Rich Cholodofsky stories, Page 127
Grants to fund low-emissions police cars in Donora, Monessen
The Mon Valley communities of Monessen and Donora will receive grants to buy new low-emissions police vehicles. The vehicles will be paid for from a $300,000 Vehicle Emissions Reduction Fund administered by the Community Foundation of Westmoreland County. That money is part of a $1.8 million settlement between PennEnvironment, the...
Youngwood man charged with drug possession
A Youngwood man was charged Friday with drug possession and other offenses after he was arrested by Westmoreland County deputy sheriffs in the area to capture another wanted suspect. Darrell Scott Strong, 50, is charged with two counts of possession of controlled substances and one charge of drug paraphernalia possession....
Greensburg man gets jail for spitting at guards, assaulting Hempfield man
A Greensburg man will serve up to 23 months in jail for spitting at three corrections officers who guarded him while receiving medical treatment last year at Excela Westmoreland Hospital. Jamel C. Miles, 23, pleaded guilty Friday to multiple counts of aggravated assault by a prisoner in connection with the...
Latrobe man pleads guilty to simple assault
A Latrobe man pleaded guilty to assaulting his live-in girlfriend. Jeremiah Camorote, 42, was sentenced to serve one year on probation and ordered by Common Pleas Court Judge Tim Krieger to complete an anger management course. Camorote pleaded guilty to simple assault. Prosecutors dismissed a more serious allegation of strangulation....
Derry Township woman convicted of hatchet attack on neighbor after clothesline dispute
A Derry Township woman was convicted Thursday for assaulting her next-door neighbor with a hatchet. Denise Nichols, 51, claimed she acted in self-defense after being tackled by her neighbor in the yard behind her home on Nov. 2, 2016. But police said Nichols was the instigator. She twice slashed her...
Yukon crash victim’s parents sue bars, driver for wrongful death
Parents of a Hempfield woman killed in a car crash in Yukon this year filed a wrongful death lawsuit against two local bars claiming they served too much alcohol to the male driver of the car. The lawsuit, filed this week, contends staff at Johnny’s Wife’s Place in Jeannette and...
Westmoreland labor council endorses Democrats seeking local political office
The Greater Westmoreland County Labor Council announced it has endorsed a slate of candidates seeking county office this year. The organization, which is affiliated with the AFL-CIO labor unions, announced it will support lawyers Mike Stewart and Jessica Rafferty in their bids to fill two vacancies on the Westmoreland County...
Convicted Greensburg sex offender fails to have designation lifted
The appeal of a convicted sex offender seeking to invalidate a ruling issued a decade ago that classified him as a sexually violent predator was dismissed. Bilaal Abdulbadi Hale, 43, of Greensburg, contended he should no longer carry the sex offender designation and its accompanying requirement that he register his...
Judge tosses drug charges against Latrobe man
A Westmoreland County judge ruled Wednesday there is not enough evidence to prosecute a Latrobe man jailed since last summer on drug possession charges. Common Pleas Court Judge Tim Krieger said a drug-filled backpack found unattended on a Latrobe street could not be adequately linked to Christopher Twigger, who had...
Agents again raid Westmoreland County Sheriff’s Office
Turmoil continues at the Westmoreland County Sheriff’s Office as state police investigators on Wednesday served another search warrant and departed with boxes of potential evidence. Details remain secret, but Sheriff Jonathan Held made one thing clear: “It’s not about me, this time.” He delivered that message when he briefly emerged...
Upper Burrell awaits judge’s OK on redrawn voting districts
Westmoreland County elections officials Tuesday approved a redistricting plan for Upper Burrell that is expected to shorten lines at the polls. The proposal calls for moving the line that separates the town’s two voting precincts several blocks in the Seventh Street and Pleasant Valley Road areas, elections bureau director Beth...
Latrobe woman sentenced up to five years in prison on drug-related crimes
A Latrobe woman was sentenced Tuesday to serve up to five years in prison on two drug-related crimes. Fallon Handlin, 34, pleaded guilty to driving under the influence of drugs last September in Latrobe. According to court records, Handlin was pulled over for a traffic stop when police suspected she...
Westmoreland approves multiple polling location changes for primary
Westmoreland County Elections Board members on Tuesday approved changes to some polling locations for the May 21 primary. Officials moved several polls back into the proper voting districts, allowed for expanded parking and handicapped accessibility and in some instances approved changes in response to requests from landlords who no longer...
Westmoreland County Transit Authority launches mobile ticketing ability
Westmoreland County Transit Authority bus riders can now pay fares via smart phones. Authority officials announced Tuesday a mobile ticketing app has been launched to expand the agency’s ability to accept cashless fares. The app, WestMore Tix, can be downloaded through Google Play or the Apple App Store. Passengers who...
Series of armed robberies lands Scottdale man in prison for up to a decade
A Scottdale man will serve up to 10 years in prison for the armed robberies of a gas station and two discount stores last year. Clyde Mensch, 42, pleaded guilty Monday to 15 separate counts, including three charges of armed robbery, in connection with the December heists in which he...
Westmoreland warden wants public apology from Commissioner Gina CerilliVideo
The warden of Westmoreland County Prison on Monday filed a written complaint against Commissioner Gina Cerilli and demanded an apology for comments she made last year in yet another attempt to have him fired, this time following a suspended guard’s suicide. John Walton accused Cerilli of misrepresenting facts associated with...
Westmoreland prison inmate population down
The inmate population at the Westmoreland County Prison on Monday was at its lowest level in more than a year. Warden John Walton told the prison board just 590 inmates were assigned to the jail, down from where it had been just a month ago. The jail averaged 623 inmates...
Judge: No basis to dismiss charges against Sheriff Jonathan Held
The presiding judge in the criminal case against Westmoreland County Sheriff Jonathan Held in court documents filed Monday said he found no basis to dismiss public corruption charges in the aftermath of a December mistrial. Senior Common Pleas Judge Timothy Creany in an 11-page opinion said prosecutors presented enough evidence...
Avonmore the only Alle-Kiski town to apply for Westmoreland County blight grants
The first structures to be torn down in Westmoreland County using money from a newly created demolition fund will include a building in Avonmore. “This is needed to remove blight and create economic impact,” Jason Rigone, director of Westmoreland County’s planning department, said of the new fund. In addition to...
Public hearing scheduled to discuss flood plan for Westmoreland County
A detailed blueprint to reduce flooding throughout Westmoreland County is expected to be approved next month by county commissioners. A public hearing will be held at 10:30 a.m. May 3 at the courthouse to discuss the Integrated Water Resources Plan, a document that outlines a growing concern about flooding related...
By-the-numbers look at Westmoreland County courts in 2018
Criminal and civil cases filed and closed in Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court decreased last year. Officials have published the annual comprehensive report detailing court activity in 2018. Numbers reveal that while the court remains busy, there was a drop off. In criminal court, the number of new cases dropped...
Babysitter involved in 2016 shooting death of Mt. Pleasant teen gets paroled
Mark Gustafson didn’t want to hear that the woman who gave a teen access to the gun used to kill his 13-year-old son was ready to go home after spending just more than 10 months behind bars. “The family feels that 9-1/2 to 11-1/2 months is not enough time. She...
Conviction of Unity man found guilty of raping teen overturned
The conviction of a Unity man who is serving up to eight years in prison for the rape of a teenage girl has been overturned. A Westmoreland County jury in August found Bruce Palmer, 34, guilty of rape, statutory sexual assault, aggravated indecent assault and 10 other related counts in...
Westmoreland County prepares to launch new veterans court program
Westmoreland County court officials will soon reactivate a special court to assist veterans charged with crimes. After years of hiatus, a reinvigorated and enhanced veterans court — expected to begin operations by early May — will enable former members of the military convicted of crimes to earn reduced sentences. “I...
Shooter in Latrobe robbery-turned-murder gets life in prisonVideo
More than three years after their son and brother was gunned down trying to break up a robbery in Latrobe, the McNerny family told a Westmoreland County judge they still struggle with grief and anger toward the men involved in the robbery plot that led to the murder. One of...
