Connect with us

Pittsburg, PA

Man sentenced in West Pittsburg carjacking

Published

on

Man sentenced in West Pittsburg carjacking


Andrew Galeria tried to withdraw their guilty plea in judge Wednesday, but the assess would not allow this.

Mercado, 35, of Ellwood City, accused of taking an 82-year-old woman away of her car in the West Pittsburg Dollar Common parking lot and taking it, instead will devote 2 1/2 to a few years in the state correctional institution. That has been the word handed to him Friday by Lawrence County Typical Pleas President Judge Dominick Motto.

Mercado pleaded accountable May 18 in 3 separate cases, a 12 months and a day following your May 17, 2021, carjacking incident. He was sentenced for just two of the 3 Wednesday. Beyond the carjacking scenario, he pleaded guilty to help one count of combating arrest in another scenario. The charges in this third case, in which will he was accused associated with cutting a woman’s neck with a knife, will certainly be dismissed as element of the plea layout while using Lawrence County Region Attorney’s Office.

Advertisement

Mercado advised the judge that he or she wanted to withdraw their guilty plea, saying, within reference to his lawyer, “I was misrepresented.” He said aloud within court he was striving for a year to help get his court-appointed security lawyer removed from this case.

He was taken care of by Beaver County lawyer Michael Francis Yagercik. Yagercik told the judge about the record in judge that Mercado threatened the pup during Wednesday’s proceeding.

The case was prosecuted within court by Assistant Region Attorney Emily Sanchez-Parodi.

Mercado furthermore was sentenced to seven months to 2 many years in state prison, rival on the larger prison word, for any resisting arrest demand.

As part of their sentence inside the carjacking scenario, Motto also ordered Pronunciado to serve three many years of probation following their incarceration, and to pay back the woman $331.40 which he stole, and to help repay $3,192 to help her car insurance firm. He also ordered the pup to undergo mental health and fitness treatment, and to possess no contact with this victim.

The woman, who was simply in the courtroom using her family for this sentencing, gave the assess a written impact declaration that was kept exclusive and not read out loud court.

Advertisement

The woman advised police at the moment of the incident Galeria grabbed her and put the girl out of her silver Nissan Altima in addition to drove away with the girl purse within the car. The woman landed on a lawn, and the witness to the occurrence identified Mercado from the photograph, according to this police report.

The express police in Beaver State later found the woman auto in a Walmart building in Beaver County, and in addition they caught Mercado leaving a shop with a cart stuffed with stolen merchandise, relating to reports.

The express police filed multiple costs against Mercado in link with that incident, in addition to that case remains waiting for trial in the Pussy County Court of Typical Pleas.



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading
Advertisement
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Pittsburg, PA

Bill that would legalize marijuana in Pennsylvania stalls out in state senate

Published

on

Bill that would legalize marijuana in Pennsylvania stalls out in state senate


A bill that would have made recreational marijuana legal in Pennsylvania stalled out in the state senate. 

The Senate Law and Justice Committee voted it down 7 to 3. That vote means the bill will not be taken up by the full state senate and the bill will not be signed into law by Governor Josh Shapiro. 

Bill passes the Pennsylvania State House

Last week, the bill that would have allowed Pennsylvanians 21 and older to purchase marijuana legally passed the Pennsylvania House

It marked the first time that a recreational weed bill had been approved by either chamber in Pennsylvania. 

Advertisement

The main sponsor of the bill was Democrat Rep. Rick Krajewski of Philadelphia, who said it was a “balanced, responsible, and robust framework.” 

Republicans in the House opposed the bill. 

Governor Josh Shapiro proposed legal marijuana in his budget and counted on Pennsylvania getting around $500 million in revenue from legal marijuana. 

The proposal would have allowed direct sales that would be managed by the state-owned liquor store system. However, Fine Wine & Good Spirits locations wouldn’t have become marijuana dispensaries, other retail outlets would have been created for marijuana purchase. 

“Toothpaste is already out of the tube.” Democrats in Pennsylvania want legal sales of marijuana 

According to one of the sponsors of the bills, Democratic Rep. Dan Frankel, it had the potential to bring in $600 million in revenue

Advertisement

“The toothpaste is already out of the tube,” he said. Rep. Frankel also cited a state store model, such as Quebec, Canada, where there has been proven success. 

He did caution that the longer Pennsylvania waits to legalize marijuana, illegal or quasi-legal places will continue to pop up, and those places have no public health supervision. 

“You go right next door, you’ll see a sign on the street with a big marijuana leaf saying no medical card needed here. We need to regulate that. That’s a public health hazard,” Rep. Frankel said.

While the bill failed in the Senate, it’s not clear what comes next or if there will be another attempt at passing a legal marijuana bill anytime in the future. 

Advertisement



Source link

Continue Reading

Pittsburg, PA

Special Olympics Pennsylvania’s torch run returns for 14th year

Published

on

Special Olympics Pennsylvania’s torch run returns for 14th year


A long-running tradition returned to Pittsburgh on Tuesday.

This is the 14th year for Special Olympics Pennsylvania’s “Be A Fan” torch run.

Now, the Special Olympics Pennsylvania torch is on its journey away from PNC Park through its three-day, 150-mile trip to Penn State University.

Over 350 runners representing nearly 40 law enforcement agencies are Guardians of the Flame on the torch as it’s passed off every two and a half to four miles until it reaches State College for the 2025 Pennsylvania Special Olympics Summer Games. 

Advertisement

The competition officially starts on June 5, but on Tuesday, runners like Pennsylvania State Police’s Tabitha Jacoby are accompanied by local Special Olympics program athletes.

“They’ll say, time and time again, ‘We love you guys, you’re our heroes,’ when really, they’re our heroes,” said Jacoby.

Organizers said this torch run brings the community together like no other event.

“If you have a chance to meet one of the athletes, they’re always smiling, they’re always happy to see you. And the general public can learn a lot from these athletes,” said State Law Enforcement Torch Run Director Matt Porter.

“We have law enforcement; we have people out on the streets supporting our law enforcement. We have athletes running alongside,” said Special Olympics Pennsylvania Vice President of Strategic Partnerships Andrew Fee. Fee added that the games are “highly competitive, good sportsmanship, a lot of fun when you’re not on the field.”

Advertisement

These athletes compete to represent Pennsylvania in the Special Olympics USA Games. 

Athletes like swimmer Gianfranco Schiaretta said he’s ready for this statewide competition, “feeling confident, feeling strong.”  

He said it takes a lot of hard work, and to him, this torch, with the Flame of Hope, represents so much. 

“Desire, devotion, and discipline is the biggest thing,” said Schiaretta.

It’s a symbol of what our athletes with special abilities accomplish every day.

Advertisement



Source link

Continue Reading

Pittsburg, PA

Sheetz named one of America’s most innovative companies

Published

on

Sheetz named one of America’s most innovative companies


Altoona-based Sheetz named one of America’s most innovative companies

Advertisement



Altoona-based Sheetz named one of America’s most innovative companies

Advertisement

02:38

Fortune named Sheetz one of the most innovative companies in America.

The 300 most innovative companies in the country is a list usually reserved for the likes of IBM, Apple, Microsoft or Salesforce. Only one convenience store made it: Altoona-based Sheetz. 

The bright red stores have a way of making it onto lists. Fortune recently named it as one of the top 100 places to work in America. Now, in 2025, it has landed on the list of America’s Most Innovative Companies. 

Sheetz was one of the first to have self-ordering kiosks in the 1990s. On top of that, nearly 100 Sheetz locations, including the one in Robinson Township, have electric car charging stations. You can charge your car, walk in, tap a screen and order food. 

Advertisement

Other things that helped Sheetz on the list: voice-activated ordering through Alexa and scan-and-go ordering through its app. Sheetz now has nearly 800 stores in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, Ohio and North Carolina.

KDKA-TV talked to Pittsburghers who like the convenience store’s food, which is quick and easy to get thanks to technology. Out of the 300 companies, Sheetz ranks 278.  

“It’s a gas station, convenience store and you can get hot food there,” said Sabrina Bathri. 

Sheetz released a statement saying they’re honored to be on this list, saying they are constantly doing everything they can to stay ahead of technology. 

Advertisement



Source link

Continue Reading

Trending