PITTSBURGH (AP) – A Pittsburgh man who learned how to cook crack cocaine and load a gun by the time he was 10 has had his life sentence reduced by a judge who believes the defendant has changed since he was convicted in a deadly street robbery.
Twenty-two-year-old Earl Hawkins III was resentenced to 34 years to life in prison Tuesday.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (https://bit.ly/1ozsQ4v ) reports Hawkins convinced Allegheny County Judge Anthony Mariani that he’s changed since he was convicted two years ago in the March 2009 fatal shooting of 16-year-old James Owens. Owens was killed during a struggle when he and Hawkins were trying to rob another teen, who Hawkins then tried, but failed, to shoot in the head.
Hawkins has since earned his GED, participated in anti-violence programs and is studying to be a paralegal in prison.
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Information from: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, https://www.post-gazette.com
Judge tosses theft charge against Pittsburgh cop
PITTSBURGH (AP) – A district judge has dismissed a theft charge against a Pittsburgh detective who found an envelope with $220 in a convenience store and didn’t immediately report it or hand it over to supervisors.
Defense attorney James Wymard says 40-year-old Detective Michael Reddy kept the money because he and his partner were going to leave the city on business, and Reddy planned to turn in the money later at headquarters.
Reddy was charged after the man who mistakenly left the money on the 7-11 counter on July 15 returned soon after to claim it. That’s when the store manager reviewed surveillance video showing Reddy picking it up.
Reddy testified at a preliminary hearing Tuesday that he probably should have left his business card at the store.
Reddy’s been on administrative leave. It’s unclear whether he’ll be reinstated.
Police trying to ID 7 to 11 people in crashed SUV
WASHINGTON, Pa. (AP) – State police were trying to determine the identities and citizenship status of between seven and 11 Hispanic individuals whose vehicle was allegedly hit by an intoxicated driver on a southwestern Pennsylvania highway.
Troopers from the Washington, Pennsylvania barracks say the crash happened about 9:50 p.m. Tuesday. That’s when a 48-year-old Washington woman who’s believed to have been driving under the influence of drugs lost control on an entrance ramp of Interstate 70 and crashed into a Chevrolet Tahoe in South Strabane Township.
Police say six to 10 Hispanic men and at least one Hispanic female ran from the Tahoe. All but one was caught at the scene, though several others were located nearby a bit later.
Police say the driver of the other vehicle was flown to a Pittsburgh hospital and will likely be charged with DUI.
2 face endangerment charges after near-drowning
BOLIVAR, Pa. (AP) – A western Pennsylvania couple has been charged with endangering their four children after police found deplorable conditions in their home after their baby almost drowned in a bathtub.
The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (https://bit.ly/1nKKuHA ) reports 32-year-old Christopher Bealonis Jr. and 28-year-old Keirsten Bealonis face a preliminary hearing Friday on child endangerment counts. Christopher Bealonis faces an additional count of reckless endangerment because he was with the baby when she almost drowned on June 22 in their Bolivar home.
Police say Bealonis was bathing with the baby – whose age isn’t listed in court papers – after she soiled herself. He left to get a towel and check on a cooking pizza after pulling the bath plug, but returned to find the baby face-down with the water running.
The child was revived.
The couple doesn’t have a listed phone.
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Information from: Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, https://pghtrib.com
Pennsylvania infant hit by bullet will be blind
CLUNE, Pa. (AP) – The family of a 6-day-old Pennsylvania boy who was wounded by a hunter’s stray bullet says the infant is expected to survive but will be blind.
Stefanie Iverson says her son Shayne’s life was spared when the bullet exited through the orbital area – or eye socket – of his skull rather than hitting his brain.
The boy’s father, Jeremie, was holding the baby on Sept. 25 when the bullet came through a window of the family’s home near Saltsburg, about 35 miles east of Pittsburgh, and struck the baby’s skull.
Indiana County District Attorney Pat Dougherty says the hunter had an agricultural deer control permit when he fired the shot that wounded the boy about 7 p.m. that day. The shooting was likely accidental, but questions remain about whether the hunter followed state regulations.
Pittsburgh’s public broadcasting company cuts jobs
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Pittsburgh’s public television and radio station is cutting jobs, citing the recession and lesser funding from the state and federal government.
The nonprofit WQED – which runs both a public television and public radio station with the same call letters – was the nation’s first community-supported broadcaster when it was founded 60 years ago. It’s perhaps best known for introducing “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” and is well-known for its locally-produced documentaries and public affairs shows.
The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (https://bit.ly/1BzDn5t ) reports the station cut three full-time and one part-time employee, and cut five full-timers to part-time. Four vacant jobs won’t be filled.
WQED has about 180 employees.
Director of Corporate Communications George Hazimanolis says the audience shouldn’t notice any differences in programming or quality on either station.
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Information from: Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, https://pghtrib.com
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