New Castle City Police report a suspect wanted in connection with a homicide in the city back in April has been arrested in Florida. According to the department’s Facebook page 20-year-old Leighton Weaver of Youngstown was found and arrested in Miami on Wednesday . Weaver is facing charges of criminal homicide, several firearms violations and recklessly endangering another person. The Lawrence County District Attorney’s Office will begin the extradition process to bring Weaver back to Pennsylvania to face these charges. The charges stem from the killing of 42-year-old Lance Louis on April 19th.
PennDot has announced that Route 18 has reopened following the Norfolk Southern train derailment on Wednesday night in New Castle. The accident took place at the Montgomery Avenue Crossing. The roadway was reopened just before four o’clock Friday afternoon.
City officials are preparing for the arrival of approximately one-thousand asylum seekers entering the Pittsburgh area in the coming days. Reports say the group was recently processed at a Keystone State center and would not be coming from the nation’s southern border. Staffers at the Pittsburgh Department of Public Safety saying that many of the asylum seekers would just be passing through the city on their way to somewhere else but that services would be provided to those who are staying and find themselves in need.
A Mercer County man was flown to the hospital following a one vehicle accident in Fairview Township Friday night. State Police say 20-year-old Camaron Gallagher of Clarks Mills traveled off Perry Highway went into a yard, become airborne, struck several trees, and caught fire, trapping Gallagher in the car. A bystander who heard the crash used a fire extinguisher to put out the flames. Gallagher was flown to St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Youngstown with serious injuries.
Ambridge police are being inundated with questions after a found dog was shot and killed by an officer over the weekend. Ambridge officers posted a picture of the dog on Facebook Friday describing the animal as a pleasant pup and saying that they were trying to locate its owner. According to a report from police, the female pit bull Mastiff was placed into an outdoor kennel and that when an officer went to collect the animal to take it to the humane society, the dog became aggressive and bit the officer. The dog later escaped and, when it tried to attack another officer, the dog was shot. The department is promising to provide additional information on the incident this week.
Two people were taken to the hospital following a one vehicle accident in Big Beaver Boro. State Police report 32 year old Alex Appod of Atlantic, Pa., lost control of his vehicle on route 18 and struck a concrete median, traveled off the roadway and struck an embankment. Appod and a passenger were both taken the hospital for treatment. Police said the investigation into the accident is continuing.
Three men from Mercer County have been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh with defrauding a Sharon non-profit medical organization. Named in the 17-count indictment are 55 year old Drew Pierce of West Middlesex 56 year old Mark Marriott of Sharpsville and 70 year old John Laeng of West Middlesex. Two other men from Masury Ohio were also charged. The five are accused of defrauding more than $2 million from 2011 to 2019 from Primary Health Network in Sharon through a series of different schemes.
Data from real estate site Zillow shows the average price for rental homes is steadily increasing in Pennsylvania. Experts say contractors’ costs are being passed on to potential renters due to increasing prices for materials, insurance and utilities.. The average price in all of Pennsylvania is about 15-hundred dollars per month.