Pittsburg, PA
Pittsburgh-area couple says man pulled gun on them for trying to help dog in car
BUTLER, Pa. (KDKA) — A Butler Township couple says a man pulled a gun on them for verbally comforting his dog, which had been left alone inside a car.
Township police told KDKA-TV they are in the early stages of an investigation into what happened.
“I really thought I was gonna lose my life, and he was gonna shoot me,” said J.R Hunt. “He pointed it right at my face. I’m still shaking when I think about it. Anytime I see a vehicle that looks like his, I start shaking.”
Hunt and his wife were at the GetGo store near the Route 8 and Route 422 interchange when they saw the dog alone inside a car on the warm Friday. The man said there was only a small opening in the window and the dog was visibly panting.
They began verbally comforting the dog while they waited for the owner to come out, Hunt said. When he did, he began screaming at Hunt’s wife, asking if they were doing something with his dog.
Hunt’s wife explained she was talking to the dog because it was hot outside. She and Hunt got back in their car and told the man that if he did not give the dog water, the dog could die.
“And that’s when he started screaming obscenities, ‘I was only in there for five minutes, why are you talking to my dog, you’re doing stuff to my dog.’ And this and that. And we were saying, we are just trying to make sure the dog is all right.”
Hunt said the dog’s owner had to have been in the store for at least 10 or 15 minutes.
The dog’s owner told Hunt and his wife to get out of their car. Hunt showed the man his leg. He walks with a cane.
“I said I’m handicapped, I’m not getting out of the vehicle. Then he went to come to the window as we were leaving and he had something to his side, and I didn’t know if it was a gun or a taser. And then he pointed it at me,” Hunt said.
That was the moment Hunt and his wife drove off. Hunt described what he saw as a pistol.
“I want that person to go to jail, and know they did something wrong, to not only me, but that poor puppy,” Hunt said.
He says if they could take over caring for what he described as a beagle mix, he would. They already have 2 dogs.
The next time he sees a dog in a hot car, he says he’ll leave it to police to help the pup.
“It’s just so hard to even process why someone could be that cruel to someone who was just saying you need to get your dog some water,” Hunt said.
A man from Fayette County has been arrested and is facing over 1,000 charges related to alleged animal cruelty and neglect.
Fayette County District Attorney Mike Aubele said that John Saxberg, 57, is facing charges in connection with what he called “a suspected illegal kennel operation” in Washington Township.
According to DA Aubele, Saxberg is accused of subjecting numerous animals to “deplorable conditions” and “circumstances constituting torture,” adding that approximately ten animals suffered serious bodily injuries.
Court records show that Saxberg is facing 1,029 criminal charges in total with offenses including aggravated cruelty to animals, cruelty to animals, neglect of animals, penalties related to dog licensing, and violations of vaccine requirements.
52 of the charges that Saxberg is facing are felonies, according to court records.
Online court paperwork shows that Saxberg was arraigned on Tuesday afternoon and is being held in the Fayette County Prison after bail was posted at $85,000.
A preliminary hearing for Saxberg is scheduled for late next week.
An Allegheny County park with 200-year-old trees has been added to a growing network of protected and publicly accessible old-growth forests.
Local leaders announced on Tuesday that Hartwood Acres is now part of the Old-Growth Forest Network, which consists of over 340 forests, though this is Allegheny County’s first.
The 692-acre property features a Tudor mansion built in 1929, and while about a quarter of the park is maintained, the other 75% is forested. Some of the oldest trees include a black oak that’s over 200 years old, and a sugar maple and red oak that are nearing 200 years old.
“Hartwood Acres is one of Allegheny County’s greatest natural treasures, and this designation recognizes both the ecological value of these forests and the generations of stewardship that have protected them,” Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato said in a press release. “As we work to build an Allegheny County where everyone can thrive, that includes ensuring residents have access to clean air, green spaces, and the opportunity to connect with nature close to home.”
The Old-Growth Forest Network, founded in 2012, aims to create a national network of protected, mature and native forests that are accessible to the public. The goal is to preserve at least one forest in every U.S. county that can sustain a forest.
“The importance of the preservation of these rare forests cannot be overemphasized,” said Brian Kane, the Mid-Atlantic regional manager with the Old-Growth Forest Network. “As seen at Hartwood Acres, forests perform critical environmental services that benefit communities, such as storing carbon, providing wildlife habitat, and retaining stormwater. OGFN is grateful that Allegheny County values its old-growth forests and will enable its residents and visitors to marvel at these old hardwoods far into the future as they grow even more mature and majestic.”
An overturned truck spilled hazardous materials onto the 62nd Street Bridge late Monday night and crews spent several hours working to contain the spill.
The Cherry City Volunteer Fire Company said it was assistant on a “large scale hazmat incident” along with crews from Allegheny County Emergency Services and the city of Pittsburgh’s Bureau of Fire.
A truck turned onto its side on the Sharpsburg side of the Senator Robert D. Fleming Bridge, also known as the 62nd Street Bridge, late Monday night and the fire company said crews were working to contain the leak.
An aerial view from the KDKA Drone Team around 3 a.m. Tuesday showed the large response from crews working at the scene of the crash.
A first responder told KDKA’s news crew at the scene that the chemical that was spilled was peroxide and the fire company said crews were working to keep the material from entering drainage systems.
Around 4 a.m. Tuesday, the fire company provided an update and said that all “hazardous materials have been mitigated,” but that the bridge is expected to remain closed for an extended period of time.
Drivers are being urged to use alternate routes for the morning commute.
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