Morning Roundup: Police rein in runaway horse; postal worker pleads guilty to stealing $6M in checks

Here are news items for Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024:

Police return runaway horse

Pittsburgh police in Zone 1 were chasing an unexpected suspect Wednesday — a runaway horse.

Around 1:30 p.m., officers responded to a report of an escaped horse near Brighton Road and Harbison Avenue near the city’s Riverview Park. Officers were able to locate the corral the horse.

“After enjoying a few carrots, the horse was reunied with its owners and returned to the stable,” police wrote in a Facebook post.

Postal employee pleads guilty to check theft

A Monroeville man and U.S. Postal Service employee pleaded guilty in federal court Wednesday to stealing more than 450 checks from local businesses and selling them to buyers in other cities.

Ahmad O. Shareef, 35, a human resources officer at the U.S. Post Office in Pittsburgh’s Bloomfield neighborhood, entered a guilty plea to mail theft charges.

According to U.S. Attorney Eric Olshan, between October 2023 and April 2024, Shareef stole business checks addressed to Pittsburgh-area businesses and sold them through the use of an encrypted messaging app.

Investigators found more than 450 checks totaling upward of $6 million in Shareef’s possession.

About $250,000 of the total was fraudulently negotiated by Shareef’s buyers, and Shareef himself admitted to earning roughly $20,000 through the scheme, Olshan said.

He is scheduled for sentencing March 25, and faces up to 20 years in prison.

Port Vue burglary suspects sought

Allegheny County Police are seeking four suspects in connection with a Nov. 2 burglary in Port Vue.

County police were called to investigate the incident at the Dead End Diner on Port Vue Avenue. Video recovered from the diner showed four people damaging vehicles and property and entering through a broken window. They then caused additional damage inside the building.

Anyone with information is asked to call 833-255-8477. Callers can remain anonymous.