Briefs: Bar patron charged in attack with glass
A Clarion County man smashed a glass in the face of a Ross man in a Strip District bar late Saturday, police said.
Victor Milko, 27, of Volwinkel, and another man argued with women at about 10 p.m. in the Deja Vu night club in the 2100 block of Penn Avenue, then grabbed a cocktail glass when Tim O'Meara, 32, of Ross, and another friend of the women tried to intervene, police reported.
Milko was charged early Sunday with aggravated assault.
Police say O'Meara was in good condition yesterday at UPMC Presbyterian hospital, Oakland, with a deep gash on his forehead and cuts on his nose and cheek.
DowntownMoon man sentenced for drug violations
A federal judge sentenced a Moon man Friday to eight years and four months in prison for violating federal drug laws.
U.S. District Judge Robert J. Cindrich said he imposed the long term because of the extensive criminal record of Warren Evans Jr., 33, of Landing Lane, who had $20,000 in cash when he was arrested for possession of a large quantity of marijuana.
Cindrich also ordered Evans, who had various aliases such as Donald Elliot Washington, Don Washington, Clifton Harris, Andrew Patterson and Robert Johnson, to serve five years on supervised release after he gets out of prison.
Evans, who pleaded guilty to the charges, was pulled over by Moon police for a traffic stop on July 18, 2002. Police found marijuana and several thousand dollars in cash. They obtained a search warrant for his home and found a large quantity of marijuana and $20,000 in cash, prosecutors said.
Federal drug agents learned that a package of cocaine was sent to Andrew Patterson at a mailing service in Squirrel Hill in February, prosecutors said. Agents arrived at the service just as Evans was leaving. Employees told the agents he attempted to pick up the package but then left.
HUD grant to fund housing demolition
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has awarded the Pittsburgh Housing Authority a $3.4 million demolition grant to help the city get rid of nearly 600 decrepit housing units.
About $1.8 million will help pay for the demolition of 300 housing units in the Garfield Heights public housing development, and the other $1.6 million will go toward knocking down 294 units in Hamilton-Larimer public housing development.
The money is part of HUD's HOPE IV project, which is charged with demolishing distressed public housing areas, then revitalizing them through local construction and land-management efforts.
Braddock HillsWoman charged with bilking man
A Butler County woman has been charged with theft by deception, identity theft and similar crimes in a fraud scheme that cost a Braddock Hills man some $19,000, Allegheny County Police Assistant Superintendent James Morton said.
Patricia Milko, 42, of North Monroe Street, Butler, who was identified as a longtime family friend of Thomas Berkavich and his late wife, told Berkavich she was in financial difficulty and asked him to co-sign one loan for $8,500 and a later one for $10,000, investigators said.
Milko had all the loan statements sent to her but didn't repay the money, the police affidavit states. She also is accused of opening a credit card account in Berkavich's name without his permission and buying $617 worth of merchandise, the affidavit states.
Allegheny CountyBlood bank seeks donors of all types
Pittsburgh's Central Blood Bank, anticipating a declining supply over the next few weeks, is seeking donors, particularly those with Type O blood.
Group O types are at a three-day supply level and are projected to fall to a one-day supply in two weeks.
"Since there is not a synthetic substitute for human blood, we depend on the generosity of blood donors," said Dr. Stanley Geyer of West Penn Hospital.
All types are currently needed. To schedule an appointment, call (866) 366-6771 or visit www.centralbloodbank.org.
RegionHill District man gets 14 years on drug rap
A Hill District man has been sentenced to 14 years in prison for taking part in a drug ring that prosecutors said sold $150,000 worth of crack cocaine a month in Cambria County and surrounding areas.
Thomas P. Harris, 23, of Elmore Square, was among 13 people indicted on federal drug charges in June 2001 in connection with the ring, believed to be based in Johnstown.
The investigation, which began in October 2000, started with a few tips to law enforcement about lower-level dealers and progressed to higher-level dealers, Cambria County District Attorney David Tulowitzki said.
Harris also was found to be carrying drugs on both June 4 and June 6, 2002, prosecutors said. He also was sentenced to five years' probation following his prison sentence.
Rendell: 8 counties are disaster areas
Gov. Ed Rendell has asked the federal government to declare eight counties disaster areas as they try to recover from a series of thunderstorms last month that spawned tornados, knocked down trees and power lines and flooded streets.
Rendell has declared Crawford, Forest, McKean, Mercer, Potter, Tioga, Venango and Warren counties disaster areas. The federal designation would pave the way for federal assistance, including grants for temporary housing and home repairs, and low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses.
The storms spawned at least five tornados, including one packing 100 mph winds that caused the collapse of the Kinzua Viaduct in McKean County. PPL Electric Utilities struggled to restore power to 195,000 customers, the second-largest outage in the company's history, with only Hurricane Floyd causing more damage.
Bedford CountyMan charged in fatal fiery truck crash
A Bedford County man has been charged in connection with a wreck in which his pickup truck crashed and burst into flames, killing two of his friends.
Chad Deremer, 24, of Breezewood, was charged with drunken driving, careless driving and vehicular homicide in the June 30 crash near Breezewood that killed Ryan Snyder, 23, and Daniel Lambert, 35, both of Everett.
Police said Deremer failed to make a turn, slid sideways onto the shoulder of the road and hit a utility pole, flipping the truck onto its roof. Deremer was thrown from the truck, which burst into flames.
State OKs temporary bridge for village
A village in Bedford that chronicles life in Pennsylvania from 1750 to 1900 will be able to build a temporary modern bridge to once again bring in school and tour buses.
The state Department of Environmental Protection recently issued a permit allowing the Old Bedford Village to build a temporary span over a popular trout stream as officials try to repair the 135-year-old Claycomb Covered Bridge.
State officials in November banned school and tour buses from traversing the covered bridge after engineers hired to make cosmetic improvements determined that it was unsafe for vehicles weighing 4 tons or more.
Officials plan to sink steel pipes about a foot into the Juniata River and cover them with stone to lead to the tourist attraction. The pipes will allow water and fish to travel the trout stream. Engineer P. Joseph Lehman said the temporary bridge could be built within a week.
Centre CountyTeen charged with injuring PSU student
A teenager has been charged in the stabbing of a Penn State University student in a fight at a fraternity party.
Ammon Ali, 17, was arraigned on charges of aggravated assault, simple assault, reckless endangerment, terroristic threats and harassment, then released on $10,000 unsecured bail.
According to police, several people were leaving the July 27 party when a fistfight broke out. During the melee, the victim, a 22-year-old Penn State student, was stabbed in the arm and hit with a metal pole.
Cambria CountyOfficer charged with drunken driving
A police officer in Cambria County has been charged with drunken and reckless driving after he crashed his car into a highway barrier, authorities said.
Paul Deffenbaugh, 32, the officer-in-charge of the South Fork Borough police department, had a blood-alcohol content of 0.117 percent when he crashed his car on Route 56 last week, police said. A motorist is considered legally intoxicated in Pennsylvania with a blood-alcohol content of 0.10 percent.
South Fork Mayor Christopher Stohon declined to comment until he had a chance to review the incident.
Deffenbaugh told police he lost control of his car on the wet highway, sending the vehicle across the road before striking the median barrier. He was taken to UPMC Lee Regional hospital for treatment. Johnstown police Capt. Andrew Frear said Deffenbaugh cooperated with arresting officers.
Troy HillOne person killed in head-on collision
One person died and several others were hurt in a four-vehicle crash Sunday night on Route 28 near the 31st Street Bridge in Troy Hill.
A van crashed traveling southbound crossed the center line and smashed head-on into a car in the opposite lane at about 7:40 p.m., a witness said. The Allegheny County Coroner's Office was called to the scene.
No further information was available last night.
Armstrong CountyPolice arrest man in girlfriend's death
An Armstrong County man was charged with criminal homicide Sunday in the death of his live-in girlfriend, whose body was discovered in an alley Sunday morning with bruises on her face and neck, police said.
Police arrested James Wilkerson, of Kittanning, after the body of Marcy Lynn Powell, 29, was discovered about 6:30 a.m. behind Kittanning IGA grocery store in the 100 block of North McKean Street, near the couple's apartment.
Armstrong County Coroner Robert Bower pronounced Powell dead at 7:30 a.m. Elongated marks on Powell's neck point to death by asphyxiation by strangulation, Bower said, "but the official cause of death is pending autopsy results."
The Allegheny County Coroner's Office is to conduct the autopsy.
Wilkerson was arraigned yesterday before District Justice J. Gary DeComo and charged with criminal homicide. He was to be held without bail in the Armstrong County Jail. Police said Wilkerson has a long history of domestic violence.
