Criminal Justice

The Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency awarded Bethlehem a $726,000 grant in January to provide programming intended to reduce violence in five neighborhoods. City officials will begin surveying residents about their needs next week.

A woman accused of intentionally abandoning her dog at a Pennsylvania airport before she boarded a flight to a resort in Mexico earlier this month has been charged with animal cruelty and related charges.

Lehigh County District Attorney Jim Martin said Dominick Hogans ran from police and then shot at them July 24, 2023. Officers were within their rights when they returned fire, fatally shooting him nine times, Martin said.

A Lehigh County report found "systemic overdiagnosis" of medical child abuse, formerly known as Munchausen syndrome by proxy. People came to the Lehigh County Commissioners meeting and said LVHN has falsely accused many of the disorder.

A new problem-solving court is aimed at keeping military veterans charged with crimes out of jail by treating and addressing the underlying causes of criminality.

The Ohio State wrestler was hospitalized after being shot during a reported robbery attempt Friday in Columbus, Ohio. Sasso, a Nazareth Area High School alum, is a two-time PIAA state champion wrestler.

Multiple news outlets are reporting Sasso was shot Friday night near the Ohio State University campus. He's a three-time All-American wrestler and two-time PIAA state champion from Nazareth Area High School.

Three suspects from two cases have been charged with scamming older Pennsylvanians; one of the victims is from Lehigh County. The Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office is offering tips on recognizing and fighting scams.

Roger Kornfeind will serve up to 10 years in state prison after defrauding 88 victims of more than $1.5 million over nearly four years.

Bethlehem City Council unanimously approved BPD to join other Lehigh County agencies to combat crime through the use of shared investigative data.

Former Hellertown Police Chief Robert Shupp, who was recently sentenced to prison time for stealing money from the borough, is lined up to get about $32,000 in pension contributions with an approval from Borough Council.

Pennsylvania State Police have rolled out 15 RapidHIT ID systems to troops across the commonwealth. The machines are capable of analyzing forensic samples and generating DNA profiles in as little as 90 minutes.

Palmer Township police officer John Smoke faces up to five years in prison. Authorities accused him of sending the photo to a 16-year-old while he was assigned to Easton Area High School as a resource officer.

Police have charged an Easton man in connection with a recent chop shop investigation. Angel Vidal faces several felony and misdemeanor charges as he awaits a preliminary hearing in Northampton County Prison.

Incidents in the dashboard date only to the start of 2024, which Mayor Matt Tuerk and Police Chief Charles Roca have touted as having historically low crime and homicide rates.

Police are seeking witnesses to a hit-and-run crash on Industrial Drive in Bethlehem that left a pedestrian with serious injuries.

The expanded police department’s finish will set in motion another project in downtown Allentown.

The Northampton County Drug Task Force raided four convenience stores Thursday — three in the Slate Belt and one in East Allen Township. Besides the cash seized, authorities said the value of products confiscated surpassed $400,000.

Elijah Patterson, 19, of Allentown, was found guilty of first-degree murder and other charges after a three-day Lehigh County Jury trial in March.

Christian Lopez-Rodriguez, 21, of Allentown, died Oct. 17, 2020, shortly after he was shot during a robbery on the Hamilton Street bridge, according to authorities.

Said Township Police Chief Frank Lombardo, “The decisions that I make, while for the organization, will always be guided by my time on the street, which brought every type of experience a police officer could have.”

Pediatricians say teen twin boys who were severely malnourished in their parents' care likely would have died in weeks or months if not for medical attention. District Judge Michael J. Faulkner determined that there was enough evidence to send the case to Lehigh County Court.