Criminal Justice

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has released further details of the arrest made at Northampton County Prison on Friday, again accusing Northampton County Prison of not cooperating. County Executive Lamont McClure challenges that.

Tracy Dechant, 42, the twins' mother, and Joshua Dechant, 36, their stepfather, were arrested Jan. 26, days after emaciated 15-year-old twin boys were found in their Lower Macungie Township home.

Federal agents were at Northampton County Prison on Friday morning to apprehend an inmate upon his release. The man was alleged to be in the country illegally. The level of cooperation between ICE agents and the county has come under attack by U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie.

Wilson Borough solicitor and attorney Stanley Margle III has been charged with possession of drugs and drug paraphernalia.

Three Bethlehem residents face hundreds of charges related to a scheme that involves over 130 victims in the Lehigh Valley and surrounding areas. If you believe you’ve been a victim of such a scheme, Bethlehem police ask you to call 610-997-7682.

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.

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.

Jeani Garcia, who took the helm at Promise Neighborhoods of the Lehigh Valley this year, was recently named to serve on the executive committee for the state’s Office of Gun Violence Prevention.

Former Allentown police officer Jason Krasley was charged with stealing more than $5,000 in May 2019 as he and other Vice and Intelligence Unit officers searched a barbershop. Separately, Krasley still faces several other charges, including rape, sexual assault and prostitution.

Authorities allege Adam Makowka, 28, of South Whitehall Township, fatally shot Jereka Battle in her Allentown apartment in July.

"Behind Closed Doors: Opening Conversations That Matter" brought panelists to the Northampton County Courthouse to discuss domestic violence and the role the law plays.

A Lehigh County detective Monday explained his process for obtaining a cell phone from Francis Anonia, Parkland School District's former performing arts administrator charged with secretly recording a student changing clothes. Anonia's lawyer asked a judge to throw out key evidence in the case.

Christian Martinez-Ramos, 36, was sentenced Monday to 30 to 60 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to murder and conspiracy to commit murder, according to authorities.

A 22-year-old Allentown man has been charged in connection with a 2024 fatal shooting at Fountain Park in Allentown. He is one of four people charged in the shooting death of Angel Martinez-Velez.

Michael Breisch, of Wind Gap, was accused of killing Rose Josephine Hnath, a 78-year-old widow, in her North Whitehall Township home in January 1989, when he was 30 years old.

State police at Fogelsville said the boy died after being taken by ambulance to Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest on Thursday afternoon.

The false bomb threat prompted a 90-minute evacuation at Allen High School on Thursday. Police are investigating.

The former Nazareth Area and Ohio State University wrestling star enrolled in an ARD program. Charges of unlicensed gun possession and drug possession are likely to be dismissed upon completion of the program.