Police and Fire

Shoplifting at Dollar General According to the criminal complain, on Oct. 21 around 1:45 p.m., officers responded to a reported shoplifting at Dollar General on 1221 Lawrence Ave. An employee informed officers that two females had shoplifted a white t-shirt, gray in color baseball cap and a bra with a total value of approximately $23. Investigating officers reviewed a surveillance video and identified the suspects as Rebecca Irwin, 30, and Melissa Sabo, 34, both of Ellwood City. Irwin and Sabo each have three prior convictions for retail theft. They were both charged with two counts of retail theft. Marijuana, Public…

The fire that raged at Inmetco through Sunday and could be seen for miles is now under control. The Ellwood City Fire Department reported that the fire is reduced to a few isolated fires that are being extinguished now. Approximately half of the building where the fire broke out collapsed and is in ruin. The fire broke out on around 9 a.m. on Sunday in Inmetco’s West Building, which stores many types of batteries, including lithium-ion batteries. Because lithium is a reactive metal that combusts when it comes into contact with water, firefighters could not use water to combat certain…

Smoking Marijuana on Porch Krystal Chambers, 29, of Ellwood City, was charged with marijuana possession for an incident on Nov. 1. According to a criminal complaint filed on Nov. 2, an officer arrived at a residence on Glenn Avenue in response to a drug complaint. The officer immediately smelled marijuana but Chambers denied smoking and claimed her friends had done so earlier. The officer discovered a marijuana blunt in an ash tray, and Chambers denied it was hers. Eventually, Chambers admitted to smoking the blunt but denied having more marijuana. The officer then discovered more marijuana in a plastic bag…

DUI Leads to Rear-Ending Two Vehicles According to a criminal complaint, on Oct. 16 around 5 p.m., Amber Servick, 33, of New Castle, rear ended two vehicles stopped at red lights at intersections on Sixth and Fifth Streets. Both struck vehicles suffered minor damage. Investigating officers determined that Servick was intoxicated. She was charged with two count of driving under the influence and one count of causing damage to a vehicle. Harmony Resident Attacks and Steals from Ex-Girlfriend According to the criminal complaint, on Oct. 12 around 12:30 a.m., Ellwood police responded to a domestic disturbance call on Center Ave….

Theft An Ellport woman stole over $65,000 from her mother, according to police reports. On September 10, 2015, Jeanette Mathas, of Ellport, reported a theft from her house. Mathas stated that she had been in the hospital for the past two months. When she returned, she found that approximately $65,000 she had hidden was missing. Mathas stated that her daughter, Brenda Anthony, was the only person with access to the house. A witness provided pictures of Anthony with the money. Another witness reported that Anthony had recently bought all new furniture for the house she was residing in. On September…

Stolen Items According to the police report, on April 11, 2015, Vincent Delboverlando, 18, of Ellwood City, stole an air rifle, valued at $400, from Robert Shaffer. On July 17, Delboverlando made arrangements to sell back the air rifle for $100 in the 7-Eleven parking lot on 201 North St. An undercover office accompanied Shaffer and arrested Delboverlando following the transaction. Delboverlando was charged with theft on Oct. 1. Drug Possession According to the police report, on Aug. 23 around 8:45 p.m., a state police officer arrived to a residence on Elm Lane, New Beaver Borough, in a response to…

Police confirmed that an overdose death in February was caused by fentanyl-laced heroin. Since December, there have been five overdose deaths in the Ellwood Borough. One in December was from opiates, probably oxycodone. In addition to the laced-heroin, another overdose in February was from pharmaceuticals. Also in February, an overdose in North Sewickley Township was caused by a fentanyl patch. The cause of the two overdoses in April are still pending lab results. Lt. David Kingston, ranking police officer, said that overdoses from fentanyl have occurred in Ellwood before, but fentanyl-laced heroin is rare to the area. “Opiates aren’t as…

Did you notice the Koppel bridge stop sign changed? If you didn’t, don’t feel bad. According to North Sewickley Police Chief Jeff Becze, drivers have had a hard time adjusting to the revised sign. The North Sewickley Police Department has been forgiving of offending drivers for now as people acclimate to the change. However, Becze said that will soon change and citations will be issued for violations. The intersection is at Route 351 and River Road, near the Koppel Bridge. Formerly, the stop sign only applied to traffic driving straight on River Road. Drivers turning right on 351 toward the…