Police and Fire

Woman Caught Stealing Leaves Child in Stroller in Scorching Heat Rebecca Lynn Irwin, 31, of Ellwood, was caught stealing from the Ellwood City Dollar General on Friday morning. This was not her first offense stealing from here – before this specific incident she was already banned from the premises because of previous thefts. While she was being questioned by the police she kept looking toward the apartment building behind them and saying “I need to check on my baby.” But when police asked her where the baby was she said her friend was watching it. Shortly after, the police talked…

On Friday, details were given about police being called to a residential home in Ellport after a man pulled a gun on what he believed were burglars, in his house. Fortunately, the whole incident was a misunderstanding and no one got hurt. The man who thought his house was being robbed was apparently unaware that his house had been sold in a Sheriffs Auction and was now under new ownership. The new owner hired a group of teenagers to help clean up the property. Coincidentally at the same time the teens were there working, the previous owner arrived on the…

DUI Man Says “Just Arrest Me Already” According to the criminal compliant on July 30, at approximately 2:20 a.m., officers were dispatched for a DUI at the Ellwood City McDonalds. Officers made contact with the Joseph Michael Marino, 30, of Pittsburgh, Marino said “just arrest me already. I know I’m drunk and I know I’m not going to pass.” Marino was taken to the Ellwood City Hospital and later charged with two counts of DUI. DUI According to the criminal complaint on July 18, an officer conducted a traffic stop on Fountain Avenue and Fifth Street for a car that…

An Ellwood resident was accused of three separate incidences of theft within a month period. In criminal complaints filed on July 27 and 28, Bronson Michael Lane, 27, was charged with two instances of stealing car parts from his brother and one incident of using a stolen credit card. On May 30 and June 1, Lane stole a car battery and other parts from his brother and sold returned them to Autozone for $263.59. On June 10, he stole a credit card from a Beaver Falls man and used it to make the following purchases between June 10 and 13:…

Adam Pounds Threatens Family Members According to the criminal complaint, on July 20 at approximately 5 p.m., police were dispatched to West Lawrence Ave. for a disturbance involving Adam Matthew Pounds, 25, of Ellwood City. The victims reported Pounds was upset that he had been kicked out of his grandfather’s house and responded by threatening three family members with a knife. Pounds swung the knife in the general direction of the victims, although not close enough to hit them. He also threatened to burn the house down and kill the victims if they called the police. When one of the…

Four Arrested for Marijuana Possession According to the criminal complaints, on July 9 at approximately 2:50 a.m. an officer conducted a traffic stop on Lawrence Avenue after seeing a vehicle with a flat tire. The driver was identified as Damien Rushauwn Confer, 24, of New Castle. The officer observed a glass jar containing a green leafy substance. Confer, along with the three passengers, denied owning the marijuana. On July 12, all four were charged with one count of possession of a controlled substance. The three passengers wee Joshua Joseph Vignovich, 24, of New Castle; Markece Lamar Miller, 26, of New…

Nurse Steals Medications for Personal Use A nurse at the Ellwood City Hospital was accused of stealing narcotic medications. According to the criminal complaint, an internal investigation by the hospital staff indicated someone was tampering with morphine, meperidine and hydrocodone medications. Hospital officials conducted state investigators with evidence indicating Tenelle O Goss, 40, of Ellwood City, was the most likely suspect. When interviewed by state investigators in February, Goss admitted to an addiction problem and that she had been signing out medication under patients’ names for her own use. Goss subsequently replaced the medication with saline solution. She was charged…

Cruelty to Animals A Wayne Township woman was charged with cruelty to animals following a search of her residence on West Lawrence Avenue. Throughout May, the Wayne Township Animal Control Officer investigated Delores Esther Conley’s residence and viewed several cats that were visibly sick and needed treated or euthanized. After the defendant took no action, Lawrence County officers executed a search warrant and removed 42 live cats and three deceased cats. Conley admitted that the cats had not been to a veterinarian since 2006, and she was unable to provide care for them. She was also unaware how many cats…

An Ellport man was charged with reckless endangerment for discharging a firearm in the direction of a residence. After roughly a month of investigation, Ellwood City police charged Edward Charles Wymer, 52, with one count of Recklessly Endangering Another Person, a misdemeanor of the second degree. He was arraigned before Magistrate Jerry Cartwright on June 22. Yet, part of the case remains a mystery. On Saturday, May 25, a bullet struck Amy Prine’s residence on Gartley Avenue in Ellport, shattering a front window. On June 4, Cortni Prine, Amy’s 18-year old daughter, was outside when she heard a bullet whizz…

DUI Motor Vehicle Assault A Beaver Falls man driving a motorcycle was seriously injured by a drunk driver in an incident on May 28. The victim, Michael D. Stevenson, was thrown 25 feet from his vehicle and transported to the Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh for treatment. He has since been released. According to criminal complaint filed on June 16, on May 28 at approximately 9:50 a.m., officers were dispatched to the intersection of Line Avenue and Mt. Vernon Drive for a motor vehicle accident with injuries. The defendant, Michael Louis Rozzi, 47 of Ellwood City, was driving a Ford…