Crime News

Drunken Driver Fell into Monocacy Creek, Police Say

55-year-old Bethlehem man got out of his car near the Hill-to-Hill Bridge to urinate, staggered and fell into the creek, city police say.

  A Bethlehem man who fell into the Monocacy Creek near the Hill-to-Hill Bridge after stopping his car to urinate late Monday is facing drunken driving and other lesser charges, Bethlehem Police said. Matthew Flisak, 55, of 1811 Hilltop Terrace in Bethlehem, allegedly stopped his car along W. Lehigh Street a little after 11 p.m. Monday, police said. Flisak allegedly got out of the vehicle, staggered, urinated in public, then fell into the creek. Police did not say if Flisak suffered any injuries in his fall. In addition to drunken driving, Flisak was charged with disorderly conduct and public drunkenness, police said.

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Former Pa. Rep. Joe Brennan Gets Jail Sentence

Judge rejects plea to serve house arrest. Brennan says prison will jeopardize new job in Harrisburg.

Crime News

Police: Nazareth Man Broke Handcuffs at Station

Bethlehem Police say Jeffrey Barlow, 22, broke his handcuffs and tried to run away. He was quickly caught and charged with escape.

  A Nazareth man in custody on suspicion of drunken driving broke his handcuffs while in custody at Bethlehem Police Headquarters and tried to run away early Tuesday, police said. Jeffrey Barlow, 22, of 111 W. Allen St., was arrested after he was observed driving without headlights at night and turning without signaling, according to a crime summary provided by city police. While he was waiting to be processed, police said, Barlow began to strike his double-locked handcuffs off of a bench, causing the locks to disengage. Barlow then stood up and began to walk away, police said. Barlow was quickly apprehended and re-secured to the bench in police headquarters a little after 2 a.m., police said. He was charged with escape and criminal …

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Joe Brennan Will Continue to Get State Paycheck

Embattled state Rep. Joe Brennan, who ends his tenure today, will continue to collect Pennsylvania state salary and benefits as a research analyst for Democratic Party Caucus.

  Beleaguered state Rep. Joe Brennan finishes up his tenure as a legislator today amid pending charges that he assaulted his wife and drove away drunk on an August afternoon. But he’ll spend no time on the unemployment line. In fact, Capitolwire.com reported Thursday, Brennan will continue to collect a paycheck from the state of Pennsylvania as an employee of the House Democratic Caucus. Brennan will start a new job as a research analyst in the caucus’ Legislative Policy and Research Office on Monday. The salary is $72,000 a year – about $10,000 less than what he makes as a legislator – and he will continue to receive the same health benefits for which members and staff are eligible, Capitolwire reported. The job will be considered an …

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City Firefighter Charged with DUI is Fired

Former firefighters union president James Schlener is fired a month after he is charged with drunken driving while out on sick leave.

  A Bethlehem firefighter and former city Democratic Party chief who was arrested for drunken driving in August – two days after he started taking off for sick leave – has been fired by the city administration, according to published reports. James Schlener, 41, the former president of the city firefighters union, Local 735, was sent a termination letter on about Sept. 20, The Morning Call reported. Schlener’s attorney told The Express-Times that they intend to appeal the termination. Do you think James Schlener deserved to be fired? Vote in our poll and tell us in the comments. Schlener, of 617 Second Ave., Bethlehem, struck a utility pole with his 2011 Jeep Wrangler on the 1000 block of Eighth Avenue at a little before 11 p.m. Aug. 23, …

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Crime News

Alleged Drunken Thief Admits to Being Drunken Thief

With a .22 BAC, Steven M. Fehr of Bethlehem not only admitted to stealing the car he had just wrecked in Plainfield Township, but also the Ruger .380 in his possession.

  A rollover crash in a stolen vehicle. A breath test for alcohol measuring almost three times the legal limit. Possessing a stolen handgun and having a criminal record. Those allegations have resulted in a long list of charges against a Bethlehem man involved in a crash Wednesday night in the West Bangor section of Plainfield Township. But a criminal complaint against Steven M. Fehr, 43, shows one thing: He was honest with police. He admitted he had been drinking. He admitted he had a Ruger .380 with him and that it wasn’t his. He admitted he had a criminal record. And according to the arresting officer, “The male also at this time stated his friend was going to be pissed because he didn’t know he took the vehicle.” The complaint, filed …

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Crime News

City Restaurateur Accused of DUI, Resisting Arrest

Owner of Horns Restaurant in SouthSide almost hit Route 22 construction workers with pickup truck, kicked 2 cops in the knees at DUI Center and refused blood test, troopers say.

  The co-owner of a SouthSide Bethlehem restaurant is suspected of driving drunk when his pickup truck almost hit construction workers on Route 22 early Thursday – one year to the day that he and his wife opened their eatery. John M. Silvestera, 39, co-owner of Horns Restaurant and a resident of Forks Township, also is accused of kicking two police officers in the knees after being processed at the Northampton County DUI Center. He also refused to take a blood-alcohol test. The state police trooper who arrested Silvestera in Easton described his behavior as “belligerent, defiant and aggressive” and said he was “continually and repeatedly insulting” to him and officials at the DUI center. Silvestera’s arrest came exactly a year after he and…

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Crime News

Police: Drunken Driver Led Chase Up Parking Deck

Stopped on suspicion of drunken driving in Sands Casino parking garage, Allentown man led police on chase to higher levels of parking deck.

  An Allentown man who was allegedly driving drunk in the Sands Casino parking garage tried to escape apprehension by driving his van up to the higher levels of the deck, leading police on a brief vehicle chase early Friday, according to court papers. Richard Douglas Walton, 33, of 1032 Wyoming St., was initially cooperative with security personnel from the casino after an alleged hit-and-run accident in the parking garage, the arrest affidavit says. But when Bethlehem police arrived, Walton allegedly started driving his Chevy Express van up higher into the parking deck. The incident occurred after 1 a.m. According to court records: Walton was charged with fleeing or eluding police, resisting arrest, drunken driving, driving under …

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Crime News

Police: City Firefighter, Dem Party Chairman DUI

James Schlener, former president of city firefighters union, is suspended from his job as a result of drunken driving arrest Thursday night.

  A Bethlehem firefighter who is the chairman of the city Democratic Party was arrested and charged with drunken driving on Thursday, according to The Express-Times. James Schlener, 41, of 617 Second Ave., Bethlehem, struck a utility pole with his 2011 Jeep Wrangler on the 1000 block of Eighth Avenue at 10:55 p.m. Thursday, Bethlehem police said. The Eighth Avenue on-ramp to Route 378 north was closed for more than 12 hours because of the wreck, the newspaper reported. Schlener was driving with a blood-alcohol level of .256 percent, which is more than three times the state’s legal driving limit of .08 percent. Schlener has been suspended from his job with pay, the newspaper reported, quoting city Community and Economic Development Director…

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