State Rep. Tim O’Neill
Local state legislators have asked a magistrate to set bond for a suspect charged with a violent crime after a defendant released from robbery last year was arrested on suspicion of stabbing a man to death earlier this week. They hope to enact an amendment to make it mandatory.
State Rep. Tim O’Neill (R-South Strabane) announced on his official Facebook page on Wednesday that he plans to initiate articles of impeachment against District Judge Xander Orenstein, but the congressman recanted that statement on Thursday. He said he hoped to submit the bill. Requires monetary bond to be posted for violent crimes.
“The important message I wanted to get across (in the Facebook post) is that we are prepared to keep all options on the table to ensure these dangerous decisions are prevented,” O’Neill said in a phone interview Thursday. That means there is,” he said.
Orenstein came under fire this week after Anthony Quesen was charged Monday with stabbing to death State Police Liquor Enforcement Officer Benjamin Bralier while jogging on Montour Trail in Moon Township. . Kwesen, also known as Antonia Kasseim, was arrested and charged with robbing and assaulting a man at Point State Park in Pittsburgh in June 2023. However, although Orenstein released the defendant on a non-monetary bond, the suspect failed to appear at a subsequent hearing and the bond was revoked.
“At the end of the day, Allegheny County residents who voted for (Orenstein) voted to put violent criminals off the streets,” said House Republican Leader O’Neill. “I definitely think we need a law that prevents judges from making these decisions, especially for violent crimes. Impeachment could be one of those routes.”
State Sen. Devlin Robinson, R-Bridgeville, has introduced such a bill in the Senate, but questions remain whether there is the political will to pass both chambers or whether the bill would handcuff comparable branches. It is unclear whether it will be considered constitutional as it is a possibility. of the government.
Mr. O’Neill said that starting impeachment proceedings against Mr. Orenstein remains an option, but it is too late this year to begin the process immediately and it will not begin until January at the earliest, when the new Congress begins. He said he was deaf. Instead, he hopes the state Legislature will debate the issue surrounding non-monetary bonds and find a bipartisan solution, including impeaching Orenstein as a last resort if the legislative process fails. I’m here.
“The reality is we’ve run out of session days, and no matter what happens, we basically have to start with a new session,” O’Neill said. “I have many colleagues who are interested in leading this effort, and I want to send a message to the public that we as House Republicans are prepared to do whatever it takes to fix the scenario.”
Mr. Orenstein has been in the spotlight over the past year over judges’ propensity to offer non-monetary bonds to defendants regardless of the circumstances.
In September 2023, Mr. Orenstein released Yan Carlos Cepeda of New York City despite his arrest on a bus in Pittsburgh on suspicion of possessing a large amount of cocaine. Because there were no financial conditions for his release, Mr. Cepeda did not appear at his preliminary hearing and disappeared for several months before being arrested in New York.
In April, Orenstein did not set bail conditions for Hermus Craddock, a Penn Hills resident who allegedly led police on a high-speed chase after he allegedly threw a handgun out a window. Craddock left the area, did not appear at the preliminary hearing, and was eventually arrested in Florida.
After the second incident, Allegheny County court administrators and the presiding judge stripped Orenstein of his position supervising preliminary arraignments, where bail is set for criminal defendants.
“This is the third time. To prevent that from happening in the future, we are prepared to enact legislation that leads to or includes impeachment,” O’Neill said. “We’ll have to wait and see what kind of political support we get in Harrisburg, whatever path we really want to go down. If Pittsburgh Democrats listen to their constituents I have no doubt that they will support our efforts.”
