Criminal Justice

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.

Pedro Junior Paulino, 35, and David Isaiah Rivera, 26, both of Allentown, face homicide and attempted homicide charges in connection with a fatal shooting Sunday morning.

Ivan Diaz, 32, of Lower Macungie Township, was shot and killed early Sunday morning outside BKK Lounge. Three others were injured in the shooting, according to authorities.

Last year, Northampton County prosecutors argued that Phillipsburg resident Tahir Sutton was released from prison by mistake and should be locked up again. On Wednesday, a county judge ruled that Sutton must report to prison in early April unless an appeals court intercedes.

Prosecutors confirmed Johnathan Miklich, a Moore Township police officer, remains suspended from duty. His wife and ex-girlfriend previously accused him of harassment and assault.

Bethlehem Police Chief Michelle Kott outlined the potential for a part-time detective to team up with other agencies to address sex trafficking and child exploitation.

The Lehigh County Office of the Public Defender is set to host its fifth “Community Outreach Day” from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday in the parking garage at Seventh and Walnut streets.

The juvenile charged appeared Thursday in juvenile court and admitted to the allegations involving the tampering of food products with sewing needles at the Lower Macungie Township Giant supermarket

In February, society members called a news conference to detail what they described as a campaign of threats and harassment by a rogue group of temple members. The 3 accused are part of that group, according to the temple leadership.

Lance Wheeler, an Easton community activist and former Easton City Council candidate, has been charged with harassing three students while driving a Wilson Area School District van in 2022.

Gavin Holihan, the Democratic and Republican nominee for Lehigh County district attorney, said he hopes to find resources to assist underserved families so at-risk kids today don't become victims or defendants a decade from now.

The pleas potentially set the stage for a trial in which Kohberger could face the death penalty.

Unofficial results in Lehigh and Northampton counties suggest voters rallied around candidates for Northampton County Council and Lehigh County district attorney, among others.

The changes, introduced at a county council committee meeting Wednesday, would eliminate some youth care worker positions at the county's juvenile justice center, and create new assistant supervisor roles.

Members of the Allentown Police Department gathered Wednesday to celebrate lifesaving efforts and actions of merit and heroism. The idea was to recognize those law enforcement officers who went above and beyond their call of duty.

A grand jury has indicted a man who was already charged in the stabbing deaths of four University of Idaho students, allowing prosecutors to skip a planned week-long preliminary hearing that was set for late June.