The Herald, Sharon, Pa.

Local News

May 19, 2009

UPDATE: Ex-cop in Brookfield guilty of grand theft

Pizzulo convicted in 1993 police probe

By Joe Pinchot

BROOKFIELD — A former Brookfield policeman convicted in 1993 of falsification was found guilty Friday of grand theft.

Peter J. Pizzulo, 46, of Howland, pleaded no contest to the charge for allegedly starting a fundraising organization to teach the dangers of drugs and alcohol, and then pocketing most of the money. Pizzulo was a sergeant with the Trumbull County Sheriff’s Department prior to his resignation in November.

Another former deputy officer, Anthony Leshnack, 41, of Girard, Ohio, also pleaded guilty to the same offense.

Trumbull County Common Pleas Court Judge W. Wyatt McKay found the men guilty.

Between August 2004 and April 2008, Pizzulo and Leshnack pocketed more then $50,000, prosecutors said. They used the money for personal expenses such as buying cellular telephones for themselves and others, gasoline, alcoholic drinks, clothing, activities for their children, a poker tournament and Christmas gifts, prosecutors said.

Sheriff Thomas Altiere asked the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation to investigate the men after he determined they had converted funds to personal use.

The men are free on bond.

Pizzulo was found guilty Aug. 19, 1993, by Judge John M. Stuard for including a false statement in an affidavit used to search a Davis Street, Masury, home for drugs. He was a Brookfield detective at the time the warrant was obtained but had left for the sheriff’s department by the time of the trial.

Stuard sentenced Pizzulo to a $500 fine, and Altiere suspended him for 60 days as a result of the conviction.

Pizzulo was one of four Brookfield policemen convicted in a probe of the police department. Former Chief Thomas Jones, former Lt. Frank Murphy and former Sgt. Kevin Cooper were sentenced to house arrest, probation, fines and community service for their involvement in the bugging of the police station.

Text Only
Local News
  • Recycling program a bit too popular

    The  county’s effort at going green by encouraging recycling in rural areas has been a tremendous success by most accounts, but isn’t without a few glitches. In Wilmington Township, residents often only have a window of a few minutes to get cardboard recyclables in before the bin is full, prompting a discussion among Mercer County Commissioners Wednesday morning.

    May 25, 2012

  • District will tap reserve fund

    Reynolds school directors plan to fill a $374,567 hole in the 2012-2013 budget with money from the district’s fund balance.

    May 25, 2012

  • School board mulls change to sports chaperone policy

    In order to comply with the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association, the Sharpsville Area School Board is looking to adjust a chaperone policy it implemented six months ago.

    May 25, 2012

  • Afternoon crash hurts 3 high school students

    Three Jamestown High School students were injured – one seriously – when their pickup left a roadway in southwest Crawford County and crashed into a tree Tuesday afternoon.

    May 24, 2012

  • Board sells some, holds some

    Brookfield Board of Education members voted Tuesday to accept only the bids for the elementary school and the middle school, for a total of $97,050.
    The decision came after an hour-long executive session.

    May 24, 2012

  • Levey: Kohl’s project died with school vote

    Stripped of the necessity of voting for a tax incremental finance plan by Hermitage School Board’s unwillingness to participate, Mercer County commissioners said Wednesday they would like to meet with school board and Hermitage city officials to discuss other ways they can help Levey and Co. build a retail development in the city.

    But Levey spokeswoman Jeffrey A. Mills said there is nothing to discuss.

    May 24, 2012

  • Warden expects hectic season at county jail

    With the unofficial start of summer just a few days away, Mercer County Jail officials are preparing for a busy season.

    May 23, 2012

  • Levey officially drops TIF request

    Levey & Co. has officially ended its request for a tax incremental financing plan to build a retail development anchored by a Kohl’s department store.

    May 23, 2012

  • Grant will pay to fix 12-15 homes



    The City of Farrell will be able to fix up about a dozen homes in the city thanks to a $300,000 HOME grant from the state.

    May 23, 2012

  • Hard budget choices yet to come


     
    Hermitage School Board has been fortunate in many ways during the economic downturn that has been so hard on many other schools.

    May 23, 2012