Criminal Justice

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.

John Frederick Fifield, 21, pleaded guilty May 6 to charges in a 2021 crash of homicide by vehicle while driving under the influence and aggravated assault by vehicle while driving under the influence — both felonies.

Allentown police launched their investigation after an officer found her car in a different spot than where she parked it.

The U.S. Supreme Court narrowed the scope of an anti-bribery law used to send former Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski to federal prison. But Scott Curtis, the former FBI agent who led the investigation, said the ruling shouldn't be of much help to Pawlowski's appeals.

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.

Isiah Yeager, 24, was arrested in mid-June after a 29-year-old Bethlehem man was fatally stabbed at Synergy Hookah Lounge on Allentown’s East Side.

Authorities believe the same person or people are responsible for the break-ins due to the proximity and times of the calls. Police say there have been 16 reported thefts the past week and more unsuccessful attempts to enter locked vehicles.

A new study from the Lehigh Valley Justice Institute of the area's local courts found a link between time spent in jail awaiting trial and harsher prison sentences.

Authorities cleared the synagogue Thursday and determined the threat was unfounded after receiving an email indicating explosives would go off, a security official said.

Former Hellertown Borough Police Chief Robert Shupp appeared in court Monday, charged with 18 counts for to allegedly taking $122,000 in borough funds.

The crash happened about 1:15 a.m. Sunday in the 300 block of West Hamilton Street. Police say the driver of the vehicle wasn't hurt and their investigation is continuing.