Crime Blotter: Mailboxes Vandalized in Karrington Woods

The following information was supplied by Northern Regional Police Department.

Northern Regional Police Department’s phone started ringing early Aug. 2 when residents from the Karrington Woods residential plan called to report vandalism to their mailboxes. Six reports were made for the Pine Township homes in the 5100 block of Karrington Drive about mailboxes that were knocked loose or off their posts. A witness reported that at 1:15 a.m. he and his father saw a male passenger in a small dark SUV place a mailbox next to their vehicle. They described the man as being thin, with dark hair. The mailbox was returned to its owner.

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Crime Blotter: Police Respond to Vandalism, Thefts and Public Drunkenness

The following information was supplied by Northern Regional Police Department. Information about arrests or charges does not indicate a conviction.

Vandals Alter Signs with Black Spray Paint Vandals with black spray paint altered signs in Fox Meadow, Oak Haven and North Park Manor plans in Pine Township, police report. A Fox Meadow Drive resident called Northern Regional Police on June 28 to report the vandalism had occurred the night before, the police report states. Bales of Cardboard Stolen from Tractor Supply Co. Someone who brought along a forklift stole around seven bales of cardboard valued at $500 from the rear loading dock of Tractor Supply Co. in Richland Township, police said. Gerald P. Hack, 65, of Pittsburgh, told police on June 28 that the theft occurred overnight at the store at 100 Tractor Lane store in Gibsonia, near Route 8, according to a police report. “[Hack] …

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Woman Accused of Stealing Merchandise from Kohl's

Preliminary hearing postponed for a separate case involving theft at Kohl's.

A Tarentum woman was accused of stealing $253.50 worth of merchandise April 19 from Kohl’s in Richland Township, police said. Patricia Ann Renter, 43, “was observed taking merchandise from the store displays, entering (a) fitting room and coming out without some of the items," according to a report from Northern Regional Police Department. The store's loss prevention staff told police Renter selected four fashion rings before entering a fitting room, the report said.  After Renter left the fitting room, a store employee found three black boxes for the fashion rings -- two were empty and a third contained a broken ring, police said. Using the store's closed circuit TV surveillance system, a store employee "noticed that Renter was wearing …

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Crime Blotter: Bakerstown Man Arrested for Bench Warrants; Two Women Charged with Retail Theft

Landslide temporarily closes Warrendale Road.

 A 21-year-old Bakerstown man turned himself in to Northern Regional Police Department early Tuesday after his mother reported he stole checks from her, police said. Cody Kenneth Thomas also was wanted for bench warrants issued in Allegheny and Butler counties for failing to appear in court, police said. He was taken to Allegheny County Jail.  Initally, Gwendolyn Thomas, Cody’s mother, called police around 5 p.m. to report her son had stolen checks when he was at her house earlier in the day, police said.  PNC Bank in McIntyre Square called Mrs. Thomas to tell her Cody was trying to cash one of her checks for $200, according to the police report.  Mrs. Thomas told police she asked the bank to cancel the rest of the checks that were taken, …

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"Most Interesting Man in World" Goes Missing From Richland Grocery

Cardboard cutout of the beer-commercial pitchman disappears from Giant Eagle ... and returns

“The Most Interesting Man in the World” went missing the night of April 8 from the Giant Eagle in Richland Township. Actually, it was the cardboard cutout of “The Most Interesting Man in the World” from the Dos Equis beer advertising commercials. Usually “The Most Interesting Man” greets customers as they enter the Giant Eagle grocery store in Northtowne Square. But that all ended about 10 p.m. on that Friday when a witness spotted a 20-year-old Wexford man taking “The Most Interesting Man” with him as he left the store after paying for groceries. An alert Giant Eagle employee got a license plate number, and police were called. “Complainant did not wish to pursue charges, he only wanted the item returned,” the Northern Regional Police …

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Police Investigate Car Windows Shot Out With BB Gun

Pine residents report seeing someone shooting BB gun from SUV.

Northern Regional Police Department is investigating a rash of incidents in which car windows were shot out by BB or pellet guns in normally quiet residential neighborhoods.  In two instances, Pine Township residents reported seeing someone in an SUV shooting out car windows, police report.  Police also received reports of windows being broken in homes – one with a BB, the other with a rock.  April 1 – Chris Rudolph of Rudolph Auto Repair at 3750 Gibsonia Road in Richland Township reported the passenger-side window of his Chevrolet Astro van was shot out with what appeared to be a BB gun or pellet gun, police said. He reported the replacement cost of the window is $400. The shop is located at the corner of Hardt Road and Route 910.  March …

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Traffic Blotter: Fender-Benders to Collisions

These incidents were reported to Northern Regional Police Department in March.

Everything from fender-benders to collisions were reported to Northern Regional Police Department during the month of March. Here are the stories of those incidents. Van Towed After Hitting Middle School Light Pole A Pine-Richland Middle School maintenance employee reported a 2008 Honda Odyssey van was in the school’s parking lot on the evening of March 25 with front-end damage, a deployed airbag and no driver present, according to a Northern Regional Police Department report. Police went to the home where the vehicle was registered and spoke to Tracey Settembrino, 31, of Gibsonia, who said she had been driving the van in the parking lot, the police report states. The officer explained that the accident had to be reported to police because…

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Crime Blotter: Man Charged with DUI; Wexford Woman to Stand Trial on Theft Charges

Police said DUI incident took place on Route 8 and theft occurred in Giant Eagle.

Tarentum Man Charged with DUI in Richland  A Tarentum man charged with driving under the influence on Route 8 in Richland Township is scheduled for an April 13 preliminary hearing.  Troy Cyphert, 45, was charged after toxicology test results were positive for benzodiazepines [Oxazepam and Temazepam] and Oxycodone, according to a Northern Regional Police report.  The charges stem from an 11 p.m. incident Jan. 9 when a 1989 Chevrolet Celebrity station wagon was reported to be driving on the wrong side of the road on Route 8, running cars off the road, jumping a curb, traveling over a snow bank and veering across oncoming lanes of traffic, police said. The car eventually stopped at Richland Hotel at 5370 William Flynn Highway/Route 8, police …

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Crime Blotter: Pittsburgh Man Charged with Assault on Former Girlfriend

Richland woman hits head on floor after being shoved, police said.

A Pittsburgh man was charged with assault and harassment Tuesday after an altercation with his ex-girlfriend, who is the mother of his child, according to a police report. Michael Raihl, 30, is charged with assaulting the 28-year-old woman at her Community Center Drive apartment in Richland Township, stated the report from Northern Regional Police Department. Raihl allegedly shoved the woman to the ground, causing her to hit her head on the floor, according to the police report. It noted she had red marks on her face and was bleeding from the mouth. The woman told police that she and Raihl had gotten into an argument on the phone earlier in the evening, after which she turned off her phone and went to bed, the report stated. At about 4 a.m…

Crime Blotter: Two Churches Burglarized, Money Stolen from Medical Office

Nothing taken from either church, police said.

Two churches were burglarized recently. Police were dispatched to the North Hills Community of Christ Church at 3321 Wexford Road in Gibsonia around 4 p.m. Sunday when a security company reported a front door alarm, according to the Northern Regional Police Department. The front door had been forced open, police said. Officers searched the church's interior, but found no one, police said.  Church representatives checked the church and reported nothing was missing, according to the police report. Police then checked with nearby churches and discovered another incident at a Gibsonia church. Pastor Ralph Vogel of the Church at the Heights told police that two women working at the 500 Salem Lane church Thursday night confronted a man who had …