Latest news with #VenangoCounty
CBS News
5 days ago
- CBS News
Venango County man facing charges for possession of child sexual abuse material
A Venango County man is facing charges for possession of child sexual abuse material following an investigation, Attorney General Dave Sunday announced on Wednesday. Gregory L. Ahmadian, 64, is charged with 11 counts of possession of child sexual abuse material and one count of criminal use of a communication facility, all of which are felonies. Ahmadian was taken into custody Tuesday afternoon after an hours-long standoff with law enforcement, according to a press release from the Office of Attorney General. Office of Attorney General agents, with assistance from Pennsylvania State Police, negotiated with Ahmadian to surrender. Ahmadian was armed inside his home during the standoff. He eventually surrendered around 4:30 p.m. No one was hurt in the stand-off incident. "I commend our agents and Pennsylvania State Police for collaborating on the safe apprehension of an individual who was armed and under criminal investigation, posing a potential threat to everyone in his proximity during this standoff," Attorney General Sunday said. "He is now facing serious charges regarding exploitation and abuse of children, which is the reason law enforcement was at his home on Tuesday." Ahmadian was arraigned late Tuesday night. He was denied bail, with the magisterial district judge finding Ahmadian to be "a threat to self or others."
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Majority of PENNCREST candidates look ready to advance
In an unofficial count Tuesday night, it seemed a majority of the eight cross-filed candidates for PENNCREST School Board will be on ballots come November. Based on Crawford County's precinct data, Tim Brown, Dani Schmidt, Robert Johnston Jr. and Amber Wright are ahead to be on the Democratic ballot, while Wright, Matt Warren, Kathi Despenes and Fred Bryant were the top candidates for the Republican ballot. Venango County election results were not available as of press time to determine the outcome. Current board President Johnston said his main priority moving forward is balancing the budget. 'We're the closest we've ever been in the eight years I've been on the board,' he said, mentioning that he wants to do it without a tax increase. PENNCREST residents saw a 4-mill tax increase last year, and the current preliminary budget has a deficit just over $525,000. On the Republican ballot, Warren said he wants to balance the budget without increasing taxes and to improve the quality of education. He believes his background gave him a leg up to get on the ballot. 'I have 18 years of business experience and I think I have good business sense and also have common sense,' he said. Also on the Republican ballot and focused on academic achievement is Despenes. She said she's tried to interact with the community as much as possible and hear what's important to them and how that measures up to her strong values. She wants to focus on transparency regarding the budget to let tax payers know where their money is going and hopes to continue test scores improvement. 'I hope I can improve the district if elected in the fall, help others and help work with whoever is elected to the board,' she said. All other leading candidates did not respond immediately for comment. The leading vote count for Crawford County precincts as of Tuesday night for the Republican ballot was Wright, 1,415; Warren, 1,376; Despenes, 1,361; and Bryant, 1,243. The Democratic ballot showed Schmidt, 786; Brown, 760; Johnston Jr., 612; and Wright, 342. Official results will be certified once all provisional ballots and other ballots that must be counted by hand are completed. The final computations, after a five-day posting period in which there are no objections or challenges, will be made official with the final signing by the Crawford County Board of Elections.
