Judge Steps Away From Sen. Regola's Perjury Case In Boy's ShootingPOSTED: 8:06 am EDT July 31,
2007 GREENSBURG, Pa. -- A Westmoreland County judge has removed himself from the case of state Sen. Robert Regola, who's charged with lying about a gun that a teenage neighbor used to shoot himself to death.Judge Richard McCormick Jr. said his high school history teacher is the grandfather of 14-year-old Louis Farrell, who shot himself with a gun belonging to Regola, of Hempfield Township.In addition, McCormick said, Farrell's father is a lawyer with the firm he worked with before becoming a judge."I don't want there to be an appearance of any impropriety," McCormick said Monday. "Nobody asked me to recuse myself. I just decided it was the right thing to do."Regola has been ordered to stand trial on charges stemming from the July 2006 death of Farrell, a friend of Regola's teenage son, Bobby. The death was ruled a suicide by the county coroner.Authorities accuse Sen. Regola of lying under oath at a coroner's inquest. He is charged with perjury, false swearing, reckless endangerment and illegal possession of a weapon by a minor.Regola has denied accusations that he lied about allowing his son to have the gun in his room.The county court administrator picked President Judge John Blahovec to preside over the case instead of McCormick. Related Links: More Westmoreland County NewsGet RSS Headlines | Free Desktop Alert Copyright 2007 by ThePittsburghChannel. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report. |
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