Criminal Justice

Bethlehem City Council unanimously approved BPD to join other Lehigh County agencies to combat crime through the use of shared investigative data.

The 29 arrests Bethlehem Police made during Musikfest were a slight increase from last year's event, the department reported on Tuesday.

Robert Bowen, 53, of Bethlehem, has been charged with involvement in the detonation of at least four other explosive devices in the city. Federal and local agents searched his Wyandotte Street home earlier this month. They say they found bomb-making materials, grenades, drugs and a homemade gun.

State law gives Northampton County Republicans a little over a week to find a candidate willing to take on Democrat Stephen Baratta in a high-profile race for district attorney.

On Sunday, the Allentown Police Department premiered a new color scheme for its vehicles, featuring a black-and-white aesthetic that leaders say is meant to convey recognition and authority.

Easton City Councilwoman Taiba Sultana made her first appearance since her arrest for accusations of simple assault and harassment in a domestic violence case.

A Pennsylvania State Police trooper was justified when he shot at a 47-year-old Allentown man who allegedly drove at the trooper, according to Lehigh County District Attorney Jim Martin.

Residents near the area had been asked to shelter in place.

Robert Bowen Jr. is being held at Northampton County Prison in lieu of $500,000 bail. Police said they found him in possession of explosives and a homemade gun after he said he intended to detonate a bomb at Musikfest.

Armed with a search warrant, Bethlehem police say they detained a man Friday who allegedly made statements of his intent to build and detonate an improvised explosive during Musikfest.

The Allentown Police Department will replace or upgrade about 175 cameras across the city to provide high-definition surveillance footage, according to Chief Charles Roca.

Costas Alestas, a former Bethlehem police officer and soccer coach at East Hills Middle School, intends to plead not guilty to multiple sex-related crimes involving two middle school students, his attorney said.

A simulation led by the U.S. Attorney's Office and the Lehigh Valley Justice Institute showed local leaders the challenges people face with income, ID, employment and more after being released from prison.

The Northampton County District Attorney’s Office plans to announce criminal charges Wednesday against an East Hills Middle School resource officer accused of statutory sexual assault and related felonies. He also served as a middle school soccer coach, according to the Bethlehem Area School District.

Northampton County prosecutors and Slate Belt police announced charges Tuesday in a string of robberies in Pen Argyl last winter.

Mayor David Heintzelman announced a new “officer in charge” of the Hellertown Police Department. One official said if the borough added six full-time officers as recommended in a report, taxpayers would bear the brunt of an estimated 35% property tax increase.

The powerful animal tranquilizer is showing up in supplies of illicit drugs and is contributing to a growing number of overdose deaths, including in the Lehigh Valley.

Someone robbed a bank in west Allentown while police responded Monday to a report of an armed person on the college campus, according to police.

A 29-year-old former Parkland student, who lived in a home owned by district performing arts director Frank Anonia, was sentenced to county prison last month on a charge of possessing child pornography.

Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin P. Holihan announced on Friday that six persons have been charged in a large-scale burglary ring throughout the Lehigh Valley and surrounding areas.

A Palmer Township police officer has been arrested for allegedly sending inappropriate images of himself to an underage Easton Area High School student, authorities said.

Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle Henry announced that a Lehigh County man has been sentenced to prison for his role in a January 2023 shooting in Allentown.