A portion of Interstate 376 was closed yesterday morning after a dump truck overturned. State Police in Lawrence County report 68 year old Franklin Ritchie Jr., of New Castle was traveling west on 376 in Pulaski Township, when he swerved to miss debris on the roadway causing the truck to overturn. Ritchie was taken to St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Youngstown for treatment.
New Castle City police have charged an East Side man of inappropriately touching an 8 year old girl with one of his body parts. The New Castle News reports 35 year old Daniel Lee was charged with indecent assault of a person younger than 13. The alleged incident took place between May and the present. Lee was arraigned and bond was set at 25 thousand dollars.
A suspect is in custody following an hour-long search by law enforcement in Beaver County. Authorities say 22-year-old Trezeir Epps was found at a home in Darlington Township after taking off from a traffic stop yesterday afternoon. Chippewa Township Police first stopped Epps for traffic violations on State Route 51 and they say he took off in his vehicle when officers found drugs in the car. Epps crashed the car and took off on foot into the woods, according to officials. Police say he knew the person who lived in the home where he was caught.
Fire officials continue to investigate an apartment fire in Beaver County. The fire broke out early Monday morning at Brightwood Manor Apartments on Third Avenue. Firemen were called to the scene just aftern 12:30. No injuries were reported and the cause of the fire remains under investigation.
A Clarion County woman is facing a fine after she was found with a loaded handgun at Pittsburgh’s International Airport. TSA officials say the 38 caliber revolver was found loaded with six bullets inside the woman’s bag. This is the 31st handgun found by TSA at the airport this year.
Fire crews from four departments battled a blaze at a vacant house late Monday night in Sharon. WFMJ-TV reports the fire broke out at a home in the 600 block of Baldwin Avenue in Sharon around 10 p.m. Officials say the fire began in the back of the home and worked its way up to the chimney. There’s no word yet on the cause, but investigators will be back on scene today.
According to this week’s Triple-A East Central Gas Price report the average price of gasoline in Western Pennsylvania is up five cents this week to 3.94 a gallon. In New Castle the average price is at 3.84 a gallon while drivers in Sharon are paying 3.92. The national average for a gallon of gas has dropped four cents over the past week and is now at $3.84, that’s two cents more than a week ago and 13 cents more than a year ago.
Jurors in Beaver County have convicted a man in the shooting of a Pennsylvania state trooper last year. The incident happened in July of 2022 with troopers seeing 41-year-old Damian Bradford pulling a gun on people outside of an Aliquippa convenience store. When officers approached, Bradford ran into the Franklin Mini-Mart. He was followed by officers and later shot Trooper Jonnie Schooley in the leg. Bradford was found guilty yesterday on charges in the case and is scheduled to be sentenced later this year.
Two lawmakers from Western PA are calling for the resignation of U.S. Senator Bob Menendez. Last week, the New Jersey Democrat and his wife were indicted on bribery charges. This past weekend, Senator Fetterman was the first of Menendez’ Democratic colleagues to publicly ask that he step down. Congresswoman Summer Lee echoed Fetterman’s sentiments yesterday, saying Menendez has a right to a fair criminal trial, but, the accusations against him take away from the public’s trust. The senator has denied allegations of wrongdoing, claiming that nearly 500-thousand dollars in cash found inside his home by federal investigators came from his personal savings.