Ex-guard pleads guilty to oppressionPITTSBURGH — A former county jail guard in Pittsburgh has pleaded guilty to a lesser charge in a case accusing him of having sex with two female inmates in exchange for more favorable treatment, like private cells and less time locked down.Thirty-five-year-old Joshua Reber pleaded guilty Wednesday to two counts of official oppression. That means he used his powers as a guard to coerce the women. The charges are misdemeanors instead of felony institutional sexual assault charges Allegheny County prosecutors dropped in a plea agreement.The Upper St. Clair resident was hired in 2007 and fired when he was charged late last year.

Man pleads guilty to harassing student,/b>BELLEFONTE — A man has pleaded guilty harassing an Indian student over the color of his skin while they both attended Penn State.Twenty-year-old Nicholas Tavella pleaded guilty Monday to ethnic intimidation, terroristic threats and other charges in a deal with prosecutors.Campus police say Tavella, of Greensburg, was drunk when he began following the other student in December, asking whether the victim planned to rape someone. Police say Tavella told them he was “racially profiling” the other student because of his skin color. He’s no longer listed as a student in Penn State’s directory.His lawyer Wayne Bradburn Jr. says Tavella took the plea offer rather than risk going to trial.Crane used to pull horse from mudCHEYNEY — Rescuers used a crane to rescue a horse that got stuck in the mud at a Pennsylvania farm.Thornbury Farm barn manager believes another horse likely scared Cyrus, a 1,700-pound Clydesdale, Wednesday and he ran into the mud.Rescuers arrived on the scene in Chester County and sedated Cyrus to keep him calm and prevent injury to his legs.The crane carefully lifted the horse from the mud and Cyrus was taken to a veterinary hospital for evaluation.