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PA Teen Raped Restrained, Strangled, Found In Basement: DA
A teenage girl was raped, restrained, and strangled in a basement by two men in Slatington, according to Lehigh County authorities.
Tristan Richard Zawick, 22, of Whitehall, and Jacquan Tenasse, 18, of Slatington, have been charged with rape, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, and criminal conspiracy to commit rape, officials announced on Saturday, Feb. 8.
Slatington police were called to a home in the 200 block of Walnut Street just before 7 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 7, where officers found the victim in the basement, prosecutors said. She told investigators that Zawick and Tenasse raped h…
PA's Women’s Healthcare System Shows Strengths, Gaps: New Study Says Why
Several northeast states are among the best in the nation for women’s health, leading in healthcare access, affordability, and safety, a new study said.
Massachusetts was ranked as the best state for women’s health in 2025, according to a study released by SmileHub on Tuesday, Feb. 4. The Bay State finished narrowly ahead of second-place Hawaii, while Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey rounded out the top five.
The report evaluated all 50 states using 18 key metrics, including maternal mortality rates, hospital quality, and the cost of medical care. The findings highlight major disp…
PA Parents Sold NJ Heroin From Filthy Home With Kids Inside: DA
Two parents in Stroud Township are accused of selling heroin and fentanyl from their home while their young children lived in dangerous, squalid conditions, authorities announced on Friday, Feb. 7.
Jessica Walters, 35, and Robert Nochella, 35, were arrested after Monroe County detectives and Children and Youth Services discovered drug paraphernalia, scales, and packaging materials scattered throughout their home on Thursday, Feb. 6, officials said. Walters was reportedly withdrawing from fentanyl during the investigation, according to the criminal complaints.
The home, where Walters and Noc…
Pennsylvania Man Who Stole Dead Classmate’s Identity To Get Passport, Gun Permit Sentenced
A Philadelphia fraudster who spent decades living under a dead classmate’s identity—scamming his way into a driver’s license, insurance, and even a gun permit—has pleaded guilty, Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday announced on Friday, Feb. 7.
Anthony Percell, 56, admitted in Philadelphia County Court to stealing the identity of a former classmate who died in 1986 and using it to apply for a concealed carry firearms permit, obtain a Pennsylvania driver’s license, and file a fraudulent workers’ compensation claim, authorities said.
Now, he’s headed to prison.
Under a plea deal, Percel…
Stalker Who Cut Power, Sent Vulgar Gifts To PA Women Sentenced: DA
A man who stalked women in Bucks and Lehigh counties by attaching GPS trackers to their vehicles, sending obscene gifts, and breaking into a home has been sentenced to prison, authorities announced on Friday, Feb. 7, 2025.
Matthew Bustin, 33, of King of Prussia, was sentenced to five to 24 months in county prison with three years of probation after pleading guilty to Stalking – Repeatedly Committing Acts to Cause Fear in Lehigh County on Nov. 7, 2024, according to District Attorney Gavin P. Holihan.
Prosecutors had sought a state prison sentence, but Judge James T. Anthony handed down the s…
PA Man Who Sexually Abused Autistic Child, Fled Sentencing, Captured In Dominican Republic
A Reading man who sexually abused an autistic child and skipped his sentencing hearing was captured in the Dominican Republic and returned to Berks County, authorities announced Friday, Feb. 7.
Rafael Vendrell, 75, pleaded nolo contendere to two counts of Aggravated Indecent Assault in November 2023 after being accused of sexually abusing an autistic juvenile, according to Berks County District Attorney John T. Adams.
Vendrell was released on bail while awaiting his sentencing on Feb. 14, 2024, but failed to appear in court, prompting a judge to issue a bench warrant, authorities said.
On …
Mysterious Pennsylvania Apartment Explosion Kills New Jersey Man: Coroner
A 26-year-old New Jersey who died after a mysterious explosion in his Pennsylvania apartment, is being remembered by friends and family as a kind, adventurous soul who brought joy to everyone he met.
Timothy Zeh, born on March 12, 1998, in Bethlehem, PA, had spent his entire life in Phillipsburg, NJ before moving to Easton. He passed away on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025, from injuries sustained in an explosion inside his apartment on West Milton Street, officials said.
Zeh, a 2016 graduate of Warren County Technical School, was known for his love of fishing, hiking, animals, and collecting rocks…
Premature Newborn Twins Starved By Pennsylvania Parents: DA
A Croydon couple is accused of starving their premature newborn twins to the point of severe malnutrition, Bucks County authorities announced on Thursday, Feb. 6.
Courtney Soyka, 32, and Marcus Maddela, 45, of Coventry Avenue in Bristol Township, have been charged with two counts each of felony child endangerment and conspiracy, according to the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office.
Investigators said the twins were born prematurely at 32 weeks on Oct. 7, 2024, and remained in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) until they were healthy enough to be released. But the parents allegedly…
Teen Guilty Of Fleeing PA Troopers With Guns, Drugs During Traffic Stop: DA
A 19-year-old Lancaster City man has been convicted of fleeing Pennsylvania State Troopers with a loaded gun and drugs during a traffic stop, prosecutors announced on Thursday, Feb. 6.
Jalen Bowers-Livingston, of the 500 block of South Prince Street, was found guilty of delivery of a controlled substance, carrying a firearm without a license, violating a protection from abuse order, evading arrest, and other charges, according to the Lancaster County District Attorney’s Office.
Bowers-Livingston was a passenger in a vehicle stopped for speeding along Willow Street Pike in West Lampeter To…
Teen Sexually Assaulted In Shower: Lancaster DA
A Lancaster man accused of sexually assaulting a 17-year-old girl in a shower will face trial after waiving his preliminary hearing, authorities said.
Deandre Lamar Gibbs, 23, waived the hearing before Judge Andrew LeFever on Friday, Jan. 31, on charges including sexual assault, aggravated indecent assault without consent, unlawful contact with a minor, corruption of minors, and indecent assault, according to court records.
Gibbs is accused of assaulting the victim at his home on the 400 block of New Holland Avenue in March 2024, Lancaster City police said.
Investigators said Gibbs entered…
Amber Alert: Pregnant Wisconsin Teen May Be In PA With 40-Year-Old Father Of Her Unborn Child
A pregnant Wisconsin teen who vanished under an Amber Alert may now be in Pennsylvania with the father of her unborn child, a man barred from having contact with her, authorities announced on Wednesday, Feb. 5.
Sophia Franklin, 16, was last seen at her residence in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, at 9 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 2, authorities explained. She is three months pregnant.
Investigators say she is believed to be with Gary F. Day, the father of her unborn child, who was last seen at her home at 7:48 a.m. on Monday, Feb. 3. A no-contact order is in place between the two, police said.
Day is drivi…
Pug Brutally Killed By Ex-Boyfriend In Shocking PA Revenge Plot: Affidavit
A Pennsylvania man admitted to breaking into his a woman's home who he refered to as his ex-girlfriend and killing her pug, Lexi, in what police describe as a calculated act of vengeance, according to court documents obtained by Daily Voice on Wednesday, Feb. 5.
Joseph Winters Hilliard, 27, of Butler, confessed to climbing through an open window at Chyanne Callender’s East Brady Street apartment on Jan. 5, 2024, and fatally beating the 10-year-old dog before dumping her body in the woods near Rock Ann Haven.
“I battered it pretty well, so I took it to the woods and killed it,” Hilliard adm…
