Criminal Justice

Catasauqua Borough Police are leading the investigation, with assistance from the State Police Forensics Services Unit and the Lehigh County District Attorney’s Office.

A Lehigh County judge has denied an appeal that sought to clear the way for Nexus 78, a 501,000-square-foot warehouse proposed for North Whitehall Township. The ruling is unlikely to be the last word in the fight over the warehouse's fate.

An investigation is underway into a non-fatal police shooting that occurred Sunday at the former Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Hospital in Allentown, according to the Lehigh County District Attorney’s Office.

The Bethlehem Police Department is giving kudos to one of its officers, who went beyond simply making a report when he responded to a call for a burglary.

The victim, 29-year-old Rigiberto Hernandez Arias of Allentown, died Nov. 21 after being run over near Emaus Avenue and South Fourth Street in Allentown. An Amazon delivery driver, 30-year-old Troy Johnson, is in Lehigh County Jail on $500,000 bail.

Kirk Chin Jr., 37, of Pottstown, Montgomery County, is charged with misdemeanor charges of recklessly endangering another person and reckless driving.

The school district alerted the community about three hours after an incident involving pepper spray occurred in the upstairs cafeteria of Emmaus High School on Wednesday afternoon. Legislation that went into effect this month requires districts to alert parents, guardians and teachers of school weapon incidents.

An external audit of 114 cases handled by former U.S. Center for SafeSport investigator Jason Krasley — a former Allentown police officer — led to the watchdog agency's reopening of three of those cases.

Sarah A. Rice, 39, and Greg A. Johnson, 42, both of Bethlehem, died from wounds to the head, Coroner Daniel Buglio ruled after autopsies Monday.

Bethlehem police said the couple had three children. The man and the woman were both found suffering from gunshot wounds in the basement of a home in the 200 block of 10th Avenue.

Faith leaders in Allentown held a service Sunday night remembering Nichols and lamenting the forces that ended his life.

Northampton County's district attorney announced the program Thursday, saying it keeps the county ready for anything.

Lehigh County has laid out a budget plan for the $17.5 million received through lawsuits with opioid manufacturers

Lehigh University asks for the community's continuing assistance in locating Daniel Lee, a student who has been missing since Friday, Jan. 20. A Wednesday message to faculty and students asked that all tips be directed to campus safety at 610-758-4200.

The new unit will allow law enforcement from municipal, state and county agencies to pool resources for particularly complex cases.

A driver is suspected by police to have been driving under the influence and had fallen asleep behind the wheel in the Friday morning crash between a double tractor-trailer and a decommissioned school bus on I-78 that closed both lanes.

Daniel Lee, a Lehigh University student, has been missing since Friday, Jan. 20, according to Lehigh University officials. No foul play is suspected.

The crash occurred at I-78 westbound on marker 48.3 Pennsylvania State Police Public Information Officer Nathan Branosky said.

Lehigh president Joseph J. Helble said "racist language" was used, but the assault was not racially motivated.

Lehigh County District Attorney Jim Martin will not be seeking reelection after nearly 25 years in the office

Northampton County District Attorney Terry Houck is running for a second term in office. This will be his first race defending the seat as an incumbent.

Christopher Schweikert, 27, of Coplay, who also is a teacher at Freedom High School, had a sexual relationship with the girl, whom he coached, according to Northampton County prosecutors.