Criminal Justice

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

18-year-old John Bradley was charged in September with killing a mother and daughter in North Catasauqua. On Thursday, he pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Joshua Nathaniel Colon, 22, of Bethlehem, is charged with first degree aggravated assault in the Aug. 2022 non-fatal shooting of Jathaniel Lopez at Musikfest in Bethlehem.

Marc Muffley, 41, of Lansford in Carbon County, had an entire row of family and friends supporting him at the federal courthouse in Allentown. He was arrested and charged last year.

The woman was missing after jumping into the Delaware River in Upper Bucks County, near the Northampton County border, state police said Tuesday.

Lehigh County announced a new service that allows 911 operators to request live video communication from callers

The shooting was at least the fourth in the past week in which people have been injured or killed.

Christopher Schweikert, 29, pleaded guilty to producing pornographic images of a student he engaged in sexual contact. He still faces related charges in Northampton County Court.

Gabriel Cartagena was "considered armed and dangerous," District Attorney Gavin Holihan said Thursday, two days after Allentown police said there was no ongoing danger to the public related to last weekend's shootings.

Packages stolen before they have a chance to be received are often deemed as being taken by “porch pirates,” who now may face stricter consequences under Pa. law.

A 32-year-old Allentown man died Tuesday at a local hospital shortly after he was found unresponsive in his cell at the Lehigh County Jail. The coroner on Wednesday ruled his death a suicide.

The crash occurred Tuesday morning on Hecktown Road in Lower Nazareth Township, after authorities said police observed the Mercedes driver commit a traffic violation.

The owners of an Easton hemp store were charged with possession with intent to distribute controlled substances after a raid on the store found illegal drugs, authorities said.

A motorcycle driver was clocked doing 112 mph during traffic enforcement Monday in one Lehigh Valley community, police said. It was 72 mph over the posted speed limit.

Police charged two men with gun-related crimes in the downtown area. Eight people were hit by gunfire in the first incident, including one who required life-saving surgery, according to charging documents. The second, unrelated incident involved a man who allegedly fired into the ground.

Allentown police responded as two groups shot at each other on North Seventh Street, Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin Holihan said. Police also opened fire. Several people were taken to hospitals, according to the district attorney.

Roughly 2.9 million Americans' personal data was leaked this month in a National Public Data security breach. Some of the affected data includes Social Security numbers, mailing addresses and phone numbers.

The Easton-based attorney is accused of threatening an investigator in his driveway, then emailing threats saying if anyone showed up at his house again "they will not live (to) tell about it.”

Another joint enforcement between the Pennsylvania State Police and the Allentown Police Department — in the same location as other previous details on American Parkway — netted nearly as many offenders this week.

Newly appointed Hellertown Police Chief James Baitinger pledged to "work tirelessly and make a positive difference in the lives of people we serve and the lives of our police officers."

Lehigh County Commissioners in recent meetings discussed the need for action related to a dearth of beds for the county's detained juveniles.

Ethan Bastien, 22, should be released from Lehigh County Jail on Thursday, according to the District Attorney's Office.