Latest news with #FayetteCounty
CBS News
19 hours ago
- CBS News
Pennsylvania coroner's offices seeing increased number of unclaimed remains
Coroner's offices across Pennsylvania are seeing a growing number of unclaimed remains. From Beaver County to Westmoreland and Fayette, county coroners told KDKA-TV that dozens of remains go unclaimed every year, and the numbers appear to be increasing. "It was definitely surprising," Westmoreland County Coroner Tim Carson said. Carson took office in 2022. He said that's when he discovered several boxes stacked in a storage room at his office. "I said, 'What are those?' And those were our unclaimed, cremated remains," Carson said. He said there were 57 total unclaimed remains in the boxes. Some had been sitting on the shelf since 1989. "We ran all 57 names through and 15 of them turned out to be United States veterans," Carson said. Carson said, on average, his office sees six to nine unclaimed remains each year. He said the main reason comes down to estrangement. "Sometimes we do find a next of kin and they say, 'Hey, I didn't like when they were alive, I'm not taking responsibility for them,'" Carson said. Washington County Coroner Tim Warco said finances can also be an issue, with some families reporting they cannot afford arrangements. When remains go unclaimed, each county coroner said it comes out of the county's general fund to cremate and transport, which is supported by taxpayers' wallets. KDKA Investigates found the number of unclaimed remains varies in each county. Over the last 40 years in Fayette County, the county coroner reports a total of eight unclaimed remains. In Indiana County, there have been 30 over the last 10 years. Warco said in Washington County, since 2016, his office has investigated 218 unclaimed remains, with 135 remaining unclaimed. In Allegheny County, on average, there have been 133 unclaimed remains between 2019 and 2023. Beaver County reported six to eight cases a year, and in Butler, it's approximately three to eight cases per year. County coroners say another challenge can be tracking down family. Carson said his office uses social media and a program called TLO. "The deputies can get into and they can look at people's driver's license records, places they may have lived at, worked at, and then we just kind of backtrack from there," Carson said. After exhausting all resources, Carson said if they can't locate family or if families choose not to claim, the body will be cremated. If they're a veteran, Carson said they'll receive a proper burial at the National Cemetery of the Alleghenies. Other unclaimed remains in Westmoreland County are laid to rest in a columbarium next to Pauper Cemetery in Greensburg. Some neighboring counties also hold a ceremony, while others said they hope to get space in mausoleums to ensure each person is remembered with dignity and so family members can still pay their respects, if they choose.
CBS News
7 days ago
- Business
- CBS News
Closing of Penn State Fayette leaves people feeling "betrayed," leader says
Penn State announced on May 23 that it would be closing seven of its branch campuses across the state after the 2026-27 academic year wraps up. Three of those campuses are here in the Pittsburgh region, including DuBois, New Kensington, and Fayette. We are now learning more about the next steps for faculty and students, and we have reaction to the campus closing from one prominent member of Fayette County government who fought hard to save the campus from shuttering. That person is Fayette County Controller Robert Rhodes. He says the announcement of the closing of Penn State Fayette, the county's only four-year degree school, is a tough pill to swallow. "When you graduate from Penn State Fayette, or any branch campus, your diploma doesn't say Penn State Fayette; it says Penn State University," Rhodes said. "You are part of that pride that comes with being a Penn Stater, and I think a lot of people are going to feel betrayed with them pulling out. And it is sad to lose that entity because it was such a big part of the fibers of this county." Rhodes, along with dozens of members of Fayette County government, fought to keep the campus from closing. One of the county commissioners even accompanied Rhodes to State College to try to have an in-person meeting with Penn State President Neeli Bendapudi on the day of the closer vote, but he says Bendapudi wasn't in and they were turned away. Rhodes and many here in Fayette County are worried about not only the economic and educational hole this campus closing will bring, but also about the faculty and students who call this campus home. KDKA reached out to Dr. Megan Nagel, the regional chancellor in charge of closing campuses in Fayette and New Kensington. She responded by email, saying that students will be helped by the university to finish their degrees either in person or online, and that faculty and staff will be given priority hiring if they apply for another job within Penn State. "While Penn State's academic operations will wind down at these sites, University leaders are committed to partnering with local, state, and federal officials — as well as local and regional business leaders, developers, and community members — to reimagine what could come next," Nagel said. However, Rhodes says he is unaware of any conversations about the campus's redevelopment. "My hope is that somebody is able to fill their void," said Rhodes. "I don't know how soon. I would hope expeditiously, obviously. The ability to provide somebody with a postgraduate or a bachelor's degree here in Fayette County is so important to us moving forward as a community. I guess I am optimistic, but I am also scared at the same time."
CBS News
27-05-2025
- General
- CBS News
Pittsburgh-area chiropractor pleads guilty to touching clients inappropriately
A chiropractor in Fayette County has pleaded guilty after he was accused of touching his clients inappropriately. Dr. Jon Rumbaugh, 59, had been a practicing chiropractor for more than 30 years. Rumbaugh and his attorney did not stop to answer questions when they were leaving the courtroom. The charges he was facing include several counts of misdemeanor indecent assault and invasion of privacy, initially brought by two former patients, the first of whom came forward in 2021 and the second in 2023. Four people now, however, claim that Rumbaugh assaulted them. According to police paperwork, the first victim sought Rumbaugh's help for a joint disorder, and while she was in the treatment room, Rumbaugh had her wear a medical gown, exposed her right breast, and massaged it with both his hands while she was on her back. Police say that the second victim went to Rumbaugh for help with neck pain. Rumbaugh again asked this woman to wear a gown and said that her neck was in pain because of an air pocket near her chest area that needed treatment. "I ask them if they're comfortable, and if they don't want to take their bra off, they don't. I just work around it. If they take their bra off, I do the areas that are accessible, and I'm not trying to make them feel uncomfortable," Rumbaugh told Pennsylvania State Police at the time of his arrest in 2023. But despite his initial police statement, as of Tuesday, Rumbaugh has officially pleaded guilty. Sentencing for Dr. Rumbaugh will be held on Aug. 7.
CBS News
25-05-2025
- CBS News
Tractor-trailer driver arrested in deadly crash extradited back to West Virginia
The truck driver arrested in a deadly crash in West Virginia earlier this year has been extradited back from California. In March, Sukhjinder Singh was arrested out west for causing the crash that killed Kevin Latallie out of Fayette County. According to police, Singh drove the truck that pushed Lataille's car off the Cheat Lake Bridge and into the water below. Singh's extradition comes after he initially waived it while opting for a longer legal process. Man killed in crash on Cheat Lake Bridge On January 19, the Monongalia County Sheriff's Office responded to a reported jack-knifed tractor-trailer on the bridge. Once they arrived on the scene, Singh told them he lost control of the truck due to severe snowstorm conditions, which caused the accident. Murrysville Medic One Dive Team / Facebook Later that day, Lataille was reported missing, and an extensive search found his body and vehicle submerged in Cheat Lake. Investigators reviewed surveillance footage from the area, and it showed a vehicle sliding on the bridge, throwing snow in the air, and then a car fell from the bridge and into the lake. Singh's truck struck another vehicle before reaching the bridge and failing to stop. Witnesses also described Singh's driving as "reckless and even criminal." On Feb. 28, law enforcement interviewed Singh, where he admitted to driving the tractor at the time of the accident, but denied striking any vehicles or driving recklessly. The lawyer of the victim calls for changes to the law The family of Kevin Lataille said that the negligent homicide charges that were filed are a misdemeanor in West Virginia and said that legislators should look into making the laws stronger. "It's the callous nature of you knowing or even suspecting that the car you ran into went over the side of a bridge and fell 200 feet into an icy lake, and you say nothing about it," said Dino Colombo. "If that's true, there are no words to describe that. The penalty is typically a year or less in prison. Obviously a fine. This whole situation could turn out to be nothing more than a slap on the wrist."
Fox News
24-05-2025
- Fox News
Alleged human smugglers arrested in Texas after hiding migrants inside hollowed hay bales
Suspected human smugglers were arrested this week while allegedly attempting to hide migrants inside modified hay bales, officials said. Deputies conducting a routine traffic stop on a pickup pulling a hay trailer Tuesday near Flatonia, Texas, noticed that the bales inside the trailer had been hollowed out to create compartments, the Fayette County Sheriff's Office said. After looking more closely, the deputies noticed there were people inside the bales in "dangerously confined spaces" below a metal framework and layers of hay. "This method of concealment is not only deceptive but incredibly dangerous to human life," the sheriff's office said in a release. "Smugglers continue to use increasingly creative and hazardous techniques to transport individuals across Texas highways." U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said deputies did a closer inspection after reaching out to the Border Patrol's Sector Intelligence Unit for assistance when inconsistencies emerged as they questioned the driver and passengers of the pickup. Twelve migrants were found hidden inside the hay bales. The driver, Delbert Flanders, 44, of Kansas, was taken to a hospital for treatment, and the accused coordinators of the operation — Adanaylo Lambert, 22, and Lency Delgado Fernandez, 25 — were taken into custody and face federal and state human smuggling charges. The migrants were turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for processing. In a separate incident, two human smugglers were sentenced May 15 after a series of high-speed chases near the border. A judge sentenced Juan Miguel Regalado to 66 months in prison, while Samuel Grajeda Jr. was previously sentenced to 30 months. Both must also serve three years of supervised release.
