Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Monday, May 4:
State police nab suspected child sex abuser in sting operation
The Fayette County District Attorney’s office in a news release said Pennsylvania State Police arrested a man last week on sexual abuse of children charges in a sting operation.
State police last Monday received a report that a teen had been the victim of multiple sexual crimes by someone she referred to as “Uncle Sam.” Officials said that person was identified as Samuel Clinton Newman, 53.
Troopers confirmed the child’s reports trough evidence on Facebook, text messages, letters and videos, officials said.
Working with the family, police on Friday monitored a video conversation between the teen and Newman, who arranged to take her to a park.
When he arrived, he was confronted by two troopers and arrested.
He faces sexual abuse of children, statutory sexual assault and unlawful contact with a minor charges, according to the district attorney’s office.
Woman sustains minor injuries, cat dies in Pittsburgh house fire
A woman sustained minor injuries and a cat died in a house fire in Pittsburgh’s Lincoln Place neighborhood Sunday morning.
The city’s fire bureau responded to the blaze around 3:45 a.m. Sunday.
The fire was contained to a bedroom and extinguished just after 4 a.m.
A woman escaped with minor injuries to her fingers and smoke inhalation. She was taken to a hospital in stable condition.
The Fire Investigation Unit is working to determine what caused the fire.
Police search for missing 14-year-old girl
Police are searching for a missing 14-year-old girl last seen in Whitehall.
Rylee Anderson is described as 5 feet tall, 100 pounds with red hair and hazel eyes. Whitehall police said she was last seen around 11 a.m. Sunday in the 4900 block of Curry Road.
Anyone with information is asked to call 911 or Whitehall Borough Police Department at 412-884-1100.
Police seek help tracking down dog stolen in Giant Eagle parking lot
Verona Police are asking for information regarding a dog stolen Sunday from a vehicle in the Verona Giant Eagle parking lot.
Officials said the dog was taken from a black Nissan Rogue between 7:20 and 7:50 a.m.
Officials asked anyone with information to call the Verona Police Department as they work to reunite the pup with its owner.
Indiana County man killed in World War II to return home
An Indiana County man who was killed in World War II will be reburied in his hometown this month, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Age said in a news release.
U.S. Army Pfc. John A. Walko, 20, of Commodore was accounted for last July, the organization said. His family was recently briefed on his identification.
Walko was assigned to Company C, 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division in 1944. He was reported killed in action that October in Aachen, Germany.
His remains were not accounted for after the war.
The American Graves Registration Command at the U.S. Military Cemetery Henri-Chapelle in the Netherlands processed a set of unknown remains by someone killed by mortar fire on Oct. 20, 1944. They could not be identified at the time and were interred in the Netherlands.
The Department of Defense and the American Battle Monuments Commission exhumed the remains in July 2023. Analysis linked the remains to Walko.
His name is listed on the Walls of the Missing and Netherlands American Cemetery, where a rosette will be added next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
He will be buried in Indiana on May 20.