A heroin addict who stole guns from his father’s Beaver County gun dealership and a friend who helped him have both pleaded guilty to federal gun charges and are likely headed to prison in the spring. Timothy Brown Jr. of Rochester, whose father owns John Brown’s Armory in that town, has admitted that he stole more than 50 guns from the store and sold them to drug dealers for heroin. His accomplice, Daniel Nolder of New Brighton, also an addict, pleaded on Tuesday to possession of a stolen gun. Brown stole 53 pistols from his father’s store over seven months in 2014 and traded them for heroin. So far, 13 of the weapons have been recovered across the region.

A former employee of a Cranberry Township hotel must spend six to 18 months in jail for molesting two 15-year-old boys who were temporarily living there. Butler County prosecutors say 34-year-old Nancy Fields of Beaver Falls abused the boys when they lived at the Candlewood Suites in Cranberry Township from January to September 2013. Fields was a front desk clerk and night auditor at the hotel. The boys were staying there with their mother because she was undergoing a series of surgeries and other medical treatments. Investigators say the boys were left alone much of the time when Fields showed the boys nude pictures of herself, fondled the boys and performed lap dances for them.

The third annual community Thanksgiving Day Dinner will be held at the Coroapolis United Methodist Church on Thursday from noon until 5 p.m. Jeanne Cosgrove is the coordinator of the event. She tells Beaver County Radio’s Pat Septak that the free dinner is open to anyone who needs or wants a complete Thanksgiving meal with all the traditional trimmings.  The church is located at 1205 Ridge Avenue in Coroapolis. Reservations are not necessary but are requested. Just call the church at (412) 264-3727.

Two men are facing several charges related to a shooting in Ambridge on Saturday. A criminal complaint shows 41-year-old Jason Tyson is accused of shooting a man during a drug deal. The complaint says the victim texted Tyson looking to buy cocaine. When they met at a location in the 900 block of Beaver Road, Tyson allegedly fired shots at the victim. Police initially responded to that shots fired call, but found nothing at the scene. The victim was later found at UPMC Presbyterian Hospital. Also charged in the case is 43-year-old Michael Saffron, who police say was driving Tyson at the time of the shooting. Both suspects are in police custody and face several charges.

The Beaver Area School District is alerting parents about two cases of whooping cough, also known as pertussis. The district said two children who attend College Square and Dutch Ridge elementary schools are being treated by doctors for the illness. The district is asking parents to watch for symptoms in their children and to seek immediate medical attention if their children develop symptoms. Pertussis begins with a cold and an irritating cough, which worsens at night. Characteristic “whooping” develops in one to two weeks. It is spread by direct contact with airborne droplets of respiratory secretions of an infected person. The district told parents that children with a positive diagnosis are to be kept at home for five days from the start of an appropriate antibiotic treatment.

Police in Chippewa are trying to identify the man who was captured on surveillance video robbing a Chippewa gas station on Saturday. The video shows the robber walking up to the counter inside the Marathon on Constitution Boulevard. He speaks to the clerk, pulls a gun out of his jacket pocket and places it on the counter. When the robber demands money, the clerk empties the cash register. The robber then picks up his cigarettes, cash and his coffee and leaves the store. Police hope the video will help them make a quick arrest, especially since the robber was not wearing a disguise and his face can be clearly seen. Anyone who recognizes the man is asked to call Chippewa police.

This is Thanksgiving week and lots of travelers will be hitting the road. And that also means Pennsylvania State Police will be out in full force. Beginning today and continuing through New Years Day, all counties in Troop D coverage – that includes Beaver, Lawrence, Butler, Mercer and Armstrong Counties – will be under holiday enforcement. State Trooper Dan Kesten tells Beaver County Radio News’ Pat Septak there will be scheduled DUI checkpoints, increased radar usage and traffic monitoring this season.

A Moon man accused of killing his girlfriend’s ex-boyfriend in September was arrested this morning in Charleston, W. Va. , according to the U.S. Marshals Service. Members of the Fugitive Task Force in Western Pennsylvania and Southern District of West Virginia arrested 28-year-old Jesse Lee Jones, without incident around 7:30 a.m. at a residence in the 1500 block of Jackson Street, the marshals service said today. Jones is charged with the shooting death of 22-year-old Cameron Johnson of Coraopolis around 6:40 p.m. Sept. 23 in the 200 block of Juniper Drive. Police say they found Johnson dead from at least one gunshot wound in a vehicle that had crashed into a tree. Authorities believe the shooting stemmed from a domestic violence incident. County police charged Jones with homicide and other charges and he had been on the run since then.

Four people were injured in a collision between a vehicle and a truck Sunday afternoon in Lawrence County. According to police, the vehicle failed to stop at a stop sign on Mt. Herman Church Road in Slippery Rock Township and hit the pickup truck, which was towing a trailer full of Christmas trees. Police say after the collision, the pickup truck rolled on its roof and the trailer traveled about 500 feet down the highway. The vehicle went into a parking lot of a repair shop and hit a school bus that was there to be fixed. According to police, all four people in the vehicle were trapped and were transported to area hospitals. The truck driver was not seriously hurt, but was also hospitalized. Police are investigating.