Criminal Justice

Former Forks Township Police Chief Michael Friel announced his retirement in December. Township supervisors approved a separation agreement but refused to disclose it until a Right-to-Know request was filed.

Grelvis Estevez Cabrera, 29, received the mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole for first-degree murder in the killing of 25-year-old Angel Martinez-Velez in June 2024 in Allentown.

Catasauqua Borough Police are leading the investigation, with assistance from the State Police Forensics Services Unit and the Lehigh County District Attorney’s Office.

A Lehigh County judge has denied an appeal that sought to clear the way for Nexus 78, a 501,000-square-foot warehouse proposed for North Whitehall Township. The ruling is unlikely to be the last word in the fight over the warehouse's fate.

An investigation is underway into a non-fatal police shooting that occurred Sunday at the former Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Hospital in Allentown, according to the Lehigh County District Attorney’s Office.

The Bethlehem Police Department is giving kudos to one of its officers, who went beyond simply making a report when he responded to a call for a burglary.

The victim, 29-year-old Rigiberto Hernandez Arias of Allentown, died Nov. 21 after being run over near Emaus Avenue and South Fourth Street in Allentown. An Amazon delivery driver, 30-year-old Troy Johnson, is in Lehigh County Jail on $500,000 bail.

Kirk Chin Jr., 37, of Pottstown, Montgomery County, is charged with misdemeanor charges of recklessly endangering another person and reckless driving.

The school district alerted the community about three hours after an incident involving pepper spray occurred in the upstairs cafeteria of Emmaus High School on Wednesday afternoon. Legislation that went into effect this month requires districts to alert parents, guardians and teachers of school weapon incidents.

An external audit of 114 cases handled by former U.S. Center for SafeSport investigator Jason Krasley — a former Allentown police officer — led to the watchdog agency's reopening of three of those cases.

Take a look at stories throughout the week of which we are most proud, had a profound impact on readers or that you might want to look at again.

Three people were killed in two separate shootings between Thursday night and early Friday in Allentown.

The alleged scheme netted over $70,000.

An investigation has not revealed any sexual contact had occurred between Eric Gratz and the victim. Gratz has served as borough manager since August 2021.

Three people were shot and killed in a span of seven hours between Thursday night and early Friday in Allentown. The mayor called gun violence "a toxin" in the city and pushed legislators to help get guns off the street.

Thursday's March For Our Lives rally marks its fifth anniversary since its inception after a 2018 mass shooting at a Florida high school. Hundreds are expected at Thursday's rally in Harrisburg, which coincides with rallies this week in Florida, Michigan, California and Texas.

A former pediatrician at Lehigh Valley Health Network's LVPG Pediatrics-Whitehall has been charged after sexual messages with a female minor in Washington Township, Warren County New Jersey

A six-month investigation found the state’s “competency” review system is so broken it often extends incarceration, which can exacerbate mental health issues.

Joseph Zanette and Justin Taylor, both of Pen Argyl, each face several charges in connection with the weekend blasts. Authorities said they seized several fireworks during searches of the men's residences.

Another social-media fueled challenge has spurred a rise in the theft of Kia and Hyundai vehicles in Pennsylvania, but has the trend caught on in the Lehigh Valley?

Reporting an increase in violent incidents in the state's prisons in 2022, the Pennsylvania State Corrections Officers Association has suggested that staffing needs to increase, and policies need to be reviewed to help make the prisons safer.

At a press conference Thursday, DA candidate Stephen Baratta criticized incumbent district attorney Terry Houck over three cases from his tenure. Houck hit back in response.