June 7, 2023 5:48 pm
Prosecution and defense attorneys have rested their cases in the jury trial of Michaela Hildreth, 27 of Ninevah, Greene County. She is accused of shooting the estranged wife of her boyfriend in Chartiers Township on July 20, 2022. Prosecutors put the victim Amy Mruk on the stand for her account the incident that found her being shot after instigating several arguments with her estranged husband John Mruk and Hildreth as well. Amy Mruk said that while she was walking back to a convenience store to meet the others, Hildreth drove up with John Mruk in an SUV. Amy Mruk admitted to assaulting Hildreth and after being pulled away she tried to return to the SUV with her hands in the air and that is when Hildreth shot her. The defense put Hildreth on the stand in her own defense. Her recollection is that Amy Mruk beat her head on the steering wheel causing profuse bleeding. This caused Hildreth to fear for her life and the life of the others in her SUV. When Amy Mruk approached her vehicle again she shot her. Hildreth’s testimony did not exactly line up with previous witness testimony. She blamed the chaos of the situation for the difference in recollections. Closing arguments are scheduled for Thursday. Jury deliberations will begin immediately after.
June 7, 2023 3:32 pm
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has declared a Code Red for the entire commonwealth due to smoke from Canada’s wildfires. Due to smoke from the wildfires, the air quality is expected to be in or near the “unhealthy” range. For today, northerly winds will bring more waves of wildfire smoke into the region. Canada’s wildfires are being fueled by dry conditions with breezy winds, which will increase the chances of periods of elevated concentrations of air pollutants. They recommend limiting time outdoors and avoiding strenuous activity. Keep an eye on people with breathing issues. Similar conditions may continue Thursday, as the northerly flow of wind is expected to keep the smoke from the fires in the direction of Allegheny County. Gov. Shapiro issued the following statement on Twitter: “My team and I have been monitoring this situation over the past 24 hours. Smoke is affecting the entire Commonwealth. “Children, older people, and people with asthma or a respiratory illness should avoid going outdoors today as much as possible, and we should all avoid strenuous outdoor activity.” (Photo: WPXI)
June 7, 2023 5:21 pm
According to a Facebook post, Cretan Gyros in Washington will be closed until further notice because of a fire at the family’s home. The post said that the family’s house burnt down around 2:30 Wednesday morning. No one was injured but they are asking for everyone’s patience as they try to return to normal operations. Cretan Gyros is located at 180 Brownson Avenue.
June 7, 2023 5:17 pm
A Florida man had his case waived to court during the preliminary hearing on Wednesday. Robert Baker, 49 is charged with numerous counts of harassment, unlawful use of a computer and disruption of services going back to April of 2023. According to police, Baker sent between 100 and 160 pages of documents to government officials, in particular law enforcement offices. A formal arraignment is pending.
June 7, 2023 10:36 am
Wednesday’s game between the New Jersey Jackals and the Washington Wild Things has been postponed due to air quality issues from Canada wildfires. New Jersey’s Hinchliffe Stadium is owned by Paterson’s school system, which banned outdoor activities today due to the wildfires and air quality issues and warnings that exist across most of the eastern seaboard. The game is scheduled to be made up tomorrow as part of a doubleheader, which is scheduled to start at 4:35 p.m.
June 7, 2023 2:12 am
A rally was held in front of Pennsylvania Representative Guy Reschenthaler’s Washington, PA satellite office on Tuesday to bring attention to the sudden halt in the decision making process by the department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in agreeing to allow the Thomas Campbell Apartments (TCA) to apply for a loan to convert 20 efficiency units into 10 one bedroom units. They are looking to Reschenthaler to intervene on their behalf to make sure HUD does not go back on their commitment to the organization. TCA suffered significant damage from a fire on December 23, 2021. Two floors of one of the structures was wiped out. Since then the Board of Directors at TCA has rebuilt all of the fire damage. The board applied for a loan to complete safety upgrades and the lender required HUD approval for the loan to be closed. According to Board of Directors President Arthur Keys, those upgrades include sprinklers in all units, hard wired alarms and the conversion of those efficiency units among others. Keys signed the unit conversion agreement required by HUD in April and now HUD is looking to review once again the scope of work. According to Keys, TCA is losing $30,000 each month that they are not able to rent the apartments that are essentially ready to go. The improvements to the sprinkler system cannot be activated until the loan is in place. Not being able to secure the loan could force TCA into bankruptcy. Keys did meet with Reschenthaler’s staff and said that the Representative is aware of the issue and is working to have the impasse corrected. Keys said he would like to have the agreement in place by the end of this week. The Thomas Campbell Apartments is a Senior Living Facility. If qualified, residents can be subsidized for a portion of their rent.
June 7, 2023 2:30 am
Daniel Libert, 68, faces multiple charges after an incident at Peters Township Nursing and Rehabilitation Center last month. Libert attended his preliminary hearing on Tuesday where his charges were waived to court. The charges included several misdemeanors such as stalking, indecent assault, and indecent exposure. When the incident occurred, police were dispatched to the scene following a report from one of the nursing home’s employees. The report described that an elderly woman had been sexually assaulted by another male patient. According to police, an employee detailed that she saw Libert push the woman in her wheelchair to another area of the facility where he touched her without consent. When police spoke to the victim, she stated that Libert had exposed himself to her multiple times over the course of two weeks. She described that on one occasion, Libert attempted to force her hand upon himself. Libert will have a formal arraignment July 27 and is free on $25,000 bond.
June 7, 2023 2:04 am
Levi Areford, 20 of Canonsburg appeared at his preliminary hearing Tuesday morning on account of multiple charges including theft of services, fleeing or attempting to elude an officer, and driving under the influence. With Areford’s charges waived to court, he will face the judge August 22. Areford’s offenses started when he refused to pay money he owed at the Red Roof Inn May 7. The manager of the establishment reported the incident and officers were dispatched to the scene. According to police, when an officer approached Areford’s vehicle in the Denny’s parking lot, Areford drove through the red light at West Chestnut Street and Franklin Farms Road. He continued to flee police in his car before eventually pulling over. Areford refused to exit his vehicle after the chase and was found with marijuana on his person. Areford was taken into custody and when requested to submit a chemical blood test, he denied. Areford is free on a $75,000 bond.
June 6, 2023 2:07 am
A Greene County woman is on trial for the shooting of her boyfriend’s estranged wife. Michaela Hildreth, 28 of Ninevah is facing attempted homicide, aggravated assault and endangerment charges for her alleged shooting of Amy Mruk on July 20, 2022. According to testimony from John Mruk, he called his estranged wife in an effort to locate a missing rifle. Neither could find it in their homes so they met to travel to a friend of their son’s home to see if the rifle was there. When the Mruk’s met, Amy Mruk got into an SUV with John Mruk. The vehicle was being driven by Michaela Hildreth, John Mruk’s girlfriend. Amy Mruk and Hildreth got into several shouting matches, several turning physical. Near midnight on July 20, the vehicle being driven by Hildreth screeched to a halt on Moon Road in Chartiers Township. Amy Mruk exited the vehicle, walked around and began arguing with Hildreth again and Hildreth then shot Mruk through the driver side window. Further witnesses testified rendering aid to Amy Mruk. One witness stated that they heard Hildreth tell someone on her cellphone “I shot someone. I ruined my life.” Police testimony included finding a 9mm hand gun belonging to Hildreth near her at the scene and other evidence found at the scene. Closing arguments are set to begin Thursday.
June 7, 2023 5:06 am
Canada is dealing with a series of intense wildfires that have spread from the western provinces to Quebec, with hundreds of forest fires burning. Wind has carried smoke from the fires southward, triggering air quality alerts throughout the United States. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Tuesday issued a poor air quality alert for New England, a day after parts of Illinois, Wisconsin and Minnesota received a similar advisory. Last week, U.S. officials as far south as Maryland, Baltimore, Virginia and Pennsylvania reported being impacted by the wildfires. Fine-particle pollution — known as “PM 2.5” — is what’s being measured. The tiny particles are small enough to get past airway defenses and cause breathing problems.
