Allentown Inmate With Criminal History Dies By Suicide At Lehigh County Jail: Coroner
An Allentown man with a lengthy criminal history of drug and fraud-related offenses has died by suicide while incarcerated at Lehigh County Jail, authorities announced on Friday, March 14.
Forest M. Touchberry, 31, was found unresponsive in the facility before being rushed to St. Luke’s Hospital, Sacred Heart Campus, where he was pronounced dead at 3:29 p.m. on Thursday, March 13, according to the Lehigh County Coroner’s Office.
An autopsy confirmed the manner of death as suicide, the office said.
Originally from Allentown and most recently living in Philadelphia, Touchberry had been e…
Pinned By Falling Metal Pallets, Man Killed At Berks County Manufacturing Facility: Coroner
A Schuylkill County man was killed in a workplace accident after being pinned by falling metal pallets at East Penn Manufacturing in Berks County.
Stephen Rapp, 48, of South Manheim Township, was pronounced dead at 8:41 p.m. on Tuesday, March 11, in the emergency department at Lehigh Valley Hospital–Cedar Crest, the Lehigh County Coroner’s Office said on Wednesday, March 12.
The fatal incident happened at 102 Deka Road in Lyon Station around 7:49 p.m. when the metal pallets fell on Rapp, causing mechanical asphyxia, officials said. His death has been ruled an accident.
East Penn Manufactur…
Registered Sex Offender In Reading Caught Sharing Child Porn On Facebook:DA
A convicted sex offender in Berks County was busted with hundreds of child pornography files, including images and videos he shared on Facebook, authorities announced on Thursday, Feb. 27.
Daniel R. Kromer, 60, of Reading, was already a lifetime registered sex offender in Pennsylvania when investigators uncovered his online activity, the Berks County District Attorney’s Office said.
Kromer’s criminal history includes convictions for involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and indecent assault, both in December 1999. The charges stemmed from incidents on January 1, 1994, and April 15, 1999, r…
$5K In Fentanyl, Cocaine Seized During Reading Drug Bust; Two Women Arrested
Two Reading women were arrested after a Berks County Drug Task Force raid uncovered fentanyl, cocaine, and drug paraphernalia worth $5,000, officials said.
Susan Rich, 46, and Autumn Yerger, 42, were taken into custody around 6 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 26, after detectives executed a search warrant at their apartment on the first floor of 311 N. 9th Street, according to Berks County Chief County Detective Michael Gombar.
The bust followed a two-month investigation sparked by complaints of drug sales at the address, officials said.
Detectives seized:
4.3 grams of suspected fentanyl;
18 bundle…
37 Bags Of Cocaine, Stun Gun Seized In Berks Drug Bust, West Lawn Man Charged: DA
A Berks County man was caught with crack cocaine and a stun gun after authorities executed a search warrant, officials announced on Tuesday, Feb. 11.
Juan Carlos Soto-Arizmendi, 31, of West Lawn, was arrested after an undercover investigation led to a drug bust in Shoemakersville, according to the Berks County District Attorney’s Office.
Detectives with the Berks County Drug Task Force had been investigating Soto-Arizmendi since August 2024. On Dec. 11, authorities served a search warrant on him, his vehicle, and his cell phone in the 300 block of Logistics Drive, uncovering a stash of dr…
Reading Man Who Sexually Abused Autistic Child, Fled Sentencing, Captured In Dominican Republic
A Reading man who sexually abused an autistic child and skipped his sentencing hearing was captured in the Dominican Republic and returned to Berks County, authorities announced Friday, Feb. 7.
Rafael Vendrell, 75, pleaded nolo contendere to two counts of Aggravated Indecent Assault in November 2023 after being accused of sexually abusing an autistic juvenile, according to Berks County District Attorney John T. Adams.
Vendrell was released on bail while awaiting his sentencing on Feb. 14, 2024, but failed to appear in court, prompting a judge to issue a bench warrant, authorities said.
On …
