Crime News

Last of 'Thrill'-Seeking Teen Robbers Sentenced

Luis Ortiz of South Bethlehem gets sentence concurrent to 8-20 years he is already serving, but will spend another 20 years on probation.

  The last of the four teens guilty of a “thrill”-seeking string of convenience store robberies from Allentown to Palmer Township was sentenced to up to nine years in state prison by a Northampton County judge on Friday, according to The Express Times. But Judge Michael Koury made Luis Ortiz’s sentence concurrent with the eight-to-20 years he got in Lehigh County Court for the Allentown robberies, published reports said. However, the judge ordered the defendant to serve 20 years on probation after his sentence has ended, meaning Ortiz, now 19, will be in the court system until he is nearly 60. Ortiz of South Bethlehem and his cohorts Isaiah Barker of Freemansburg and Ashley Eskaff and Ashley Horning, both of Bethlehem, have all pleaded …

•  1 Comment
• Photos (1)

Crime News

Armed Robber Takes $4 on Montclair Avenue

Bethlehem Police say suspect pulled a gun and took $4 from 20-year-old man.

  A 20-year-old man was robed at gunpoint of $4 on the 500 block of Montclair Ave. in SouthSide just after midnight this morning, according to the Bethlehem Police Department’s daily crime summary. The suspect was described as a light-skinned male, about 5-foot-9, with a thin build, and wearing a black jacket, light gray hoodie, and a bandana covering his face. He identified himself as "Mike.” Anyone with information is asked to call Bethlehem Police at 610-865-7187.  

• Photos (1)

Teen Pleads Guilty to Bethlehem Armed Robbery

Cameron C. Blake, 18, of Bethlehem admitted that he robbed a man at gunpoint then forced him to withdraw $200 more from an ATM.

A Bethlehem teenager, who confessed to robbing a man at gunpoint, pleaded guilty Thursday, according to a Morning Call story. Cameron C. Blake, 18, of the 1300 block of W. Lehigh Street, pleaded guilty to robbery, reckless endangerment, terroristic threats and a firearms offense. He is scheduled for sentencing in Northampton County court Jan. 25. On Sept. 9, Blake had robbed a man at gunpoint in the area of W. Market Street and Heckewelder Place, just east of Main Street, according to court records. Then he forced him to drive to an ATM at the 7-Eleven at 14th Avenue and W. Broad Street, where the victim withdrew $200 and gave it to Blake. Blake told the man he would kill him if he called police and then Blake kept the victim's driver's …

• Photos (1)

Crime News

2 New York Men Accused of Robbing Barber Shop

Bethlehem Police say one of the alleged robbers fired a gun during holdup at Wyandotte Street shop.

  Two New York City men allegedly robbed a Bethlehem barber of money and jewelry Friday night and as a parting shot – literally – one of them fired a round from a handgun into the shop without hitting the barber, court records say. Police say the men – Jay Sills, 35, of Harlem and Keith L. Blakely, 34, of East Harlem, were found not long after walking into Jovaughns Barber Shop, 413 Wyandotte St., and robbing owner Robert Jones of $150 in cash and Jones’ gold necklace with a crucifix valued at $100. Police recovered the Glock semiautomatic handgun and the gold necklace in a basement stairwell where Sills was hiding behind businesses on the 300 block of S. New Street at the South Bethlehem Greenway. He briefly escaped police custody but was…

• Photos (1)

Crime News

Gunman on Bicycle Robs Gas Station

Police seek the public's help in finding the man who robbed the Lukoil on Catasauqua Road Tuesday night.

  Bethlehem police are asking for the public’s help in identifying a man who robbed the Lukoil gas station at 2450 Catasauqua Road late Tuesday. In a blog post, police said the robber was a dark-skinned male who arrived at the gas station on a bicycle just a few minutes before midnight. No one was hurt. The robber brandished a handgun and was wearing a gray-hooded sweatshirt with the hood up, jeans and sneakers. Police released pictures taken from gas station surveillance video. Anyone with information about the robbery is asked to call Bethlehem Police Det. Brad Jones at 610-865-7187.

•  1 Comment
• Photos (1)

Crime News

Teen Says He Robbed to Buy Mom's Birthday Gift

Bethlehem Police charge 18-year-old with July armed robbery of Delta Mini Mart on Easton Avenue. Teen says he did it to buy Kindle Fire for his mother's birthday present.

  An 18-year-old Bethlehem man accused of holding up an Easton Avenue convenience store in July told police he did it to buy his mother a birthday present, according to court papers. Cameron Christian Blake of 1306 W. Lehigh St. was charged Wednesday in the July 8 armed robbery of the Delta Mini Mart at 2145 Easton Ave. According to the arrest warrant, Blake pointed a black handgun at a store clerk and demanded all of the money out of the cash register, which turned out to be $259. According to the warrant: Blake was charged with felony robbery, theft and receiving stolen property. He was arraigned before District Judge James Narlesky of Hanover Township and committed to Northampton County Prison after failing to post $150,000 bail.

• Photos (1)

Crime News

Armed Robber at Community College Nabbed Quickly

Bethlehem Township Police say Allentown man got keys to a Jaguar and two cell phones holding two men at gunpoint at Northampton Community College last week.

  An Allentown man is charged with robbing two other men at gunpoint at Northampton Community College, Thursday night. Darrius Webb, 20, of 816 Washington St., is charged with aggravated assault, robbery, reckless endangerment, receiving stolen property, theft, terroristic threats and carrying an unlicensed firearm. According to Bethlehem Township police, officers responded to a robbery call around 9:20 p.m. Thursday. Two men said Webb had met them in the college's parking lot and held a gun on them, while a second man choked one of them. Webb fled with two expensive cell-phones and the keys to a Jaguar. Police pulled him over on Easton Avenue, where he was in possession of a handgun. He could not produce paperwork to show he was the gun's…

• Photos (1)

City Police Investigate Armed Robbery

Bethlehem Police are investigating a strong armed robbery Tuesday morning at a gas station at 824 W. Broad Street, according to The Morning Call.

Crime News

Teen Robbery Suspect Has Lengthy Criminal History

Azim Brown, who engaged police in brief standoff after allegedly robbing two at gunpoint, is facing charges as an adult because of severity of crime and past history.

  Azim Brown, the teenager who surrendered to Bethlehem police after a brief standoff early Friday, was no stranger to the two males he allegedly confronted with an unlicensed handgun about six-and-a-half hours before. Court records say the males, whose ages are not given, recognized the young man with a stocky build wearing a white T-shirt and black shorts. They also described him as being 18. He’s 16. And despite his age, he is being prosecuted as an adult, in part because of his lengthy juvenile criminal history. All three were at the tunnel at the south end of the Fahy Bridge about 6:50pm Thursday. The two males knew the teen’s first name was Azim and that he lives in north Bethlehem near center city (his address is 604 High St., Apt. …

•  3 Comments
• Photos (1)

Crime News

Standoff with Robbery Suspect Ends Peacefully

Police tracked 16-year-old armed robbery suspect to relative's house in South Bethlehem, where he briefly refused to leave the house.

  A brief standoff between police and a 16-year-old armed robbery suspect ended peacefully in South Bethlehem early this morning. According to the Bethlehem Police blog, Azim Brown surrendered less than six hours after he allegedly robbed two men at gunpoint in the tunnel at the south end of the Fahy Bridge. The Northampton County District Attorney’s office authorized police to charge Brown of 604 High St. as an adult, police said. The warrant against Brown charges him with robbery, theft, receiving stolen property, simple assault, possession of instruments of crime, recklessly endangering another person and firearms violations, police said. The robbery happened just before 7:30 p.m. The robber got away on foot after having taken a cell …

• Photos (1)