Criminal Justice

Costas Alestas, 44, of Palmer Township, entered the plea before Northampton County Judge Samuel P. Murray. He admitted guilt to charges of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and invasion of privacy, according to the Northampton County District Attorney's Office.

The U.S. Center for SafeSport fired Chief Executive Officer Ju'Riese Colón, Tuesday. The move comes after the company faced scrutiny for employing former Allentown Vice Unit officer Jason Krasely, who has been charged with rape, theft, sex trafficking and other crimes.

A Northampton County judge on Wednesday sentenced former Hellertown police chief Robert Shupp to up to 23 months in prison, plus fines and restitution, for stealing from the borough.

LaTarsha Brown reported finding a noose Jan. 10 on her desk in the city’s Department of Community and Economic Development. She's charged with making false reports and tampering with or fabricating evidence.

Salisbury Township Police Sgt. Bryan Losagio was part of a speed timing detail on Wednesday on South Pike Avenue. The department has dubbed the enforcement the 'Pike Avenue 500' due to the severe speeding on the stretch of road connecting the township to Allentown.

Legislators, community members, and nonprofits came together in Allentown Thursday to discuss the need to raise awareness of sex trafficking and the support required by its victims.

Obadiah Whack, 31, pleaded guilty to third-degree murder and possession of a prohibited firearm, in the Sept. 29, 2023, death of Giselle Trabal, 35, at 628 N. Law St.

In 1989, Yusef Salaam and four other teenagers were imprisoned after being wrongly accused and convicted of raping a woman in Central Park in New York. At Northampton Community College on Tuesday night, he shared his story and the need to address inequities in the criminal justice system.

Missing Palmer Township teen Enci "Aubrey" Wu has been found in Georgia, Northampton County District Attorney Stephen Baratta announced Tuesday.

A man who authorities said scaled an iron security fence in the middle of the night, eluded police and broke into the Pennsylvania governor’s mansion where he set a fire had planned to beat Gov. Josh Shapiro with a hammer if he found him, according to court documents released Monday.

Emergency crews worked for more than an hour Tuesday morning near Fourth and Hamilton streets to recover the body of a 60-year-old Allentown man.

A joint enforcement between Pennsylvania State Police and the Allentown Police Department resulted in dozens of traffic citations in just two hours on American Parkway. One driver was going 69 mph in the 40 mph zone, state police said.

U.S. District Judge John Gallagher ruled Marc Muffley, of Lansford, Pa., recklessly endangered passengers at Lehigh Valley International Airport in 2023 when he packed a can of butane, a fireworks mortar, a torch lighter and lithium ion batteries in his baggage.

Northampton County becomes the 30th county in Pennsylvania to adopt the Law Enforcement Treatment Initiative, or LETI, which enables those seeking treatment for substance use disorder to contact probation and parole services without fear of criminal charges being filed.

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.