Criminal Justice

Packages stolen before they have a chance to be received are often deemed as being taken by “porch pirates,” who now may face stricter consequences under Pa. law.

The Lehigh County coroner identified a 44-year-old woman and a 1-year-old boy who died in a chaotic night of gunfire in Allentown late Friday.

In the wake of a trio of shootings in Allentown Friday night that left two dead and six more injured, some of the city's political, civic and religious leaders met Sunday to call for action.

The 1-year-old and a 44-year-old woman were among three people shot in a home in the 100 block of Chestnut Street in Allentown. Over the next several hours, five more people would be shot in two more separate shooting incidents.

Two shootings occurred around 9 p.m. Friday. Authorities found two people dead in a house in the 100 block of Chestnut Street in Allentown's First Ward, the incoming Lehigh County district attorney said. One of them was a 1-year-old boy, the coroner said.

Under the bill, gun owners could lose their license to carry if they try to take a loaded weapon onto a plane. This would be similar to losing a license for possessing a small amount of marijuana, one lawmaker said.

"Be aware, set your alarms," Lower Saucon Township Police Chief Thomas Barndt said at a township council meeting.

Lehigh County Courthouse is expected to reopen a week after fire sprinklers damaged the building's electrical system Tuesday night.

The social studies teacher at William Allen High School was accused of drug crimes following a March raid of her home by the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office. She resigned a few weeks later, citing "personal" reasons.

The new position will appear on the ballot in 2025. The Lehigh County Court of Common Pleas had one of the higher caseloads for counties of its size.

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.

An estimated 300 Lehigh University students tore down a football goalpost and paraded it through South Bethlehem streets before tossing it from a bridge into the Lehigh River. It was a classic college football moment. Now, is someone going to be charged with a crime?

Francis "Frank" Anonia, 43, is accused of secretly recording a student in 2021 in the boys’ changing room in Parking High School’s auditorium.

Within weeks of Bethlehem City Council approving the police department to join a state drug trafficking task course, Police Chief Michelle Kott said Tuesday there’s an illegal drug now overshadowing opioids here locally.

A group of about 300 Lehigh University students carried the goalpost more than four miles from Goodman Stadium into South Bethlehem after the Lehigh football team's defeat of rival Lafayette on Saturday. On Monday, Lehigh apologized for the incident.

The whistleblower lawsuit details an alleged theft at the center of recently filed felony charges against a former Allentown Vice officer.

Palmer Township resident Andrew Wolke, 53, faces arson charges after investigators alleged he attempted to set fire to his house after being accused of indecent assault and corruption of minors.

A Palmer Township man has been arrested and charged with corruption of minors and related crimes against a high school student. Police say they are investigating "several incidents."

The 35-year-old woman faces up to 5 to 20 years in prison in connection with the child's death in April 2021. Authorities said she left the boy in the care of his visibly intoxicated father after giving the man what she believed was heroin.