WESTMORELAND COUNTY JUDGE ORDERS CLOSURE OF CRIMINAL CASE AGAINST FORMER PIRATES PITCHER

A Westmoreland County Judge has ordered the closure of a criminal case connected with the sexual assault of a Scottdale teenager by a former Pirates pitcher.  The Trib reports that 34-year-old Felipe Vasquez was convicted and served four years in prison before his deportation in 2023.  Common Please Judge Scott Mears this week ordered the county’s probation and parole office to close the case Sept. 17, nearly four years after he was sentenced  The victim testified during the four-day trial that she initially reached out to Vazquez through social media for a birthday greeting. She testified he later pursued a relationship that included a sexual encounter.  Records indicate that he is now playing baseball in Venezuela, and that he owes over $12,000 in delinquent court costs and also faces an over $11 million judgement stemming from a federal investigation.