Criminal Justice

Mayor David Heintzelman announced a new “officer in charge” of the Hellertown Police Department. One official said if the borough added six full-time officers as recommended in a report, taxpayers would bear the brunt of an estimated 35% property tax increase.

The powerful animal tranquilizer is showing up in supplies of illicit drugs and is contributing to a growing number of overdose deaths, including in the Lehigh Valley.

Someone robbed a bank in west Allentown while police responded Monday to a report of an armed person on the college campus, according to police.

A 29-year-old former Parkland student, who lived in a home owned by district performing arts director Frank Anonia, was sentenced to county prison last month on a charge of possessing child pornography.

Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin P. Holihan announced on Friday that six persons have been charged in a large-scale burglary ring throughout the Lehigh Valley and surrounding areas.

A Palmer Township police officer has been arrested for allegedly sending inappropriate images of himself to an underage Easton Area High School student, authorities said.

Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle Henry announced that a Lehigh County man has been sentenced to prison for his role in a January 2023 shooting in Allentown.

Northampton County officials said Wednesday that while a staffing crisis at the county's juvenile justice center has eased over the past few months, they are still turning kids away because of a worker shortage.

Bryan Kohberger, charged in the killings of 4 University of Idaho students, resided in Monroe County, Pa., and is a graduate of DeSales University and Northampton Community College.

An Easton woman is facing numerous charges after investigators said she smuggled a cell phone and drugs into Northampton County Prison — items later found in possession of two inmates.

Earlier Wednesday, Bethlehem Police Department said in a release that shortly before 7 a.m., it "received a courtesy notification from agents with the Department of Homeland Security that federal agents were actively searching" for the individual. The search involved the area of the 500 block of East 3rd Street, police said.

Between March 2020 and September 2023, Louis Belletieri transferred millions from an escrow account to his personal and business accounts, according to federal prosecutors.

More than a dozen volunteers on Tuesday committed their service to the community’s schoolchildren who find themselves at odds with the law for the first time.

Jason Krasley also is due to stand trial on numerous charges stemming from alleged sexual assaults in 2011 and 2015 when he served on the city’s Vice and Intelligence Unit.

Eileen Miller, whose son Paul Miller was killed in a collision by a distracted driver, on Friday spoke on a piece of legislation that bans the use of handheld devices while driving in Pennsylvania.

An Allentown woman was charged with possession of a quarter pound of synthetic opioid fentanyl, District Attorney Stephen Baratta announced Wednesday.

Authorities including District Attorney Stephen Baratta and the Palmer Township Police have confirmed a man was apprehended and charged for shooting and killing his in-laws at a 55+ community Tuesday night.

Latasha Santiago, 36, pleaded guilty in March to conspiracy tocommit robbery, a first-degree felony, in the Oct. 17, 2020, shooting death of Christian Lopez-Rodriguez, 21, of Allentown.

LaTarsha Brown is accused of falsely reporting that she found a noose Jan. 10 on her desk in the city’s Department of Community and Economic Development.

The victim was a Bethlehem Township resident and junior at Freedom High School, according to township Police Chief Gregory Gottschall. Authorities say a criminal investigation is underway.

Lehigh and Northampton counties don't release inmates into ICE custody unless federal agents present them a warrant. The policies are likely why the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has labeled the counties as sanctuary jurisdictions.

The Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts shared a news release warning of a recently reported text scam that attempts to "spoof" or mimic the Pennsylvania Courts and/or Unified Judicial System website. The AOPC says anyone who receives the text should not provide payment the text demands or any sensitive information.