Criminal Justice

ICE agents have agreed not to wear masks and to present ID and warrants when operating inside the Lehigh County Courthouse. But county officials declined to spell out specific procedures for ICE inside the courthouses.

The drowning death of a Hanover Township, Northampton County, child in July has been ruled accidental, the district attorney said.

On a narrow residential street, Etienne Theagene was driving 40.7 mph when he struck and killed Edward Tomcics, according to a criminal complaint filed Thursday.

Edward Tomcics was fatally struck on the night of Dec. 25 outside his home on Water Street. More than seven months later, authorities charged the man who hit him.

Officials on Thursday said Allentown YMCA will open its shelter at least six weeks early this year to serve some residents of a homeless encampment who are being evicted.

Authorities in Allentown arrested a pair of brothers on drug charges Thursday morning, and seized nearly half a million dollars worth of cocaine at one of their homes.

Easton City Council opted to remove a Welcoming City ordinance from its Wednesday agenda, leading to a debate among council and the public as to the need for and intent of the legislation.

Yandiel Onil Gonzalez, 16, surrendered to authorities Wednesday and will be charged as an adult, police said in a news release. The shooting occurred July 12 on South Side.

A recent ruling from Pennsylvania's Supreme Court seemingly marks a major shift in how DUI cases can be prosecuted, with the court ruling that if a driver hasn’t been previously convicted, the state can’t punish them as if they were.

Residents who spoke to LehighValleyNews.com said they don’t know where they will go; the camp near Tilghman Street was an oasis for many who previously lived alone or in small groups.

The man accused in the fatal stabbings of four University of Idaho students appeared in court Thursday. Bryan Kohberger has yet to enter a plea and is waiting to learn whether prosecutors in the high-profile case will pursue the death penalty.

David Collins will take on the new job next month, overseeing plans to keep the jail safe and secure.

Legislators in the state's House of Representatives were set for a special meeting Monday to increase the statute of limitations for victims of childhood sexual abuse. They stalled all day and never held a vote.

Bryan Kohberger's DNA was found on a knife sheath at the crime scene, an investigator said in court documents unsealed Thursday.

An Idaho magistrate judge on Tuesday reportedly issued a gag order in the Bryan Kohberger case, barring officials from talking publicly about many aspects of the case outside of court.

Bryan Kohberger, the man with Lehigh Valley ties facing first-degree murder charges in the slayings of four University of Idaho students, did not fight extradition at a hearing Tuesday in Monroe County Court.

People in Pennsylvania who buy or carry fentanyl testing strips will no longer face potential criminal charges for possession of drug paraphernalia.

Allentown police say four people were shot Sunday night in the 1100 block of East Clair Street — site of the nonprofit East Side Youth Center. On Tuesday, folks played pickleball inside with the doors locked.

Gavin P. Holihan will join the Lehigh County District Attorney's office as First Assistant DA this month.

The Pennsylvania State Police investigated hundreds of crashes over the Christmas holiday weekend, with a rise in crashes, fatal crashes and the number of people killed. One fatality occurred during an alcohol-related crash in Lower Macungie Township.

Officers found one victim at the scene Sunday night. As they were investigating, three more victims showed up at the hospital to be treated for gunshot wounds.

Police said they have yet to locate a murder weapon. But they indicated the arrest of Bryan Christopher Kohberger, 28, in the Poconos early Friday was a breakthrough. “What I can tell you is we have an individual in custody who committed these horrible crimes and I do believe our community is safe,” Police Chief James Fry said.