February 19, 2023 3:29 am
Washington County District Attorney Jason Walsh announced Friday that he presented Peters Township Police with a check for $2,171.81, which is a shared amount of forfeited assets obtained during the investigation and prosecution of those individuals trafficking illegal narcotics in Washington County. Funds provided under the Equitable Sharing Agreement between the DA’s office and local law enforcement allow for the illegal proceeds from narcotics trafficking to be utilized by local law enforcement agencies for training, equipment, and other specified uses under the state’s Drug Forfeiture Act in order to continue to protect and serve their communities.
February 19, 2023 1:11 am
(WPXI) – The cousin of the mother and daughter found shot to death in Swissvale on Wednesday has been charged with criminal homicide in connection to the shooting. Swissvale police were requested to help medics get into a barricaded apartment in the 7800 block of Sailor Place at around 10:13 a.m. Wednesday. Once on scene, first responders found a woman and female child dead from gunshot wounds. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner identified the woman as 39-year-old Megan Campbell and her daughter as 7-year-old Lyla Campbell. Early Saturday morning, Allegheny County police obtained an arrest warrant for Kareef Easington, the victims’ cousin. He is charged with two counts of criminal homicide and tampering with evidence in the shooting. Easington is described as a Black male, 5’10” tall, and weighing 180 pounds. Detectives have information that Easington fled to Homestead initially, but he also has family in New Jersey and a connection in Jamaica. Anyone who knows Easington’s whereabouts is urged to call 911. (Photo: Allegheny County Police)
February 18, 2023 8:14 am
One person is dead, and two others were flown from the scene of a wrong way crash in the east bound lanes of Interstate 376 in Beaver County last night. 60 year old Lorie Thomas of Aliquippa died at the scene. The highway was shut down between the Monaca and Aliquippa exits. Pennsylvania State Police have identified the wrong way driver as 42 year old Michael Pucci of Sewickley. He was traveling westbound in the eastbound lanes of the highway when he struck one vehicle and then struck Thomas’ vehicle a short distance further down the road. Thomas was a passenger in the third vehicle; both Pucci and the driver of Thomas’ vehicle were flown to UPMC hospital. State Police reports indicate that an open container of alcohol was found on the drivers side of Pucci’s vehicle.
February 18, 2023 4:10 am
MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Decisions to shoot down multiple unidentified objects in American and Canadian airspace has put a spotlight on amateur balloonists who say their creations pose no threat. Over the last three weeks, U.S. President Joe Biden has ordered fighter jets to down a suspected Chinese spy balloon off the South Carolina coast, as well as smaller objects over Alaska and Lake Huron. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau ordered another object shot down over the Yukon. Biden said Wednesday that the smaller objects were most likely balloons. Tom Medlin is the owner of the Amateur Radio Roundtable. He says he has been in contact with an Illinois club that believes the Yukon object was one of their balloons. (Photo: AP)
February 18, 2023 4:04 am
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) – The mother of Tyre Nichols says none of the five former Memphis, Tennessee, police officers charged with killing her son would look her in the eye in court. The former officers pleaded not guilty Friday to second-degree murder and other charges. Mother RowVaughn Wells said at a news conference after the hearing that the officers will see her at every court date “until we get justice for my son.” They were fired after a police investigation into the Jan. 7 arrest and are out on bond. The case is the latest to prompt nationwide protests and renew public discussion about police brutality.
February 18, 2023 4:03 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Joe Biden says the U.S. is developing “sharper rules” to track, monitor and potentially shoot down unknown aerial objects. This follows three weeks of high-stakes drama sparked by the discovery of a suspected Chinese spy balloon transiting much of the country. Biden has directed national security adviser Jake Sullivan to lead an “interagency team” to review U.S. procedures after the downing of the Chinese balloon, as well as three other objects that the U.S. now believes are most likely “benign.” Biden said Thursday he hopes the new rules will help “distinguish between those that are likely to pose safety and security risks that necessitate action and those that do not.”
February 18, 2023 4:02 am
ARKABUTLA, Miss. (AP) – Mississippi officials say six people have been fatally shot in a small, rural town near the Tennessee state line. State Department of Public Safety spokesperson Bailey Martin confirms the killings in Arkabutla, in Tate County. Gov. Tate Reeves’ office says he has been briefed on the shootings and a male suspect is in custody. It is believed he acted alone, and officials do not have a motive yet. It is the first mass killing in the U.S. since Jan. 23, which saw the last of six in a three-week period. Arkabutla lies about 30 miles (50 kilometers) south of Memphis, Tennessee, and is home to 285 residents according to the 2020 Census.
February 18, 2023 4:01 am
(AP) – Authorities in West Virginia say the body of an infant has been found in a submerged car after floodwaters swept through the state. The flooding came amid thunderstorms that inundated the South. A woman called 911 saying her car was stuck in high water in the southern West Virginia town of Pax and she couldn’t find the baby. Sheriff Mike Fridley says the vehicle was found submerged Friday afternoon with the 11-week-old boy inside. Investigators determined the woman misjudged the water’s depth and drove into the road before realizing it was too deep. She then attempted to remove the baby from the vehicle but it was swept away.
February 18, 2023 3:55 am
PITTSBURGH — (WPXI) – The man accused of killing Officer Sean Sluganski appeared in court this morning, where the judge heard he told investigators he had PTSD but was having a “good day” when Officer Sluganski and Officer Charles Thomas were shot. Johnathan Morris is facing multiple charges, including homicide of a law enforcement officer and criminal attempted homicide of a law enforcement officer. Police say Morris is responsible for the Feb. 6 shooting death of Officer Sean Sluganski, who was laid to rest Tuesday, and for shooting and injuring Officer Thomas. The officers were responding to a call from Morris’ mother, who said her son was having a PTSD episode, according to court documents.
February 18, 2023 3:55 am
The United States Attorney’s Office in Wheeling announced Friday that Dallas Michael Acoff, 34, was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison. Acoff was convicted in October 2022 on five federal drug distribution counts. Acoff was convicted of selling cocaine near Fulton Playground in Wheeling in August 2021. Six months later, Wheeling Police attempted a traffic stop on Acoff’s car on Wheeling Island when he fled from police in his car, then on foot. He was apprehended and police found fentanyl, cocaine, and methamphetamine. Acoff has previously been convicted for wanton endangerment with a firearm and attempted murder for a 2015 Wheeling homicide.
