Dorney Park has settled with a Philadelphia man who was suing the amusement park for racial profiling. The suit, filed by Benjamin Slater, claimed that he was detained by park security last June in connection to an African-American suspect who was reportedly stealing from handbags. Slater alleges he was held only because of the color of his skin and was kicked out of Dorney Park even after he was determined not to be the suspect. The park said in a statement that while it won't comment on the litigation, they believe everything ended on good terms.
A Lehigh County couple will stand trial for the alleged theft of more than $150,000 from a Bally Catholic church and school. Thomas and Ann Marie Murphy have waived their preliminary hearing after being arrested in March. Thomas Murphy was a principal at St. Francis Academy and served as a deacon at Most Blessed Sacrament Parish. According to investigators, the Lower Macungie Township couple used the funds to pay their own expenses over eight years.
A seemingly routine traffic stop in Allentown ended up with the arrest of a 24-year-old man. Police say they pulled over Mosiesh around 10:30 Tuesday night after the man allegedly made an illegal left turn in the area of Lehigh Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. The officer smelled marijuana coming from Cruz's car and recognized Cruz as a gang member. A subsequent search of the vehicle turned up a gun. Since Cruz was convicted of a felony two years ago, he is not permitted to have a gun. He was arrested and sent to Lehigh County Jail under $40,000 bail.
The state Department of Environmental Protection is spraying for black flies today along the Delaware and lower Lehigh rivers. People in Northampton and Bucks counties should be aware a helicopter will be applying a bacterium known commonly as BTI, which kills the larvae of the black fly. Although there's been no warnings for people to steer clear, all should be aware the BTI spray is a thick, brown liquid with a fishy smell. Black flies are actually gnats and their bites do not transmit disease but can be itchy, cause swelling and take a long time to heal.
A lawsuit claims multiple kids with mental health and developmental disabilities have been abused at state-run youth development centers. In the suit filed by Disability Rights Pennsylvania, there were 11 incidents where staffers said they were restraining kids but were actually abusing them. Officials say they're reviewing the complaint and have declined to comment further.
Auditor General Eugene DePasquale says there are 245 backlogged rape kits in Pennsylvania that have not been tested. DePasquale says he's working to get that count to zero. The Auditor General says the goal for testing should be 15 days, but some of these kits are more than a year old. Since focusing on the issue three years ago, DePasquale says the issue has decreased by 90-percent.
Thursday marked the 114th birthday of the Pennsylvania State Police. During ceremonies at the State Police Academy in Hershey, Acting State Police Commissioner Robert Evanchick remembered the 98 members of the PSP who have died in the line of duty during those 114 years. "The pain of separation will never fully be alleviated. We recognize that these 98 men of honor left us a long-lasting gift. A gift of hope. Hope for today, hope for tomorrow and hope for the future," Evanchick said. The Pennsylvnia State Police is the 10th-largest police agency in the United States.
A group of PennDOT workers are facing charges for falsely using a handicap parking tags. State police say Ryan Robinson, a PennDOT employee, allegedly stole a handicap parking placard and placed it in her personal vehicle, then used it to park in employee handicap parking spots. Upon further investigation, troopers allegedly discovered seven other DOT employees were either illegally using the parking tags or had given them to friends and family members to use. Charges have been filed, but there's been no information issued concerning whether Robinson and the other defendants are still employed at PennDOT.
Two U.S. senators are leading an effort aimed at keeping people safe from beach umbrellas, following two incidents last year. In Virginia Beach a woman was killed when a beach umbrella got caught in a gust of wind, impaling here in the chest, while a tourist's ankle was pierced by one in Seaside Heights. Senators Bob Menendez of New Jersey and Mark Warner of Virginia say they've written a letter to the Consumer Product Safety Commission highlighting their concerns. They're calling for detailed information as to what safety standards are in place, what problems exist with specific products and what's being done to prevent future incidents.