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'Violent Predator' Gets Life For Killing Bucks County Co-Worker, Dumping Body In MD
A man described by authorities as a "violent predator" was sentenced to life in prison without parole on Monday, Sept. 9 for kidnapping, robbing, and killing a Pennsylvania co-worker, authorities announced.
Michael Allen Stark, 50, of Royersford, PA was found guilty by a Bucks County jury of first-degree murder, second-degree murder, robbery, kidnapping, theft by unlawful taking, flight to avoid apprehension, and abuse of a corpse, according to District Attorney Jennifer Schorn and court records.
Stark's victim was 50-year-old Matthew James Branning of Sellersville, who went missing after l…
Motorcyclist ID'd After Crash Into Tractor-Trailer: Lehigh County Coroner
A 29-year-old motorcyclist from Monroe County was killed in a collision with a tractor-trailer in Northampton County, authorities said.
Robert Swain, of Coolbaugh Township, was pronounced dead on Wednesday, Sept. 4, shortly after 7 p.m. at Lehigh Valley Hospital, Muhlenberg, according to Lehigh County Coroner Daniel Buglio. The cause of death is multiple traumatic injuries, Buglio said.
Swain was the motorcycle operator that collided with a tractor-trailer at about 1:40 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 3 on Route 22 westbound in Bethlehem, Buglio said.
In addition to the cor…
Motorcyclist, 26, Killed In Hit-Run Crash Was From Mount Pocono
A 26-year-old motorcyclist from Mount Pocono was killed in a hit-and-run crash in Monroe County, authorities said.
The fatal crash occurred at about 11 p.m. Friday, Aug. 16 on State Route 611 at Cayuga Drive in Coolbaugh Township. Bystanders reported a vehicle struck a motorcycle and fled the scene, according to Pocono Mountain Regional Police.
Anthony Giovanni Rodriguez was pronounced dead at the scene, police said..
Steven Rannie, 52, of Tobyhanna, was later charged with homicide by vehicle, drug possession and other charges, police said.
Anthony graduated from Pocono Mountain East Hi…
Severe Thunderstorm Warnings Issued In These NJ, PA Counties
The National Weather Service has issued severe thunderstorm warnings and warned of 60 mph winds across parts of New Jersey and Pennsylvania Friday, June 14.
At 4:15 p.m., the NWS issued the warnings for Sussex and Warren counties in New Jersey, and Carbon, Monroe, Berks, Lehigh, and Northampton, in PA.
Newton, Washington, Jim Thorpe, Stroudsburg, Reading, Allentown, Bethlehem, and Easton, are also being warned of severe storms.
The warnings are in effect through 5 p.m.
Temps hit the 90-degree mark late in the afternoon, the NWS said. Storms were expected in the evening hours, a…
3 PA Lotto Players Win $100K As Powerball Jackpot Climbs To $800M
A Pennsylvania Lottery player in Aldan Borough took home $100,000 playing the Powerball over the weekend.
The lucky winner earned $100,000 by matching five of the six balls pulled in the Saturday, March 23 drawing, according to state gaming officials.
Two other players in Monroe and Clearfield counties won the same amount, lotto reps said. The following vendors will each receive a $500 bonus check for selling the lucky tickets:
Goff’s Suds & Soda, 560 Oak Avenue, Primos, Delaware County;
M & S Tobacco Corp, 3236 Route 940, Mount Pocono, Monroe County; and
Walmart…
Inmate From Steelton Dies In Dauphin County Prison
A convicted felon, serving a maximum of 23 months in the Dauphin County Prison, was found unresponsive on Friday morning, authorities announced that afternoon.
Justin Cofield, 33 of Steelton, began his sentence on Aug. 31, 2023, and was pronounced dead within the prison at 10:08 a.m. on Feb. 23, Dauphin County officials detailed in the release.
DCP officials were called to a medical emergency on I Block at 9:33 a.m. Cofield was found unresponsive in his bunk, lying on his stomach, a correctional officer explained as EMS arrived. EMS made life-saving attempts, but ultim…
Camelback Resort Guest Spits, Throws 'Marijuana Cigar' At Security: Police
A New York City man is accused of spitting at Camelback Resort security guards after being asked to leave a hotel bar, according to Pocono Township police.
Jonathan Vidal, 33, is charged with simple assault, disorderly conduct, disorderly conduct, and related counts, authorities said.
Police said Vidal was asked to leave the bar after "being disruptive and aggressive," but was escorted to his room after spitting in one security officer's face.
He continued to fight with security in his hotel room, spitting in a second guard's face and then throwing a "marijuana cigar" at …
Human Remains ID'd As Pennsylvania Man Missing Since 2012: Coroner
A Monroe County man who went missing more than a decade ago died from a gunshot wound to the head, according to officials.
The remains of Stephen C. Lepore were unearthed at 95 Peet Road in Dreher Township, Wayne County, said the Coroner's Office.
The skeletal remains were discovered by an unknown party on Tuesday morning, Oct. 17, and identified as Lepore using dental records on Thursday, Oct. 19, Coroner Edward R. Howell said.
Lepore, of Tobyhanna, was last seen on the morning of August 17, 2012, driving his 2007 Chevrolet Express, state police investigators have said.
Stephen C…
Dozens Nabbed In PA Child Porn Sting, 'Operation Safe Screen': State Police
Twenty-six Pennsylvanians face criminal charges after state police wrapped up a months-long investigation on child sex abuse imagery.
"Operation: Safe Screen," said troopers in a release on Tuesday, July 18, involved chatting with suspect predators online, locating possessors of child pornography, and tracking down registered offenders who have fallen out of compliance.
The operation ran from April through June and led to the arrests of 22 adults and four juveniles in twelve counties, state police said.
Those charged:
Daniel Gonzales, 43, of Lackawanna County, is …
Tributes Pour In For Beloved PA Motorcyclist Killed In Crash At 30
James "Jimmy" Apgar III, a Monroe County man, has died following a motorcycle accident in Palmerton on Saturday, June 24, his loved ones said in his obituary. He was 30.
Apgar, of Kunkletown, crashed after losing control of his motorcycle, Fox56 reported, citing the Carbon County Coroner's Office.
Born in Allentown to James A., Jr. and Georgeanne R. (Nelson), Apgar was a 2011 graduate of Palmerton High School and later concluded his studies at Lehigh Carbon Community College in Schnecksville, family members wrote.
Friends and loved ones took to social media this week to memorialize the…
PA Man Posing As Amazon Worker Robbed, Pistol-Whipped NJ Homeowner: Authorities
A Pennsylvania man was among a trio of unemployed ex-cons posing as Amazon delivery workers who pistol-whipped a New Jersey homeowner before fleeing with cash, sneakers and jewelry, authorities said.
Newark native Jazmir Carter, 25 — currently of Stroudsburg, PA — and Brick City residents Ameer Holcomb, 42, and Michael Carter, 26, forced their way into the North Arlington home after the victim opened the door around 9:30 a.m. Feb. 21, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said.
North Arlington police notified his office, the prosecutor said, and a joint investigation led to raids by his det…
Poconos Motorcyclist Fatally Struck By Septic Truck, Troopers Say
A Monroe County motorcyclist died after losing control of his bike and being hit by a septic truck on a Chestnuthill Township road, say state police.
It happened on Saturday, May 13 around 3:20 p.m., troopers wrote in a release. The motorcyclist, an unnamed 26-year-old Stroudsburg resident, was headed south on Route 715 when he lost control and skidded into the northbound lane, authorities said.
During the slide, he was separated from the bike, which hit traveled off the road and hit a tree before skidding back into the southbound lane, the release says. The motorcyclist, meanwh…
Poconos Man, 20, Dies After Motorcycle Crash
A Monroe County man has died a week after sustaining injuries in a motorcycle accident, authorities say.
William M. Hill, 20, of Middle Smithfield Township, was pronounced dead on Sunday, May 14, Lehigh County Coroner Daniel A. Buglio said in a release.
Hill was riding a motorcycle on Milford Road near Airport Road in Smithfield Township around 8:40 p.m. on Saturday, May 6 when he was involved in a crash with another vehicle, the coroner said.
He was taken to Lehigh Valley Hospital Muhlenburg, where he eventually died from multiple blunt force injuries, Buglio wrote. The …