Latest news with #EllwoodCity
CBS News
12 hours ago
- CBS News
Ellwood City police officer under investigation after confrontation with man at gas station
Ellwood City Mayor Anthony Court is looking into the conduct of an officer involved in a confrontation that was caught on video. "We don't condone behavior unbecoming of a police officer. I'm not saying that's what transpired, but it's an ongoing investigation," Court said. On Friday at 1 a.m., Devin Hartmann said he and his friends were getting food at Sheetz on Fifth Street when they were told to leave because they were recording. Hartmann said they left, but he returned because he forgot his cellphone. That's when he said it all went wrong. "I called the Sheetz, they're like yes, we have a phone, we're going to leave it in the office for you. I come back, whole different story, we don't have an iPhone." Video shows Ellwood City police officer pushing man Hartmann said that when he refused to leave, the police were called. Two officers responded to the Sheetz. The 20-year-old said he told officers it was his phone and even put the password in, but they wouldn't give it to him. Video shows the officer come from behind the food counter and push Hartmann, causing him to hit the wall and the floor. "I was really scared," Hartmann said. "I was shocked, I thought something bad was going to happen." Eventually, Hartmann gets up, gets his phone and asks the officer for his information. Hartmann's friend, 16-year-old Asher Rausch-Hicks, recorded the incident. He felt it was the only way he could help. "I thought it was the right thing to do because I didn't know what was going to happen after that," Rausch-Hicks said. "I was scared for my friend and myself." This is the only video KDKA has access to, as Ellwood police don't have body cameras. The video's been shared over 1,000 times on social media, with more than 295,000 views. KDKA asked Mayor Court, "What did you think when you saw the video, mayor?" "I'd like to believe, too, we like to de-escalate problems," he said. KDKA followed up, "Do you feel your officer was doing that in that moment?" "In the beginning, yes. But as things transpired, things a little bit escalated, and we don't condone that behavior," the mayor said. Currently, the officer is on personal time off. The mayor said he's been with the department for 26 years and was recently promoted to sergeant despite being investigated in 2017 for excessive force. "That came to fruition as we proceeded. It didn't get much steam," Court said. "I feel like that officer should be fired. I feel he does not deserve a gun at all if he's lashing out at people like that," Hartmann said.
CBS News
08-05-2025
- General
- CBS News
Family of Holocaust liberator from Ellwood City keeps history alive, 80 years later
Thursday marked 80 years since the end of World War II in Europe and the end of the Holocaust, which killed 6 million Jews. Shortly after the war started, one young man was just beginning his life in the small borough of Ellwood City, Lawrence County, when he was drafted. Eventually, he would liberate a concentration camp, and what he saw was unimaginable and would stay with him the rest of his life. Throughout her childhood, Patty Partington didn't know much about her dad's time overseas. "My father, like most servicemen, when they came home, they didn't talk about the war much," Partington said. "They sort of felt like their story wasn't any different than anybody else. He said, 'We came home, and we just wanted to get on with our lives.'" It took Guy Prestia 50 years, but he eventually opened up, not just to family, but also to the public, sharing his memories, until he died last August at 102. "The stench there was just so bad that you could never forget about that," Prestia said in 2022 during a talk with students at Riverside High School, hosted by the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh. Prestia graduated from Lincoln High School in 1940 and was working in a machine shop when he was drafted. He spent 511 days in combat with the 45th Infantry Division before receiving an assignment he and his fellow brothers weren't prepared for. "He said, 'That's when I realized what we were fighting for,'" Partington said. Dachau was the first and longest-operating concentration camp created by the Nazis, located near Munich. When Prestia and his unit arrived there on April 29, 1945, they came across dozens of rail cars carrying what they thought were stacks of logs. "When we got closer, we saw that they were dead bodies," Prestia said. "They were men, women, children on there, on that train." The camp's commanding officers had already abandoned the site, knowing the Allies were on the way. To try to hide their crimes, the Nazis sent thousands of prisoners on death marches, and left behind thousands more, either dead or barely holding on, with guards who didn't put up much resistance. In the kitchen, Prestia said they found big pots of soup, which they later learned had been poisoned. "They had planned on killing everyone in that camp. They didn't want any survivors," Partington said. According to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, there were more than 200,000 prisoners in Dachau between 1933 and 1945. The Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial reports more than 41,000 died there, although the exact number is unclear. Prestia's division, with other American forces, liberated about 32,000. "They were so undernourished that the medics told us that if you gave them any food, that would probably kill them," Prestia said. Eight days later, on May 8, the war in Europe ended, and while Prestia was at Dachau for only one day, it never left him. "He said, 'I believe it taught me empathy for other people in other situations outside of myself,'" Partington said. It's a lesson his daughter said is just as imperative in our world today as it was 80 years ago, when her father helped end the atrocities of the Holocaust.
Yahoo
08-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Mercer boys take control to advance in State Tournament
MERCER, Pa. (WKBN) – Mercer boys basketball handled Ellwood City with a decisive 65-50 victory in the First Round of the Class 3A PIAA State Tournament. Watch above for extended highlights and interviews with Mercer's head coach and star player. 'It's a coach's best friend. We've got three or four weeks through these playoff runs of extra basketball, some of our opponents for next year don't have,' said Mercer head coach Joseph Venasco. 'We have a young team, so it's very valuable for us.' Mercer's Jayden Amos scored a team-high 13 points in the win. Also, Rider Chiappini, Ben Godfrey, and Bubba Palmer all scored 11 points each in the victory. The Mustang's Cole Fisher scored 10 points with two crucial 3-point shots in the fourth quarter to down Ellwood City. 'It's electric and came in not knowing what to expect, great atmosphere to play in and we got the job done,' said Fisher. 'I think the past two years helped out, played with great squads and we just got great chemistry. Everyone loves each other and we play for each other.' Ellwood City's Chris Smiley scored a game-high 15 points in the loss. Mercer will face Aliquippa in the Second Round of the PIAA State Tournament on Wednesday, March 12. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
22-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
WPIAL basketball playoffs: Live score updates from Saturday's semifinal round
On Saturday, high school basketball teams across the Beaver Valley will look to advance to the Petersen Events Center for the WPIAL championships, which begin Thursday night. In Class 4A, the Beaver Area boys are making their first appearance in the WPIAL semifinals in 12 years vs. No. 2 North Catholic. The Ellwood City girls will face top-seeded Shady Side Academy in Class 3A, looking to pull off their third consecutive upset. Meanwhile, the OLSH girls will face No. 2 Greensburg Central Catholic for the second time this season. Stay tuned for live score updates throughout the day and be sure to check back for game summaries and statistics once games go final later this evening. More: WPIAL basketball playoffs: Ellwood City's cinderella run continues with another upset This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: WPIAL basketball semifinals: Live score updates for Beaver Valley teams
