Dec 7, 2023 By Mike Jones 3 min read

A Washington County judge has ordered a pause in the legal battle between the district attorney and coroner in what appears to be an attempt to calm the escalating feud between the two county row officers.

Judge Michael Lucas issued the stay order Wednesday morning less than 24 hours before District Attorney Jason Walsh and the solicitor for Coroner Timothy Warco were set to argue dueling motions against each other today in the ongoing saga over an inquest into the police shooting in April that killed a motorist.

“While subject to this Stay, the parties shall not conduct discovery, request subpoenas of the Prothonotary or use other Court processes to advance their position in this dispute,” Lucas wrote in his one-page order. “A violation of this order shall be subject to Court sanctions.”

The issue centers on a public feud over Warco’s decision to hold a coroner’s inquest to investigate the April 2 shooting of a motorist following a lengthy police chase that began in Burgettstown and ended in Washington. Mt. Pleasant Township police Officer Tyler Evans shot and killed 38-year-old Eduardo Hoover as he tried to evade a roadblock when several police cars boxed in Hoover’s fleeing pickup truck on Jefferson Avenue in the city.

Walsh called the shooting justified, but Warco held a two-day inquest in October in which he determined Evans should be held “criminally liable” and face charges. Walsh reiterated after the inquest that he would not file charges, and the relationship between the district attorney and coroner appeared to sour over the disagreement.

Walsh secured a search warrant on Nov. 28, which was signed and sealed by Washington County President Judge John DiSalle, to retrieve all investigatory documents from the coroner’s office in Washington. Two days later, a similar warrant was signed by District Judge Jack Kobistek of Crafton to search the Carnegie office of attorney Timothy Uhrich, who serves as Warco’s solicitor. Both Warco and Uhrich referred to the searches as “raids” and took exception with Walsh’s demands to return the investigative files.

In response, Walsh’s office filed a lawsuit last Friday asking for a restraining order against Warco and Uhrich and demanding they return all remaining investigative files and destroy any additional copies. Uhrich responded blasting Walsh’s demands and asked Lucas to sanction the district attorney for his handling of the situation.

Both sides were expected to argue their motions before Lucas this morning until the judge issued the stay.

Multiple sources familiar with the situation said Uhrich and one of Walsh’s assistants, Deputy District Attorney John Friedmann, met privately with Lucas on Wednesday, although it’s not known what was discussed. The group apparently is scheduled to meet again behind closed doors this morning, according to the sources.

Both Walsh and Uhrich declined to comment, saying they could not discuss the situation due to the stay order.