Jeannette
CRIME & SAFETY
Jeannette Community Outcry as City Shuts Down K-9 Program Amid Fiscal Strife and Officer Lawsuit
The City of Jeannette has pulled the plug on its K-9 program, with city officials citing "cost prohibitive" concerns amid an ongoing lawsuit over overtime pay. The shutdown comes off the back of claims by Sgt. James Phillips and Officer Matthew Painter, the handlers for K-9s Diesel and Kilo, for unpaid overtime linked to the care of their dogs – care which they aver took up to an hour extra each day, as reported by TribLive.
Jeannette shutters K9 program as 'cost prohibitive'
Jeannette officials on Thursday announced the city has shuttered its police department’s K9 unit. “Critically, any new and unknown costs associated with the program made maintaining the program cost prohibitive in light of the city’s already stretched funding and budgetary constraints,” according to a statement released by city leaders.
Jeannette groups, Red Cross install smoke detectors in city homes in wake of fatal fire
Michael Gendek had a sense of relief Saturday as volunteers updated the smoke detectors in his family’s second-story Jeannette apartment. Since the family moved into the Harrison Avenue rental dwelling in October, he said, the state of the detectors “has just always been a concern. We just wanted to make sure everything is safe.”
Pittsburgh-area woman sentenced for deadly DUI crash
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — A Westmoreland County woman was sentenced to 6 to 15 years in prison for her role in a fatal crash in 2022. The Westmoreland County District Attorney's Office said 44-year-old Ahna Malik was sentenced to prison by Common Pleas Judge Meagan Bilik-DeFazio on Tuesday in connection with the crash that killed 57-year-old Dawn Coyne. Malik was previously found guilty in May on all 17 counts, including homicide by vehicle while DUI, according to the DA's news release. The deadly head-on crash happened in Hempfield Township in March 2022. The district attorney's office said Malik attempted to pass several vehicles on Arona Road before crashing into oncoming traffic, hitting and killing Coyne.Officials said toxicology reports found that Malik had drugs in her system, including crystal methamphetamine and marijuana, at the time of the crash. Law enforcement also found narcotics in Malik's vehicle, leading to several drug-related charges, the news release said.
Traffic stop unveils alleged domestic incident
A Derry Township man faces simple assault and related charges stemming from an incident that allegedly occurred last week. According to a criminal complaint filed in the case, members of the Pennsylvania State Police at Greensburg were conducting routine patrol at approximately 12:15 a.m. Friday, July 19, on the southbound lane of Depot Street near South Alexandria Street in Latrobe when officers observed a tan Dodge Ram pickup truck.
1 man dead, 2 hurt in Versailles Borough incident in which suspect fought with, injured police officer
One man is dead and a second man and a woman were hospitalized Thursday night after an altercation in Versailles Borough that started at one residence and spilled over to the adjacent home. Police said a suspect was arrested only after he fled the scene. He was apprehended in McKeesport...
Four Pennsylvania Men Charged with Federal Firearms and Drug Trafficking Violations in Pittsburgh
Four Pennsylvania residents have been brought up on serious charges of violating federal firearms and narcotics laws, as announced by United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan. The indictment, served by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh, includes allegations of unlawful possession with the intent to distribute significant quantities of cocaine, fentanyl, and heroin, as well as firearm possession by convicted felons. The Department of Justice press release identifies the accused as Derrick Lyman of McKeesport, Kenneth Hamlin Jr. of Murrysville, Daniel Jackson of Penn Hills, and Devlin Clifford of Monroeville.
Derry man jailed for drug possession in Blairsville
A Derry Township man is in Indiana County Jail in lieu of $5,000 bond, awaiting court action on charges filed after a traffic stop last week in Blairsville,. Blairsville Borough Police Chief Louis J. Sacco said Walter Scott Zylo, 49, was arrested shortly after 10 p.m. July 19, in the area of U.S. Route 22 and Dixon Street, when he was stopped by borough police for an inoperable brake lamp.
Man Pleads Guilty in Connection with Bellefonte Area Drug Overdose Deaths
A Westmoreland County man has pleaded guilty to providing drugs that caused the overdose deaths of two women in Spring Township more than two years ago. Timothy J. King, 38, entered a guilty plea on Wednesday for two felony counts of drug delivery resulting in death, Centre County Assistant District Attorney Julia Lockman said. According to the plea agreement, King faces a sentence of five to 10 years in state prison. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 3 by Judge Julia Rater. Additional felony charges of criminal use of a communication facility and possession with intent to deliver, as well as...
2 men arrested in connection with card-skimming devices in Lower Burrell, other communities
Lower Burrell police were called to the Community Supermarket on Leechburg Road on June 28 after reports of an attempted card skimming incident. George Sears, Community Market general manager, said an employee noticed the skimmer just 15 minutes after the device was planted, before anyone’s information could be compromised. Sears emphasized routine checks around the store are completed three times a day to ensure everything is working properly.
David Dutch Released From Allegheny Hospital
David Dutch, 57, New Kensington, PA, was discharged on Wednesday afternoon, a hospital spokesperson told us. Dutch and James Copenhaver, 74 of Moon Township, PA, were in critical condition following the shooting by Thomas Matthew Crooks at the Trump rally on Saturday, July 13. Both of their.statuses "have been upgraded...
Boston man arrested on multiple firearm charges
BOSTON — Boston Police Department’s Youth Violence Strike Force apprehended 23-year-old Jajuan Holliman-Wiggins on Thursday morning in connection with a shooting earlier this month. Holliman-Wiggins, from Roslindale, was taken into custody around 11:37 a.m. near 37 Archdale Road. He was wanted on a warrant from Dorchester District Court...
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