Criminal Justice

Northampton County residents might find themselves receiving a phone call from someone claiming to be a Sergeant from the Sheriff's Department. Police are advising this is a scam.

Patricia Fuentes Mulqueen, a longtime prosecutor, will run for Lehigh County judge, she announced Tuesday.

Officer Zane Struss, who was cleared of wrongdoing in a fatal shooting last February, drove through an intersection without his emergency lights or sirens on and hit another vehicle, according to a since-settled lawsuit.

The shooting occurred early Saturday night in a parking lot off the 1100 block of MacArthur Road in Whitehall Township, near Jordan Parkway, according to the Lehigh County Coroner's Office.

Two Allentown officers alleged they faced retaliation for reporting criminal activity by other members of the Vice and Intelligence Unit.

Easton City Councilwoman Taiba Sultana is suing PA Citizens PAC, alleging that racist campaign ads and imagery contributed to harassment and the loss of her campaign for the state House this year.

The first hearing related to council’s lawsuit against the mayor was scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Thursday.

The city is being sued over claims it took no action to stop racial harassment by a sitting council member.

A 29-year-old Allentown man has entered a guilty plea for involuntary manslaughter, after allegedly leaving his loaded gun on a couch pillow.

Christopher Joel Colon, 32, and John Brace, 32, both of Allentown, are accused of attempted murder and related crimes after a shooting early Wednesday on North Jordan Street. The victim suffered multiple wounds and was hospitalized, police said.

A Lehigh University student was found to have forged documents to get into the school. He will now be deported after authorities investigated his admission of the scheme on Reddit, they said.

A video recording shows an Allentown police officer delivering seven blows to 29-year-old Michael Iucolino’s leg as three other officers surrounded him on the ground. He was then shocked with a Taser. Police said Iucolino "continued to be an assailant throughout the entire encounter."

Officers called to a shooting in Bethlehem found a man with a gunshot wound to the body. He was taken by ambulance to a hospital in critical condition, police said.

Joshua Ortiz, 28, of Allentown, had pleaded guilty April 22 to attempted murder — a first-degree felony — in the June 4, 2023, incident in the parking lot of AutoZone, 1871 S. Fifth St., Allentown.

Allentown authorities have released the names and images of two individuals suspected of being involved in the shooting of an 11-year-old boy on June 13. 2024, and are asking for help finding the pair.

Kareem Ali Greene, 40, served more than a decade in state prison after pleading guilty to a March 2007 armed robbery in South Allentown, court records show.

Two council members hit back at the mayor Tuesday, saying they have no concerns about the process that led them to hire a former FBI agent to investigate allegations of workplace discrimination and racism.

The helicopter from Pennsylvania State Police was used during an enforcement detail Saturday afternoon and evening in Allentown, officials said. They say the plan is to use the helicopter throughout the summer.

Allentown police are investigating after a boy was injured by a stray bullet Thursday.

Zebbelin Standish, 36, formerly of Easton, was sentenced Wednesday in Northampton County Court after a four-day February trial in which he was convicted of 55 felony counts.

Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin Holihan says machine gun conversion devices, also known as Glock switches, are becoming increasingly common in the region. The illegal modifications turn semi-automatic firearms into automatic weapons.

An Allentown police officer is on the mend after suffering a medical episode on Monday, a release from the department said.