Tag: Whitehall Township, PA
Official Oppression, Harassment Charges Filed Against Whitehall Tax Collector: Lehigh County DA
A Whitehall Township tax collector is facing criminal charges tied to an alleged dispute with her neighbors, authorities announced.
Tina Koren, 65, of Whitehall, has been charged with misdemeanor Official Oppression and Harassment, Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin P. Holihan said in a release on Wednesday, April 8.
The complaint was filed on Monday, April 6, following an investigation that began in September 2025 after neighbors Mary Ellen and Steven Griffin reported alleged harassment at their home on the 3300 block of South Ruch Street, according to the release.
The Grif…
$700K Gold, Bitcoin Scam: ‘PayPal’ Poser From NJ Cons Elderly Lehigh County Man, DA Says
A slick con artist posing as a PayPal agent scammed a 74-year-old Pennsylvania man out of nearly $700,000 in gold and cryptocurrency, authorities revealed on Friday, Jan. 16.
Hirtik Hemchand Khatri, of Lawrence Township, New Jersey, pleaded guilty on Thursday, Nov. 20 to felony charges of Theft by Extortion, Theft by Unlawful Taking – Movable Property, and Criminal Use of a Communication Facility, according to Holihan.
Khatri was sentenced at a hearing before Judge Thomas M. Caffrey to 12 months, minus a day, to 36 months in prison for both theft charges, along with two years of proba…
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…
Woman Found Injured, Whitehall Man Caught With Zipper Down After Bar Ride: DA
A Lehigh County man accused of raping and kidnapping a woman after a night at a bar is headed to trial, District Attorney Gavin Holihan announced on Monday, July 21.
Erik Contes, 42, of Whitehall Township, is charged with:
Felony Rape.
Felony Kidnapping To Facilitate A Felony.
Felony Sexual Assault.
Misdemeanor Indecent Assault.
His preliminary hearing was held before District Judge Jacob Hammond earlier in the day, and all charges were held for court. Contes is currently free after posting $100,000 bail.
The incident occurred just after 2:30 a.m. on Sunday, June 2, 2024, when a South Whi…
Driver On Meth Kills Grandma In Rt 22 Whitehall Crash: DA
A man who was high on meth when he crashed his car, killing his passenger on Route 22 in Whitehall Township, has been sentenced to state prison, prosecutors announced on Monday, March 10.
Juan Ramone Sierra, 45, of Allentown, pleaded guilty on Jan. 16 to Homicide by Vehicle While Driving Under the Influence, Accidents Involving Death While Not Licensed, and Driving Under the Influence – Controlled Substance – 2nd Offense, court records show.
Lehigh County Judge Thomas M. Caffrey sentenced Sierra to five to 10 years in prison followed by seven years of probation, according to District Atto…
Search Intensifies For Missing Easton Teen Enci Wu, Last Seen In NJ, Feared Sex Trafficked
The search for missing Pennsylvania teen Enci Aubrey Wu has gained momentum as community members rally for more visibility and support in both Pennsylvania and New Jersey, according to statements by her parents on Friday, March 7.
Wu, 14, of Palmer Township, Easton, who goes by Aubrey, vanished after climbing out of a bathroom window at her home on Jan. 10, 2025. Investigators later confirmed she was seen in New Jersey and at a Wawa in Whitehall Township on Jan. 11, but she has not been located since.
Her parents and volunteers have been tirelessly searching for her for nearly two months, p…
Woman Arrested After Ex-BF Accused Of Firing Fatal Shot In Whitehall Parking Lot: DA
A second arrest has been made in the killing of Hector Garcia Gomez, a Palmerton mechanic fatally shot in a Whitehall Township parking lot during a dispute, authorities announced Friday, Dec. 20.
Liz Pacheco, 36, of Allentown, is accused of conspiring with her former partner, Christian Martinez-Ramos, to locate and kill Garcia Gomez, according to Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin P. Holihan and Whitehall Police Chief Michael Marks.
Pacheco has been charged with first-degree felony counts of criminal homicide, conspiracy to commit homicide, and aggravated assault, as well as misdemeano…
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 …
Homicide: Man Shot Dead In Whitehall Township Parking Lot, Coroner Says
A man was shot and killed in a Whitehall Township parking lot on Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024, authorities announced.
The shooting occurred around 6:05 p.m. in the parking lot of 1155 MacArthur Road, the Lehigh County Coroner’s Office said. The victim was rushed to Lehigh Valley Hospital–Cedar Crest, where he was pronounced dead at 7:43 p.m.
The coroner ruled the death a homicide and said the man, who was struck by multiple gunshots, has been positively identified. His name is being withheld to allow his family time to grieve. An autopsy is scheduled for Monday, Dec. 9, 2024.
The Whitehall Towns…
Homicide: Whitehall Man 'Intentionally' Struck By Car, Lehigh Coroner Says
A 53-year-old man's death has been ruled a homicide the Lehigh County Coroner announced on Saturday, Aug. 10.
Stephen S. Fistner, of Whitehall Township, "was a pedestrian that was intentionally struck by a motor vehicle," Coroner Daniel Buglio stated.
The fatal strike happened in 1300 block of North 14th Street at 6:05 p.m. on Friday, August 9, 2024, as detailed in the coroner's release.
He was pronounced dead at t Lehigh Valley Hospital, Cedar Crest at 7:02 p.m. on Friday, August 9.
An autopsy has been scheduled to determine the c…
Allentown Teen Pedestrian Struck Dead In Whitehall ID'd By Coroner (Updated)
A teenager has died after being hit by a car in Whitehall Township on Monday, April 8, according to officials.
Emmanuel Gboyah, 15, of Allentown, was struck on the 1100 block of MacArthur Road around 8:30 p.m., the Lehigh County Coroner's Office said in a release.
He was taken to Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest where he was pronounced dead, officials said. His cause of death was blunt force injuries and the manner of death was accidental, Coroner Daniel A. Buglio said following an autopsy on Wednesday, April 10.
"As we grieve this tragic loss together, my deepest …
Support Surges For Family Of Lehigh Valley Girl, 16, Reading Man Killed In Crash
Support is pouring in for the families of a teenage girl and a 42-year-old man killed in a Lehigh Valley crash.
Mia G. Due, 16, was a passenger in a vehicle struck by a motorcycle at MacArthur Road near Mechanicsville Road in Whitehall Township around 6:55 p.m. on Sunday, July 31, Lehigh County Coroner Daniel A. Buglio said.
The motorcyclist, who was identified as Jose Estrada, 42, of Reading, also died at the scene, authorities said.
More than $33,300 had been raised for Due's family on a GoFundMe page as of Thursday, Aug. 4.
Due was one of three sisters and aspired to be a&nb…
16-Year-Old Girl Among Two Dead In Lehigh Valley Crash, Coroner Says
A 16-year-old girl was among two dead in a Lehigh Valley crash Sunday, July 31, authorities said.
Mia G. Due, and Jose Estrada, 42, died after a motorcycle collided with another vehicle at MacArthur Road at Mechanicsville Road in Whitehall Township around 6:55 p.m., Lehigh County Coroner Daniel A. Buglio said.
Estrada, of Reading, was operating the motorcycle, while Due, of Whitehall, was a passenger in the other vehicle, the coroner said. The condition of the other driver was not immediately known.
Both victims were pronounced dead at the scene. The coroner says their cause and …
