Criminal Justice

Two 15-year-old girls were removed from Northampton Area High School and will be charged after several threats of violence were made against the school.

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.

Calls for reform in police departments echo across the country. The city of Allentown has begun conversations with Black Live Matter activists who want to see increased transparency from law enforcement.

Members of the Lehigh Valley Black Lives Matter chapter met with Allentown’s mayor and head of law enforcement last week with demands for increased police transparency and use-of-force policy reforms.

Justan Fields, a 36-year-old full-time worker, student and father of two, said he thought only 10 people would show up. Instead hundreds rallied and marched to city hall demanding social justice.

Ramona is a 5-year-old companion dog at the Lehigh County Courthouse. Her role is to help ease the trauma of testifying in court.

Local members of Black Lives Matter say they will meet this week with Allentown’s mayor and police chief to discuss ways to increase diversity in the police department Allentown’s head of law enforcement says policing needs to change.

HARRISBURG, Pa. - Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf took steps yesterday to address violence and oppression against people of color. Wolf outlined a plan to…