'Serial Rapist' May Have 3 More Victims

Northampton County DA John Morganelli is seeking victims of a 'serial rapist'

A Bethlehem man who allegedly blamed his sex addiction for the rape of two teens he met on Facebook may be implicated in three more cases, according to a WFMZ report. Northampton County District Attorney John Morganelli said this week that David Martinez, 20, may have more victims, based on police interviews with Martinez. Since Morganelli's announcement, at least three girls have come forward. Their claims are being investigated. He asked anyone who thinks they were victimized by Martinez to call Bethlehem Police Det. Moses Miller at 610-997-7674 or the DA's office at 610-559-3020. "We do consider him [Martinez] a person of danger and a serial rapist," Morganelli said in a news conference Wednesday. Martinez -- who is in Northampton …

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'Serial Rapist' May Have Other Victims, DA Says

Northampton County DA says David Martinez, accused of raping two teens he met on Facebook, may have more victims.

A Bethlehem man who allegedly blamed his sex addiction for the rape of two teens he met on Facebook may have other victims, Northampton County's District Attorney said Wednesday. John Morganelli says police interviews with David Martinez, 20, suggest he met and sexually assaulted other girls. As he prepares to prosecute the case, he's hoping to hear from other young women who were targeted by Martinez. "We do consider him a person of danger and a serial rapist," Morganelli told reporters at a news conference at his office. Martinez -- who is in Northampton County Prison on $100,000 bail -- allegedly raped one of the girls last February and the other last September. He raped the girls – one was 14, the other 17 -- on the couch inside his …

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Bixler's Robbery Get-a-Way Car Dumped in Salisbury

South Whitehall Police report the FBI is now assisting their investigation of the Dec. 28 armed robbery.

The car driven by three armed robbers leaving Bixler's Jewelers Friday, Dec. 28, was found Sunday in a residential Salisbury Township neighborhood, according to South Whitehall Police Investigator Jerome Cramer. It is the only new information Cramer had to report about a "sophisticated" crime unlike any he's ever investigated. The jewelry store robbery was actually the second stage of a crime that started at the Bethlehem home of a longtime Bixler's employee. In its weekend crime summary, Bethlehem Police said a man and woman were robbed by armed gunmen at 1946 Kenny Drive and that the incident was being investigated jointly by Bethlehem and South Whitehall Township detectives.  The masked suspects broke through a back door, held a gun to…

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Upper Macungie Man Accused of Stealing 60 Storm Sewer Grates

A 25-year-old man is accused of stealing storm sewer grates across Bethlehem to support a heroin addiction for him and his girlfriend, court papers say. Arrests do not indicate a conviction.

  An Upper Macungie man is suspected of stealing 60 storm sewer grates across the city of Bethlehem over a period of more than two weeks. Anthony Guy Devicaris, 25, of 292 Water Lilly Court, was charged with 60 counts of recklessly endangering another person and one felony count each of theft and receiving stolen property following his recent arrest. Devicaris’s girlfriend told Bethlehem police detectives that he was stealing the grates to support his and her heroin addiction, according to court records. The thefts occurred in November, the arrest affidavit says. The girlfriend, Kaitlyn Culver, told detectives that she was with Devicaris on at least five separate occasions when he would steal the grates and then sell them to scrap metal …

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Crime News

1 Woman Dead, 5 Men Wounded in Shootout Outside Puerto Rican Club [Updated]

Bethlehem police are investigating the early morning shootings outside the Puerto Rican Beneficial Society in what has been described as a chaotic scene.

Story updated at 9:50 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 2 A 23-year-old woman was killed and five men wounded following a shootout early Sunday outside the Puerto Rican Beneficial Society, Bethlehem police said. The identity of the woman killed has not been released, pending notification of next of kin, but lehighvalleylive.com reported that a friend identified her as Yolanda Morales. Her death has been ruled a homicide, according to the Lehigh County Coroner's Office. On Sunday, there were candles, flowers and notes set up as a memorial at the shooting scene. "Yoli, my Baby Girl," read a note. "Ur gonna be missed. Dearly love you and Gonna miss u always and forever. Rest with the Angels."  Multiple 911 calls about the shootings in the 200 block of E. …

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OMG PD: 5 Women Punched Cop in Bethlehem

According to court records, 5 women punched officer in the head while he tried to make arrest on E. Third St. early last Saturday. One from Allentown is charged with aggravated assault.

  A group of women attacked a Bethlehem police officer trying to make an arrest early last Saturday on the SouthSide. In the end, an Allentown woman --  Barbara Cintron-Santiago, 24 -- was charged with punching an officer several times about the face and head. Court records say nothing about other women being charged, including the woman the officer was trying to arrest. The incident involving city Officer Louis D. Csaszar and others began around 3 a.m. when Csaszar saw another officer performing a field sobriety test on a male in the 200 block of E. Third St. A group of people gathered, and Csaszar and another officer asked the group to leave, Csaszar said in a criminal complaint. A male refused and the other officer arrested him. The …

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Police Warn Parents of Stranger Danger

Do your kids know what to do if a stranger approaches them?

Police urge parents to make sure kids know what to do if they are approached by a stranger. A Bethlehem boy did exactly the right thing in a case reported Tuesday night on West Broad Street. He said "no" and ran home when a suspicious man tried to lure him into a car. Police ask: Are you prepared?  Have you had these difficult talks with your children?  If not, please consider it.  Here are some tips on what to tell them. Tips for Keeping Kids Aware and Safe Parents are now encouraged to avoid using the term “stranger danger.” It tends to induce fear. In addition, statistics show that it is more often someone the child knows, rather than a stranger, who inflicts harm. Besides, there are many ways an adult can convince a child s/he is not a…

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Walnutport Repairman Crushed by Backhoe

Deceased has been identified as Edward M. Haines, 51, of Walnutport. Police say the repairman was working on a backhoe when the construction vehicle moved and pinned him.

  A repairman working on a backhoe in Bethlehem was killed when the construction vehicle moved and crushed him beneath it, officials said. The dead man has been identified as Edward M. Haines, 51, of Walnutport. Northampton County Coroner Zachary Lysek said a report on the cause and manner of death will likely be ruled upon next week. The accident occurred on the 300 block of State Street in Bethlehem in a parking lot where construction vehicles are stored, Bethlehem police said. The investigation into the incident is being conducted by Bethlehem police, the coroner and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Lysek said.

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