Mar 15, 2017 By Mark Soroka for The 3 min read

NORTH BELLE VERNON — Several residents told council that police failed to respond to a 911 call, following an attempted break-in on Grant Street.

During Tuesday’s meeting, Patrick and Elsa Sauritch recounted details of the incident then played a video surveillance tape that showed the perpetrator trying to gain entry into a residence.

“Our tenant, Kathy Sauritch, was awakened at 2 a.m. on Feb. 14 when she heard someone ringing her doorbell and pounding on the door,” said Elsa Sauritch, who lives with her husband, Patrick, next door. “Even though Kathy refused to open the door and asked that person to leave, the perpetrator continued to prowl around her property for the next 16 minutes. Kathy called 911 for help, but the North Belle Vernon police never came to investigate or check on her safety and welfare.”

Patrick Sauritch added that his video surveillance cameras operate 24 hours a day. “You can look at the tape,” he said. “It shows that no police stopped by the house after the call was made.”

The Sauritches noted that their tenant did not inform them about the incident until several days later because “she was still shook up.” After the Sauritches called the North Belle Vernon Police Department, they spoke with an officer on duty who stated that another officer had responded to the 911 call.

“It was only when we showed the videotape to Chief Eugene Lipari that he told us he will find out why no one responded to the call,” said Patrick Sauritch. “As of today, we still haven’t received a call from Chief Lipari or Mayor Craig Ambrose. We want a formal investigation to be conducted against the North Belle Vernon Police Department and the officer on duty. We are worried about our safety.”

Council President Brett Berish said that council members cannot comment on a continuing investigation, but he pledged to find answers. “We apologize on behalf of the borough,” he said. “I can guarantee you that our council will take this matter seriously and get to the bottom of this. We have a lot of great things going on in North Belle Vernon, and we want to keep our community safe for everybody.”

Councilman Mark Frederick then made a motion to have all council members receive a copy of the final report of the investigation, so that they make take corrective action if it is necessary. The motion was subsequently passed. Ambrose was absent for the meeting.

Also during the meeting, council authorized the borough’s engineer to apply for a permit and loan through the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Frederick said the borough will need to borrow approximately $1 million to fund an uncompleted sewer project. He noted that the borough is seeking a 40-year loan with 2 percent interest. Taxpayers would pay about $3.22 per month to help the borough pay back the loan.

In other business, the council:

n Approved a $100 donation to the Westmoreland County Food Bank.

n Accepted the resignation of Jered Adametz, an employee of the Public Works Department.

n Approved the purchase of $87.97 for police ammunition and $260 to purchase two transmitters to repair video surveillance equipment.