A lawsuit filed by the son of Allentown's former police chief has been thrown out by a federal judge. Christopher Fitzgerald claimed the Lehigh County District Attorney's Office violated his civil rights when he was pulled over and arrested in the parking lot of the Lehigh Valley Mall in 2014. Judge Edward Smith ruled undercover detectives had probable cause to arrest Fitzgerald because they determined he was driving recklessly when he "brake-checked" their unmarked car and then pulled a gun when the two vehicles stopped on MacArthur Road. District Attorney Jim Martin tells the Morning Call the ruling shows the incident was handled completely appropriately from start to finish.
The Northampton County man accused of killing his 70-year-old mother inside her Lower Saucon Township home was in court Thursday morning. During his preliminary hearing, a judge ruled there is enough evidence in the case against 49-year-old Philip Looby to move forward with a trial. On February 4, investigators showed up at Maryanne Looby's home on West Point Drive for a welfare check after they got a call that her son may have killed her. Prosecutors said Philip Looby answered the door with blood on his hands and police say they found Maryanne Looby dead on the first floor of the home with signs of sharp and blunt force trauma. Philip Looby told police he was defending himself after his mother came at him with an exacto knife. Looby is charged with homicide.
Police in Palmer Township say a crash involving one of their squad cars was caused by a driver who ran a red light. Police say the cruiser was moving through the intersection of Nazareth Road and Kingston Drive Wednesday when it collided with a car driven by Ashlynn Miller. The officer behind the wheel required medical attention following the crash, while Miller was uninjured. Police say Miller drove through a red light before the crash and will be issued related traffic citations.
Pennsylvania Auditor General Eugene DePasquale says the Pennsylvania Turnpike is on a road to ruin. "The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission now has $11.8 billion in debt," DePasquale says. He says the Turnpike Commission used to be viewed by some as a cash cow, but he says that cash cow has been milked to the brink of collapse.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy is continuing to push for the legalization of marijuana, while focusing on how past convictions would be handled. He says while past offenders wouldn't immediatedly have their records wiped clean, the bill currently being considered would speed up the process. On Monday, state lawmakers are scheduled to vote on the issue in Trenton.
The man accused of raping a staffer for New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy says he was wrongfully terminated and plans to sue his accuser. Al Alvarez says what happened between he and Katie Brennan when they were campaigning for Murphy was consensual and there are contradictions between her testimony with lawmakers and files from the prosecutors office. Prosecutors declined to press charges. Alvarez says he was forced out of a job with the Murphy administration because of the accusations.
The Philadelphia Eagles are bringing back a familiar face. The Eagles have signed defensive end Vinny Curry to a one-year deal. Curry was part of the Eagles team that won Super Bowl LII against the New England Patriots. The 30-year-old signed a three-year deal with Tampa Bay last offseason but was released after only one year.