Beaver County Courthouse Ablaze With Rumors
BEAVER, Pa. (KDKA) -- Courthouse drama is usually confined to the courtroom, but now the entire Beaver County Courthouse is ablaze with rumors and allegations, and the state police have been called in to sort it all out.
"Mr. Berosh, the District Attorney of Beaver County, has reached out to me and my agency to conduct an investigation into the matter that were discussing," said Tpr. Eric Hermick, of Pennsylvania State Police.
It involves out-going District Attorney Anthony Berosh and two men who'd like to take his place - Assistant District Attorney Frank Martocci and private attorney Gerald Benyo.
Benyo represents a woman named Kenji Barnett who's accused of selling cocaine. Barnett claims on a website that through an intermediary, Martocci allegedly tried to smear and set Benyo up by having her sell cocaine to him.
"Ms. Barnett told me that she was in contact with a member of the public defender's office who was in contact with a member of the district attorney's office that they were looking for her to become a confidential informant to various drug deals with myself and other individuals," Benyo said.
Barnett says she has text messages and phone recordings with Dionna Steele, a paralegal who works at the public defender's office, who Barnett says claimed to be working on Martocci's behalf.
Martocci denies this, saying Barnett is not to be believed.
"It's a situation where you have a person who is facing serious charges, and I don't want to say anything about her case, but that certainly could be a motivation to get out of it, I guess," said Beaver Co. District Attorney Tony Berosh.
And Berosh agrees.
Berosh: "A well told lie gets halfway around the world before the truth gets its shoes on."
KDKA's Andy Sheehan: "Do you think that's what's happened here."
Berosh: "Well, everyone has motives. Two candidates for the district attorney's job. My motive is just to find the truth."
But now it will be up to the state police and the Attorney General's Office to determine if there's any truth to these allegation and whether they move beyond a case of courthouse rumors.
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