Teen Slatington Raped, Restrained, Strangled, Found In Basement: Prosecutors (Update)
Two men charged in the rape and false imprisonment of a teenage gir have pleaded guilty, prosecutors announced.
Jacquan Tanasse, 20, and Tristan Zawick, 23, both pleaded guilty to Rape, Conspiracy to Commit Rape, False Imprisonment, and Conspiracy to False Imprisonment, District Attorney Gavin P. Holihan announced on Thursday, Feb. 6, 2026. Tanasse also pleaded guilty to Strangulation.
The charges stem from an assault reported just before 7 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 7, 2025, when Slatington Police were called to a home in the 200 block of Walnut Street, according to the district attorney’s offic…
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…
Allentown Child Rapist Who Faced 121 Years In Prison, Sentenced, Here's How Long He Got
An Allentown man convicted of raping a child for years has been sentenced — but not to the 121 years in prison he was facing, Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin P. Holihan announced on Tuesday, Sept. 9.
Taron Dortch, 44, was sentenced to 20 to 40 years in state prison, followed by six years of probation, for sexually abusing a girl at multiple locations across Lehigh County, including a home in Allentown and an apartment in South Whitehall Township.
The abuse happened between 2019 and 2021, while Dortch was in a relationship with the girl’s mother. The victim was between 9 and 12 years o…
Allentown Teens Shooting AR-15 From Stolen Jeep Carjack Woman Near School: DA
Three teens are charged as adults after spraying bullets from a stolen Jeep with an AR-15-style pistol and carjacking a woman outside a middle school, Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin P. Holihan announced on Tuesday, June 24.
Marquee Bradley Carney, 15, of Allentown, Naseer Washington, 15, of Whitehall, and Amir Sims-Watson, 16, of Easton, are accused of carrying out a violent shooting spree and armed carjacking in Allentown on Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024.
All three are charged with:
Felony Aggravated Assault.
Felony Discharge of a Firearm Into an Occupied Structure.
Misdemeanor Simple As…
Gunmen Accused Of Killing Ivan Diaz Jr. Outside Allentown Club Ordered To Face Trial
Two Allentown men accused in the deadly shooting outside a nightclub that killed Ivan Diaz Jr. will face trial, authorities announced on Thursday, April 10.
Pedro Junior Paulino, 35, and David Isaiah Rivera, 26, both had all charges held for court following their preliminary hearing before District Judge David M. Howells Jr., according to Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin P. Holihan.
Both men are charged with Criminal Homicide, three counts of Attempted Murder, three counts of Aggravated Assault, and Recklessly Endangering Another Person. Rivera faces an additional charge of Firearms …
Parental Murder Conspiracy; 55lb Twin Teens Starved, Forced Outside Naked: Lehigh County DA
A Lower Macungie Township mother and stepfather accused of starving their twin 15-year-old sons to just 55 pounds, forcing them outside naked in freezing temperatures, beating them, and coercing them to lie to authorities are now facing conspiracy to commit murder charges, Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin Holihan announced Friday, Feb. 21.
Starvation, Isolation, and Physical Abuse
The abuse was uncovered on Jan. 22, when Pennsylvania State Police responded to a call on Divot Drive and found one of the teens, "Victim 1," running naked in 2-degree weather. The boy said his stepfather forc…
PA Man Accused Of Murdering, Dismembering Roommate Commits Suicide: Coroner
A Lehigh County inmate accused of killing and dismembering his roommate last year has died by suicide at a hospital, the coroner announced on Sunday, Jan. 12.
Joshua Douglas Moser, 34, of Allentown, was pronounced dead at 3:41 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 11, at St. Luke's Hospital in Allentown, according to Lehigh County Coroner Daniel A. Buglio.
Moser, who was being held at Lehigh County Jail, was charged in May 2024 with homicide, abuse of a corpse, and tampering with evidence in the murder of his 37-year-old roommate, David Hittinger, authorities said and Daily Voice previously reported.
Inv…
7 Hospitalized, 30 Displaced After Arson Damages 6 Homes In Allentown: Police
A fire in Allentown that injured seven people, including four firefighters, and displaced 30 residents is now being investigated as arson, authorities announced Friday, Dec. 27.
Santos Mota-Ramirez, 60, of Allentown, has been charged in connection with the fire, police announced Friday.
The blaze began around 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 26, in the 700 block of West Cedar Street and quickly spread to six adjacent row homes, according to the Allentown Fire Department.
Dozens of firefighters battled the flames, which left five families displaced and caused severe damage to multiple homes, offi…
Armed Burglary, Standoff At Pharmacy On Christmas Eve Lands 2 Allentown Men Charges: DA
Two men have been charged following an armed burglary and standoff with police at the Fountain Hill Pharmacy in Lehigh County on Christmas Eve, authorities announced Wednesday, Dec. 25.
Miguel Martinez, 56, of Allentown, and David Vazquez, 33, of Bethlehem, face multiple charges, including felony burglary, felony recklessly endangering another person, and several misdemeanors such as theft by unlawful taking, prohibited offensive weapon, and possessing an instrument of crime, according to Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin P. Holihan.
The charges stem from an incident at 1049 Broadway th…
Inmate Found Unresponsive At Lehigh County Jail Dies: Investigation Underway
A Lehigh County Jail inmate was found unresponsive in his cell on Saturday, Dec. 14, and later pronounced dead, authorities said.
Linwood Jones, 62, was discovered unresponsive in his cell at the Allentown facility around 4:20 p.m., according to the Lehigh County Department of Corrections. Staff immediately declared a medical emergency and began CPR before EMS arrived and took over, Director of Corrections Janine Donate said.
Jones was transported to St. Luke's Hospital-Allentown by ambulance, where he was pronounced dead at 5:20 a.m. on Sunday, Dec. 15, officials said.
Jones had been admi…
Allentown Man Kills Palmerton Mechanic In Whitehall Parking Lot Shooting: DA
An Allentown man is accused of fatally shooting a Palmerton man in a Whitehall Township parking lot during a dispute, authorities announced on Wednesday, Dec. 11.
Hector Garcia Gomez, 46, was shot multiple times in the torso in the parking lot of Loco Hot Deals at 1155 MacArthur Road, Whitehall Township, around 6:03 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 7, according to the Whitehall Township Police Department and Lehigh County District Attorney’s Office.
Garcia Gomez was transported to Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest, where he succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead at 7:43 p.m., authorities …
Two Men Charged With Attempted Murder In Allentown Shooting: DA
Two men have been charged with attempted murder after allegedly shooting a man in Allentown, District Attorney Gavin P. Holihan and Allentown Police Chief Charles Roca announced on Thursday, Nov. 28.
Christopher Joel Colon, 32, and John Brace, 32, both of Allentown, are accused of shooting Jorge Alicea Jr. multiple times around 1:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 27, on the 400 block of North Jordan Street, according to authorities.
Alicea Jr. was found with multiple gunshot wounds and rushed into surgery by Allentown EMS, police said.
Video evidence showed Alicea walking across a porch to a doub…
Duo Charged In Week-Long Allentown Robbery Spree, Police Say
A man and a woman sit in Lehigh County jail after police say they masterminded a string of robberies across Allentown over the last week.
Tyson J. Sydoriak, 48, and Jillian Pittman, 40, are each charged with four counts of robbery, simple assault, and related offenses, said Allentown police and the District Attorney's Office in a joint release.
Police say the pair robbed the A1 Express Market, 802 N. 10th Street, as well as Hirsch's Market, 131 S. 17th Street, both on Friday, April 7.
They then struck again at the Linden Street Deli and Grocery on Wednesday, April 12, acc…
Suspect Ripped TASER Darts From Body, Fought Police In Macungie: Authorities
What began in a Macungie Turkey Hill ended with a struggle in the street on Thursday, after police say a man assaulted gas station customers and then led officers on a brief chase.
Ryan J. Jacobs, 44, of Temple, is charged with fleeing law enforcement, resisting arrest, simple assault, and related counts, Macungie police wrote in a release.
Officers were called to the Turkey Hill at 141 W. Main St. on April 6, where an employee said Jacobs had "grabbed her" and "smashed her cell phone to prevent her from calling police," the department said.
Two customers at the stor…
Convicted Felon Busted With Guns, Drugs In Allentown Raid: Police
A small arsenal of guns and a large quantity of drugs were recovered in a raid on a Lehigh County man's home, authorities have announced.
Allentown police executed a search warrant at the East Court Street home of Jonathan Rodriguez Rosado, 38, just after 5 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 20, local police said in a press release.
There, officials said they seized no less than seven firearms as well as heroin, cocaine, marijuana, and some unspecified pills. It's not clear what prompted investigators to obtain the search warrant.
Rosado now faces a bevy of gun and drug charges — all feloni…
Teen Charged As Adult In Shooting Death Of William Allen High School Football Player
A teenager in Lehigh County will be charged as an adult for his role in the shooting death of a William Allen High School football player, authorities said.
Elijah Patterson, 16, was arrested on Monday, Sept. 26, and charged with criminal homicide, firearms not to be carried without a license, and possession of a firearm by a minor, in connection with the death of 15-year-old Treshawn Tracy, according to Lehigh County District Attorney Jim Martin and Allentown Police Chief Charles Roca.
Officers responding to a report of a shooting at Stevens’ Park located at 630 N. 6th Street, found the bo…
Woman Shoots, Kills Roommate In Lehigh Valley: Report
A 40-year-old woman was arrested for shooting and killing her roommate in their Lehigh Valley home, WFMZ reports.
Salisbury Township police officers were called just before 9 a.m. Monday, Aug. 1 to a home on the 700 block of East Federal Street, where they found 37-year-old Tracy Lynn Hoffman dead inside a bedroom, Lehigh County Coroner Daniel Buglio said in a Tuesday, Aug. 2 release.
Terri Hodel, of Allentown, was arraigned on a criminal homicide charge on Monday and remanded to the Lehigh County Jail with bail denied, court records show.
It all began on Sunday, July 31, when a member of …
