Rich Cholodofsky stories, Page 117
Police detective, serologist tell jurors blood found throughout 2016 Jeannette murder scene
The detective who processed the Jeannette home where police said 19-year-old Khalil Parker was bludgeoned to death in 2016 testified Monday he could not say when the dozens of blood-soaked items found in the residence were deposited there. Retired Westmoreland County Detective Hugh Shearer told jurors during the third day...
Former GOP challengers support Doug Chew for Westmoreland commissioner
Republican Doug Chew, one of four candidates seeking three positions on the Westmoreland County board of commissioners, was endorsed Thursday by three former challengers. Republicans John Ventre, Heather Cordial and Paul Kosko threw their support to Chew in the general election. Chew and Republican Sean Kertes finished atop the six-candidate...
Shards of bloody snow shovel introduced in Jeannette murder trial
Seven pieces of a shattered and blood-covered snow shovel were discovered in the basement of the Jeannette home where police claim a 19-year-old Allegheny County man was bludgeoned to death in 2016. Retired Westmoreland County Detective Hugh Shearer testified a larger, hard plastic handle portion of the same shovel was...
Defense for suspect accused of killing Brian Shaw wants background info withheld
A Westmoreland County judge ruled Friday that lawyers for the man facing a potential death penalty in connection with the 2017 fatal shooting of New Kensington police Officer Brian Shaw must turn over to prosecutors a report detailing why his life should be spared should he be found guilty. Defense...
Bridgeport store owner gets prison time in stolen grocery scheme
The owner of a mom-and-pop grocery store near Mt. Pleasant will serve up to 23 months in jail after he pleaded guilty Friday to selling merchandise stolen from other retail outlets and improperly cashing checks for customers. Melvin “Beanie” McCloy, 67, was arrested in January following a three-year investigation into...
‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ defense cited in Jeannette woman’s murder trial
The lawyer for a Jeannette woman on trial for the murder of her teenage boyfriend told jurors Thursday the fatal beating was a result of sexual escapades between the couple. Defense lawyer Brian Aston in his opening statement said Crystal Belle and her live-in boyfriend Khalil Parker, 19, formerly of...
Westmoreland commissioners race: Candidates discuss county finances, taxesVideo
Candidates for Westmoreland County commissioner discussed their views on various subjects with the Tribune-Review, which will be published weekly leading up to the Nov. 5 election. Up first are excerpts from their take on the county’s financial situation and taxes. Full versions of their responses can be seen on video...
Judge denies appeal of Jeannette man convicting of assaulting jail guards
The appeal of a Jeannette man’s conviction and sentence for assaults on guards at Westmoreland County Prison has been denied. Derrick Deon Cobbs, 42, following a jury trial in 2012, was convicted of two counts of aggravated assault and was sentenced to serve 10 to 20 years in prison. The...
Murder trial to begin for Jeannette’s Crystal Belle, accused of killing teen boyfriend
Testimony will begin Thursday in the first-degree murder trial for a Jeannette woman charged with the fatal beating of her teenage boyfriend nearly three years ago. A 12-person jury, along with two alternates, was selected Wednesday to hear evidence in the case against Crystal Belle, who police claim bludgeoned to...
Youngwood man gets prison term for robbery of female motorist
A Youngwood man will serve up to three years in prison for robbing a motorist. Chance D. Goodlin, 20, pleaded guilty Tuesday to robbery and attempted robbery in connection with the May 3, 2018, incident in Youngwood. Police said Goodlin jumped in front of a vehicle as the female driver...
Trials delayed for 2 accused of helping man charged in Brian Shaw’s death
Trials for the father and a cousin of the Harrison man accused in the fatal shooting death two years ago of New Kensington police Officer Brian Shaw were postponed until December. Westmoreland County prosecutors said Tuesday a scheduling conflict made it impossible to try the case against Gregory Baucum Jr....
Judge: Penn Township man cannot use drunkenness as defense for firing at police
A Penn Township man charged with firing a rifle at police will not be allowed to argue to jurors at his upcoming attempted murder trial that his actions are less serious because he was drunk. Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court Judge Tim Krieger ruled during a hearing Friday that jurors...
Greensburg man appeals rape conviction, wants new trial
A Greensburg man serving a 12-year prison sentence for the rape of an unconscious woman claims he should receive a new trial. Benjamin Melvin Davis, 22, in an appeal filed Friday, argued that evidence presented at his June trial did not support the guilty verdict. “… In particular, the credibility...
Penn Township man gets prison time for ax attack
A Penn Township man will serve up to 10 years in prison for attacking his former girlfriend and her boyfriend with an ax last year. Benson William Perry, 37, pleaded guilty to charges of aggravated assault and burglary in connection with a March 2018 incident in North Irwin. Police said...
Son of Lower Burrell judge sentenced to 6 to 23 months in jail for part in drug ring
The son of a Lower Burrell district judge and a nephew of Westmoreland County District Attorney John Peck will serve up to 23 months in jail for what prosecutors said was his role in a million-dollar marijuana distribution ring. Stephen Yakopec III, 29, of Lower Burrell told a Westmoreland County...
West Newton woman pleads guilty to arson
A West Newton woman will serve up to two years in prison for setting fire to her boyfriend’s pickup truck. Marian Warman, 19, pleaded guilty Wednesday to charges of arson, terroristic threats and simple assault in connection with the April 6 incident. Police said Warman and Brian L. Palamara argued...
Jeannette man charged in deadly stadium shooting ‘acted in self-defense,’ attorney saysVideo
The lawyer for a Jeannette man charged with the shooting death of another man this month outside McKee Stadium in the city said his client acted in self-defense. At a preliminary hearing Wednesday, Jeannette District Judge Joseph DeMarchis ordered Greg Harper, 40, held for court on charges of criminal homicide...
WCTA’s ConnectCard system to be phased out
Westmoreland County Transit Authority’s troubled ConnectCard system, which allows riders to pay cashless fares via prepaid accounts, will be phased out over the next several months, officials announced Tuesday. After years of planning, ConnectCard was finally implemented in early 2018. Almost immediately, it was besieged with technical issues. “ConnectCard has...
Westmoreland County sued over requirement that union workers complete major projects
Westmoreland County’s agreement with a Pittsburgh trades council has been challenged in federal court, claiming the deal excludes nonunion businesses from securing county construction contracts. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Pittsburgh, seeks to invalidate the county’s project labor agreement approved in 2016 by Commissioners Gina Cerilli and...
Warrants, other documents remain sealed in Cassandra Gross disappearance, judge rules
A Westmoreland County judge has continued to keep private details of an ongoing investigation into the disappearance of a Unity woman who police said was likely killed last year. Common Pleas Court Judge Tim Krieger signed court orders on Sept. 19 that sealed for another 30 days search warrants and...
Jeannette murder trial date set; Attorney says accused has alibi
An Allegheny County man charged with murder in a fatal shooting two years ago in Jeannette was ruled competent to stand trial. Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court Judge Meagan Bilik-DeFazio said Monday a mental health examination of Darrelle Tolbert-McGhee found that he was able to assist his defense and cleared...
Murrysville voters at Newlonsburg and Sardis could get new precincts under new planVideo
Westmoreland County elections officials on Monday approved a revised redistricting plan for Murrysville that will split its two largest precincts. The amended plan, to be presented for approval next week to Common Pleas Court Judge Chris Scherer, will separate the Sardis voting district nearly in half. That precinct was originally...
Chugging beer while riding a tricycle in South Greensburg, all for a great causeVideo
Typically, it might not be the best idea to mix competitive pedaling and beer chugging. But that’s just how participants of the Rotary of Westmoreland’s second annual Trike and Chug spent Saturday afternoon to raise money for the purchase of special adaptive bicycles for disabled children. The Rotary sponsored the...
Westmoreland commissioners honor Red Sand project for human trafficking awarenessVideo
Westmoreland County Commissioners this month honored supporters of the 2019 Red Sand project that brings attention to human trafficking issues. The Blackburn Center along with multiple organizations in Westmoreland throughout September have poured red sand into pavement cracks to symbolize victims of human trafficking that have fallen through the cracks...
Judge rules New Kensington Elks can renew its liquor license
A Westmoreland County judge overruled a Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board decision last year that rejected the license renewal for the Elks Club in New Kensington. In a ruling made public Tuesday, Westmoreland County Common Pleas Judge Harry Smail Jr. found that evidence of repeated citations and criminal activity at or...
