Easton News Archives

An Easton Area Middle School teacher this month resumed his fight to recoup wages and benefits he claims were lost when he reported for military duty in 2004. via Express-Times

“I think it's very much needed and I welcome the opportunity to open that up to the district”

Easton Area School District officials are working on a monthly newsletter and calendar to improve communications with parents. via Express-Times

“We can't say we can rule out the food but it's not directly related according to the stool cultures.”

An outbreak of flu-like symptoms that sickened up to 100 inmates at Northampton County Prison in Easton last week probably wasn't food-related, an official said this morning. via Easton Express-Times

“The guy's gonna feel terrible in the morning.”

Kristin Burke, the Wilson strip club dancer whose boyfriend beat up and robbed a man who paid her to go to a hotel with him, will spend up to four years in state prison.

''I just wanna say I know what happened was wrong,'' Burke, 24, of Plymouth, Luzerne County, said Friday.

She told Northampton County Judge Emil Giordano she did not plan the May 18 attack, in which her boyfriend, Melvin Hall, 31, assaulted and robbed the victim, whose name has not been released.

Giordano sentenced Burke, who in October pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit robbery, to serve two to four years. Read more

“This contract essentially compensates us for the extra work we're putting in”

The Easton Area School Board agreed Thursday to a five-year teachers contract that increases teacher salaries by an average of 4.96 percent for each year of the agreement. via Express-Times

“But there will be people who pay dearly. They do every year.”

On a day the U.S. Postal Service expected to mail 1 billion items, Joe Campo stood 14th in a 17-person line at the Palmer Township post office. via Easton Express-Times

“I regret to fully allow the withdrawal of”

James Cibula, with whom the state Superior Court sided when he complained that a prison term of five to 10 years for making terroristic threats was too harsh, was re-sentenced Friday to serve one to 10 years on ... via The Morning Call

A suspended Forks police officer who is accused of falsifying paperwork has resigned, and a township officer who was suspended for allegedly driving drunk at 120 mph has filed for unemployment benefits.

Jeremy McClymont resigned effective this past Monday, Forks solicitor Karl Kline said Friday. And officer Ernest D. Fimiano Jr. has filed for unemployment but the township is fighting that, saying he created the problem that has prevented him from working, Kline said.

McClymont's resignation came in a letter in which he thanked Police Chief Greg Dorney and the township for the time he served as a police officer, Kline said. Read more

Northampton County Prison canceled visits and restricted prisoner activities Thursday after about 100 inmates complained of flu-like symptoms, but the facility resumed normal operations Friday. via The Morning Call

An 82-year-old Forks Township woman hospitalized after an October traffic accident died yesterday as a result of her injuries. via The Morning Call

A Bethlehem Township man who allegedly picked up a prostitute in downtown Easton was then robbed by a man with a handgun Tuesday night, Easton police said Wednesday. via The Morning Call

A suspicious vehicle was seen driving around a school bus stop several times Wednesday morning at Center and Milton streets, Easton Area School District officials said. via The Morning Call

State police in Bethlehem said no charges will be filed against a truck driver after a large piece of ice flew off his vehicle and slammed into the windshield of an ambulance responding to a call in East Allen ... via MergeDigital

SUE BEYER Carol Szczepanik of Easton chops ice Monday morning along Seventh Street. via Pennlive.com

An Easton man was hit by a car Monday night and killed in Forks Township, the Northampton County coroner said. via The Morning Call

“All officers of the law must act appropriately at all times, both while on duty and off duty”

The Freemansburg police officer arrested early Saturday morning on suspicion of drunken driving damaged two vehicles, a mailbox and a fence about 40 minutes before he was stopped in Bushkill Township, ... via Easton Express-Times

“For whatever reason, we could not attract anybody.”

Is a development along the Delaware doomed? The controversial Riverwalk project in Easton has been called vital for the re-birth of the downtown but also roundly criticized by residents. via WFMZ

Two men and two women have been arrested for allegedly burglarizing an apartment in Easton just before 1 a.m. Sunday. via The Morning Call

An Easton man who fled from police recently in the South Mall, causing shots to be fired and holiday shoppers to scramble for cover, waived his preliminary hearing before a Lehigh County district judge Friday.

Aubuime Udeshi Akade, 24, of 300 Seitz St. faces court on charges of aggravated assault and reckless endangerment.

Akade remains in the county prison under $200,000 straight bail.

On Dec. 7, police went to the mall on Lehigh Street in Allentown and Salisbury Township to investigate a report of suspicious activity. An employee arriving to work told mall security that two men were sitting in a parked car within sight of an armored car outside the Bank of America. Read more

An increase in suspected drug- or gang-related killings is driving up Allentown's homicide rate, with the city nearing its record of 21 slayings set two years ago.

Through Friday, there have been 20 homicides in the city. Police believe 15 may have connections to drugs, gangs or both, said Ron Manescu, assistant police chief.

That puts 75 percent of the slayings into that category, up from 67 percent last year and 48 percent two years ago.

Manescu said it may be a change in the demeanor of street gangs and drug rings, not necessarily an increase in their numbers, that is driving up the killings. Read more

“He treated this little boy like a piece of trash.”

The Easton man who told a Northampton County judge he kicked and punched a little boy because he wasn't "a morning person" was sentenced Friday to up to five years in state prison. via Express-Times

“My baby was only 19 years old. She was just beginning to live”

A mother mourning the loss of her child offered encouragement Friday to a parent struggling with the same pain. via Easton Express-Times

A botched robbery and ensuing shootout in South Scranton late Tuesday has led to the arrest of five people, Scranton police said Wednesday. via The Times-Tribune

A 20-year-old Wilson man who hurled racial epithets during a borough carnival, touching off a fight that ended with three people being stabbed, has been ordered to spend up to a year in prison.

David C. Letson of 2469 Front St. pleaded guilty Tuesday to disorderly conduct and underage drinking. Northampton County Judge Stephen G. Baratta said though Letson didn't hurt anyone, he was responsible for the triple stabbing that followed his June 4 tirade at the Lions Club Fair.

Daniel L. Breidinger, 21, of 2035 Ealer Ave., Wilson, a friend of Letson's, is charged with attempted homicide, aggravated assault, ethnic intimidation and related counts. Police say Breidinger pulled a knife and stabbed David Starling, 22, Jason Utter, 18, and a 17-year-old boy, all of Easton, at 21st and Northampton streets. All three victims were hospitalized. Read more

“All of the traffic accidents I've investigated, I haven't written one ticket.”

A former Palmer Township cop who is the wife of a borough patrolman was not charged after she veered into oncoming traffic Oct. via Easton Express-Times

Two men who were allegedly involved in shoplifting nearly $3,000 worth of power tools from Lowe's were arrested on theft charges, police said. via The Morning Call

About 100 parents, educators, ministers, community activists and children marched around Easton Area Middle School and down Northampton Street on Saturday afternoon, carrying signs and banners that decried violence and drugs.

But their most important message was not the one written in ink, but rather the one represented by the simple fact that someone -- anyone -- cared to show up.

''Unity,'' said Nadine Loane, the Easton Weed and Seed program coordinator and march organizer. She motioned to the growing number of people gathering on the school sidewalk. Old friends meeting new friends. Neighbors shaking hands with neighbors. Read more

Newark, N.J., is about 60 miles and a few minutes more than an hour driving due east of the Lehigh Valley on Interstate 78. via The Morning Call

A 24-year-old Easton man was arrested Friday after nearly hitting a township police officer with a vehicle, forcing police to fire their weapons before he then hid out in a nearby apartment. via Easton Express-Times

The attorney for a former Easton man who admitted he forced sex on a woman argued Friday that his client shouldn't have to go to jail because the victim was ''dramatizing'' the impact of the attack.

Nonetheless, Northampton County Judge Emil Giordano ordered Barry R. Seifert II, 31, to serve three to 23 months in county prison. When Seifert is released, he must serve two years of probation.

He pleaded guilty in October to indecent assault, simple assault and unlawful restraint.

''Mr. Seifert, what you did was wrong, and I'm disheartened when I read'' from a sex evaluation ''that you don't really think you did anything wrong, and there's a price to be paid,'' the judge said. Read more

Avbuime Akade, 24, of Easton, is awaiting arraignment tonight after an incident at the South Mall in Salisbury Township, Lehigh County that ended up involving multiple law enforcement agencies. via WFMZ

Cook Two Easton men charged in a foiled robbery Tuesday night on South 11th Street each had been out of prison for less than four months when it occurred. via Easton Express-Times

“We've had some tips pointing us in general directions”

Last week's triple gangland slaying in the city's West Ward joins two other murders in the city that remain unsolved this year. via Easton Express-Times

“This isn't really the best place for a school”

Kayla Willis, an 11-year-old city resident, said she is more scared to go outside now than she was a week ago. via Easton Express-Times

“We were lucky and it was a good time to bid a project with some contractors looking for work”

Bids to renovate Easton's water plant came in about $10 million lower than expected, meaning Easton Suburban Water Authority may rethink rate hikes planned for 2009 and beyond. via Express-Times

“There are good people here but they're getting scared away”

The victim is loaded into an ambulance Tuesday night in the 1100 block of Washington Street. via Easton Express-Times

“There is this undercurrent of gang activity -- more specifically, the Bloods. But whether they are specifically linked, I don't know.”

There's also been talk of gangs in connection with last week's triple murder in Easton. via WFMZ

“Luckily, this time, the citizen won”

Cautioning against a return to the 'Wild West' days, Northampton County District Attorney John M. Morganelli this afternoon said the good guy won in a botched armed robbery last night in Easton. via The Morning Call

Ammunition, a gun, cell phones and drug paraphernalia were found in the West Ward apartment in Easton where three people were shot execution-style Thursday, police said Tuesday.

Police also found eight spent shell casings scattered on the floor where the bodies of Aleah Hamlin, 19, her cousin Chanel Armour, 23, and Alphe Rene, 21, were found on the third floor of 128 N. 13th St., according to a search warrant inventory police filed.

As the homicide investigation entered its sixth day, city police continued their search into possible links to two recent murders in northern New Jersey. Read more

“They're good people in the neighborhood but they are getting scared”

Posted by Express-Times staff December 04, 2007 18:12PM BRUCE WINTER A victim is removed tonight from 1143 Washington St. via Easton Express-Times

Authorities have linked last week's triple gang-related slaying in Easton, Penn., to recent killings in Jersey City and West Orange, according to a report in The Morning Call of Allentown. via NJ.com

“They said if they do have something I'll be the first to know.”

Simply spoken, someone needs to step forward and say what they know. Easton now has five unsolved murders this year. via Easton Express-Times

“From this moment forward, you may not have alcohol. End of story. None”

A man pleaded guilty Monday in Northampton County Court to indecent exposure just three days after the sheriff's department named him and his son Express-Times fugitives of the week. via Express-Times

It was the first triple homicide in Northampton County in 21 years, according to Morganelli. The deaths brought to five the number of homicides in Easton this year.

Police said they had only vague descriptions of the men they are looking for and they basically involved their hair style and that they are black. One wore his hair in cornrow braids, another in dreadlocks. The third man was described as ''heavy'' with a large, muscular build.

As part of the investigation, police impounded a dark Saturn from the 100 block of S. 13th Street and carted off evidence from the apartment, where a neighbor said he heard about 10 shots and what sounded like doors slamming around the time police said the three were shot to death. Read more

Nearly 48 hours after Northampton County's first triple murder in 20 years, police are still looking for answers. via WFMZ

“I think what it says clearly is this gang problem hits us at all levels of our society. No parks are safe, no corners are safe. It's not just a bad neighborhood problem. It's not just one race's problem.”

The gang-related murder of three people last week stunned the community of officials battling gang activity in the Lehigh Valley, but it has also motivated them to keep fighting. via Easton Express-Times

Officials say three people were killed in an execution-style shooting in Easton early Thursday morning. via WFMZ-TV Allentown

“I can only say I wish we could have provided him with some help”

Cousins Chanel Armour and Aleah Hamlin belonged to a family that fled the crime and violence of their native city of Newark for a quieter life in the Lehigh Valley, their uncle said a day after his nieces were ... via Easton Express-Times

“There were big concerns before, but this just adds more fuel to the fire.”

The gangland shootings that left three dead Thursday less than a block from Easton Area Middle School have intensified the debate about relocating elementary school students there next year. via Easton Express-Times