Crime News
Police: Mom Drove Teens to Vehicle Break-ins
Christine Petchonka, of Nazareth, is accused of driving two juveniles -- one being her son -- and Ian Shoemaker, 29, to Lehigh Valley neighborhoods so they could steal from unlocked vehicles.
Instead of offering her son and his friend a ride to, say, a movie theater, Christine Petchonka is accused of being the wheelman as the 16-year-olds broke into unlocked vehicles across the Lehigh Valley. Petchonka, 46, of the 100 block of S. Main Street, Nazareth, was arraigned Wednesday morning in front of District Judge John Capobianco. She was briefly committed to Northampton County Prison before posting 10 percent of $5,000 bail, according to court records. According to a police criminal complaint filed by Officer Daniel Troxell, Petchonka admitted to driving the two boys and Ian Shoemaker, 29, so they could “steal from cars in a certain area on a random night.” Petchonka allegedly stashed a variety of electronic devices, like GPS …
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