Criminal Justice

The shooting occurred about 1 a.m. Friday in the 400 block of Pierce Street. Police described it as "an isolated incident between known parties."

Jared Gerhard, 31, of Macungie, was sentenced Thursday in a hearing before Lehigh County Judge Anna-Kristie M. Marks to 9 to 23 months in Lehigh County Jail, county District Attorney Gavin P. Holihan said.

Leroy Mendez, 37, was charged with aggravated assault, aggravated assault by vehicle while DUI and accidents involving death or personal injury, all felonies, police said.

The shooting occurred in September 2024 near North Law and Liberty streets. Police said they arrested the 26-year-old suspect after spotting him Monday night walking with a woman in the 1300 block of West Walnut Street.

Brenda Rodriguez entered the plea before Lehigh County Judge Robert L. Steinberg. She is scheduled to be sentenced at 9:30 a.m. Nov. 5 and could face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

Matthew Torres pleaded guilty to homicide by vehicle while DUI and other charges in the Aug. 4, 2024, death of Leanna Ferraj, 24, of Brooklyn, New York, who was a front-seat passenger in his car.

Two unnamed male students were arrested after previous hoax reports this month. No one was immediately arrested in connection with Wednesday's bomb threat at Allen High School.

The shooting occurred in the area of North Codorus Township in York County — about 115 miles west of Philadelphia, not far from the Maryland line. The shooter was killed by police, authorities said.

Emil Giordano served as a presiding judge on Northampton County Court, Third Judicial District, from 204 through 2018. He joins Tom Shortell on the latest episode of Lehigh Valley Political Pulse to shed some insight on the role and his time on the bench.

Christopher Fitzgerald also served as a correctional officer at Lehigh County Jail at the start of his law enforcement career.

ALLENTOWN, Pa. - Advocates are calling for a review of how Lehigh County spends money on criminal justice. And, they are pushing for it to be part of next…

The five-member panel in charge of state legislative redistricting says several thousand state prisoners should be counted in the districts where they're imprisoned.

As of Sept. 17, nearly half the holding areas in the Northampton County Prison were in quarantine due to what officials are calling a “delta outbreak.” Cases have jumped this month from almost none at the end of August to now more than 30 among inmates and employees.

The Lehigh County Sheriff’s Office recently received accreditation from The Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association.

COVID-19 cases are on the rise at the Northampton County Prison (NCP) where just under half of the jail’s nearly 600 inmates are vaccinated.

By a unanimous decision, Allentown City Council named Charles Roca the city’s new chief of police.

Newly released FBI data show hate crimes in the U.S. hit a 12-year high in 2020.

A Pennsylvania State Police Officer recalls when United Flight 93 crashed into a Somerset County field on September 11th, 2001.

The Lehigh County jail has held two voluntary mass clinics with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine since May, putting shots into 322 arms. Corrections Director Janine Donate said now they’ve switched strategies: they are waiting until they get enough inmates interested - about four or five - to use up a vial of vaccine.

The Allentown Police Department is hoping to expand a program that could reduce some interactions with law enforcement and help connect people with social services.

The Bethlehem Police Department is once again hosting its annual Citizens Police Academy after a pandemic-related hiatus.

Lehigh Valley advocates for criminal justice reform are calling on area law enforcement departments to increase transparency, emphasizing how use-of-force incidents are documented.