Court Cases: Woman Charged with Heroin Possession

A Pittsburgh woman was charged with heroin possession after Upper St. Clair police were called to a shoplifting incident at Sears in South Hills Village.

Amanda R. Binger, 25, was released on bail with the condition of receiving a drug and alcohol evaluation by Aug. 23, according to court records in the office of District Judge Robert Wyda. On Monday, her preliminary hearing before Wyda was rescheduled for Oct. 20, following crime lab analysis.

On Aug. 11, Binger was observed by a Sears security office concealing items of clothing, and when she was approached, she fled the store. She was apprehended in another part of the mall, according to the police report.

“While in custody for verification of her identification she was found to be in possession of nine stamp bags of suspected heroin,” along with 10 empty bags and “a plastic drinking straw used for snorting the heroin,” the report states. “When asked if she was in possession of any needles for officer safety purposes, she stated that she snorts the heroin and does not inject it. She acknowledged that she was aware that the powder in the bags was heroin.”

Binger also is charged with stealing $69 worth of merchandise from Sears.

USC man faces DUI, other charges

Formal arraignment has been scheduled for an Upper St. Clair man who is charged with driving under the influence of alcohol.

Michael Walczak, 22, also faces charges of driving with an expired registration and inspection, stemming from an Aug. 7 incident. Charges of simple assault and two counts of harassment were withdrawn Monday before District Judge Robert Wyda.

Upper St. Clair police were called to Walczak’s residence and were told that he was operating a vehicle that was not inspected. When it was stopped, it was determined he had been drinking, according to the police report, which stated that his blood alcohol level measured at a minimum of .147 percent. The state presumes intoxication at .08 percent.

Walczak posted 10 percent of $10,000 bond and was released on the conditions that he has no access to weapons and undergoes drug and alcohol treatment, according to court records.

He is to be arraigned at the Allegheny County Courthouse on Oct. 3.

Money owed for stolen jewelry

A Donora woman has 60 days to pay $1,355 in restitution for jewelry she is accused of stealing from four women.

Upper St. Clair police received an anonymous tip on June 21 that Cori Lynn Kent, 43, an employee at Friendship Village of South Hills senior living community, was taking pieces of jewelry from “elderly residents.”

“An investigation revealed five sales transactions by Kent at the Treasure Hunt store in Belle Vernon between May 19 and June 18,” the police report states. “Kent was paid $1,505 in total for the jewelry pieces she sold off.”

She provided police with “a written statement admitting to taking the jewelry,” according to the report.

Kent, who appeared Monday before District Judge Robert Wyda, has been released on her own recognizance.

Woman agrees to pay store

The hearing for a Charleroi woman charged with retail theft has been continued until Oct. 15.

Virginia Katinski, 49, is accused of stealing $536.21 worth of items from Macy’s at South Hills Village. According to a court document in the office of District Judge Robert Wyda, she signed an acknowledgement that she shoplifted the items on March 31 and April 15, and she agrees to pay restitution.

She is to attend retail theft class.

Man jailed in lieu of payment

A Pittsburgh man who owes $304.50 in fines, fees and court costs stemming from a seven-year-old case has been sentenced to a weekend in jail.

Walter Curtis Radke, 32, will serve time in lieu of making the payments, as ordered by District Judge Robert Wyda.

In August 2005, Radke was ordered by the late Sally Edkins, the Upper St. Clair district justice at the time, to pay $424.50 after he pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct. He had paid $120 through the end of 2006 but nothing since.

Wyda made his ruling Monday following a payment determination hearing to determine Radke’s financial status.

Restitution due in credit card case

A woman who is charged with illegally using an Upper St. Clair man’s credit card will have her hearing before District Judge Robert Wyda on Nov. 3, after it was continued on Monday.

Jennifer Mrozek, 28, of Uniontown is to pay the victim $1,500 in restitution. She has been undergoing drug and alcohol treatment, according to court records.

Bad check

A warrant for a Pittsburgh woman’s arrest has been issued following a complaint about a bad check.

Amelia Gremespacher, 61, wrote a $220.34 check on May 25 to Jim Jenkins Lawn and Garden Center in Upper St. Clair. After the check was returned for insufficient funds, she was to pay the amount plus a $45 fee, according to court records in the office of District Judge Robert Wyda.