Crime Blotter

A Ruffsdale man is awaiting formal arraignment after Cranberry police said he caused two serious car accidents on Freedom Road in Cranberry, including one that sent him to the hospital with injuries.

Ralph Siranni, 31, of RR 3,  is charged with causing an accident with injuries while not properly licensed, driving with a suspended license, reckless driving, speeding, and unauthorized use of a vehicle.

Police said that around 9:30 a.m. on March 9, 2010, Sirianni left the job site where he was working and drove away in a Ford truck owned by his company. He was told not to drive the truck by his employers because he had a suspended license, according to police.

Police said Siranni struck a Chevrolet Cavalier at the intersection of Connector Street with Freedom Road, propelling the smaller car forward roughly 170 feet into the intersection.

Sirianni then continued west on Freedom Road, according to police, and struck the rear of a straight truck with a mounted crane.

Sirianni was taken to the hospital, where he was treated for injuries. He will be formally arraigned on March 15.

Theft

Scott Luedtke, 44, of 505 Palmate Drive, Cranberry Township, will be formally arraigned March 15, on charges of forgery and theft by deception or false impression.

On Sept. 29, 2009, according to the Butler County Detective Bureau, Luedtke, manager of Greenlight Mighty Dollar Partners LLC, was given a check for $13,450 paid to the order of Mighty Dollar Madison 2009 LLC as a capital contribution to the company.

Mighty Dollar is a discount store chain, and the check was for an investment in a store located in Madison, NC, according to police.

Instead of depositing it in the Mighty Dollar bank account, police said Luedtke added his name in the "pay to order" section of the check and put the money in his personal bank account. In December, he told police he used the money to pay off creditors and other personal debt. The store in Madison has since been terminated, according to police. 

DUI

Bryan Rubalcava, 19, 3002 Conway-Wallrose Road, Baden, will be formally arraigned March 28, on charges of driving under the influence, possession of drug paraphernalia, careless driving and disregarding traffic lanes.

Cranberry police said that around midnight on Nov. 22, Rubalcava was seen driving in excess of 60 mph in a 35-mph zone on Freedom Road near the intersection of Valley Forge Drive. Police also saw Rubalcave crossing over the center line of the road as he drove.

After searching the car, police said they found a glass pipe used for smoking marijuana and a baggie containing 13.6 grams of marijuana.

Insurance Fraud

Jennifer Gross, 28, of 284 Portersville Road, Ellwood City, will be formally arraigned March 15, on charges of insurance fraud, making false reports, and giving false information.

Cranberry Township police said that around 3:30 p.m. on Oct. 24, Gross told police her car had been hit while it was parked at the Wal-Mart on Route 19 in Cranberry Township. She said she wanted to file a police report so she could submit a claim to her insurance company, according to police.

After reviewing surveillance footage of the Wal-Mart parking lot, police said nothing stuck or damaged Gross’s vehicle while she was parked in the lot.