card since April. There have been no withdrawals in the last nine months from the Unity woman’s bank account other than automatic transactions. Her 401k account has remained untouched. “There’s no doubt in your mind, sir, that your mother’s subject to peril?” Westmoreland County...
Firefighters battle flames and freezing temperatures in Cook Township
A vacant house was destroyed in an early morning fire Tuesday in Cook Township. Fire Chief Shawn Kestner said no one was living at the Jefferson School Road home when flames broke out at 1 a.m. The structure was engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived amid bone-chilling cold. Fire trucks...
3 arrested after police find Ecstasy, marijuana in Hempfield apartment
Three Hempfield men are behind bars after police seized 721 Ecstasy pills and about 200 grams of an “unknown crystal-like substance” from their apartment, according to court papers. Kangin Jacob Louis Ayo and Dimitri Nigel Victor, both 24 and Demarrius Quave Antoine, 22, were arrested Friday on drug and conspiracy...
Troopers quickly track down Unity bank robbery suspect in Penn Hills
State police arrested a Penn Hills man accused of robbing a Westmoreland County bank on Thursday and making off with more than $4,000. Video surveillance from businesses surrounding the First National Bank in Unity Township led them to arrest Demetryaiss Llamar Holyfield, 25, police said. He was arraigned Friday and...
Police: Derry Township constable used fake arrest warrants to scam money from victims
A Derry Township constable is accused by police of pocketing $3,816 that nine victims paid him last year, believing he would take care of their court matters — some of which didn’t exist, according to court papers. Brian William McDowell, 35, allegedly tried to get money from five more people...
Westmoreland court offices closed Monday
Westmoreland County court offices will be closed Monday. The courthouse and district judge offices will not open in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Regular hours will resume Tuesday. Renatta Signorini is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Renatta at 724-837-5374, rsignorini@tribweb.com or via Twitter @byrenatta....
Tarrs woman accused of forging prescriptions for oxycodone pills
A Tarrs woman is accused of forging two painkiller prescriptions at an East Huntingdon doctor’s office where she worked as a medical assistant, according to court papers. Davina Lee Potoka, 44, allegedly wrote the prescriptions for herself for 120 oxycodone pills each, state police said. Potoka is charged with acquisition...
Police: Greensburg nurse diverted fentanyl, other medication from hospital
A Greensburg registered nurse was arrested Tuesday for allegedly diverting prescription medication while she worked at Excela Health Westmoreland Hospital, according to court papers. Julie Dawn Zetkulic, 43, is accused by the state Attorney General’s Office of taking narcotic pain relievers from the hospital’s pharmacy over a four-month period. She...
Pittsburgh investigating damage to Lawrenceville cars from salt truck
A Pittsburgh Public Works Department salt truck sideswiped several vehicles in Lawrenceville early Sunday, and the driver failed to report the mishap until Monday, a city official said. Tim McNulty, spokesman for Mayor Bill Peduto, said public works officials are investigating. He said it was unclear if the driver, who...
1 hurt when PennDOT truck, passenger vehicle crash on Route 30 in Ligonier Township
One person was hospitalized after a crash involving a passenger vehicle and a PennDOT plow Wednesday afternoon in Ligonier Township, according to PennDOT. Route 30 eastbound was closed for about 40 minutes as firefighters worked to free one person who was trapped in a vehicle, according to a Westmoreland 911...
Police: Driver was drunk during head-on crash in Murrysville that left man seriously injured
A Delmont woman is accused of being drunk at the time of a head-on crash Friday in Murrysville that left a man seriously injured. Lane J. Weiner, 56, had two cold 12-packs of Bud Light that had been opened in the back seat of her car at the time of...
Westmoreland County seeking 30 participants for citizen workshop
The Westmoreland County Department of Public Safety is looking for 30 citizens to participate in a workshop aimed at mitigating hazards. The workshop will be held Feb. 19 and March 19 from 7-9 p.m. at the University of Pittsburgh’s Greensburg campus. Citizens will only be required to attend one of...
Pa. state police seize more than $66 million worth of drugs in 2018
State troopers seized more than $66 million worth of illegal drugs from communities around Pennsylvania in 2018. That includes nearly 200 pounds of heroin and fentanyl, both of which are contributing to drug overdose deaths around the state and country, according to a news release. In the last three months...
Man accused of leading police on nearly 10-mile chase in Sewickley Township
A Madison man is accused of leading police on a 9½-mile chase Saturday with an open bottle of vodka in his car, according to arrest papers. Brian Allen Smith, 47, allegedly caused at least $1,000 worth of damage to a state police cruiser during the incident. He was being held...
Injuries reported in head-on crash in Murrysville
Firefighters pulled two people from their vehicles Friday after a head-on crash in Murrysville, according to a Westmoreland 911 dispatcher. The crash occurred just before 2 p.m. at the intersection of School Road and Foxwood Court. School Road was closed for about an hour. One person was flown to UPMC...
Derry sisters charged with neglecting emaciated horses, dogs, cats
A Derry Township woman who had animal cruelty charges against her dropped in 2016 is now accused of the same after humane agents seized emaciated and sick horses, dogs and cats from her property in November. Faun Dillon was arraigned this week on more than 200 charges, including aggravated cruelty...
North Huntingdon police looking for man who became irate at motelVideo
North Huntingdon police are looking for a man who became irate after being refused a motel room Saturday because he didn’t have cash to pay for it. Investigators said the man left Hiland Terrace Motel on Route 30 around 6:30 a.m. and a clerk locked the door behind him. When...
Jeannette to add more surveillance cameras current ones already pay off for police
Jeannette police plan to add more surveillance cameras to Clay Avenue after the ones recently installed assisted in a stolen vehicle investigation last month. City council approved buying six more cameras that will be affixed to utility poles at intersections along the street, said police Chief Shannon Binda. “Our intersections...
4 women testify Greensburg chiropractor assaulted, harassed them
When a teenage girl started going to a Greensburg gym in 2015, she looked up to the chiropractor who was training her in power lifting. But as the weeks and months went on, Moses Jevicky, 36, of Greensburg, started to get progressively inappropriate, making comments about her body parts and...
Woman, cat safe after fire breaks out at Greensburg apartmentVideo
Linda Erickson wasn’t sure what the loud noise was that she heard Thursday morning from inside her Greensburg apartment. But when a neighbor started banging on her door on Park Street around 9 a.m., she raced down the steps of her second-floor unit amid heavy smoke, leaving behind her 5-year-old...
Jeannette police start using electronic ticketing system for traffic violations
Lead-footed drivers and other traffic scofflaws are getting a speedy response from Jeannette police, who are now using an electronic ticketing system that cuts down on the time needed to complete traffic stops. For the last month, officers have used a new system that improves their safety and lessens downtime...
Penn Township man found not guilty of dog law citations in UPS driver mauling
A district judge found a Penn Township man not guilty of three summary citations connected to a dog attack last year that seriously injured a UPS driver from Hempfield. Matthew Zavarella had been accused of failing to keep his three German shepherds under control in the Aug. 28 mauling at...
North Huntingdon man accused of speeding in December crash that seriously injured driver
A North Huntingdon man was arraigned Tuesday on accusations that he was speeding before a violent crash in December that seriously injured another driver. Chad William Brutout, 24, is charged with aggravated assault by vehicle and summary vehicle code violations. A westbound BMW 300xi T-boned a Honda Accord around 8:30...
