5 day forecast
Charges filed in Carnegie incident involving borough official
Share with others:
A Carnegie man faces charges of harassment and disorderly conduct in an incident last week that involved an elected borough official.
Councilwoman Carol Covi, 65, who uses a motorized scooter because of a disability, said she was on her way to Carnegie council's voting meeting about 5 p.m. July 9 when she was accosted by a man who had been sitting on the steps of an East Main Street building with another man.
Police identified the man as David M. Settles, 40, of Washington Avenue.
Ms. Covi said she turned her head toward the men because she heard yelling, at which point Mr. Settles got off the steps and approached her. Looming over the 4-foot, 7-inch councilwoman who was seated on her scooter, the man, bellowed in part, "I hate white people. I hate all white people," Ms. Covi said. The man is black; Ms. Covi is white.
He also threatened her by screaming profanities and telling her to leave and not return or "you'll be sorry," she said.
Ms. Covi called police from a nearby store. The men followed her into the store but left before police arrived.
Although the three responding police initially couldn't locate the man, they recognized him from Ms. Covi's description. Minutes later, she saw Mr. Settles coming from Broadway Street and alerted police, who stopped him.
Ms. Covi attended the 7 p.m. council meeting that evening. At the end of the session, she publicly mentioned the incident without giving specific details.
"Nobody should have been made to feel the way I felt," she said in a quaking voice. "I don't want this to happen to anybody else."
She also thanked Carnegie police for their assistance.
Police filed the charges against Mr. Settles July 11 with District Judge Dennis Joyce of Crafton. No charges were filed against his male companion. A hearing date had not been set.
First Published July 19, 2012 5:06 am
