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Quakertown Man Guilty Of Beating Woman To Death, Leaving Body In Motel Bathtub: State
A Bucks County man has been convicted of murder in the brutal 2021 beating death of 41-year-old Helena Johnson, authorities announced.
Michael Sarmiento, 40, of Quakertown, was found guilty of third-degree murder but mentally ill by Luzerne County Judge Michael T. Vough on Wednesday morning, Feb. 26. The ruling carries the same legal weight as a third-degree murder conviction but allows Sarmiento to receive mental health treatment while incarcerated, state Attorney General Dave Sunday announced.
Johnson, a Massachusetts resident, was found dead on June 6, 2021, inside a Hazle Township…
Officer Killed At Upmc Funeral, Memorial Fund, And Final Wish Announced
West York Borough Police Officer Andrew Duarte will be laid to rest this week after he was killed in the line of duty during a mass shooting at UPMC Memorial Hospital in York County on Saturday, Feb, 22. His family, fellow officers, and an outpouring of community support are ensuring his legacy of service and sacrifice is never forgotten.
Funeral Service Details
Duarte’s funeral will take place on Friday, Feb. 28, at 1:00 p.m. at Living Word Community Church, 2530 Cape Horn Road, Red Lion, PA.
Due to high attendance expectations, seating arrangements are as follows:
Seating inside the c…
Triple-Fatal Fire: Toddler, Parents Killed, 2 Kids Rescued In PA Duplex Fire
A tragic fire tore through a Kittanning duplex early Monday morning, Feb. 24, killing a mother, father, and their 3-year-old child while two older children managed to escape, officials said.
The deadly blaze erupted in the 1400 block of North Grant Avenue just before 4 a.m., according to Armstrong County Coroner Brian Myers.
The victims have been identified as Kayla Whittaker, 28, her son Ryland Whittaker, 3, and Jason C. Blystone Jr., 26. Their bodies were found inside a bedroom, the coroner said.
Two other children, ages 5 and 7, were able to get out of the burning home. Their condit…
Heroin, Meth, Cocaine: Seven Busted in Burlington County Drug Raid, Police Say
Seven people were recently arrested and charged with running a heroin mill in Burlington County, authorities said.
Authorities investigated a large scale narcotics operation in Pemberton late last year, finding that William Anderson, a 60-year-old Brown Mills man, was trafficking substantial quantities of heroin, methamphetamine, and cocaine, with David Furter, a 61-year-old Palmyra resident serving as a key supplier of bulk methamphetamine, New York State Police said.
Law enforcement saw Furter place a red bag into a mailbox at 1495 Junction Rd, police said. They conducted a mot…
Slain Virginia Beach Officer Is NJ Native: Remembering Christopher Reese
One of two Virginia Beach officers killed during a routine traffic stop on Friday, Feb. 21, has been identified as a South Jersey native.
Officer Christopher Reese, 30, and Officer Cameron Girvin, 25, were riding double-assigned to a midnight shift traffic car when they attempted to stop a Hyundai with an expired plate at 11:27 p.m., Virginia Beach Police Chief Paul Neudigate said at a news conference Saturday.
The driver, later identified as John McCoy III — whom Neudigate vowed to only name once — refused to yield, leading officers to a dead-end street, where the vehicle finally came…
Teen Suspects In Multi-State Crime Spree Fire At Troopers, 2 Still On The Run: PA State Police
Two Tennessee teens accused of leading a multi-state crime spree and firing at Pennsylvania State Troopers during a high-speed chase on I-81 are in custody, while two others remain on the run, authorities said.
The chaos began around 12:40 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 23, when a motorist on I-81 in Silver Spring Township, Cumberland County, reported that a passenger in a red Toyota Tundra pointed a gun at her and other drivers, Pennsylvania State Police said.
Troopers spotted the stolen truck in West Hanover Township, Dauphin County, approximately 20 miles away. The driver initially pulled over b…
Police Officer Andrew Duarte Killed In Upmc Memorial Hospital Shooting
West York Borough Police Officer Andrew Duarte was killed in the line of duty on Saturday, Feb. 22, after a gunman opened fire and took staff hostage inside the ICU at UPMC Memorial Hospital in York County, authorities said.
The shooter, identified as Diogenes Archangel-Ortiz, entered the hospital around 10:35 a.m. with a bag containing a semiautomatic handgun and zip ties, according to York County District Attorney Timothy Barker. He proceeded to the ICU, where he held staff hostage and shot a doctor, nurse, and custodian, Barker said.
UPMC security officers responded and were fired upon, …
Drunk Driver Crashes Into Tree, Killing Passenger In Bethlehem: Police
A Pennsylvania man with a blood alcohol level more than twice the legal limit was arrested for causing a fatal crash that killed his passenger last month, Bethlehem Township police announced on Friday, Feb. 21.
Randy Diomar Donato, 32, of Easton, was driving a 2006 Nissan Altima on William Penn Highway near Chipman Road when he lost control and crashed into a tree at 2:07 a.m. on Jan. 5, authorities said.
Nicole Danielle Guzman, 35, of Easton, was in the passenger seat and died at the scene from blunt-force trauma, according to the Northampton County Coroner's Office. Her death was ruled ac…
Felon Beat Woman With Fire Extinguisher, Found With Arsenal And Explosive: Bern Twp Police
A convicted felon who brutally attacked two people at a Pennsylvania gas station was found hoarding weapons and an explosive device, Bern Township police announced on Thursday, Feb. 20.
Shemell Grosvenor, of Leesport, was identified as the suspect behind a violent assault at a Bern Township gas station in August 2024, where he allegedly smashed one victim in the head with a fire extinguisher, causing a concussion, and left another with a deep cut near her eye, authorities said.
In early February 2025, a tip led investigators to Grosvenor’s home on the 1000 block of Cathy Dr., where they not…
Woman ID’d After Shot In Back, Left On Philly Highway; $20K Reward Offered
A woman was found shot and left on a Philadelphia highway, and now authorities have identified her.
Afdera Hatten, 64, of 5100 Regent Street, was discovered unresponsive with multiple gunshot wounds to her back near 5200 Greenway Avenue around 2:47 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 20, police said.
Officers from the 12th District had heard gunfire moments before a 911 call reported a "female down on the highway." Police rushed Hatten to Penn-Presbyterian Medical Center, but she was pronounced dead at 3:16 a.m.
The motive for the killing remains unknown, and no arrests have been made.
A $20,000 rewar…
