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Attorney: Trial for former Allegheny County councilman McCullough postponed
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The criminal trials for former Allegheny County Councilman Charles P. McCullough and his sister, Kathleen, have been put on hold after an county Court of Common Pleas judge agreed he had no jurisdiction over the cases while they are pending in an appeals court, Mr. McCullough's attorney said.
Mr. McCullough, 55, was charged in 2009 with 24 counts of theft, false reports and misapplication of funds after prosecutors said he stole $200,000 from Shirley H. Jordan, an elderly widow for whom he was serving as power of attorney.
Mr. McCullough's attorney, Jon Pushinsky, has repeatedly filed motions to have the charges dismissed, which a judge denied at the beginning of this year. He appealed to the Pennsylvania Superior Court, which in May agreed to hear the case.
The case for Ms. McCullough, 50, who is charged with theft and criminal conspiracy, is in a similar limbo.
Mr. Pushinsky said Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas Judge Donald E. Machen said in a status conference this morning that he could not hear the case until the Superior Court ruled.
Mr. Pushinsky said the Superior Court has set no schedule for when the case will be heard, and it's not likely to be resolved before the end of this year.
In his appeal, Mr. Pushinsky argued that the actions Mr. McCullough took that led to criminal charges were all approved by an orphans' court judge.
First Published July 23, 2012 12:27 am
