Criminal Justice

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.

Gary J. Moyer, 73, of South Whitehall Township, was pronounced dead at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday in the 100 block of North 38th Street after suffering gunshot injuries, Lehigh County Coroner Daniel A. Buglio said Thursday.

Councilman Frank Pintabone reintroduced his marijuana decriminalization ordinance at Easton City Council on Wednesday, aiming to turn possession into a summary charge. A vote on the matter is expected in two weeks.

The Lehigh County District Attorney's Office is investigating the fatal shooting that occurred in the 100 block of North 38th Street in South Whitehall on Wednesday afternoon.

Former Hellertown Police Chief Robert Shupp, who was recently sentenced to prison time for stealing money from the borough, is lined up to get about $32,000 in pension contributions with an approval from Borough Council.

Pennsylvania State Police have rolled out 15 RapidHIT ID systems to troops across the commonwealth. The machines are capable of analyzing forensic samples and generating DNA profiles in as little as 90 minutes.

Palmer Township police officer John Smoke faces up to five years in prison. Authorities accused him of sending the photo to a 16-year-old while he was assigned to Easton Area High School as a resource officer.

Police have charged an Easton man in connection with a recent chop shop investigation. Angel Vidal faces several felony and misdemeanor charges as he awaits a preliminary hearing in Northampton County Prison.

Incidents in the dashboard date only to the start of 2024, which Mayor Matt Tuerk and Police Chief Charles Roca have touted as having historically low crime and homicide rates.

Former Hellertown Police chief Robert Shupp appeared in district court Wednesday to waive his preliminary hearing.

That funding adds to a recent $984,000 contract for “citywide surveillance” and a $1.5 million program for gunshot-detection technology and license-plate readers.

Pennsylvania State Police say Jared Gerhard, 30, touched a 17-year-old girl inside a Lower Macungie Township Marshall's Friday while she was shopping with her family.

The 53-year-old cycling champion, who spent a year on probation after pleading guilty in February 2023 in a previous stalking and harassment case, is now charged in a case investigated by the Bethlehem Police Department.

Catherine Henry, a senior litigator in the Federal Community Defender Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, has been nominated by President Joe Biden to fill the vacancy left by the death of U.S. District Court Judge Edward Smith.

Gov. Josh Shapiro is poised to sign a bill that requires Pennsylvania State Police and many other law enforcement agencies to collect data on drivers pulled over during traffic stops, including their race or ethnicity.

Problems with theft in the mail collection bins outside the post office go back at least four years. Last year police warned folks to stop using the bins and deposit mail inside the post office. The bins remained open — and the stolen checks and mail have persisted.

Joshua Moser, 33, is being held without bail in Monroe County after he was arrested there for a parole violation, according to the Lehigh County District Attorney's Office.

Palmer Township police Officer John Smoke, the school resource officer at Easton Area High School, waived his preliminary hearing in Palmer Township on Friday.

Reporters Ryan Gaylor and Brittany Sweeney talk about a Bethlehem school resource officer arraigned on multiple sex crimes and a merger between LVHN and Jefferson University Hospital.

Rose Josephine Hnath, 78, was found dead in her North Whitehall Township home in January 1989. She had been repeatedly stabbed and beaten, Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin Holihan said.

The Allentown Police Department will replace or upgrade about 175 cameras across the city to provide high-definition surveillance footage, according to Chief Charles Roca.