Sheriff objects to sealing records of ex-detective who stole charitable funds

WARREN

Sheriff Thomas Altiere objected to sealing the criminal records for a former detective in his department convicted of stealing money from a fundraising organization, but a special prosecutor and Judge W. Wyatt McKay disagreed.

Jane Hanlin, Jefferson County prosecutor, served as special prosecutor for the purposes of handling former Sgt. Peter Pizzulo’s request for expungement and sealing of his records.

Hanlin said Wednesday during a hearing in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court that she spoke with Altiere, and Altiere said he was “not in favor of granting this for this particular defendant because, in his opinion, [Pizzulo] was a full sergeant and a ranking officer at the time that this happened.”

Pizzulo was the lead detective on several high-profile investigations in the years before he resigned, including the 2005 murder of two women in Newton Township by Jermaine McKinney.

Hanlin said she informed Altiere she would tell the court of his concerns, but after reviewing the file, Pizzulo “certainly seems to be an eligible offender.”

She added, “He meets all of the requirements of the statute. It was granted for the co-defendant for the same case, and I can see no reason to object to it.”

Read more about the matter in Thursday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.