Hear what a former New Castle chief of police thinks about the Small Town Noir mug shots.
Find out more at: unbound.co.uk/small-town-noir
More than a hundred stories of small-time true crime from New Castle PA will be featured in the Small Town Noir book. To support the book, and receive a copy when it’s published, go to the publisher’s website. Please do! And spread the word!
Small Town Noir 
Hello! I can’t recall if I wrote you before – I think I found your site on my phone, which I dislike typing on. I am fascinated by your site and can’t wait to explore more!
I do genealogy as a hobby, and my ancestors and cousins settled much of Lawrence County, including New Castle and Slippery Rock. I enjoy most reading odd history.
Somewhere in my research I came across a sad article about a teenage girl and her boyfriend – a popular couple at their high school at the time, if I remember right. She had become pregnant (pre Roe v Wade) and convinced her dentist to perform the abortion. Because of the sympathy he felt toward her, he ended up giving her too much anesthesia and she died. They had traveled a little distance away. I think her body was found in a graveyard where he left her. He was married with a wife and children, and ended up in jail. My notes are very disorganized thanks to computer crashes, but your site reminded me of this story and I wonder if your stash includes the dentist. I think the story was from earlier than your pile. Anyway… thought you might find this interesting 🙂
Kim
What an awful story — how terrible. I haven’t come across it in my trawls through the new Castle News archive, though. The only mug shot with a connection to abortion is this one: https://smalltownnoir.com/2013/06/16/robert-grim-worthless-check-26-february-1940/ (The girl died in that case, too.)
Thanks for getting in touch! Let me know if you sort out your notes and get the story straight; I’d love to read it.
Damn! I wanted to hear what he thought about you. Didn’t he think you were completely mad? 😀He is right about how fascinating your mugshots are. They are indeed a goldmine!
He did indeed! I’ll use that clip in a video soon…
Hello Diarmid, I stumbled across your research and book and wanted to tell you I think it is wonderful. I am a New Castle native and am actually the great, great nephew of Carl (cacky) Cialella. If you ever need help contacting or finding the relatives of any of the people I’d be glad to help.
Hi Vito — I’m honoured; thanks for dropping in and getting in touch! I may well call on your assistance at some point in the future…