Police Reports

Police Warn of Parking Ticket Phone Scam

A township resident was recently a target of the scam, Lower Saucon Township Police announced Wednesday.

Lower Saucon Township Police are warning residents about a phone scam they say is currently being perpetrated upon unsuspecting victims. In a news release issued Wednesday, police said a township resident was recently a target of the scam, in which a man called her and identified himself as someone from the state police. Police said the woman was told that she had an outstanding parking ticket, and would be "arrested" if she did not pay it. The woman was then reportedly told how to make payment using a "Green Dot Money Card." Police requested that media make the local public aware of the fraud attempt. To report an attempted scam, call the Lower Saucon Township Police at 610-317-6110.

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Police Reports

Police: N.Y. Woman Tried to Have Fake Prescription Filled

Lower Saucon Township Police say Linette Stevens, of New York City, attempted to have a fake prescription filled at Giant Oct. 2.

Lower Saucon Township Police are seeking the public's help in locating a New York City woman who allegedly attempted to have a fraudulent prescription filled on the afternoon of Oct. 2 at Giant Food Store, 1880 Leithsville Road. In a press release, police said Linette Stevens, of the 1600 block of Amsterdam Avenue, New York, N.Y., presented the supermarket pharmacy with "a fake prescription...that appeared to be from New York state." After Stevens was told that the pharmacy would not fill the prescription, police said she "left the store in a hurry." There is currently an active warrant for Stevens' arrest, and anyone with information about her is asked to contact the Lower Saucon Police Department at 610-317-6110.

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DA: 'Baby Myah' Charity is a Scam

Northampton County District Attorney John Morganelli says a woman claims her daughter has leukemia, but an investigation shows otherwise.

For the last year or so, a young mother named Arielle Brooks has held fundraisers around the Lehigh Valley to help her sick daughter. The problem, according to Northampton County District Attorney John Morganelli, is that Brooks' daughter isn't actually sick, and her "Save Baby Myah" fundraisers have apparently defrauded well-meaning people out of thousands of dollars. "This child is not ill at all," Morganelli said at news conference Tuesday at his office. "Lots of money has been raised under false pretenses. We want to protect the public from any further damage." Myah was born in July of 2010. Soon after, Morganelli told reporters, Arielle Brooks--who has used various aliases--began raising money to help treat the baby for juvenile …

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Auditor General Fuming Over Heating Assistance Program’s Problems

PA Auditor General Jack Wagner alleges waste, fraud and abuse are continuing to plague the LIHEAP program, but the Department of Public Welfare says improvements have been made.

State Auditor General Jack Wagner said his patience is wearing out with the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare’s energy assistance program.  A 2011 audit from Wagner's office found that many of the same problems noted in a 2007 audit still were not remedied. Following a 2007 audit, Wagner advised the department to make changes to cut down on fraud in the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, or LIHEAP, which provides cash benefits to help some Pennsylvanians pay home heating and cooling bills.  “The Department of Public Welfare must tighten its oversight of this vital program with great haste, because every dollar wasted is a dollar that will not be available to families who need assistance during these tough economic and …

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Taxpayers Will Cover Costs of Photo IDs for Voters Under Proposed Change

Democrats, including Rep. Steve Samuelson of Northampton County, argue the new rules will disenfranchise voters.

An effort to fight voting fraud could cost state taxpayers millions, though it’s a price some lawmakers are willing to pay. New requirements intended to cut down on fraudulent voters were passed by the House State Government Committee on May 9 and will head to the House for a final vote. The bill would require voters to show official photo identification each time they go to their polling place to cast a ballot. Voters now have to provide identification only the first time they vote at a specific polling place. The new requirement would not take effect until the primary elections in the spring of 2012, unless there is a special election scheduled for earlier in 2012. An amendment added to the bill May 9 would allow any voter who did not …

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Lanita Lum

10:45 pm on Saturday, March 31, 2012

Thanks, Paula! In FACT, I did have a great day! "The soul always knows what to do to heal itself, the challenge is to silence the mind."   more ›

Police: East Saucon Street Man Assaulted Woman

Hellertown Police Blotter

Hellertown police have also reported that a vehicle parked at Britts Tire, 934 Main St., was damaged when an unknown person threw a "boulder" through its driver's side rear window Feb. 28. Police are seeking information regarding that incident. The following incidents have been reported by the Hellertown Police Department:

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Local Police Chiefs, Investigator Discuss Crime and Public Safety

Chiefs Robert Shupp and Guy Lesser and Police Investigator Christopher Leidy were joint presenters at a recent Hellertown-Lower Saucon Chamber of Commerce breakfast.

A joint presentation by Hellertown Police Chief Robert Shupp, Lower Saucon Police Chief Guy Lesser and Lower Saucon Police Investigator Christopher Leidy was the highlight of a Hellertown-Lower Saucon Chamber of Commerce breakfast held at Lower Saucon Town Hall Feb. 23. Called "Protecting Our Community," the updates by the chiefs covered everything from crime-related casino impacts in Hellertown to identity theft. Both Shupp and Lesser also discussed their backgrounds, which combined, include decades of service to the Saucon Valley area. Shupp, a 1994 graduate of Nazareth Area High School, has been with the Hellertown Police Department for 11 years. He began his career as a patrolman and after six years was promoted to investigator, before…

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County Controller's Office Recovers $18,000 in Stolen Funds

Money was taken as part of an alleged check fraud scheme.

Northampton County's controller's office says it has recovered more than $18,000 in money stolen from the county in a check fraud scheme. Controller Stephen Barron said Monday that police are still investigating the case, which involved someone taking a county checking account number and presenting checks at local businesses to be cashed. “This was an outside job that our internal controls caught and brought to the authorities,” Barron said in a news release. “Archie Disadore, Brandon Dunstane, Leigh Ann Fisher and the administration worked tirelessly to implement these new controls and they worked.” Barron said the account number came from a county bail account and was then likely transferred from a real check onto a fraudulent one.

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