Criminal Justice

A motorcade of 40 dirt bikes and ATVs ignored traffic laws and endangered others last year. They also delayed an injured Allentown detective from getting medical treatment. Only one driver, a Pen Argyl man, has been identified and charged.

Allentown police are investigating a homicide after a 38-year-old Allentown man died days after he was assaulted, according to the Lehigh County coroner.

It happened a little before 7 p.m. Wednesday at Easton Avenue and Beech Street in Bethlehem.

Clement Swaby was sentenced to up to 150 years in prison in the 2020 rape of a Lehigh University student, plus subsequent break-ins and attempted sexual assaults in Easton.

Lehigh County Judge Thomas Capehart denied the appeal of Patrick Palmer, who argued election staff should accept his paperwork because he paid a filing fee on time.

Patrick Palmer, an Allentown School Board director, argued in Lehigh County Court he should not be denied a spot on the primary ballot. County officials ruled he missed the March 7 filing deadline by a matter of seconds.

Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro’s nominees for attorney general and state police commissioner received unanimous approval from the Pennsylvania’s Republican-controlled Senate.

Lehigh Valley Health Network was victimized in a cybersecurity attack last month. The network said it refused to pay a ransom. Now, patient information and photos have been posted on the dark web, according to LVHN.

The force, made up of municipal, county and federal investigators, is designed to fight the sexual exploitation of children in the county, along with human trafficking more broadly.

Marc Muffley was arrested at his home in Lansford, Carbon County, on Monday night. A hearing is set for Thursday afternoon in federal court in Allentown on charges that include possessing an explosive device at an airport.

At Wednesday's Allentown City Council meeting, the city's police chief requested permission to seek grants from the state to afford a gunshot detection system, new surveillance cameras and other upgrades.

Lehigh County is sitting on $1.7 million for opioid abuse treatment. And millions more are on the way.

The teen, a student at William Allen High School, died at Stevens Park near Sixth and Tilghman streets, authorities said.

Police released details Monday of the threat received last week through the Safe2Say tipline.

Officials learned of the threat through the Safe2Say anonymous messaging system.

Gov. Tom Wolf this week unveiled a plan to provide pardons for people who have been convicted of minor, non-violent marijuana crimes. It could affect thousands in the Lehigh Valley

Muhamad Diop is charged with making terroristic threats and harassment, authorities said.

Lehigh County recently received $1 million in state funding to help fight opioid addiction.

Of the 21 arrests made, 18 involved summary offenses, according to the police chief.

The unidentified man is in stable condition, police say.

Police tape and several officers were in the area of Plaza Tropical, near Main and Lehigh streets.