Jeannette man accused of kidnapping mother rejects plea deal

A Jeannette man accused of kidnapping his mother two years ago rejected a plea bargain Monday that would have required him to serve up to four years in prison.

Neal Hubish, 37, is in jail awaiting trial on charges that in February 2016 he kept his mother captive in her home for a day after she had picked him up from the Westmoreland County Prison following his parole on three prior convictions.

According to court records, Hubish's mother told police her son broke her phone, threw a bottle of pills, yelled and threatened to kill her. He allegedly took her car keys and demanded $16,000 while continuing to talk incoherently, slam doors and walk around the house through the night, police said.

She also claimed Hubish refused to let her go to work the next day and she was only able to get help after she drove him to a local gas station and asked a clerk to call 911.

During a status conference hearing on Monday, Hubish said he would not accept a deal that required him to plead guilty and serve a 2- to 4-year prison sentence.

“You're not going to threaten me with state time,” Hubish said just prior to being escorted from the courtroom by three deputy sheriffs.

Hubish is in jail in lieu of $250,000 bail.

Meanwhile, Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court Judge Tim Krieger allowed private defense attorney Jeffrey Weinberg of Pittsburgh to withdraw from the case.

A trial date has not been set.

Rich Cholodofsky is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at 724-830-6293 or rcholodofsky@tribweb.com.