Rich Cholodofsky stories, Page 129
Voices of Westmoreland seeks views of county candidates
Voice of Westmoreland, a nonprofit organization that promotes racial, economic and educational equity in the county, is asking candidates seeking office this year answer a series of questions leading up the May 21 primary election. On Monday, questionnaires were sent to county candidates asking views about issues that impact working...
Westmoreland County’s longest-serving public defender keeps giving clients his all
Greg Cecchetti knew from an early age he wanted to be a defense attorney. More than three decades later, he’s still at work defending low-income residents charged with crimes. “I always wanted to be a lawyer, since the sixth grade,” Cecchetti said. “In high school, I knew I wanted to...
Truck driver pleads guilty in Route 22 crash in Salem Township
A Georgia truck driver pleaded guilty Friday to charges he caused a multi-vehicle collision nearly four years ago in Salem that left one motorist injured and traffic stalled for more than eight hours on a busy section of Route 22. Andrew M. Parkes, 32, was sentenced by Westmoreland County Common...
West Newton man pleads no contest to indecent assault
A West Newton man will serve up two seven years on probation for having improper sexual contact with a 15-year-old girl last year. Michael J. Rozzo Jr., 32, pleaded no contest this week to misdemeanor charges of corruption of a minor and indecent assault in connection with an incident Feb....
Salem man sent to prison for high-speed police chase while under the influence
A Salem man will serve up to six years in prison after he was sentenced Friday for being under the influence of controlled substances when he led police on a 20-mile, high-speed chase last year that started in Greensburg and ended with a crash in Loyalhanna. David Negich Sr., 52,...
Ex-Franklin Regional student working on plea deal in connection with cyber attack
The lawyer for a former Franklin Regional High School student charged with initiating cyber attacks that disrupted school and government computer systems throughout Westmoreland County in 2016 said in court Friday that plea bargain negotiations are progressing. Michaela Gabriella King, 21, of Murrysville, is awaiting trial on felony charges of...
Youngwood man claims he was on drugs when he confessed in 2017 robbery, murder case
A Youngwood man testified Thursday he was under the influence of drugs when he confessed to police about his role in the 2017 robbery and murder of an acquaintance. Jason Sullenberger, 41, claimed he consumed cocaine and 50 stamp bags of heroin in the hours just before he was brought...
Westmoreland County to again serve as its own workers compensation insurer
A controversial program initiated two years ago to have a private insurance company oversee Westmoreland County’s workers compensation cases will end this year. County commissioners on Thursday said they will not give a new contract to the Housing and Redevelopment Insurance Exchange. Instead, the county will return to serving as...
Westmoreland commissioners focus on eliminating political activities inside courthouse
As election season in Westmoreland County swings into full gear, commissioners on Thursday approved a revised policy they said will ensure there is no politicking by county employees while on the job. The revised policy specifically prohibits workers from performing any political activity while on duty or coercing any employee...
Fontana appointed new chief of Westmoreland park police
Veteran officer Henry Fontana is the new chief of the Westmoreland County Park Police. Fontana, 56, replaces Kirk Nolan, who left to become chief deputy to Coroner Ken Bacha. Since 2014, Fontana has served as a park police lieutenant, overseeing patrols at Westmoreland County Community College and the complex that...
Lawyers for Hempfield murder suspect claim confession was illegally obtained
The lawyers for a Hempfield man awaiting trial on charges that he killed his girlfriend claim a confession made to police hours after the murder was illegally obtained. Defense attorneys Donna McClelland and Eric Hoffman contend police handcuffed and placed Allen Eugene Trent in custody and improperly elicited statements in...
Commissioner Cerilli to donate campaign money from man tied to human trafficking case
Westmoreland County Commissioner Gina Cerilli said she will donate money given to her campaign by a man investigators contend was linked to a human trafficking and prostitution ring before he committed suicide last year. In a post made on her private Facebook page late Tuesday, Cerilli said she was “outraged...
Kenny Ross sues C. Harper, claiming rival car dealership tried to steal clients
A Westmoreland County car dealership claims a local competitor conspired with a group of employees to steal part of its business. According to a 15-count lawsuit, North Huntingdon-based Kenny Ross Auto Group contends six former workers banded together this month to steal clients, data and purposefully worked to take the...
New park-and-ride open in New Stanton
Starting April 1, Westmoreland County Transit Authority riders will be able to catch the bus in New Stanton. That’s when the transit agency’s new park-and-ride lot will open at the corner of Bair Boulevard and North Center Avenue, near the reconstructed Route 70 interchange. It will service the authority’s 3F...
Judge defends not releasing juror names from Westmoreland sheriff’s mistrial
The judge presiding over the state’s public corruption case against Westmoreland County Sheriff Jonathan Held on Tuesday defended his decision to refuse a Tribune-Review request to immediately identify jurors who served in the first trial, which ended four months ago. Senior Common Pleas Court Judge Timothy Creany in a seven-page...
Attorney wants separate trials in 2017 drug death cases
The lawyer for an Allegheny County man charged with selling fatal doses of drugs in 2017 to men in Greensburg and Murrysville said two separate trials should be convened. Two consolidated cases of drug delivery resulting in death currently are pending against Demetrius Bernard Christmas, 30, of Turtle Creek. Prosecutors...
Vandergrift woman’s first-degree murder trial delayed
A Vandergrift woman accused of killing her cousin will have her trial delayed at least four months. Ashley Croft, 35, is awaiting trial in connection with the Oct. 18 shooting death of John Edward Smail of Greensburg. Croft is charged with first-degree murder. She is being held in jail without...
Commissioner Cerilli won’t comment on campaign money from dead man tied to massage parlor prostitution ring
Westmoreland County Commissioner Gina Cerilli on Monday refused to comment on $1,900 in donations her campaign received from a deceased family friend implicated in a human trafficking and prostitution ring at area massage parlors. According to campaign finance records, Cerilli received four donations from Henry “Sonny” Caruso dating to 2015,...
GOP commissioner candidate challenges ballot order selection for Westmoreland primary
Members of Westmoreland County’s Elections Board could meet this week to consider allegations of impropriety made by a Republican candidate for county commissioner over a lottery that chose the ballot order for May’s primary. John Ventre, one of seven GOP commissioner candidates seeking two nominations this spring, wants a do-over....
Ballot positions picked for Westmoreland primary election in May
Dan Galbraith hopes his luck is better in two months, when voters go to the polls and nominate Republican candidates for Hempfield supervisor. He was one of a handful of the more than 500 candidates running for office this year who gathered Wednesday at the Westmoreland County Courthouse to draw...
Arnold woman who missed court date related to New Kensington cop killing turns herself in
It turns out, an Arnold woman likely wasn’t on the lam when she failed to appear in court for a hearing earlier this week. She just didn’t know when she was supposed to be in court. Lisa Harrington, 33, told a judge she believed her hearing on Monday had been...
North Huntingdon doctor charged in connection with overdose deaths will be evaluated
A North Huntingdon family doctor charged with over-prescribing drugs to two patients who died from overdoses in 2016 may not be competent to stand trial, his lawyer said in court documents filed Tuesday. Dr. Michel Toret, 72, of Jeannette is awaiting trial on two charges of drug delivery resulting in...
Attorney seeks more time to file amended appeal for Loyalhanna man convicted in 2009 shooting deaths
The lawyer for a Loyalhanna man on death row for killing his mother, sister and aunt a decade ago wants more time to file an amended appeal. Defense attorney Brian Aston said he needs two months to contact and interview witnesses as well as review more than 20,000 pages of...
Construction of Odin View Apartments in Hempfield expected to begin this spring
Westmoreland County Housing Authority officials have the additional $1 million needed to build a low-income senior citizen housing complex in Hempfield. Construction of the proposed Odin View Apartments is expected to begin this spring now that the last portion of funding needed for the $13.1 million project has been secured....
Loyalhanna man gets 1 year probation on animal cruelty charge
A Loyalhanna man will serve one year probation for shooting his brother’s dog. Walter Buchinsky’s mixed-breed pet Fluffy was shot in the left leg June 10. The dog survived. Buchinsky’s brother and neighbor, Robert Buchinsky, 60, pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of animal cruelty in court Monday. Prosecutors dismissed...
