Police Beat Jan. 17
CARROLL
Assault alleged: Chaim Yaacov Lichtenstein, 37, of 243 Second St., California Borough, is charged with aggravated assault and simple assault over allegations he struck an employee of Southwestern Pennsylvania Human Services in the back at Mon Valley Hospital about 1:15 p.m. Jan. 7, court records show. District Judge Mark Wilson signed a warrant this week for the suspect’s arrest.
INDEPENDENCE
Three injured: Three men were hurt when their pickup truck spun as it was coming down a hill on Fallen Timber Road at 11:10 p.m. Monday, hit a tree and flipped onto its roof, state police said. The driver, Zachary Lowe, 20, and a passenger, Anthony Lowe, 21, both of Avella, were taken to Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh. A second passenger, Justin Lowe, 19, of Avella, suffered a minor injury but was not treated, police said.
MONONGAHELA
Pair charged: Sami Jo Lukach, 32, of 322 Delaware St., Monessen, and Thomas Joseph Twigg, 41, of 212 Vine St., Monongahela, are charged by city police with simple assault and harassment, court records show. Police accuse them of shoving a woman to the ground about 6 p.m. Friday at her residence in the 200 block of Vine Street. District Judge Mark Wilson issued the charges this week by summons.
NORTH STRABANE
Crash: A Rostraver Township woman was taken by ambulance to Canonsburg Hospital with minor injuries after a five-vehicle crash on Route 519 Tuesday morning. Township police said Elijah J. Miranda, 25, of Bentleyville, was driving a box truck when he “dozed off” and crossed the center line. Police said he sideswiped two vehicles before colliding head-on with a third vehicle, driven by Andrea Harnett, 31, of Rostraver, who had to be extricated from the car by township firefighters. Police said the debris from the head-on crash struck a fifth vehicle, the driver of which was not injured. Police said Miranda might have suffered a minor injury but was not transported anywhere. His passenger was not injured, but the truck was towed, as was Harnett’s car. Harnett was released from the hospital later Tuesday, and the drivers of the other two vehicles that were sideswiped were not injured, police said. The road was closed in both directions for about 45 minutes.
SMITH
Drug charges: Melissa Kay Baker, 40, of 8 Berry Road, Burgettstown, was charged by Smith Township police with possession with intent to deliver, three counts of possession of a controlled substance, two counts of possession of drug paraphernalia and disorderly conduct after she allegedly sold cocaine to a confidential informant last April. Police said an officer was working undercover at the time of the transaction. They said Baker was found to be in possession of cocaine, a smoking pipe and two types of prescription pills.
WASHINGTON
Drug charges: A North Franklin Township couple is facing charges after state police found them arguing in their van in the Circle K parking lot on West Chestnut Street Jan. 10. Police said that when they approached the driver’s side of the van just after 9 p.m., Gerald Allen Gregg, 54, and Bobbie Jo Yerkey, 35, both of 670 Cleveland Road, were arguing about a baggie of suspected heroin that Gregg was holding up in his hand. Police tapped on the window and asked Gregg to get out of the car. Gregg allegedly told police he was about to use the heroin, but his girlfriend, Yerkey, didn’t want him to. Gregg was charged with possession of a controlled substance and two counts of possession of drug paraphernalia. Yerkey allegedly gave police her sister’s name, because she knew she had a warrant. When police told her that her sister also had a warrant for her arrest, Yerkey reportedly admitted to lying to them. She was charged with giving false identification to law enforcement.
iTunes scam: A 68-year-old Donnan Avenue resident reported to city police that he was scammed out of $1,500. He told police that he received numerous phone calls saying that his iTunes account had been hacked and that he had to send $1,500 in iTunes gift cards. On Tuesday morning, he purchased and sent the gift cards. South Strabane police received a similar report from a resident who had received the same phone calls. The South Strabane resident did not give any money and instead canceled his iTunes accounts.
Theft from vehicle: A resident of the 300 block of Locust Avenue reported to city police Monday morning that someone stole his wallet, phone, bank cards and identification cards from his unlocked vehicle sometime overnight.
Drug charges: Mary Dean McVay, 73, of 670 Wilmington St., Washington, was charged by state police with possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, disorderly conduct and driving under suspension following a traffic stop last month at the intersection of Addison Street and Canton Avenue. Police said that about 4:30 p.m. Dec. 11, police found McVay to be in possession of about 5 grams of marijuana, cigarettes papers and other drug paraphernalia.
Drug charges: Andre Lamont Cromwell, 48, of 9 Hall Ave., Washington, was charged by the Washington County drug task force with possession with intent to deliver, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia following a raid on his residence Wednesday morning. The task force, city police and the Washington Regional SWAT team served a search warrant on his residence at 6 a.m. They said they found 54 grams of crack cocaine, nearly $500 in cash, a digital scale, a box of sandwich bags and two cellphones.