Murder, fraud cases top news
The Butler Eagle covered a variety of crime stories throughout 2021, from murders, to attempted murder, to fraud.
Some of these cases happened in Butler County while others involve county natives who were charged or county natives who were victims.
These are the top crime stories for 2021:
In August, Scott, 53, and Stephanie Roskovski, 51, of Center Township, landed in federal prisons, following multiple delays.Accused of defrauding Butler Health System of up to $1.3 million, Scott Roskovski tried early in the year to rescind his plea deal, prolonging the couple's sentencing for multiple months.In June, the Roskovskis received their sentences, which included federal prison time for both and restitution. As part of a plea deal with prosecutors, the couple will be allowed to keep their home and their business, Switchback MX.Scott Roskovski, a former county detective, was sentenced to 30 months, and in July, he turned himself in to a prison in Maryland. Stephanie Roskovski, former chief operating officer at BHS, received 51 months, and in August, she turned herself in to a prison in West Virginia.
Two men pleaded not guilty June 3 in a Tennessee court to first-degree murder charges related to the killing of Chicora native CaitlynKaufman in December 2020.James Edward Cowan, 28, and Devaunte Louis Hill, 20, each face a single count of first-degree murder in what investigators have previously called the road rage-related lethal shooting of Kaufman.Hill, of East Nashville, Tenn., was arrested Dec. 11 and initially implicated himself in the murder, according to authorities, but has since maintained his innocence.Cowan was arrested Jan. 12 about 12 miles southeast of Nashville, authorities said, where they discovered a “substantial” number of Xanax pills and fentanyl, as well as $2,100 and at least one handgun.Both men are scheduled to next appear Jan. 7.
The FBI arrested Rachel Marie Powell, the “pink hat lady,” on Feb. 4 for her alleged connection to the Capitol riot on Jan. 6.She was placed in Butler County Prison and released on house arrest Feb. 11.She faces charges of obstruction, depredation of government property, entering a restricted building or grounds with a dangerous weapon, entering a restricted building or grounds, and violent entry or disorderly conduct.Powell last appeared virtually for a status conference in September, and another status conference is set for Jan. 7.
Damien M. Large, 19, of Butler, was arrested and charged Jan. 3 after an alleged week of regular beatings and abuse led to the death of an unborn child Dec. 26.Police arrested Large after they responded to a Butler Township motel and found his girlfriend had been beaten with a hammer and suffered abuse over the course of several days.While Large initially was charged with assault, it later was revealed to police that his girlfriend, Crystal Bogart, 34, of Butler, lost her child as a result of one of the beatings she suffered during the stretch of abuse. Large is not the biological father.During a July 8 preliminary hearing, Bogart described the beating that led to the loss of her baby at 36 weeks gestation.A status conference for both cases is scheduled for Jan. 31 in Butler County Common Pleas Court.
Butler City Police continue their investigation into the shooting death of Hakeem D. Moran, 31, of Pittsburgh.Police were called to the scene shortly after the altercation the night of Dec. 7 on the 200 block of College Street in Butler.According to neighbors, three men wearing masks burst into the building demanding drugs and money from multiple tenants.
Paris E. Carter, 22, of Downingtown, Chester County, was arrested and charged in the shooting death of David A. Hines, 38, of New Castle, as they passed through Butler County.Hines' body was found May 17 inside his vehicle along Portersville Road near Route 422 and Interstate 79 in Muddy Creek Township.During testimony at a June 30 preliminary hearing, two witnesses testified, one of whom said he was in the vehicle with Carter and Hines when the shooting occurred.The witnesses said Carter intimidated them into driving them to the Philadelphia area, where Carter eventually was arrested May 26.A status conference in the case, which is now in Butler County Common Pleas Court, is scheduled for Jan. 11.
Former Butler resident Kimberly Kessler was found guilty Dec. 9 of the first-degree murder of her coworker, Joleen Cummings, 34, in 2018 in Nassau County, Fla.According to investigators, the case took more than three-and-one-half years to reach a conclusion.Kessler is expected to be sentenced in January.
A Pittsburgh man, who was convicted with his younger brother in a 1984 homicide in Cranberry Township and spent 37 years in state prison, was released as part of a plea agreement in August.Ronald Alfred Williams, 68, earlier had his death sentence reduced to life in prison, after he pleaded to third-degree murder.He was convicted in 1989 for his role in the fatal shooting of Archie S. Bradley, 38, in the parking lot of Nor-Sub Trucking on Route 19, where Bradley had worked as a truck driver.Williams was 32 years old when he was identified as the getaway driver for his brother and codefendant, Raymond Williams, who was 17 at the time.Raymond Williams' death sentence also was reduced to life in prison. He is set to be resentenced in October as a result of a 2012 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that mandatory sentences of life without parole for juveniles are unconstitutional.
Mark W. Shearer Jr., 49, formerly of Evans City, is heading toward a trial in the Butler County Common Pleas Court.Across multiple cases, Shearer is accused of threatening his estranged wife and attempting to kill her boyfriend Oct. 30. The boyfriend shot Shearer, who was arrested following medical treatment, and he has remained in Butler County Prison without bond.All charges passed through a preliminary hearing, and he is next scheduled to appear for a formal arraignment Feb. 7 in county court.
Susan L. Batz, 68, and Robin L. Batz, 63, pleaded guilty to felony aggravated animal cruelty, after police found four dead dogs and four other neglected dogs in their Valencia home.Per the agreement, the sisters will serve 48 months of probation for the crime, for which they each originally received 26 charges.
Paul Harmon, 64, of Pittsburgh, a former controller for Fuellgraf Electric Co., was sentenced to six years in prison and ordered to pay $1.46 million in restitution after he defrauded the business.Harmon, who worked at Fuellgraf for more than 40 years, pleaded guilty to a charge of wire fraud in January. His sentence included three years of probation after his release from prison.According to its executives, the company was forced to close after 75 years in business because of the stolen funds.
Gary F. Sweesy, 47, of Harrisville, led state police on a manhunt Sept. 11 shortly before being arrested in connection with the shooting and stabbing of a West Liberty couple.During testimony at a preliminary hearing, the man and woman testified Sweesy shot the woman and stabbed the man, who was staying with them for a couple days. The couple testified the dispute was over drugs.All of Sweesy's charges, including attempted homicide, aggravated assault and terroristic threats, among others, were moved forward to Butler County Common Pleas Court, where he will next appear for a status conference Feb. 28.
