Long Branch Man Sexually Assaulted Boy, Girl: Prosecutor
A Long Branch man has been arrested and charged with committing sexual crimes against two children, a boy and a girl, authorities said.
Raul F. Lopez, also known as Lee Escobar, 45, began abusing the girl when she was under 13 years old, and continued multiple times from 2020 to 2023, according to Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago.
A boy was under the age of 16 when crimes were committed against him in 2023, Santiago said.
Escobar turned himself in to authorities at the Long Branch Police Department earlier this month and was taken into custody without incident, officials…
Dog Law Investigation Leads To Aggravated Animal Cruelty Charges For 2 In Palmyra
A Palmyra woman and man are facing multiple animal cruelty charges following a months-long dog law investigation, Western Lebanon County Regional Police announced on Saturday, Nov. 8.
Brooklyn Taylor Cordell, 25, and Trei Anthony Gilcrist, 32, were each charged with two counts of Felony Aggravated Cruelty to Animals, Misdemeanor Cruelty to Animals, and Misdemeanor Neglect of Animals, according to police and court dockets.
These charges are the result of a dog law investigation that began on May 11, 2025, in the 300 block of North Chestnut Street in Palmyra, police said. Cordell and Gilcrist…
Murder-For-Hire: Wife, Ex-GF, Gunman All Sentenced In Husband’s Whitehall Killing
All three defendants charged in a murder-for-hire plot that ended with a man gunned down in a Whitehall Township parking lot have now pleaded guilty and received state prison sentences, Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin P. Holihan announced Wednesday, Nov. 5.
Brenda Rodriguez Sentenced
Brenda Rodriguez, 52, of Palmerton, was sentenced to 2½ to 10 years in state prison for her role in the killing of her husband, Hector Garcia Gomez. She pleaded guilty in September to Conspiracy – Aggravated Assault, a felony of the first degree, and was sentenced by Judge Robert L. Steinberg.
Rodriguez…
Dad Of 3 Killed Outside 1-Year-Old's Birthday Party, Allentown Shooter Learns His Fate: DA
The man who fatally opened fire outside a 1-year-old’s birthday party has been sentenced to state prison, prosecutors announced on Thursday, Oct. 30.
Roberto Gonzalez, 26, of Allentown, pleaded guilty on Sept. 2, 2025, to Voluntary Manslaughter – Unreasonable Belief and Possession of Firearm Prohibited, according to the Lehigh County District Attorney’s Office. He was sentenced by Judge Anna-Kristie M. Marks to 11½ to 28 years behind bars.
The shooting happened on Feb. 17, 2024, around 8 p.m. outside the East Side Fire Social Hall, 405 E. Walnut St., where a birthday party for a 1-year-old …
