Criminal Justice

Northampton County officials appointed a new sheriff Wednesday: Christopher Zieger, formerly the department’s second-in-command.

The former West Easton clerk is charged with three felonies for allegedly accepting cash payments for residents' bills but never depositing the money in a borough account. He never returned to work after being sent a text informing him of his suspension in 2023, court records show.

Police said Amir Sims-Watson, 17, opened fire on a group of pedestrians in Allentown before robbing a woman at gunpoint at Trexler Middle School. Two other teens are charged in the shooting.

Easton City Councilman Frank Pintabone will host a Clean Slate information session this July to help eligible individuals get on the path to clear their criminal record.

Federal immigration officials on Friday issued their first statement since arresting 17 people at the Five10 Flats on June 11. Mayor J. Williams Reynolds this week described the arrests as "an American tragedy."

District Attorney Gavin Holihan said Gary J. Moyer 73, of South Whitehall, left a note among his final words saying, “Please convey my apologies to the officer who gets stuck shooting me.”

LaTarsha Brown, who works in the city's Department of Community and Economic Development, did not appear Tuesday in Lehigh County Court.

Christian Lopez-Rodriguez, 21, of Allentown, was shot and killed Oct. 17, 2020, during a robbery on the Hamilton Street bridge.

About 500 people rallied at two spots Thursday night — outside the Five10 Flats building where ICE agents arrested 17 people the day before, and at Bethlehem City Hall.

Easton City Council has officially adopted a change that will see possession and use of small amounts of marijuana reduced to a citation and fine as opposed to a misdemeanor crime.

Various Berks and Lehigh County police departments will join together to conduct coordinated aggressive-driving enforcement activities along the Route 222 corridor, a release said.

According to court records, Kyle Anthony Kleintop, of Wind Gap, has been charged with theft by unlawful taking, criminal trespass and more.

HanoverView Animal Hospital has reported its two outdoor air conditioning units were dismantled and stolen early Monday morning. Workers are asking for the public's help with finding the thieves.

While the city fills out its traffic staff, Public Works Director Michael Alkhal said he’d have to touch base with his team to see about any upcoming speed surveys. But the city is open to making some adjustments as needed, he said.

The teen died three weeks after the incident in Lynn Township, Lehigh County. He was with three other teens in the truck. State police and the Lehigh County District Attorney's Office are investigating.

The executive board of the International City/County Management Association at its June 21 meeting publicly censured former Fountain Hill Borough Manager Eric Gratz and permanently barred him from ICMA membership.

The Allentown Police Department is no stranger to excessive-force lawsuits, with the city paying out millions to settle them over the past decade.

Allen Jahmell Grimes, 18, of Bethlehem, charged in the Feb. 28 shooting of a woman in the 400 block of Cherokee Street in South Bethlehem, was extradited from New York City after being caught by U.S. Marshals.

A Philadelphia man was apprehended and charged Wednesday in the 2023 shooting death of a man in the parking lot of an Easton convenience store, officials said.

An Allentown man has been charged in the fatal shooting of another man at a party at the East Side Fire Social Hall in February 2024.

On the night of June 30 into July 1, security guard Emilia Amaral, dispatcher Karen Romero, officer Tina Vu, dispatcher Christina Pulley and officer Jaime Hricko were part of an historic moment at Lehigh University.

Ismael Segarra is accused of pointing a loaded shotgun at his wife and pulling the trigger. Police said the gun jammed.