Criminal Justice

A Northampton County jury found Christopher Ferrante not guilty of drug delivery resulting in death Tuesday, while convicting him on six lesser charges.

Testimony in the trial of Christopher Ferrante, charged in the 2020 overdose death of Michael Racciato, concluded Monday with Ferrante himself, along with his handler in the Allentown Police Department.

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.

Body camera footage caught Phil Racciato identifying Christopher Ferrante to police as the alleged drug supplier who he says routinely provided his son Michael "Mikey" Racciato with illicit drugs.

Prosecutors presented data pulled from the cell phones of former state champion Pen Argyl wrestler Michael Racciato and defendant Christopher Ferrante, who stands accused of providing the fentanyl that led to Racciato's death in a Lower Nazareth Township parking lot.

Michael "Mikey" Racciato's father recounted the events leading up to his son's death in December 2020, including multiple overdoses, visits to rehab facilities and eventually discovering his son dead from a fentanyl overdose.

Northampton County's district attorney's office is touting $168,000 in drug money that law enforcement has confiscated.

The trial of Christopher Ferrante, charged in connection with the overdose death of Michael Racciato, began Monday. The case attracted scrutiny during the race for Northampton County District Attorney earlier this year.

Lawyers for Christopher Ferrante, charged with drug delivery resulting in death, told the court Monday he conducted at least two undercover drug buys for Allentown police.

The Salisbury Township Police Department is using humor on Facebook to foster connections and bridge a gap to reach people of all ages across the township and beyond. But there's a purpose to their punchlines, and the attention they've garnered seems to be working.

Former Parkland High School performing arts administrator Francis Anonia pleaded guilty Monday to 19 criminal counts for secretly recording a student changing clothes during rehearsals for a school musical.

Easton Police Department says no charges will be filed against an Easton resident regarding allegations of harassment directed at Councilwoman Taiba Sultana at the city's Christmas parade.

An attorney for a city employee suing Allentown subpoenaed officials to share the results of an investigation that lasted more than a year.

Easton City Councilwoman Taiba Sultana said late Friday that she has filed a formal police report after being subjected to "aggressive harassment, intimidation and politically motivated threats" during the city Christmas Parade.

Andrew I. Uruchima Lima was in the front seat of the car, which slammed into the pole in the 1800 block of Flint Hill Road about 9:15 p.m. Monday, Lehigh County Coroner Daniel A. Buglio said in a release.

Carlos Landesta-Agramonte was among five people charged in the death of 25-year-old Angel Martinez-Velez, who was shot multiple times while playing basketball June 1, 2024, at Fountain Park.

Macungie residents, including a long-serving corporal of the police department, packed a borough council meeting Wednesday morning to protest a revised police internal affairs policy.

Allentown police used city surveillance cameras and license-plate readers to track a vehicle and identify two suspects that fled the area of shooting.

Lehigh County Judge Thomas Caffrey said criminal dockets related to an interstate drug ring should have been unsealed weeks ago. LehighValleyLive.com, LehighValleyNews.com and The Morning Call had petitioned the court to release information pertaining to dozens of criminal defendants.

Authorities are trying to sort through exactly what led to a 29-year-old man's death near South Fourth Street and Emaus Avenue. The district attorney says the victim had confronted the delivery driver whom he believed had damaged his vehicle.

Marquis Michael Watkins has been sentenced to life without parole in the shooting death of a Bethlehem woman in 2022, according to the Northampton County District Attorney's Office.

A Lehigh County judge has denied a request by Francis Anonia, the former Parkland School District performing arts administrator, to suppress videos allegedly recovered from his cell phone during an invasion of privacy investigation by county detectives.