Criminal Justice

Eric Dowdle led Lehigh County’s prosecution against two former Allentown vice officers before state attorneys took over those cases.

More than three dozen law enforcement professionals from the Lehigh Valley and beyond took part in the first training at the newly opened Joni Berner Esq ‘75-Expert Witness Training Center & Crime Scene Laboratory.

Two men are in Northampton County Prison after a traffic stop and vehicle search yielded the seizure of about 20,000 fentanyl pills.

Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin P. Holihan announced Thursday that an Allentown man charged in a fatal shooting outside a child's birthday party last year has been sentenced. He will serve 11 ½ to 28 years in state prison in the death of an Alburtis man.

The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press has filed an emergency motion in Lehigh County Court requesting that a judge unseal documents in at least 22 criminal cases tied to an interstate drug ring. Among the defendants is Lehigh County Commissioner Zach Cole-Borghi.

After his ousting in August 2023, Nadeem Shahzad pledged to sue the city for terminating him without cause.

Alfeni Romero-Taveras, 22, of Allentown, was charged Friday in the June 1, 2024, death of Angel Martinez-Velez on a basketball court at Fountain Park on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.

Two men face felony charges for stealing nearly $100,000 from Lowe's stores across the state. Investigators say the men used self-checkout kiosks to make purchases with their cell phones using information stolen from Lowe's customer accounts.

Police responded to a report of an armed person at Innovative Arts Academy in Catasauqua on Tuesday afternoon. An investigation is ongoing.

Pennsylvania State Police said the incident began when they tried to serve an arrest warrant on a 62-year-old man in the parking lot of the Super 8 at 1033 Airport Road on Sunday morning.

Cedar Crest College will use a $608,000 grant from the U.S. Justice Department for creation of an Expert Witness Training Center and Crime Scene Lab.

Bethlehem Police Chief Michelle L. Kott and Mayor J. William Reynolds released a joint statement Monday calling a proposed "welcoming ordinance" regarding federal immigration policies unnecessary in the city.

In a statement released through U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie's office, ICE says Northampton County has a policy of not fully cooperating with the agency, placing agents and the public at risk. County Executive Lamont McClure disagrees.

Alberto Jose Rios-Santiago, 26, was arrested Thursday in Florida and is awaiting extradition, authorities said.

Congressman Ryan Mackenzie has accused Northampton County of not cooperating with ICE, while County Executive Lamont McClure has argued the legislator does not grasp the complexity of the situation.

Easton Police Chief Carl Scalzo spoke out against a proposed "welcoming city" ordinance, saying it could be seen as a beacon for criminal activity in the city and make police officers' jobs more difficult.

An Allentown man was sentenced on Tuesday to 18-to-60 months in state prison in the accidental death of his 3-year-old son, who shot himself with an unattended gun.

Allentown officers responded to BKK Lounge more than two dozen times since July 2023, according to Police Chief Charles Roca. But police did not pass along any complaints about the business to officials in charge of nuisance abatement.

U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, wants to know how a former Allentown vice officer was hired by the U.S. Center for SafeSport despite sex-crime allegations in his past.

While the arrest of a suspected Venezuelan gang member outside Northampton County Prison in late January was timely, it was not directly tied to President Trump's recent executive orders on illegal immigration.

Pedro Junior Paulino, 35, was charged alongside David Isaiah Rivera, 26, with homicide and attempted homicide after four people were shot Feb. 2 outside BKK Lounge in Allentown.

Easton City Councilwoman Taiba Sultana is making a move to codify pro-immigrant policies just after Allentown's council passed a similar measure days ago.