The former police chief in Hellertown is going to spend the next nine to 23 months in jail after stealing $41,000 from the borough. Last month, Robert Shupp pleaded guilty to theft and other charges and Wednesday morning, he was issued jail time by Northampton County Judge John Morganelli. Shupp stole the money by requesting petty cash for bogus investigations, forging signatures of other officers to request money for those same investigations and taking drug forfeiture money. He'll start his sentence April 30.
A Pennsylvania law that has been on the books for less than four months was allegedly broken by a 34-year-old Bethlehem man. Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin Holihan says Adam Erdman is one of the first Pennsylvanians to be charged under a new law banning AI generated child pornography. Investigators say Erdman obtained harmless vacation pictures of two children under the age of 18. He's accused of then using AI photo editing software to change the images and make the children appear naked and then emailed those pictures. That violates the law prohibiting using technology of any kind to produce images making it appear a child is engaging in a sexual act. Authorities say they were tipped off about the pictures by Erdman's ex-wife.
A former Bethlehem police officer is pleading guilty to sexually assaulting a middle school student. Officials said 44-year-old Costas Alestas admitted to an inappropriate relationship with a 14-year-old student at East Hills Middle School, where he worked as a resource officer and soccer coach. Authorities said Alestas also took a video up an eleven-year-old girl's skirt without her knowledge. He faces two decades in prison.
The Allentown Art Museum plans to relocate to the site of the 10th and Hamilton Street police patrol station, which will be torn down. Art Museum CEO Max Weintraub says, "This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reimagine the Allentown Art Museum as a vibrant cultural hub." Last year, the city sold the police building to the parking authority, which Wednesday approved selling the property to the museum for $1.4 million. The Art Museum determined building a new building was a better option than expanding its current building on North Fifth Street.
The new State of the Air report from the American Lung Association paints a mixed picture of the Lehigh Valley. Our area was named the 50th most polluted region in the country for daily particle pollution and was dropped from a C grade to a F. Last year, our area was rated the 79th most polluted in the nation. However, the Lehigh Valley improved to 105th worst in the country for year-round pollution and also judged better for ground-level ozone pollution at 105 instead of 79th and average particle pollution at 103rd instead of in 84th rating last year.
A motorcyclist died Tuesday, about 48 hours after a weekend crash in Monroe County. 38-year-old Michael Crumpler tied Tuesday afternoon at Lehigh Valley Hospital-Muhlenberg, two days after his motorcycle left Hollow Road in Smithfield Township and struck a utility pole. State police are investigating the crash.
The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources' Larry Bickel says firefighters have just about knocked out a wildfire burning on Bear Mountain in Jim Thorpe. "We feel the fire cannot jump our lines," Bickel says. The fire, which began Saturday, is now considered 95-percent contained. The fire has affected more than 550 acres to this point.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth delivering remarks at the Army War College in Carlisle Wednesday. He told telling those in attendance he has been working to restore the "warrior ethos" since taking office, something he says is essential for the American military. "Everything starts and ends with warriors in training and on the battlefield. We are leaving wokeness and weakness behind and refocusing on lethality, meritocracy, accountability, standards and readiness," Hegseth said. Secretary Hegseth also says he's committed to rebuilding the military and re-establishing deterrence. He says its the work of both the American people and the American warfighter.
Firefighters continue making progress on a blaze that could become New Jersey's largest in two decades. The Jones Road Wildfire in Ocean County has consumed more than 13,200 acres and is now considered 50 percent contained. The blaze was first spotted Tuesday morning in Barnegat Township and has spread to Lacey and Ocean Townships. It forced more than five-thousand people to evacuate. They've since been allowed to return to their homes. Forest Service Fire Chief Bill Donnelly expects full containment at a little more than 15-thousand acres by tomorrow night into Saturday when rain enters the forecast.
About 2000 students at the Milton Hershey School got a message from Whitehall High graduate and Philadelphia Eagles star running back Saquon Barkley earlier this week. "You've got to adapt to change. You've got to adapt to adversity. Adversity is a good thing, I believe. It helps you become the man and woman that you want to become," Barkley told the students. Barkley also said they can do anything they want to do as long they have the proper work ethic to do it.