Criminal Justice

Marty Nothstein, a former Lehigh County commissioner, had been accused of stalking his ex-girlfriend but admitted to lesser charges Monday. The plea deal came three years after he pleaded guilty to illegally entering the home of a different ex-girlfriend.

Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin Holihan announced more than 100 additional criminal charges Wednesday against County Commissioner Zachary Cole-Borghi.

Lengthy criminal complaints contained more than 150 pages of transcripts of messages allegedly sent between Cole-Borghi and cooperating sources for the prosecution. Those messages show negotiations on the price of drugs, including marijuana/THC products and cocaine, as well as arranging for delivery and purchase.

A school district email said that at 10:20 a.m. Wednesday, "during an administrative search of a student's belongings, school officials discovered a loaded firearm inside a student's school bag."

Commissioner Zachary Cole-Borghi, 35, is among roughly 40 people charged in a multistate drug network. On Tuesday, his defense attorney argued in Lehigh County Court that his case should have a preliminary hearing separate from the others.

Police Chief Charles Roca said he will welcome Sgt. Evan Weaver back to full duty on the city's police force.

State Sen. Jarrett Coleman said the volume of errors makes him uncomfortable with BusPatrol cameras on school buses without changes to how the system operates.

Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin Holihan announced the decision Wednesday after an investigation by Allentown Police Department and Lehigh County Homicide Task Force.

Xiaomin Fei, 34, on Thursday entered the plea in the June 3 shooting deaths of Robert and Gretchen Ackerman, Northampton County District Attorney Stephen G. Baratta announced.

Santos Mota-Ramirez, 61, pleaded guilty Wednesday to two counts of attempted homicide, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, simple assault, arson and causing a catastrophe, District Attorney Gavin P. Holihan said.

"Deana's Law" will add harsh penalties for drunken and impaired drivers who repeatedly violate the law in Pennsylvania.

Lehigh County commissioners are evaluating a proposal that would create a new program for individuals recently released from prison by engaging them before release and following them to ensure they stay employed and do not reoffend.

A driver was pulled over shortly after noon Monday, and ran into the woods before being arrested along I-78, police said.

Emmaus Public Library hosted a workshop highlighting common types of scams and fraud — and how to keep from falling victim to them in the holiday season and beyond.

Grubhub will now disclose the app has higher prices than restaurants, in order to be more transparent. They will also make a donation to Pennsylvania food banks, instead of paying damages.

During the 2021 Thanksgiving enforcement period, Pennsylvania State Police Troop M was very active.

The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania has corrected a decades-old flaw in state law that left severely mentally ill people behind bars indefinitely, and highlighted lingering problems for the man at the center of the case, and others like him.

A Black university student was victimized by white assailants who directed racial epithets at the student, according to a statement from the Lehigh University president.

The Northampton County coroner is investigating and has identified the remains as belonging to William Edelman Jr. of Catasauqua.

Several anonymous tips on school threats over the past two weeks have been found false, according to the Allentown Police Department.

Dieruff and Allen high schools and Trexler Middle School were locked down Monday after multiple unsubstantiated threats of mass violence were made to the district. Additional threats were made to Lehigh Career & Technical Institute, which also closed for the remainder of the day.

Allentown's police chief, Charles Roca, is looking to grow the number of officers patrolling city streets, add new vehicles to the city's fleet and is investigating the possibility of installing gunshot detection equipment in neighborhoods across the city.