Morning Roundup: Assault charges over McDonald's coffee order; shots fired into Braddock council candidate's home

Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Tuesday, Nov. 7:

Police charge Latrobe man with assault over McDonald’s coffee order

Pennsylvania State Police said a Latrobe man’s coffee order turned violent last week after he attacked a worker at the Unity McDonald’s when his drink was made incorrectly.

Troopers said Jordan Ripingill, 33, ordered an iced coffee in the drive-thru at 9:45 a.m. Oct. 31. He is accused of entering the restaurant on foot, angry that it had been made wrong, and began yelling and screaming obscenities.

A male employee in his 30s made a new iced coffee and refunded Ripingill, telling him to not come back to that location, troopers said. Ripingill is accused of attacking the employee, throwing him to the ground and hitting him in the face.

The employee had a black eye and cuts on his hands, police said.

Ripingill is charged with simple assault, harassment and disorderly conduct. He had not been arraigned.

Ripingill is free on $75,000 unsecured bail on a 2020 aggravated assault case stemming from an incident in Derry Township, according to online court records.

Shots fired into Braddock council candidate’s home

Gunshots damaged the home of the former Braddock mayor over the weekend, according to TribLIVE news partner WTAE.

Chardae Jones showed a reporter from the news station several bullet homes in her house stemming from gunfire early Sunday while guests were spending the night. She is running for council.

Surveillance video she shared with the news outlet showed someone breaking into a car on Corey Avenue just before the shots rang out. No one was hurt.

“I’m grateful that it was just windows and walls, those can be replaced,” Jones said.

School bus safety violations drop

This year’s Operation Safe Stop statewide school bus enforcement saw a decrease in the number of violations, according to officials. The annual one-day initiative was held Oct. 18 with the cooperation of PennDOT, state police, the state Department of Education and other police agencies.

Data from participating school districts and police agencies this year showed 176 violations were witnessed, a 30% decrease from the previous year.

“If we saw this many violations in just one day, it’s clear that safety for our students traveling to and from school needs to be a continued focus in our communities, and that motorists remain vigilant while sharing the road with school buses and students,” said Kara Templeton, PennDOT deputy secretary for driver and vehicle services.

In past years, state troopers have boarded school buses traversing Westmoreland County to watch for violators.

Motorists are required to stop at least 10 feet away from a school bus that has its red lights flashing and stop arm extended. Violators could face a fine of up to $300 and a drivers license suspension, police said.

Some school districts in the area have started using stop arm cameras in recent years, in an effort to increase safety and track down violators.