December 27, 2018 |
By Submitted Report | Posted in: Crime and Police News
An old scam is making the rounds again, and police and Duquesne Light are warning local residents to be aware.
The con artists call customers and tell them they owe money, said Alicia George, spokeswoman for Pittsburgh Police, which sent out an alert on Thursday. The scammers tell the customers that unless they pay the balance immediately, their power will be shut off.
Although similar scams have made the rounds of the Pittsburgh area before, this time, the scammers are sending fake information over Caller ID so that the calls actually appear to be coming from Duquesne Light.
“The callers are getting more savvy in their approach,” said Jessica Rock, Duquesne Light spokeswoman.
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December 26, 2018 |
By Submitted Report | Posted in: Crime and Police News
A city resident is being held in the Allegheny County Jail after being arrested by sheriff's deputies for violating probation.
Breanne T. Jefferson, 29, formerly of Rankin, is being held without bond pending a hearing before Allegheny County Judge Edward Borkowski on an alleged probation violation, court documents indicate.
In a prepared statement, sheriff's deputies said Jefferson was first arrested by McKeesport police in 2014 in connection with several house burglaries in the city. She pleaded guilty to receiving stolen property and received probation.
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December 24, 2018 |
By Submitted Report | Posted in: Crime and Police News
A security camera image of the July 14, 2015, robbery of a First National Bank branch in West Mifflin. (Tube City Almanac file photo)
A former resident of Philadelphia has pleaded guilty in federal court to charges of robbing two banks near Century III Mall.
Germaine Kelly, 39, faces up to 20 years in prison, a fine of $250,000 or both, U.S. Attorney Scott W. Brady said. Sentencing has been scheduled for May 16 before U.S. District Judge Cathy Bissoon.
Prosecutors said that on July 10, 2015, Kelly entered the Dollar Bank on Route 51 in Pleasant Hills and presented a teller with a note demanding money. He escaped with $1,115.
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December 07, 2018 |
By Submitted Report | Posted in: Crime and Police News
Family and friends of a Dravosburg woman missing for more than a month are seeking any information about her disappearance and current whereabouts.
At a press conference Friday in Munhall, the family of Heather Short said she was last seen on Nov. 6 at a residence on Third Avenue in West Mifflin, where she was visiting with friends.
Short, 46, is approximately 6 feet tall with a medium build, short blond hair, and glasses. She has a physical impairment of her right leg which causes her to walk with a limp, sometimes uses crutches.
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December 06, 2018 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: Crime and Police News
A McKeesport man is charged with bribery of a public official after city police said he tried to pay off a police officer following a traffic stop.
Montell R. Wallace, 27, is also charged by McKeesport police with driving with a suspended license and driving at unsafe speeds. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Dec. 17 before Magisterial District Judge Eugene Riazzi.
Wallace also was among more than 30 people rounded up by city police Wednesday during a drug sweep. He faces separate charges in that incident.
McKeesport police said Officer Floyd Gault was on patrol at 7 a.m. Nov. 14 on Eden Park Boulevard when he began following a car through the school zone.
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December 06, 2018 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: Crime and Police News
More than 30 people were arrested Wednesday during a sweep of suspected narcotics dealers in McKeesport, and police have arrest warrants for another 30.
The sweep was the result of a seven-month investigation and also recovered two handguns and an assault rifle, McKeesport police Chief Bryan J. Washowich said. The investigation is continuing and additional charges are pending, he said.
City police made the arrests along with the Allegheny County District Attorney's Office, county police, county probation officers, state parole officers and local constables, a spokesperson said.
As of Wednesday night, 36 people had been taken into custody by police and 34 suspects remained at large, city officials said.
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December 04, 2018 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: Crime and Police News
A 16-year-old male student at McKeesport Area High School is being held at Shuman Juvenile Detention Center after police said he brought a gun onto a school bus.
In a prepared statement, police said the student got onto the bus after dismissal on Monday and brandished the firearm. A video circulated on social media showed the student with the weapon, police said.
A school district spokesperson said MASD officials learned of the incident Tuesday morning and called police.
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December 03, 2018 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: Crime and Police News
The suspect in the killing of an East End garage owner is being held without bail in the Allegheny County Jail pending a preliminary hearing on a charge of criminal homicide.
Eben Brown, 46, of McKeesport was denied bail following an arraignment early Saturday before Magisterial District Judge Regis C. Welsh. A hearing is slated for 11 a.m. Dec. 14 before Allegheny County Judge Jeffrey Manning.
Allegheny County police said Brown is accused of shooting John T. Benedek Jr., 41, of Elizabeth Twp. on Friday afternoon at J&M Automotive Services, the East Fifth Avenue garage he had co-owned and operated since 2017.
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December 01, 2018 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: Crime and Police News
An Elizabeth man was killed Friday afternoon in his East End auto repair shop in what police described as a dispute with a customer.
John T. Benedek Jr., 41, died in the emergency room at UPMC McKeesport hospital, the Allegheny County Medical Examiner's Office said.
Benedek was the co-owner and operator of J&M Automotive Services on East Fifth Avenue near Hartman Street. The garage opened in 2017, according to tax records and posts on Facebook.
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November 27, 2018 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: Crime and Police News
TW: Rape, child abuse
A Maple Street man is being held without bail in the Allegheny County Jail pending a preliminary hearing on rape and sexual assault charges. Police said the victim was his own daughter.
A preliminary hearing for the 38-year-old suspect is scheduled for Dec. 17 before Magisterial District Judge Eugene Riazzi in McKeesport.
McKeesport police said the alleged incident happened three years ago in Maryland. The victim, who is now 16, became pregnant following the assault, police said.
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