Rich Cholodofsky stories, Page 88
Greensburg woman mulls plea deal over wife’s overdose death
A Greensburg woman remains in jail as she mulls whether to accept a plea deal that would result in the dismissal of a felony charge of drug delivery resulting in death in connection the fatal overdose last February of her wife. Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court Judge Christopher Feliciani on...
Loughner sworn in as acting Westmoreland Clerk of CourtsVideo
Westmoreland County has a new Clerk of Courts. Megan Loughner, 35, of Unity was sworn in to office Friday to take over the final 10 months of the clerk’s term, replacing Bryan Kline. He was hired last month as the new warden of Westmoreland County Prison. The office oversees all...
Westmoreland chief deputy sheriff Eckels retires after year on the job
Westmoreland County Sheriff James Albert said Thursday he is in no rush to find a replacement for his former chief deputy, who retired last week after serving just a year in the role. Albert confirmed Roger Eckels, a former district judge from Mt. Pleasant, has left the job as the...
Chad Amond honored for decade-long run as head of Westmoreland chamber of commerce
Current and former county commissioners on Thursday honored Chad Amond, the longtime president and CEO of the Westmoreland County Chamber of Commerce, for his work over the last decade in leading the organization that promotes local businesses. Amond, 46, of Unity announced last summer he was diagnosed with primary progressive...
Commissioners dash calls for Westmoreland health department, trumpet broadband upgrade
With covid-19 still a constant threat and source of concern, county leaders on Thursday said they see a brighter future born from lessons learned during the ongoing pandemic. Commissioners speaking at the Westmoreland County Chamber of Commerce’s virtual State of the County conference outlined coronavirus-related challenges and successes, a plan...
Westmoreland County bars and restaurants in line for nearly $4M in grants
Westmoreland County will hand out nearly $4 million in grants to local restaurants and other hospitality businesses struggling to remain open during the coronavirus pandemic. The money comes from the $145 million Pennsylvania Hospitality Industry Recovery Program approved by state lawmakers and Gov. Tom Wolf. Westmoreland is slated to receive $3.95...
Charges dismissed against Somerset DA
Summary charges filed last fall against Somerset County District Attorney Jeffrey L. Thomas II were dismissed this week as part of a deal with Cambria County’s top prosecutor. Thomas, 35, a first-term Republican, was charged with by Richland Township police in October with single counts of disorderly conduct and harassment...
Scottdale man gets prison sentence for child rape
A Scottdale man will serve up to 40 years in prison for the rape and repeated sexual assault of a young girl over a five-year period that ended in 2016. Dylan Chiaramonte, 28, declined to speak during his a sentencing hearing Wednesday during which his accuser, now 14, told him...
Fayette man’s Virginia confession results in guilty plea to sex charges
A former Fayette County man will serve up to 10 years in prison for sexually assaulting a girl 20 years ago. Lawrence Wesley Henry Jr., 50, formerly of Normalville and East Huntingdon, will serve his prison sentence in Virginia, where he first confessed to his crime in Westmoreland County following...
Westmoreland DA says accused Ruffs Dale shooter has violent history with boyfriends
Just hours before Andrew Pristas was gunned down, the woman charged with shooting him — his former girlfriend — had a similar violent confrontation with her current boyfriend, a Westmoreland County prosecutor said on Tuesday. Meghan West, 30, of Ruffs Dale, is accused of killing Pristas but contends there is...
Westmoreland County divorces decline during coronavirus pandemic
Captain & Tennille, the soft rock duo of the 1970s, once crooned that “Love Will Keep Us Together.” So, apparently, does the covid-19 pandemic. Divorces overall are on the decline throughout the United States. The divorce rate fell from 9.7 new divorces per 1,000 women age 15 and over in...
North Huntingdon woman to run for Westmoreland County Clerk of Courts
A North Huntingdon woman said her experience as a crime victim will be an asset needed to run the Westmoreland County Clerk of Courts office. Dorey Stabile McCarron, 46, a Republican, announced her candidacy this week to run the courthouse office that oversees the filing of criminal court records and...
Westmoreland commissioners plan for vaccine registryVideo
The Westmoreland County commissioners, bowing to public pressure and a growing frustration among residents, said Thursday they will create a county registry to assist residents to receive coronavirus vaccines. “We are doing something at this point to assist and make sure that the residents of Westmoreland County who want a...
Covid cases down to zero at Westmoreland courthouse
Coronavirus is on a break at the Westmoreland County Courthouse. It’s been two weeks since a new case among employees was reported at the courthouse and, as a result, temperature screenings at the building’s entry points were halted Thursday. “We’ve seen a downward trend,” said Alexis Bevan, the county’s human...
Trafford council president to seek Penn Township district judge seat
A Trafford borough councilman is hoping to be the next district judge in Penn Township. Kristopher Cardiff, 43, is seeking to win the seat currently held by District Judge Helen Kistler, who said she will retire at the end of this year when her third six-year term expires. “I was...
Nicole Ziccarelli announces bid for Westmoreland County district attorney
Fresh off a razor-thin defeat in a bid to upset a two-term incumbent state senator, New Kensington lawyer Nicole Ziccarelli announced Wednesday she is seeking to oust another entrenched Democrat. Ziccarelli, a Republican, said she will run against six-term incumbent John Peck for the Westmoreland County District Attorney office in...
Former Westmoreland Recorder of Deeds Tom Murphy to run for new office
Tom Murphy spent 16 years as Westmoreland County’s recorder of deeds and, until last month, never considered running for another courthouse elected office. Murphy, who for the last year has been working the private sector after losing his re-election bid in 2019, received a call from his friend, Democratic incumbent...
Hempfield landlord sued over fall
The estate of a Hempfield man who died two months after he crashed through the front porch railing of his rented home wants his former landlord to pay funeral and burial expenses even though he died from an unrelated medical condition. According to a lawsuit filed Tuesday in Westmoreland County,...
Peck seeks to extend quarter-century run as Westmoreland DA
District Attorney John Peck announced he will try to extend his quarter-century run as Westmoreland County’s top prosecutor for another four years. Peck, 74, a Democrat from New Kensington, said he will seek a seventh term in office this year. “Leadership in law enforcement and justice in the courts are...
New Stanton man to serve up to 3 years in prison for child sexual assault
A New Stanton man will serve up to three years in prison for the sexual assault of a young girl, his third child victim in more than a decade, according to Westmoreland County prosecutors. Paul E. Chamberlain, 33, pleaded guilty Tuesday to three counts of indecent assault for improper sexual...
Allegheny Township man charged with 5 sexual assaults seeks house arrest
An Allegheny Township man charged with sexually assaulting three juveniles and two adults wants a Westmoreland County judge to release him to house arrest while he awaits trial. Police contend Eric Alan Wright, 49, raped two children over a 20-year period dating to 2000, fondled another teenage girl, exposed himself...
Westmoreland prosecutors claim anti-bullying advocate threatened police
A Derry man who calls himself the “Bully Monster” was placed on house arrest Monday after Westmoreland County prosecutors say he threatened a police officer. Justin Juan De La Cruz Martinez, 41, originally was charged with trespassing, criminal mischief and resisting arrest in November 2019 after he refused to comply...
Westmoreland prosecutor makes 2nd bid for Derry district judge seat
A two-decade veteran of the Westmoreland County District Attorney’s office has announced a second campaign for the district judge seat in Derry. Kelly Tua Hammers, 49, a Democrat from Derry Township, said she will run to replace retiring District Judge Mark Bilik. He announced last month his planned retirement in...
Death row inmate seeks new lawyer for appeal in Greensburg torture killing case
A death row inmate convicted in the 2010 torture and murder of a mentally disabled woman in Greensburg wants a new lawyer after waiting more than three years for his court-appointed counsel to file an appeal. Ricky Smyrnes, 34, formerly of North Huntingdon, was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced...
Route 22 high-speed chase in Salem nets New York man jail time
A New York man federal investigators said was a heroin supplier to a drug gang based on Pittsburgh’s South Side pleaded guilty Friday to leading police on a high-speed chase two years ago on Route 22 through Salem. Holiday L. Vaughn, 36, formerly the Bronx, was sentenced to serve up...
