Criminal Justice

In the wake of a jail escapes in Chester and Warren counties, state Republican lawmakers are planning to introduce a set of bills to improve county jail security, infrastructure and staffing.

District Attorney Jim Martin said that people in the community should delete the video found on social media that shows a child being sexually abused.

Authorities in Pennsylvania said they captured escaped murderer Danelo Cavalcante after hunting for him nearly two weeks.

The Connect Lehigh County program will make police aware of where participating private groups and residents have installed security cameras. Police hope this can help them quickly collect video evidence as they investigate crimes.

PA State Police said the department was pursuing Danelo Souza Cavalcante in Chester County and believe he's now armed.

The manhunt for Danelo Cavalcante, a convicted killer who escaped from Chester County Prison, is in its 11th day. Pennsylvania State Police said overnight that Cavalcante was spotted in the Phoenixville area and now is operating a white van.

The police pups will appear at the Petersville Gun and Rod Club's Basket Social on Saturday, Sept. 9.

Sammy Sasso, a state champion wrestler from Nazareth Area High School, was shot Aug. 18 in a carjacking near Ohio State University, where he is a student.

Visitors to an open house on Saturday, Sept. 9, can meet the six equine officers of the Bethlehem Police Department and their partners.

Danelo Cavalcante, who escaped from Chester County Prison last week, has been on the run for six days. He was convicted last month of killing his girlfriend and is extremely dangerous, according to authorities.

A former Easton Area High School resource officer who pleaded guilty to sending a sexually explicit image of himself to a 16-year-old female student in 2024 was sentenced to 9-to-24 months in Northampton County Prison, it was announced on Wednesday.

Said Bethlehem Police Chief Michelle Kott, “It’s not used for enforcement. It’s just a means, similar to the news media, of being able to bring up that camera and check the traffic conditions, or if there's an accident, it could be utilized for investigative purposes.”

Angel Martinez-Velez, 25, of Allentown, was shot and killed June 1, 2024, on the basketball court at Allentown's Fountain Park.

Allentown police were called just before 2 a.m. Sunday to a home in the 100 block of Pine Street, where officers found a girl suffering from a gunshot wound to the face, according to the Lehigh County District Attorney's Office.

Police were called to a South Side neighborhood just before 11:30 p.m. on Saturday for a report of a shooting. All of the wounded are expected to survive, police said.

John Gehrmann, stepfather of Palmer teen Enci "Aubrey" Wu, has been charged with illegally recording phone conversations with authorities and other individuals while he was looking into the girl's disappearance.

Mayor Matt Tuerk called on the county's president judge to “issue a public and unambiguous policy” banning ICE agents from county courthouses, a move he said would “be a major step in restoring trust in government and faith in its fairness.”

Lehigh County Board of Commissioners have Ok'd a four-year, $34.6 million contract with PrimeCare Medical to serve inmates in their corrections facilities.

The hotline, created by the Lehigh Valley Emergency Response Network, will serve as a tool for residents to report concerns about U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity.

Sunday said his office was investigating Angel Gil, 32, as a cocaine trafficker in Lehigh and Northampton counties before Wednesday’s searches.

Lehigh County Board of Commissioners on Wednesday heard from angry and concerned residents regarding the procedures they believe ICE agents are using at the county courthouse.

An unhoused man is facing multiple charges, including attempted homicide, connected to a shooting June 30 in the area of North Morris and West Allen streets in Allentown.