Retired Cambria County judge to oversee Sheriff Jonathan Held case

A retired judge from Cambria County has been appointed to oversee the criminal case against Westmoreland County Sheriff Jonathan Held.

Westmoreland County court officials were notified Monday that Senior Judge Timothy Creany will preside over the case in which Held, a two-term Republican sheriff, is charged with forcing his staff to perform campaign duties while on the job.

Creany served more than two decades on the bench in Cambria, including a stint as president judge, before he retired at the end of 2015.

Earlier this year Creany was appointed by state court officials to preside over the criminal case of a Monessen man charged with making threats against Westmoreland County Common Pleas Judge Meagan Bilik-DeFazio, including sending her a picture of fictional cannibal Hannibal Lecter.

Creany was tabbed to preside over the case against Greg Andrew Tchirkow after Westmoreland's 11 judges were recused.

Westmoreland County President Judge Rita Hathaway earlier this month signed an order recusing all of the county's common pleas court judges from overseeing Held's case.

Held, 44, of Hempfield, is scheduled to appear in court on May 16 for a formal arraignment.

State agents charged Held with one felony count of conflict of interest and two misdemeanor theft charges for using county resources, including staff and equipment, for campaign purposes.

Held has denied the allegations and maintained that political adversaries and disgruntled staffers manufactured false claims against him.

State agents last week raided Held's private office at the courthouse and seized two computers and other files.

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