Criminal Justice

Brenda Rodriguez, 52, of Palmerton, is the final of three defendants to be sentenced in the Dec. 7, 2024, shooting death of her husband, Hector Garcia Gomez, in the parking lot of Loco Hot Deals, 1155 MacArthur Road.

Eric Dowdle led Lehigh County’s prosecution against two former Allentown vice officers before state attorneys took over those cases.

More than three dozen law enforcement professionals from the Lehigh Valley and beyond took part in the first training at the newly opened Joni Berner Esq ‘75-Expert Witness Training Center & Crime Scene Laboratory.

Two men are in Northampton County Prison after a traffic stop and vehicle search yielded the seizure of about 20,000 fentanyl pills.

Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin P. Holihan announced Thursday that an Allentown man charged in a fatal shooting outside a child's birthday party last year has been sentenced. He will serve 11 ½ to 28 years in state prison in the death of an Alburtis man.

The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press has filed an emergency motion in Lehigh County Court requesting that a judge unseal documents in at least 22 criminal cases tied to an interstate drug ring. Among the defendants is Lehigh County Commissioner Zach Cole-Borghi.

After his ousting in August 2023, Nadeem Shahzad pledged to sue the city for terminating him without cause.

Alfeni Romero-Taveras, 22, of Allentown, was charged Friday in the June 1, 2024, death of Angel Martinez-Velez on a basketball court at Fountain Park on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.

Two men face felony charges for stealing nearly $100,000 from Lowe's stores across the state. Investigators say the men used self-checkout kiosks to make purchases with their cell phones using information stolen from Lowe's customer accounts.

Police responded to a report of an armed person at Innovative Arts Academy in Catasauqua on Tuesday afternoon. An investigation is ongoing.

Michelle Kott is the first woman to serve as Bethlehem's police chief.

The governor's office estimates there are 30 to 50 pregnancies per year in the state prison system.

The county put a freeze on its work-release program over a year ago, but that could be changing.

Advocates for immigrant rights argue detention is inhumane and unnecessary.

Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro sent lawmakers a letter with six proposals to fill vacancies.

ALLENTOWN, Pa. - COVID-19 cases appear to be dropping in Lehigh Valley jails, but the omicron surge continues to drive new lockdowns for inmates and…

Wolf said part of the solution is to improve job opportunities, increase community resources and fund schools.

Northampton County recently shut down its work-release program; Lehigh County ended its over a year ago.

The 13-year veteran of the Allentown Police Department had been hospitalized since early this year.

To help ease the strain of surging COVID cases, officials are considering letting some inmates go home on work release.

Chief Charles Roca will lead the department with Assistant Chiefs Michael Becker and James Gress.

The American Civil Liberties Union was among the chief opponents of approval.