POLICE: Weekly Police Blotter

CRIMINAL TRESPASSING:
On August 26th at approximately 10:15 p.m., PA State Police were dispatched to Young Road, Slippery Rock Township, for a burglary in progress. According to the report, it was determined that after dropping someone off at the residence, Timothy Myers, 42, attempted to enter the residence through multiple doors and windows. Myers was confronted by the homeowner and advised that police were on the way, and he left prior to State Police arriving the report relates. Police are investigating, refer to incident #PA23-1114888.

THEFT:
On August 13th after the midnight hour, PA State Police investigated a reported thefat on Portersville Road, Perry Township. According to the report, a unknown individual had taken two phones and sold them using an ECO ATM. The two phones were reported as a Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max and Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max. The investigation is ongoing.

CRIMINAL MISCHIEF:
Rhonda Lample, 45, of Ellwood City is charged with Theft and Criminal Mischief after an incident on August 11th. According to a criminal complaint, and at approximately midnight, police were called to Uni-Mart for an employee that broke into the Skills Machine and stole money from the cash register. The store owner showed police surveillance showing night turn clerk Lample attempting to break into the machines with a hammer. According to the report, Lample attempted to break into two different store safes with the hammer and crowbar and did not get in. The report relates that the only money that was missing from the cash register was $44.00 dollars, the damage to the Skill Machine was a reported $2,800 dollars. According to the complaint Lample has been unsuccessfully reached for her explanation during the incident.

OFFENSIVE WEAPONS:
William Perrine, 52, was taken into custody on August 20th at approximately 10:30 p.m. on two felony warrants according to a criminal complaint. The complaint relates Perrine was searched incident to arrest and was found in possession of a pair of brass knuckles, metal knuckles, reported as a prohibited offensive weapon.

FAILURE TO COMPLY AS A SEX OFFENDER:
Michael Henry, 42, of Ellwood City, is charged with Failure to Comply as a Sex Offender after an incident on August 25th. According to a criminal complaint, and at approximately 8:00 a.m., local police investigated a request from the PA State Police that a Meghan’s Law violation may have occurred. The report related that Henry failed to provide an updated address and report during a verification period between August 5th and August 14th. Henry’s reported address is 800 Fourth Street, Ellwood City, and is known to police to be transient and to no longer reside at that address. According to the complaint police checked numerous homeless camps in the Ellwood City area and attempted to find Henry but were unsuccessful.

POSSESSION OF CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE:
James Locke, 35, of Ellwood City, is charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance after an incident on August 17th. According to a criminal complaint, police met Locke at a predetermined location in Ellwood City to obtain information regarding suspects involving the distribution of controlled substances around the Ellwood City area. Police met with Locke on August 18th and upon search found Xanax and later a substance determined to be heroin that he attempted to discard in the rear of a police car.

DISORDERLY CONDUCT:
Nichole Benincase, 37, of Ellwood City, is charged with Disorderly Conduct after an incident on August 21st. According to a criminal complaint, and at approximately 12:51 p.m., police heard a vehicle horn going off for an extended period of time and later observed a white female sitting inside a black Jeep on Bell Avenue blocking parking spaces. Police were advised that a female was outside a vehicle screaming and when police spoke with the female, later identified as Benincase, she drove away. Police later viewed Benincase speed onto Bell Avenue from Sixth Street and when officers were able to approached Benincase, she sped off at a high rate of speed. Benincase is charged with Disorderly Conduct and Reckless Driving.

HOMICIDE:
Elijah Obriant Hirth, 20, of New Castle, was taken into custody on August 23rd by members of the PA State Police in connection with a shooting death of Jason T. Altman that occured on August 14, 2023. According to the public information release report, Hirth was charged with Criminal Homicide and taken before Magisterial District Judge Melissa Modie for preliminary arraignment. According to prior reports, Shenango Township Police had responded to a residence on Old Chewton Road on August 14th after the 51-year-old Altman was discovered deceased at his residence by a family member. The report relates foul play was discovered at the scene. Hirth was committed to the Lawrence County Jail. Bond was denied.

DRUG TRAFFICKING:
Donald Snowden was convicted of trafficking fentanyl and cocaine, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced last week. Snowden, age 32 of New Castle, Pennsylvania, pled guilty to conspiring to distribute fentanyl and cocaine, between May 2021 and October 2022, and to distributing fentanyl, on August 31, 2022. Snowden pled guilty before United States District Judge Arthur J. Schwab. Judge Schwab scheduled sentencing to occur on January 17, 2024, at 9:00 a.m. Assistant United States Attorney Craig W. Haller is prosecuting this case on behalf of the United States. The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office, the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Lawrence County Drug Task Force, the Mercer County Drug Task Force, the New Castle Police Department, the Sharon Police Department, and the Pennsylvania State Police conducted the investigation resulting in the convictions in this case.

FILING FALSE INCOME TAX:
The president of a Pittsburgh-area mineral company has been sentenced in federal court to 3 years of probation and ordered to pay $222,255.35 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and a fine of $55,000 on his conviction for filing a false income tax return, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced this week. United States District Judge Arthur Schwab imposed the sentence on Paul J. Austin, age 60, of Pittsburgh, PA as the sole defendant. Previously, in connection with his guilty plea, the court was advised that from 2012 through 2017, the defendant was the President of J.P. Austin Associates, Inc., a mineral processing company in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania. For calendar years 2012 through 2017, the defendant and his spouse, who served as the company’s Treasurer, jointly filed annual Form 1040 federal income tax returns with the Internal Revenue Service. The defendant admitted in Court that during the relevant time period, payments were made from company accounts for college expenses, which were falsely categorized as business expenses using fictitious vendor names. The return preparer for Mr. Austin and his spouse was not informed about these college expense payments, and the payments were not included as taxable income on Form 1040 returns that were ultimately filed with the IRS. Thus, the defendant willfully made and subscribed Form 1040 returns for calendar years 2012 through 2017 that materially underreported his taxable income. Prior to sentencing, the defendant paid the $222,255.35 in restitution owed to the IRS. Assistant United States Attorney David Lew prosecuted this case on behalf of the government. The Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation conducted the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Austin.