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.

The American Civil Liberties Union was among the chief opponents of approval.

Mark Pinsley says it would reduce food waste and provide job training for the incarcerated.

Activist groups have called on state police to be more transparent in use of force cases.

The district attorney's office says Nothstein stalked a female acquaintance and her boyfriend.

Police say the "smash and grab" theft could be part of a bigger national trend.

Access to health care is critical for the formerly incarcerated, say advocates and First Lady Wolf.

Police say five masked men entered the Lower Macungie Township store and fled in under a minute.

Gun violence in Pennsylvania has gone up in the pandemic. Pennsylvania State Police data show it’s risen 50% statewide.

The student alleged police roughed him up after a brawl at a high school basketball game in 2020.

Allentown Police Chief Charles Roca, appointed just last month, said investigations are underway. In fact, an arrest has been made in the fatal shooting and it’s not time for knee-jerk reactions.

The First Lady of Pennsylvania met recently with women who have been incarcerated in order to learn about the challenges they face when reentering society.

A group of East Coast states will now let law enforcement agencies share gun crime data.