Whitehall Borough Police Briefs (Sept. 6-12)

Shirtless Man at Eat’n Park Leads Police to Arrest of Another Man

On Wednesday, Sept. 7, at approximately 6:19 p.m., a police officer on patrol observed a shirtless man swinging his arms and yelling loudly near the entrance to the on Route 51. The man eventually got into into a vehicle that had a passenger in it and drove northbound on Route 51.

The officer initiated a traffic stop on Route 51 and observed that the vehicle had an expired inspection sticker on it. Also, the driver was operating the vehicle with an expired driver’s license.

The officer also learned that the passenger in the vehicle had an outstanding warrant from the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police stemming from a failure-to-appear offense.

The driver told the officer that he had had a disagreement with somebody inside the Eat’n Park but that the situation was resolved. The driver was still charged with driving with an expired license and an expired vehicle inspection.

Whitehall police took custody of the passenger—Doug Morton, 28, of 112 Amanda St. in Mount Oliver Borough—and eventually turned him over to Pittsburgh police.

Suspected Marijuana Found on Driver on Route 51 

On Friday, Sept. 9, at approximately 5:27 p.m., a Whitehall police officer on patrol near the observed a vehicle making an illegal left turn onto Route 51 from Stewart Avenue. 

The officer initiated a traffic stop, and when talking to the driver of the vehicle, the officer reported detecting the odor of marijuana emanating from inside of it.

The officer also reported finding drug paraphernalia and a small amount of suspected marijuana inside of the vehicle before charging its driver—Justin Michael Witte, 24, of 517 Scenery Drive in Elizabeth Township—with possession of both. UPDATE: The charges against Witte were .

Fight in Front of Frank’s Shoes Leads to Charges for Two Men

On Sunday, Sept. 11, at approximately 7:25 p.m., Whitehall police officers received numerous calls of a physical altercation in the area on a sidewalk in front of .

Upon their arrival, the officers reported that the fight had stopped. However, the officers were able to locate two men believed to be involved in the fight due to cuts and scratches on their bodies.

The officers summoned respondents from , but both men declined treatment.

According to a police report of the incident, the fight between the two men originated when one of them said something disparaging about one of the other man’s female friends.

Officers interviewed witnesses and escorted people from the scene before charging Dustin David Tichenor, 22, of 1145 McCartney St. in Pittsburgh’s West End neighborhood, with harassment and Charles Rafalowski, 45, of 2201 Hobson St. in Pittsburgh’s Brookline neighborhood, with harassment, disorderly conduct and public intoxication. UPDATE: Rafalowski's charges .

Suspected Marijuana on Parkline Drive 

On Sept. 11 at approximately 3:21 p.m., Whitehall police were summoned to the 1600 block of Parkline Drive in the for a report of several individuals trying to enter a locked vehicle there with what appeared to be a coat hanger.

When officers arrived, they determined that the vehicle belonged to one of the people trying to break into it. The vehicle’s keys were locked inside.

The officers reported observing what they suspected to be marijuana in plain view on the dashboard of the vehicle. A K-9 unit provided a positive alert on the passenger’s side of the vehicle, and after the vehicle was opened, police took possession of the suspected marijuana before charging Jerome Dolney, 28, of 539 Wilson Ave. in Clairton, PA, with possession of a controlled substance. UPDATE: The charge was .

Barking Dog Near 5 in the Morning Leads to Citation 

On Monday, Sept. 12, at approximately 4:46 a.m., Whitehall police were summoned to the 4600 block of N. Emblem Drive by a resident there who stated that a neighbor’s dog had been barking periodically for the past 15 minutes at 4619 Veman Ave. in Whitehall.

Officers arrived near the area and confirmed that the dog was consistently barking. Contact with occupants of 4619 Veman was unsuccessful.

David Bushmire, 50, owner of the Veman home, was cited for violating a Whitehall ordinance that prohibits excessive animal noise.

Identity Theft

On Sept. 12 at approximately 6:10 p.m., a resident of the 100 block of Weyman Road contacted the to report an identity theft. The resident said that an unknown person had used her checking account to make unauthorized purchases in Europe, once for a $49.99 charge and again for $49.95.

Whitehall police advised the resident to contact major credit bureaus to put a fraud alert on her account.