Rich Cholodofsky stories, Page 126
Plea deals get Hempfield man time served in assault, DUI cases
A Hempfield man charged in two separate cases alleging rape and strangulation of a woman on Monday pleaded guilty to a lesser assault charge. Harold Franks, 36, was sentenced to serve the 251 days he has spent in jail. He was immediately paroled after pleading guilty to one count of...
Monessen men get probation for shooting after evidence problems thwart retrial
Two men implicated in a nonfatal shooting nearly two years ago in Monessen were sentenced to probation. Joseph “Jo Jo” Heath III, 29, of Monessen, pleaded guilty to lesser misdemeanor charges of simple assault, reckless endangerment and making terroristic threats in connection with the June 25, 2017, shooting of Timothy...
Ventre, Kertes lead campaign spending in GOP race for Westmoreland commissioner
When it comes to spending, Republican candidates John Ventre and Sean Kertes topped the crowded field of GOP hopefuls in the Westmoreland County Commissioner primary race. Ventre listed nearly $47,000 in expenses while Kertes reported spending more than $30,000 from Jan. 1 through May 6, according to campaign finance records...
Q&A: Westmoreland GOP commissioner candidates address issues
Seven Republicans are seeking two nominations this month to run this fall for Westmoreland County commissioner. Democratic incumbents Gina Cerilli and Ted Kopas are unopposed this spring. Incumbent Republican Charles Anderson announced earlier this year he is not running for a third-full term in office and will retire a year’s...
Crowded GOP field looking to survive primary, reclaim majority on Westmoreland commissioner board
When Republicans in 2011 won the party’s first majority on Westmoreland County’s Board of Commissioners in more than 60 years, it appeared the GOP was finally ready to take over the political landscape at the top of county leadership. But Democrats took back control of the board four years later....
Delmont man gets prison time for molesting girl
A Delmont man will serve up to 10 years in prison for sex crimes against a girl. Alberto Marton, 46, pleaded guilty Friday to 10 charges related to the sexual assaults of a now 13-year-old girl who claimed she was repeatedly molested for nearly two years. Police said Marton repeatedly...
Greensburg man sentenced to up to 8 years in prison for sexual assault
A Greensburg man was sentenced to serve up to eight years in prison Tuesday for sexually assaulting a teen girl in 2015. Daniel DeAugustine, 38, declined to make any statements but, through his defense lawyer, told Westmoreland County Judge Christopher Feliciani he would appeal the convictions handed down earlier this...
Scottdale woman given probation after spitting on police officer
A Scottdale woman, who prosecutors said told a police officer that she “prayed you get shot tonight” during her arrest, was sentenced Tuesday to serve six months on probation. Elizabeth Cramer, 33, pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count related to the Oct. 16 incident at Greensburg City Hall. Prosecutors agreed...
New Kensington man gets up to 20 years in prison for raping child
A New Kensington man will serve up to 20 years in prison for raping a child. Edward McNeal, 63, pleaded guilty Monday to charges that he had sex with a 9-year-old girl and continued the sexual assaults for another seven years. Westmoreland County Common Pleas Judge Rita Hathaway ordered McNeal...
Westmoreland Bar Association survey ranks Michael Stewart II top judicial candidate
A Westmoreland County Bar Association survey of lawyers ranked Greensburg attorney Michael Stewart II at the top of the group of six candidates seeking two judicial openings on the Common Pleas Court. Stewart was “highly recommended” by 50% of the 180 county lawyers who participated in the survey circulated over...
Judge says Jeannette man not competent to stand trial in fatal fire case
A man charged with murder in connection with a deadly fire last year that killed an 87-year-old Jeannette woman is not competent to stand trial, a judge ruled Monday. Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court Judge Meagan Bilik-DeFazio said a psychological evaluation conducted last month determined Brian Eric Rendon did not...
Longtime McKeesport Daily News sports editor covered kids, pros
For more than three decades, Norman Vargo wrote about everything from high school volleyball to Super Bowls. He was there to chronicle the Pittsburgh Steelers’ dynasty in the 1970s, the Pittsburgh Pirates’ World Series title in 1979 and the Pittsburgh Penguins Stanley Cup runs in the early 1990s. As the...
Tree of Life congregant speaks at Holocaust remembrance in Greensburg
Retired University of Pittsburgh history professor Seymour Drescher has long spoken about anti-Semitism, and at various times throughout his long career, has seen firsthand hate’s impact. Last fall, he saw it again when members of his own community, friends and fellow worshippers, were gunned down in the deadliest incident of...
Firefighters douse fire at vacant apartment building in Fayette County
Firefighters from four departments were called Sunday morning blaze at a vacant apartment building in North Union Township, Fayette County. According to a 911 dispatcher the fire was reported shortly after 11 a.m. at 315 North Gallatin Ave. No one was living in the structure and no injuries were reported....
Election forum planned for Westmoreland commissioner, judge candidates
Candidates for Westmoreland County commissioner and judge seats are expected to attend a question-and-answer forum this month in Greensburg. The May 14 event is sponsored by the Smithton-based 1776 Freedom’s Calling political action committee. It will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Greensburg Civic Garden Center, 951...
Westmoreland sheriff candidates weigh in on office, what changes they’d bring if elected
Three Republicans are seeking to oust two-incumbent Westmoreland County Sheriff Jonathan Held in the May 21 primary. Held is being challenged by two current deputies Steve Felder, 55, of Penn Township, and Sam Pilato, 56, of Hempfield; and retired police officer Eugene Zulisky, 52, of Greensburg. Democrat James Albert, a...
Westmoreland sheriff faces crowded field in GOP primary election
As public corruption charges await a potential retrial, two-term Republican incumbent Westmoreland County Sheriff Jonathan Held insists he’s the best-suited candidate to head the department that has been besieged with current and former staffers charged with crimes, a dozen lawsuits that alleged mismanagement and operational squabbles with county leaders. “I...
Westmoreland County Special Olympics celebrates 50 years at competitionVideo
Skyler Wood is an Olympian. Wood, 10, a fourth-grader at RK Mellon Elementary School in Bolivar, flashed a big smile as he was presented with a gold medal for winning his heat in the 50-meter dash Saturday morning at Westmoreland County’s Special Olympics track and field event. “I’m going to...
Westmoreland County prosecutors dispute defense claims in 30-year-old rape case
Westmoreland County prosecutors said defense arguments to dismiss a nearly 30-year-old rape case should be rejected because they are based on misrepresented facts. In court documents filed Wednesday, prosecutors said there is sufficient evidence to convict John Kunco, 53, of Harrison of the brutal rape of a woman in her...
Plea deal rejected in Walmart parking lot wreck that injured East Huntingdon store employee
A Mt. Pleasant woman charged in a with a injuring a woman stacking carts in a Walmart parking lot last year rejected plea bargain deal that would have required her to spend three days in jail. Ronalee Bailey, 40, through her defense attorney, told a Westmoreland County judge she would...
Sewickley Township man rejects plea deal for rape charges
A Sewickley Township man Tuesday rejected a plea bargain in which he would have received a 20-year prison sentence for the rape of a mentally disabled woman. Wayne Smith, 74, told Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court Judge Christopher Feliciani he would not plead guilty and asked that his case be...
Monessen man offered plea for role in July 2017 shooting in city street
A Monessen man could serve up to six years in prison if he accepts a plea deal for his role in a shootout in which police say he was wounded and more than 20 rounds were fired on a city street. Delaney Huggins, 31, was originally charged with attempted murder...
Trial date set for Jeannette woman accused in boyfriend’s 2016 death
Jury selection for the murder trial of a Jeannette woman accused in the bludgeoning death of her 19-year-old boyfriend will begin May 13. During a brief hearing Tuesday, Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court Judge Christopher Feliciani said Crystal Belle’s first-degree murder trial is expected to take about a week to...
Westmoreland jail guards and staff undergo autism trainingVideo
The ability to recognize symptoms of autism could help guards and staffers avoid potential physical confrontations with inmates who struggle from a disability rather than those who simply misbehave. That was the message relayed over the last two weeks to more than 200 guards and staffers at Westmoreland County Prison...
Former Unity Bible study teacher sentenced after failed attempt to meet boy for sex
A former Bible study teacher who had raised money for a planned church youth mission to Peru was sentenced Monday to two years in jail for a failed attempt to meet a teen boy for sex. Timothy Myers, 34, of Unity pleaded guilty in January to charges of attempted aggravated...
