Criminal Justice

A three-car crash in Lower Macungie almost exactly a year ago has now resulted in several charges including homicide by vehicle while driving under the influence.

Bethlehem Police promised more than $1M of the money, for body-cams and retention bonuses. Some of the money will go to justice initiatives and safety programs.

Games for Gunz, a new gun buyback program in Allentown is looking to specifically target teen gun violence by offering video game consoles in return for firearms.

Lehigh County commissioners approved a nearly $1 million contract with long-term vendor Lehigh Valley Pretrial Services Inc. though several commissioners and the county controller raised concerns about transparency.

Attorney General Josh Shapiro has announced the charges against 30 individuals and 21 businesses located in Lehigh, Lebanon and Philadelphia counties. They are accused of “title washing” and re-titling stolen vehicles.

The Community Connections Partnership joins social workers from the city's Health Bureau with police officers to connect people who need help with social services. The police chief says the program has been successful, but the idea is not universally popular.

After 65 years, the Philadelphia Police Department has finally identified the victim in the city’s oldest unsolved homicide case as 4-year-old Joseph Augustus Zarelli, of West Philadelphia.

An anonymous donor gifted Northampton County's Department of Corrections a 2-year-old Labrador to assist with examining seized property.

"Deana's Law" will add harsh penalties for drunken and impaired drivers who repeatedly violate the law in Pennsylvania.

Lehigh County commissioners are evaluating a proposal that would create a new program for individuals recently released from prison by engaging them before release and following them to ensure they stay employed and do not reoffend.

Jorge Suarez-Santiago, 34, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Jayleen Rivas-Rodriguez, 35, of Allentown, have had warrants issued for their arrest, Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin P. Holihan said.

Skill games — those machines that look like slot machines in convenience stores and taverns across Pennsylvania — are a potential public safety threat because they deal in cash in places that generally have little or no security procedures in place, according to the state district attorneys association.

Christian Joel Gonzalez Santiago, 29, last month pleaded no contest to involuntary manslaughter, a first-degree misdemeanor, in the July 31, 2022, crash on MacArthur Road in Whitehall Township.

Helen Teresa Knieriem and Roy T. Knieriem, both 76, were found in the home at 2359 Taylor Drive following a phone call to 911, according to the Lehigh County District Attorney's Office.

Jose Hilario Abreu, 29, is charged with involuntary manslaughter in which the victim is less than 12 years old in the March 28 death of Elijah Abreu Borgen, Holihan said.

Social media platforms, a toll-free number and online tip form are all part of what police are calling “PSP Tips” – a means for the community to provide information that might help solve a case, including some that are decades old.

The Pardon Project is designed to help low-income residents convicted of nonviolent crimes who have pleaded guilty and completed their sentence at least five years ago to eventually have their record expunged.

Allen Jahmell Grimes, 18, of Bethlehem, is reportedly awaiting extradition at Rikers Island in New York City after being caught by U.S. Marshals over the weekend.

Financial assistance is on the way to help a Lehigh Valley nonprofit that assists women who have been sex trafficked. Bloom for Women can now make upgrades to the housing they offer and begin providing services to men and children with the money.

The shooting that killed 3-year-old Elijah Abreu Borgen in Allentown on Thursday remains under investigation, the Lehigh County coroner ruled Friday.

The Allentown Police Department is investigating the shooting death of a 3-year-old boy on the city’s East Side.

The Northampton County District Attorney’s Office and Lower Saucon Township police have announced additional charges in connection with bomb threats made in the school district last week.