2 Women Caught Throwing Eggs at Cars, Police Say

Disorderly conduct charges are filed against a Wescosville woman and a Macungie woman for an alleged incident on Emmaus streets, police officers report.

What probably seemed like fun for a time to women from Macungie and Wescosville recently ended in disorderly charges being brought against both following an incident on Emmaus streets, police said. Kelly Connor, 18, of Macungie and Rebecca Meyers, 20, of Wescosville were found throwing eggs from their vehicle at other vehicles about 2 a.m. on April 13, according to Emmaus police. The incident occurred at Franklin and Harrison streets. No additional details were given, including whether targets were random or known to the women.

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High School Gun Rumors Under Investigation

Police investigated rumors that someone was going to bring a gun to Emmaus High School.

Editor's Note: This story has been updated to include information from the Emmaus Police Department. Emmaus Police and East Penn school officials investigated rumors that someone was going to bring a gun to Emmaus High School and found the rumors unfounded, East Penn community liaison Nicole Bloise told Patch Tuesday morning. Parents were informed of the rumors via an automated phone call from the high school principal, an East Penn parent told Patch. On Tuesday afternoon, Emmaus Police issued a prepared statement about the investigation: "On Sunday, April 28, 2013, the Emmaus Police Department received an email from an East Penn parent, who learned through a discussion with their child that rumors were circulating at Emmaus High School in…

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tamarya

10:43 am on Friday, May 3, 2013

Shawn when did you grow up, we did all of the things you stated at those ages. We also got our permits at 16 and a week later, even a day later could have held the actual license. Children are not as stupid as society thinks they are, however the longer we treat them like they are still babies the more irresponsible things they will do because most of the time children want attention when they …   more ›

$2,000 Reward for Information on EHS Bomb Threats

Call Emmaus Police or the Lehigh Valley Crime Stoppers confidential tip line if you have any information on the Emmaus High School bomb threats.

Lehigh Valley Crime Stoppers on Monday said it is offering a $2,000 reward for information regarding three recent bomb threats to Emmaus High School. "The Emmaus Police Department continues to investigate numerous bomb threats which occurred on the dates of 02/21/13, 02/26/13 and 03/06/13 in the East Penn school district, Emmaus, Lehigh County. "lf anyone has any information regarding these incidents, please call the Emmaus Police Department Criminal Investigation Unit's Officer Vicki Schaffer at 610-967-6113. "The Lehigh Valley Crime Stoppers Tip Line offers a reward of up to $2,000 for any information that leads to the arrest of the actor. The information will remain anonymous," it said in a written release. Lehigh Valley Crime Stoppers…

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Fatal Fire: Cause Not Suspicious, Police Say

After official investigation, the Emmaus Police Department says that the cause of a fatal fire in an apartment building on Sunday is not suspicious.

Police say the fire that ripped through an apartment building and killed four people at 36-38 S. Fifth St. in Emmaus on Sunday was not of suspicious origin. No signs of criminal activity have been found. There's no word yet on what caused the fire. Official word on the identities of the dead came Tuesday evening. Victims include a mother and her 16-year-old son, who was a student at Emmaus High School. Her boyfriend, who was visiting, also died. A funeral fund for the victims has been established. Firefighters are collecting gift cards and donations to help survivors replace their belongings. The Emmaus Police Department released the following statement Wednesday: The Emmaus Police Department in conjunction with the Pennsylvania State …

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East Penn School District

9th-Grader Charged in Emmaus High Bomb Hoax, Police Say

A ninth-grade student has been charged with making terroristic threats in relation to a December 2012 bomb hoax at Emmaus High School, police say.

An Emmaus High School ninth-grader has been charged with making terroristic threats—a third-degree felony—for a Dec. 20, 2012 bomb hoax at the high school, according to Emmaus Police. Charges will be referred to Lehigh County Juvenile Court, according to a press release from the Emmaus Police Department. The high school has been the target of three bomb hoaxes in the last three months. Investigation into the other incidents continues, police say. The most recent hoax at Emmaus High School happened last week. The Dec. 20 incident happened a week after the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. Threats and pranks disrupted classes at schools in several states that week and at least two students were charged in other …

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Carl W

10:15 pm on Monday, March 18, 2013

I'd talk to the principal, about the nurse. "95% of all child abuse (from emotional to kidnapping, & everything in between), comes from family & trusted friends & relatives." U.S. Dept. of Justice, & Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NOT "the stranger)." One black eye does not a terror make, & I, too, feel it was overreaction.   more ›

Man Threatened to Stab 2 Women, Burn House, Police Say

Two Emmaus women were harassed by an Upper Macungie man who threatened to stab them in the head and burn down their house, police say.

Two Emmaus women were harassed by an Upper Macungie man who threatened to stab both of them in the head and burn down their home on S. 11th Street, according to court papers. Russell J. Gallagher, 41, was taken into custody by Emmaus Police about 11 p.m. Feb. 9, after one of the women reported that someone had been circling the block around their home and had used the spare key fob for her car to set off the car alarm. She also told police that he had been repeatedly calling her on the phone. Police issued Gallagher a harassment citation and brought him back to his home at 1063 Mosser Road, Breiningsville. He was told not to contact the woman or return to her neighborhood in Emmaus. Police report that soon after being dropped off at home, …

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Crime and Fire

Man Holds Wife Hostage Before Hotel Standoff, Police Say

Matthew Michael Lerch, 39, held his wife, Jenna Lerch, 30, against her will in their residence at 25. N. 3rd St., Emmaus, according to Emmaus Police.

An Emmaus man who was arrested this week after barricading himself in a hotel room for six hours apparently wound up at that hotel after holding his wife hostage in their Emmaus home the day before. Matthew Michael Lerch, 39, was involved in a domestic incident with his wife, Jena Lerch, 30, on Sunday night in what appears to be their former joint home in Emmaus, according to Sgt. Chuck Palmer of the Emmaus Police Department. The address is 25 N. 3rd Street. “He had been holding his wife against her will,” said Palmer, who refused to comment on when and how the police became involved in the situation. Ultimately an arrest warrant was issued for Lerch with a charge of "unlawful restraint," Palmer said. State troopers found Lerch at the …

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Vehicle Break-in Suspects Captured After Chase

Macungie police say assisting department used spike strip to puncture tire, stop fleeing thieves.

A resident's tip, police teamwork and a sharp device combined early Wednesday to deflate the plans of a pair who were stealing valuables from vehicles in Macungie, according to police. The drama began when borough police received a call from a resident about 4:45 a.m. that someone was looking inside of cars at the Brookfield Apartments in the area of Brookfield Drive and Brookfield Circle, borough police said. A Macungie officer was nearby and saw a man duck behind a parked car. Emmaus police were called to help search. When the Emmaus officers arrived, a vehicle with two men was seen fleeing, police said. Officers from both departments took up the chase. Officers sought assistance from South Whitehall Township police as the chase headed …

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get real

7:26 pm on Wednesday, June 20, 2012

I agree, great job, well done and thank you to the citizen and all police departments that were involved. To the police departments; the majority of citizens appreciate and respect what you do on a dailey basis to keep us safe, THANK YOU!   more ›

Latest Emmaus Bank Heist Fits One FBI Statistic

Like many bank robberies, last Thursday's crime at First Niagara happened between 9 and 11 a.m.

The latest Emmaus bank robbery - the seventh in less than two years - fits at least one of the statistics compiled by the FBI. Like many bank heists, the robbery at a First Niagara branch on Lehigh Street last Thursday happened between 9 and 11 a.m. Friday is actually the most popular day for bank robberies, the FBI says. The FBI's most recent bank robbery report says the crime dropped compared to the same quarter in the previous year. There were 1,094 bank robberies and similar crimes between July 1 and September 30, 2011 - down from 1,325 during the same time in 2010. Those robberies included: Emmaus police are investigating the crime. They have not said whether the robber got away with any money and they have not yet issued a …

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Sexting Scandal Started with Boys Sharing Ex-Girlfriend Photos

Nude pictures of Emmaus teens wound up on porn site.

An Emmaus High School sexting scandal started with boys sharing photos of ex-girlfriends, multiple sources have told Patch. Some of the students involved did not show up for school on Monday, sources also said. Police are investigating how nude photos of students wound up on an international porn Web site. Students say they've known about the Web site for weeks and that the site is still active. One student tweeted about how uncomfortable it is to walk around school knowing classmates have seen her naked. WFMZ reports that some students are bragging about being on the site while others are distraught. That's why East Penn School District Superintendent Thomas L. Seidenberger wants parents and students to know that cyberspace is a dangerous…

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