Criminal Justice

It happened a little before 7 p.m. Wednesday at Easton Avenue and Beech Street in Bethlehem.

Clement Swaby was sentenced to up to 150 years in prison in the 2020 rape of a Lehigh University student, plus subsequent break-ins and attempted sexual assaults in Easton.

Lehigh County Judge Thomas Capehart denied the appeal of Patrick Palmer, who argued election staff should accept his paperwork because he paid a filing fee on time.

Patrick Palmer, an Allentown School Board director, argued in Lehigh County Court he should not be denied a spot on the primary ballot. County officials ruled he missed the March 7 filing deadline by a matter of seconds.

Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro’s nominees for attorney general and state police commissioner received unanimous approval from the Pennsylvania’s Republican-controlled Senate.

Lehigh Valley Health Network was victimized in a cybersecurity attack last month. The network said it refused to pay a ransom. Now, patient information and photos have been posted on the dark web, according to LVHN.

The force, made up of municipal, county and federal investigators, is designed to fight the sexual exploitation of children in the county, along with human trafficking more broadly.

Marc Muffley was arrested at his home in Lansford, Carbon County, on Monday night. A hearing is set for Thursday afternoon in federal court in Allentown on charges that include possessing an explosive device at an airport.

On Thursday, Lehigh County District Attorney Jim Martin declared that a city police officer was justified in fatally shooting an armed man during a foot chase last month.

The FBI said Marc Muffley, 40, of Lansford, Carbon County, left the airport Monday after checking a bag that was to be loaded on an Allegiant flight from Allentown to Sanford, Fla.

Parkland High School teachers reported suspected misconduct by ex-performing arts administrator Frank Anonia more than a decade before his arrest on charges of secretly recording a student in a dressing room, a former teacher testified. Anonia is due in court for a criminal trial this week.

Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin Holihan said Zach Cole-Borghi was one of 22 people taken into custody Thursday as part of an ongoing grand jury investigation. Cole-Borghi was arrested Thursday at his job at Bethlehem City Hall. A city official today said he is no longer employed by the city.

State prosecutors took over four cases against former Allentown officer Jason Krasley. The Lehigh County District Attorney's Office will continue prosecuting Krasley on charges related to a 2019 theft.

The Lehigh County District Attorney’s Office handed cases against two former Allentown vice officers to the Pennsylvania Attorney’s General’s Office due to a potential conflict of interest.

A few dozen drivers, both behind the wheel and walking — and with a quick showing of their vehicle registration and proof of insurance — had come through for their free wheel lock as of 30 minutes into the event.

Troopers said the incident began around 5:25 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 20 when an undercover member of Troop M’s vice unit saw a vehicle pull into the Knights Inn.

State police say they clocked an underage, intoxicated driver in a vehicle traveling 109 mph on Route 378, and he had five underage, intoxicated passengers in the car who admitted coming from and consuming alcohol at Musikfest.

South Whitehall Police Department's K-9, Drax, is retiring from the force after seven years of service, and taking up the easy life with his longtime work partner and handler.

Students shared a text from the Villanova alert system that told them to lock and barricade doors and move to secure locations. A second alert from Villanova officials warned people to stay away from the law school.

Isiah Yeager, 25, is due to stand trial Oct. 20 — 28 months after he was charged with homicide in connection with a fatal stabbing at Synergy Hookah Lounge.

Ashton Jordan Thomas, 18, of Stewartsville, New Jersey, turned himself in to the Bethlehem Police Department this week, authorities said.

Allowing some residents to stay at the encampment for an extra month is “the safest and most humane course of action,” Mayor Matt Tuerk said. But no one else will be allowed to set up camp there before its closure.