2 Men Charged in Valleywide Burglary Spree

Pennsylvania State Police charge two -- one is from Easton -- in monthlong stealing spree that targeted about a dozen stores from Lower Macungie Township to the Slate Belt.

  Two men have been charged with committing 11 burglaries in one month at stores across the Lehigh Valley, according to published reports. Both Edward J. Medelo, 35, of Easton, and Derek Deutsch, 36, of Allentown, have been charged with 11 counts each of burglary, theft and receiving stolen property, 12 counts each of criminal conspiracy to commit burglary and criminal mischief and one count each of attempted burglary, according to court records. They were caught by Pennsylvania State Police on June 11 as they were trying to break into the Binny Mart on Mauch Chunk Road in North Whitehall Township, according to The Express-Times. The men would allegedly take a brick or a rock and smash a front window before taking cartons of cigarettes and…

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Crime News

Township Police Report Rash of Burglaries

Bethlehem Township police say 16 homes and businesses have been burglarized in the past 30 days.

  There have been 16 burglaries in Bethlehem Township in the past 30 days, according to a posting on the Bethlehem Township Police Department Facebook page. The posting says there has been no clear pattern or area affected in the recent rash of break-ins. Some have happened at residences and others have happened at businesses. Police are advising township residents to secure their homes when they are not there. “Many people aren't aware that a large percentage of residential burglaries occur during the day, when many homes and neighborhoods are empty because people are at work,” the posting says. Police are also asking anyone who sees something suspicious or out of place to call the department.

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Gang Leader Who Ordered Student Thefts Sentenced

Darius Michael Newman ordered young Bloods initiates to target Lehigh students for thefts.

  A member of the Bloods gang who led an effort by younger gang members to target Lehigh University students for burglaries and robberies was sentenced to 3½ to 12 years in a state prison Friday, according to The Express-Times. Darius Michael Newman, 22, of 538 Hayes St., Bethlehem, pleaded guilty to burglary, five counts of receiving stolen property and possession of marijuana in September. The sentencing was issued Friday by Northampton County Judge Michael Koury. According to police, Newman ordered other gang members and gang initiates to steal from Lehigh students or suffer a “beatdown” as a consequence of failing to act. The crimes put Lehigh on a state of alert a year ago as students were warned not to walk around the neighborhood at…

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City Man Sought in 14 Burglaries

Bethlehem Police is seeking public's help in finding Jorge Andrade, accused of stealing thousands of dollars worth of jewelry and electronics.

  A Bethlehem man is wanted for committing 14 burglaries in the city, on Lehigh University’s campus and in Bethlehem Township during November, Bethlehem police said today. Police are looking for the public’s help in finding Jorge Dandrade, who is accused of stealing thousands of dollars worth of jewelry and electronics, some of which was sold to area pawn shops and purchasing businesses around the Lehigh Valley, police said. Police said they found between $6,000 and $8,000 worth of stolen items – including iPods, iPads, cameras, jewelry and a large screen television – in a warrant search of Dandrade’s home at 428 Hayes St. Ten of the 14 burglaries occurred in on-campus housing, including a sorority house and four of them were committed in …

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Alert Issued After 3 Burglaries at Moravian College

Thefts prompt campus police chief to tell students to lock doors, windows when not in dorm rooms.

The director of campus safety and chief of police at Moravian College on Tuesday issued a crime alert and a note of caution to students after receiving word that three dormitory rooms had been burglarized in the past week. “I wish to remind all students to lock your deadbolt and door locks on your dorm room,” George Boksan wrote in an e-mail to the campus community. “Be sure to close and lock your bedroom windows when the room is unoccupied. Use precaution and lock your dorm room while showering and the room is unoccupied. “Report any suspicious activity and/or crimes in the dorms immediately to Campus Safety & Police. Record all serial numbers from your electronic devices and store hard copies of the information in a secure location. Do …

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Bethlehem Man Charged in Multiple Burglaries

Police accuse Raul Pacheco of break-ins that took place from May through August.

A Bethlehem man already being held in prison on a number of charges was arraigned Wednesday for allegedly committing multiple thefts and burglaries in Bethlehem, Fountain Hill and Lower Saucon Township, police said. The re-arrest of Raul Pacheco, 53, of 1535 E. Ninth St., was the result of a joint investigation among the police departments in the three affected municipalities, according to a city police news release. The investigation involved a string of brazen daylight burglaries, which took place from May through August, police said. He was first incarcerated by Bethlehem police after an August 18 chase through the streets of the South Side. The charges filed Wednesday were three counts each of theft and trespassing; two counts of …

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Police: Man Stole Jewelry, Cash and Frozen Bacon

Upper Saucon Police say Jose Luis Torres stole more than $70,000 in jewelry, guns, cash, laptops -- and even a box of frozen bacon.

An Allegheny County man is accused of burglarizing seven homes, including two in Center Valley, and stealing more than $70,000 worth of jewelry, guns, cash, a safe, laptops and even a box of frozen bacon.   Jose Luis Torres, 38, of Carnegie, who had been staying at a mobile home in Center Valley, was arraigned Oct. 5 on seven counts of burglary and other charges for break-ins reported in May and June, according to affidavits filed by Upper Saucon Township police.  Torres had been in Lehigh County Prison since June when he was accused of trying to run down an Allentown police detective who was trying to serve him with a warrant, according to The Morning Call.  Upper Saucon police say an Allentown man, Erick Del Pilar Medina, helped Torres …

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Suspect in Burglary Spree Waives Hearing

Angel Vargas is accused in more than 100 burglaries in 5-county area, including some in city.

Angel Miguel Vargas, the Allentown man charged along with his brother in more than 100 burglaries and attempted burglaries, waived his charges Tuesday to Lehigh County Court. The hearing for Vargas’ brother, George Washington, was continued. Vargas, 30, and Washington, 28, who lived at 318 N. Second St., Allentown, were charged in a string of burglaries and attempted burglaries of businesses in a five-county area over 15 months, including businesses in South Whitehall. Among the other locations were businesses in Salisbury, Lower Macungie, Upper Macungie, Bethlehem, Upper Saucon and Lower Nazareth townships, Bethlehem and Coopersburg. Other locations were in Hanover Township in Lehigh County and Hanover Township in Northampton County, …

Bethlehem Man Pleads Guilty to Burglaries

Police say Dario Perez was part of a Bloods gang conspiracy to commit thefts in SouthSide.

A Bethlehem man accused of being part of a street gang conspiracy to commit burglaries and robberies in South Bethlehem pleaded guilty to four counts in Northampton County Court, according to this report in The Morning Call. Dario O. Perez pleaded guilty to two counts of burglary and two counts of criminal conspiracy in the plot that police say helped to fund the Bloods street gang in South Bethlehem. Perez is scheduled for sentencing in November. Perez, who faces up to 80 years in prison, is the second member of the alleged conspiracy to plead guilty. Michael Prater pleaded guilty in August. Charges are still pending against the alleged ringleader, Darius Newman.

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2 Brothers Charged in 5-County Burglary Spree

Lehigh County DA: Allentown men hit more than 100 businesses over 15 months.

Two Allentown brothers have been charged in more than 100 burglaries and attempted burglaries of businesses in a five-county area over 15 months, including businesses in Bethlehem.  George Washington, 28, and Angel Miguel Vargas, 30, who lived at 318 N. Second St., Allentown, were charged after an investigation that involved searches of vehicles and residences where the men were believed to have lived when the burglaries occurred, according to a release from the Lehigh County District Attorney's Office. The two allegedly burglarized child care centers, gas stations, hair and nail salons, barber shops, restaurants, markets, video stores, pet stores, convenience stores and dry cleaning businesses from Oct. 2, 2009 to Jan. 7 in Lehigh, …

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Bill Villa

8:12 am on Thursday, July 7, 2011

Here's some verifiably factual info on DA Jim Martin ... http://bloggingdottie.blogspot.com/2011/05/heres-how-da-jim-martin-fixes-dui.html   more ›