The suspects facing felony charges were ordered held in Northampton County Prison.

Two Northampton County men are accused of buying drinks for a woman out celebrating her birthday, then raping her after she vomited and passed out.

Tyler Wayne Clark, of the 800 block of Atlas Court in Moore Township, and Jonathan Phil Mayers Sr., of the 3600 block of Bayberry Drive in Lehigh Township, were sent Thursday night to Northampton County Prison on felony and related charges in the case. Both are 27.

The rape was reported last Nov. 24 at the victim's home in Nazareth, where the crime occurred, according to borough police. She told police she had met the suspects the night before at a bar in Bath, and had no recollection of what occurred after leaving there. She awoke feeling as though she had been sexually assaulted and called police, and was then taken to St. Luke's University Hospital in Fountain Hill for evaluation.

Investigators collected bedding and other evidence, and weeks later identified Clark and Mayers as suspects via Facebook messages sent to the victim by one of them, according to court records.

Mayers told police Dec. 16 he and Clark went home with the victim and they drank alcohol for another hour, records say. The victim became incoherent and had to be carried to the bathroom, where she vomited before losing consciousness on the bathroom floor, according to police.

Clark undressed the victim and carried her to her bed, where he and Mayers then raped her "while she was in an unresponsive state," investigators said, citing the interview with Mayers.

Mayers told police he and Clark then drove the victim's car, in which they'd driven from Bath to Nazareth, back to the bar to get Mayers' car, police said. After returning to Nazareth, Clark reportedly told Mayers he had sexual intercourse with the victim again, court records say.

"The victim never consented to sexual intercourse with" the suspects, police wrote in court records.

Analysis of evidence completed in March "found a positive DNA match" for both suspects, according to police.

Burglar carjacks tractor-trailer, flees into river: cops

Clark and Mayers were each arraigned Thursday night before District Judge Robert Hawke on felony charges of rape of unconscious victim, sexual assault, aggravated indecent assault (two counts) and conspiracy to rape an unconscious victim, in addition to two misdemeanor counts of indecent assault.

They face preliminary hearings tentatively scheduled July 19 before District Judge John Capobianco.

Court records do not list attorneys for either suspect.

Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @KurtBresswein. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.

The property is about five acres, according to a report.

Crews are battling a swift-moving brush fire in Moore Township.

The blaze began at about 2:30 p.m. Sunday in a field in the 3200 block of Valley View Drive. The road has been shut down and motorists are being asked to travel around the site.

WFMZ-69 News reported a piece of farm equipment ignited and spread to the nearby field. The property totals abut five acres, according to the report.

Fire officials are investigating the cause of the blaze. There were no reported injuries.

Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @pamholzmann. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.

An exhibition will be highlighting the lives of three historic Bethlehem residents.

The Moravian Historical Society is offering summer activities for families at the historic Whitefield House.

On Sundays now through Aug. 27, visitors at the Whitefield House, 214 E. Center St., will be able to participate in colonial games, arts and crafts and enjoy free admission to the museum.

The following activities are on tap from 1 to 4 p.m. on these Sundays:

• July 16: Colonial house making

• July 23: Tinsmithing in Nazareth

• July 30: Whirligig making

• Aug. 6: Paper quilling

• Aug. 13: Learning to cross stitch

• Aug. 20: American Indian Canoe craft

• Aug. 27: The art of weaving

Museum guests also will also enjoy "Diverse Voices: Three Perspectives of Early Bethlehem," an exhibition highlighting the lives of three historic Bethlehem residents. The residents include an African slave, American Indian woman and single female teacher. 

Material gathered from the exhibit includes personal diaries, community records and historic resources, according to the historical society.

The Whitefield House dates back to 1740 when it served as a nursery for children of the Moravians overseen by unmarried daughters or nurses. It now serves as a museum of Moravian artifacts, including the oldest violin created in America.

How to help

For more information or to donate to the program, call the Moravian Historical Society at 610-759-5070 or email info@moravianhistoricalsociety.org.

Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @pamholzmann. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.

The drum and bugle corps from around the region will be led by Allentown's current defending DCA World Champion Cadets2.

Youth Education in the Arts and the Nazareth Area High School Marching Band Saturday will be bringing high energy marching music performances to Andrew Leh Stadium.

"Drum Corps: An American Tradition Drum & Bugle Corps Competition" will feature eight drum and bugle corps from around the region led by Allentown's current defending DCA World Champion Cadets2.

Also competing are the 16-time World Champion Reading Buccaneers from Reading; Hawthorne Caballeros from Hawthorne, NJ; Bushwackers from Princeton, NJ; Skyliners from the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton area; Sunrisers from Long Island, NY; Thunderbirds from Erie; and the Hawthorne Caballeros Alumni Corps from Hawthorne, NJ.

The competition features marching music units of all ages comprised of musicians and dancers. Each group includes a maximum of 128 performers incorporating brass, percussion and color guard.

The units' summer performance schedule includes weekend events in the northeast region of the United States, performing on regulation football fields with music as diverse as jazz, blues and classical.

Drum Corps Associates is the sanctioning body for the units and holds its World Championship annually in Rochester, NY over Labor Day weekend.

If you go:

The event kicks off at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Nazareth Area High School's Andrew Leh Stadium, 501 E. Center St., Nazareth. Tickets range $20-$40, but will increase by $5 at the box office the day of the event. For more information, call 610-821-0345, ext 125 or visit www.yea.org

Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @pamholzmann. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.

The 37-year-old suspect told police the victim was the aggressor, according to court records, but he faces felonies.

Authorities had to "physically extract" a Nazareth man from his apartment after he assaulted his girlfriend for the second time in 24 hours, according to borough police.

Daniel L. Zipp (Courtesy photo | For lehighvalleylive.com) 

Daniel L. Zipp, 37, of the first block of Mauch Chunk Street, was arraigned on charges in the case Saturday afternoon and sent to Northampton County Prison.

Nazareth police responded about 10:10 a.m. Saturday to the domestic dispute at the apartment Zipp shared with the victim, according to court records.

The first assault had occurred Friday, the victim told police, but she did not report it because she did not want to get Zipp arrested and because she had nowhere else to stay, records say. Zipp had allegedly grabbed her by the hair, spit on her, slapped her around, choked her and called her names.

On Saturday morning, the victim told Zipp their relationship was over and she planned to move out, according to police.

Zipp became enraged, grabbed the victim by the neck and throat and began to strangle her, the victim reportedly told police. She feared for her life, according to police, as he continued to choke her "so hard that I couldn't breathe" in addition to throwing a dresser drawer at her, spitting at her, slapping, scratching and punching her and pulling her hair.

The victim punched and kicked Zipp until she was able to break free and run down the steps from the apartment. Her daughter called her at that point, and the victim said to dial 911, just as Zipp grabbed the victim's phone and smashed it against the ground, police said.

ID released on body recovered from Lehigh River

A roommate and friend told police she saw Zipp on Friday spit on the victim and flip her over the back of a chair, but that she did not witness Saturday's incident because she stayed in her room "the entire time," police wrote in court records.

Police said they found the victim crying, having difficulty breathing, upset and with red marks and raised skin on her neck, both arms and legs, in addition to a cut on her right palm.

Zipp refused to come down the steps from the second floor until police removed him, and then denied assaulting the victim, according to police. After an officer reported seeing redness and raised scratches on Zipp, the suspect admitted a physical altercation occurred but said the victim had assaulted him and "he was just attempting not to get her into any kind of trouble with police."

Zipp was arraigned before District Judge Alicia Rose Zito on felony charges of robbery and strangulation, in addition to misdemeanor unlawful restraint, simple assault, reckless endangerment and theft; and additional charges of harassment, criminal mischief and receiving stolen property.

He was ordered held in lieu of $35,000 bail and remained in prison Tuesday, court records show.

Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @KurtBresswein. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.

The company proposes raising rates by 17 percent for the average residential customer.

Pennsylvania utility regulators have scheduled nine public hearings on a proposed water rate hike affecting some municipalities in Northampton County.

None of the hearings on the Pennsylvania-American Water Co. request are in Northampton County, with the closest being held Aug. 1 in East Stroudsburg.

But on July 27 in Harrisburg, the state Public Utility Commission is holding what it calls a smart hearing. It'll be broadcast live on the PUC website, puc.pa.gov, and testimony will be taken from customers via telephone.

The request before the PUC is for a Pennsylvania-American Water rate hike drafted to boost annual revenues by $107.9 million, or 16.4 percent.

The company's proposal would raise the monthly bill for an average residential customer using 3,630 gallons per month by $9.49 or 17 percent, from $55.63 to $65.12.

PUC regulators decided in May to delay their decision for seven months for an investigation.

Pa. investigating 16 percent revenue hike request

Pennsylvania-American provides water or wastewater services to about 2.3 million residents in the state. Its territory in Northampton County covers Bangor, Nazareth, Pen Argyl, Roseto, Stockertown, Tatamy, Wind Gap and the townships of Bushkill, Forks, Lower Mount Bethel, Lower Nazareth, Plainfield, Upper Mount Bethel, Upper Nazareth and Washington.

The company says in its filing for the increase it did not expect the rates to rise until January 2018.

It says the increase is needed to pay for constructing and replacing treatment facilities, infrastructure and equipment for providing high-quality service and meeting state and federal drinking water and wastewater standards.

The PUC Office of Administrative Law Judge hearings are scheduled as follows:

Monday, July 24, 2017 - 1 p.m.
Washington County Building
100 W. Beau St., Room 103
Washington, PA 15301

Monday, July 24, 2017 - 6 p.m.
Getaway Cafe
3049 Sussex Ave.
Pittsburgh, PA 15226

Tuesday, July 25, 2017 - 1 p.m.
Hilton Garden Inn
555 Synergy Drive
Uniontown, PA 15401

Thursday, July 27, 2017 - 1 p.m. (smart hearing)
Commonwealth Keystone Building
Hearing Room 1
400 North St.
Harrisburg, PA 17120

Thursday, July 27, 2017 - 6 p.m.
Camp Hill Fire Department
2198 Walnut St.
Camp Hill, PA 17011

Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2017 - 1 p.m.
King's College
Sheehy-Farmer Campus Center - Snyder Room
133 N. Franklin St.
Wilkes-Barre, PA 18711

Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2017 - 6 p.m.
East Stroudsburg University
The Innovation Center - Room 336
562 Independence Road
East Stroudsburg, PA 18301

Thursday, Aug. 3, 2017 - 1 p.m.
East Fallowfield Township Building
2264 Strasburg Road
East Fallowfield, PA 19320

Thursday, Aug. 3, 2017 - 6 p.m.
The Inn at Reading
1040 Park Road
Wyomissing, PA 19610

The PUC and state Office of Consumer Advocate offer these tips on how to participate:

Prepare what you are going to say beforehand. Even though it is not required, you may want to write out your statement, which can be read.

Bring copies if you are attending an in-person hearing. If you have a written statement you would like to give to the judge, please bring two copies for the court reporter and several copies for the other participants.

Plan to be questioned. Parties in the case may want to ask you a question to clarify something you said.

The small blaze was extinguished within minutes in Lower Nazareth Township, police said.

Firefighters responded to a small electrical fire Wednesday afternoon at the Wegmans in Lower Nazareth Township.

The fire ignited at 1:37 p.m. in a walk-in freezer near the loading docks in back of the store along Route 248. An electrician had been working on the door to the freezer, which also malfunctioned, Colonial Regional police said.

"There was an electrical issue," an officer at the scene said.

Employees were working to put out the fire with an extinguisher when police and firefighters arrived. Patrons and employees were going to be evacuated as a precautionary measure, but never were because firefighters were able to put out the fire within minutes, according to police.

There were no reported injuries. The scene was cleared by 2 p.m.

Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @pamholzmann. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.

A fun day during the Greater Valley YMCA's Summer Field Day.

Attention, happy campers! It's that time of year again. 

More than 600 campers gathered Wednesday for Greater Valley YMCA's Summer Field Day at Nazareth Borough Park. 

Participating were campers from the Allentown YMCA & YWCA; Bethlehem YMCA; YMCA of Easton, Phillipsburg & Vicinity; Forks YMCA Education Center; Nazareth YMCA; Pocono Family YMCA; Slate Belt YMCA; and Suburban North YMCA. 

Kids competed in relays, outdoor games, song contests and a tug-of-war. 

Representatives with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms were also on-hand to provide equipment for a street hockey game for the campers.

Look through the gallery above for a look at some of the activities.

Saed Hindash may be reached at shindash@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @SaedHindash. Find lehighvalleylive on Facebook.

We took a look at the 2016 testing results for the region's high schools.

A developer is looking to build a manufacturing plant in Lower Nazareth Township.

Plans for a 400,000-square-foot manufacturing plant are underway in Lower Nazareth Township.

Lewis Ronca, owner of Wind-Drift Development, presented plans Wednesday to township supervisors for the proposed plant.

The 28-acre project would be in the Hecktown Road Business Park on Commerce Park Drive near the Route 33 interchange.

Ronca said the development would be for a light manufacturing use but he would not name the future business at this time.

The plant would operate 24 hours per day in three shifts. Preliminary plans call for 85 day-shift workers, 45 workers for the second shift, 35 workers for the overnight shift and up to 15 office jobs, Ronca said.

The one-story plant would have 40 loading docks and 240 parking spaces.

Nazareth Inn redevelopment plan clears hurdle

Township engineer Al Kortze said a new traffic study would need to be performed for this development.

Township solicitor Gary Asteak agreed that consideration for traffic needs to be addressed.

"Traffic is a very sensitive issue," Asteak said.

Ronca's lawyer Charles Bruno said development for the lot was approved in 2001. Previously approved plans on the lot were for a beer distributor, which would have resulted in 1,000 vehicle trips in and out of the property per day, he said.

The new manufacturing plant would see far fewer trips, according to Bruno.

"I believe it will be less of an impact than the previous use," Bruno said.

Before the project can begin, Ronca will need to get further approvals from Lower Nazareth Township and Bethlehem Township since a small section of the property lies within that township's borders.

John Best is a freelance writer. Find lehighvalleylive on Facebook.

One victim of sex trafficking is rescued, authorities say.

A Monroe County man and a Virginia woman are charged with forcing a woman into prostitution after the county district attorney's office organized a sting on Wednesday at a Smithfield Township hotel, authorities said.

An Upper Nazareth Township man was one of seven men cited with patronizing a prostitute during the sting, the district attorney's office said.

But the most serious charges of involuntary servitude, trafficking of individuals,  promoting prostitution and related offenses were reserved for Tarkira Monasia Bell, 20, of Richmond, Virginia, and Malik Dupree Edwards, 39, of Coolbaugh Township, the district attorney's office said.

Both were arraigned Thursday morning on the charges before District Judge JoLana Krawitz and sent to Monroe County jail in lieu of $250,000 bail, records show. They have preliminary hearings tentatively scheduled 10 a.m. July 26 in Krawitz's court.

In the effort to catch johns, ads were placed in backpage.com, the hotel room was wired for surveillance and initial contacts by phone were recorded, authorities said.

Bell and Edwards brought a Tennessee woman they met through a dating website to the hotel and Bell pushed her into the room, the district attorney's office said.

The woman, who authorities say was the victim in a sex-trafficking scheme, said she agreed with the pair's offer to make money and had only known them for a few days when they drove her to Pennsylvania, the district attorney's office reported. She told an investigator posing as a john that she was five months pregnant and wanted to get home to family.

The woman was cared for by members of Truth Home, a nonprofit organization that "provides a safe living environment and works with women to restore hope after sexual exploitation," the district attorney's office said.

Bell later admitted to posting ads on backpage.com but used photos that weren't the victim, the district attorney's office said. Edwards traveled with Bell and the victim to "keep them safe" and to be there if "something goes wrong," Bell said, according to the district attorney's office.

The probe was aided by the Wayne County District Attorney's Office, the Bethlehem Township Police Department, the Sugarloaf Police Department, the FBI, the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office and state constables, the news release said.

Charged with patronizing a prostitute were:

• Aldo Giovanni Moncilla, 53, of the 2200 block of Evening Sun Road in Upper Nazareth
• Matthew Beers, 30, of the 300 block of Shady Oaks Drive East in Ross Township
• Jesse Alan Day, 30, of Milford, Pennsylvania
• David Jonathan Hubler, 43, of Elmhurst Township, Pennsylvania
• Menachem Mendel Moscovitz, 34, of Las Vegas
• Branden Charles Russell, 27, of the 3200 block of Cherry Road in Polk Township
• Dragan Trajanov, 23, of Westbrook, Illinois

Charged with prostitution was:

• Rachel Slzasa, 34, of the first block of Upper Lakeview Drive in Middle Smithfield Township

Tony Rhodin may be reached at arhodin@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyRhodin. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.

The semifinals continue in our burger showdown.

Fashioned in the New York Giants' color scheme, the lawn tractor is on display in Tatamy.

Attention, New York Giants fans.

Bob Johnson (Courtesy photo) 

If you're looking for a one-of-a-kind item to add to your memorabilia collection, Bob Johnson has the piece for you: a lawnmower signed by some of the team's all-time greats.

Johnson, formerly of Palmer Township, recently sold his Auto Sound Plus business in Palmer and moved to Georgia. His house was full of Giants collectibles, but he didn't want to take the riding mower on his move.

Instead, he decided to raffle it off for charity.

The Simplicity lawn tractor is on display at the Northampton Farm Bureau, which deals the brand at 300 Bushkill St. in Tatamy.

Johnson used the mower just once to cut the grass but would occasionally park it in front of his house on game day. His father won the NFL-licensed mower in the late 1980s in a raffle at the Phillipsburg Mall.

"I enjoyed it for many years but now it's time for someone else to enjoy it," he said.

Old rivals pay a visit to the Easton Assassin

Johnson, who was active in Palmer youth sports and other community fundraisers, intends to raise $5,000 by selling 100 raffle tickets at $50 apiece. He said all the money will be donated to the Heart of a Legend group run by former heavyweight boxing champion Larry Holmes' wife Diane.

Heart of a Legend was formed a few years ago and contributes to nonprofit agencies in the Easton area.

Johnson had the mower's hood with him last weekend at a meet-and-greet at Holmes' house attended by many ex-Giants. The event was a fundraiser as part of Heart of a Legend's annual golf outing.

Among those who have signed the hood painted in the Giants' color scheme are the team's three Super Bowl MVPs -- Phil Simms, Ottis "O.J" Anderson and Eli Manning (two-time MVP).

More autographs that grace the hood include Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor, Sean Landeta, Victor Cruz, Rodney Hampton and others.

For a raffle ticket, email bobjohnson@rcn.com.

Jim Deegan may be reached at jdeegan@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @jim_deegan. Find lehighvalleylive on Facebook.

Physical therapy, family practice and lab services are available at the new facility in Lower Nazareth Township.

A new building that holds three medical specialties has opened in Lower Nazareth Township.

The St. Luke's Health Center-Nazareth is a 12,600-square-foot facility at 4059 Jandy Blvd. with services for physical therapy, family medicine and lab work.

The three units include Physical Therapy at St. Luke's, St. Luke's Family Medicine-Nazareth and St. Luke's Lab Services.

The facility is the new home of the physical therapy center that had been on South Main Street in Nazareth and the former Nazareth Family Practice, which was on West North Street in Nazareth.

Judy Dougherty, a physical therapist and the center's chief operating officer, said the new facility is equipped with cutting-edge technologies dealing with areas like spinal decompression and vestibular balance.

Grading the Lehigh Valley hospitals for safety

Dougherty said the center employs general therapists and specialists. They work with their physical therapy partners throughout the Lehigh Valley to find the right specialist for each patient, Dougherty said.

"We want the whole team working together for the betterment of the patient," Dougherty said.

Walk-ins are welcome at the lab services unit. No appointment is needed for routine tests, including allergy tests, blood tests, cancer monitoring, cholesterol/lipids, diabetes monitoring, infection detection, thyroid levels, urinalysis and others.

John Best is a freelance writer. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.

A Bushkill Township police officer spotted the pair at the closed station and investigated, resulting in their arrests.

A Bushkill Township police officer caught two Texas men in the act trying to install a machine to steal credit numbers at a gas pump, according to court records.

Video surveillance at the Bushkill Corners Exxon, 291 W. Moorestown Road in the township, showed the two pull up in a Toyota to pump No. 2 when the station was closed about 1:14 a.m. Thursday, police said.

The driver out and placed the fuel nozzle into the fuel fill on the car while the passenger could be seen manipulating the fuel pump cover, police said.

"While this was happening, the driver watched for any passing cars," Bushkill police officer Nathan Correll wrote in court records. "When a car would approach from any direction, the driver would act like he was just pumping gas. It was verified no gas was pumped."

After 12 minutes, the car was moved opposite pump No. 2 to pump No. 1, which the two began to manipulate, police said.

The two quickly got into the car just as the officer pulled up behind them after observing the car at the closed station, court records say.

Neither the driver, 31-year-old Luis Maikel Aguero Duran, nor passenger, 39-year-old Osmel Perez Fornaris, could speak any English, according to police. A bilingual police officer from Easton responded to translate, and police learned the pair claimed to be in the area working for a water company, whose name they could not recall, records say.

They claimed to be staying at a hotel in the Easton area and had $1,960 cash on them, police said.

Fugitives of the week July 15, 2017

Police had the gas station owner inspect the pumps, and an electronic device was found inside the locked section of pump No. 1, records say. Further review of surveillance showed the pair at that pump the night before.

"The station owner stated that there was a problem with the credit card reader on that pump the next day and did not get a technician out to see it yet," Correll wrote in court records.

Police did not indicate in court records that any credit cards were believed to have been compromised in the alleged effort.

Aguero Duran and Perez Fornaris are accused of placing the credit card skimmers on both pumps No. 1 and 2.

They were arraigned on related felony and misdemeanor charges Thursday morning before District Judge Douglas Schlegel and sent to Northampton County Prison in lieu of $50,000 bail each. They face preliminary hearings tentatively scheduled July 31 before Schlegel.

Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @KurtBresswein. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.

The Cadets2 of Allentown, plus 7 other groups, presented "Drum Corps: An American Tradition" at Andrew S. Leh Stadium.

One of Allentown's home-grown drum and bugle corps, The Cadets2, along with Youth Education in the Arts (YEA!), presented "Drum Corps: An American Tradition Drum & Bugle Corps Competition" on Saturday at Andrew S. Leh Stadium in Nazareth.

Cadets2 is a weekend-only, regionally performing drum and bugle corps which gives performers a similar experience to The Cadets -- the oldest continually performing and nationally renowned drum and bugle corps -- without as much time or monetary commitment.

They are made up of 128 performers ages 16 to 25 who are proficient in brass, percussion and color guard.

Bethlehem Blueberry Festival sweetens summer

They use a variety of musical genres in their performances including jazz, classical, and blues.

The eight groups that performed Saturday were:

• The Cadets2 of Allentown.
• The Reading Buccaneers of Reading, Pa.
• The Hawthorne Caballeros of Hawthorne, N.J.
• The Bushwackers of Princeton, N.J.
• The Skyliners of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton area.
• The Sunrisers of Long Island, N.Y.
• The Thunderbirds of Erie, Pa.
• Caballeros Alumni Corps of Hawthorne, N.J.   

Many of the groups tour around the country and are slated to travel approximately 15,000 miles over the course of the summer and participate in as many as 50 events in 25 states.

Check out the photos in the gallery above for a look at the performances.

Erin Gallagher may be reached at egallagher@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow lehighvalleylive.com on Twitter at @lehighvalley. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. 

An administrator from the Chichester School District will start at the Bangor Area School District this year.

The Slaters will have a new top administrator starting this fall.

The Bangor Area School Board voted 8-0 Monday to hire Dr. William P. Haws III as its new superintendent starting this school year. Board Director Stephen Bussenger was not present for the vote.

Haws, who has been the assistant superintendent of the Chichester School District in Delaware County since 2014, was hired to fill the spot left vacant by Dr. Frank DeFelice, who accepted an administrative job for Colonial Intermediate Unit 20.

Haws agreed to serve a four-year term, which expires June 30, 2021.

"I'm anxious and I'm ready to go and I'm chomping at the bit to get up here and to get to business," Haws said.

Haws annual salary starts at $163,000. He is contracted to receive 3 to 5 percent raises in the subsequent years depending on performance evaluations.

Before being an assistant superintendent, Haws spent several years as a school principal in the Bristol Township School District in Bucks County.

"He has a lot of administrative experience," Board Director Craig Berger said. "I look forward to him bringing his talents here."

Haws said his first steps in the Bangor Area will be to listen and learn. Understanding the area's traditions and values are essential, he said. He plans to enhance the things the district does well but also look for areas that can be improved, he said.

"Every place has room for improvement," Haws said. "I'm a roll up my sleeves and get to work kind of guy."

Haws said he tries to be approachable and available. Teachers and students can expect to see him "out and about" in the district, he said.

John Best is a freelance writer. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.

Belinda Ruiz tried to sneak more than $250 worth of clothes out of Kohl's in Lower Nazareth Township.

An Easton woman convicted seven times of retail theft was charged Wednesday with her eighth offense.

Belinda Ruiz, 55, of the 1100 block of Washington Street, stuffed $256 worth of clothes into her purse while she was in the fitting room of the Kohl's department store in Lower Nazareth Township at 3:13 p.m. Wednesday, police said.

She was arrested when she walked out of the store with the goods.

Her previous retail theft convictions were in 1995, twice in 1996, 1999, twice in 2010 and in 2014.

She's charged with retail theft and receiving stolen property. District Judge Jacqueline Taschner set bail at $20,000 on Wednesday. Ruiz was sent to Northampton County Prison.

Rudy Miller may be reached at rmiller@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @RudyMillerLV. Find Easton area news on Facebook.

Marco Caruso must spend at least 60 days in prison for endangering his children.

Marco Caruso has completed multiple rehabilitation programs to get a handle on his heroin addiction.

And while his counselor and some family members acknowledge the progress made by the 32-year-old Bath man, Northampton County Judge Emil Giordano had a hard time getting past the lapse of judgment that put him in court.

Rather than wait an hour to drop off his 5-year-old boys with their mother, he injected heroin in his arm. He lay passed out due to a drug overdose for 20 minutes with his young sons before a bystander found him, police said.

He was unconscious inside a restroom stall at Wayne Grube Memorial Park in Allen Township, where one of the boys found him with a needle in his arm. The son kept pricking himself in the finger with a hypodermic needle as he tried to put the cap on.

"Daddy is sleeping," one of the boys told the bystander, according to the boys' mother, Heather Liskanich.

Caruso pleaded guilty May 22 to one count of endangering the welfare of a child for the July 13, 2016, incident. In exchange for the plea a second count was dropped.

"This conduct is outrageous," Giordano told Caruso in court Friday.

The judge was persuaded to make Caruso eligible for work release during his 60- to 120-day Northampton County Prison sentence. He felt the crime warranted some prison time despite the efforts Caruso has made to overcome his addiction.

"You couldn't wait until you dropped them off? Do you know how bad this looks?" Giordano asked. Giordano ordered that the 60 to 120 days of work release will be followed by three years of probation.

Defense attorney Alex Karam said the drug abuse ramped up because Caruso was depressed over his breakup with his girlfriend, the boys' mother. He was injured while working at the Pepsi bottling plant in Allentown. When his prescription painkillers ran out, he turned to heroin, Karam said.

Caruso now lives with Liskanich's parents, but Liskanich wants nothing to do with him.

"The scare that has been created for my children due to this incident will haunt them for the rest of their lives," she wrote in a letter to the judge.

5-year-olds find 'daddy sleeping' due to overdose in public park restroom

She told the judge Friday her children are still struggling with the horror of what they saw. The sometimes burst into tears for no apparent reason.

"The last thing they remember is him lying there with a needle unconscious," she said. "They have very vivid memories."

Caruso said it's important for him to remain drug free so he can restore his relationship with his sons.

"It seems deep down you're a good person," Giordano said. "I just think you've made some very bad decisions in life."

Rudy Miller may be reached at rmiller@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @RudyMillerLV. Find Easton area news on Facebook.

The bear was shot with a tranquilizer gun, fell from a tree into a tarp and took off running.

A bear that wandered into downtown Nazareth caused quite the commotion Sunday.

The bear had climbed a tree on Broad Street between Belvidere and Walnut streets when the Nazareth Fire Department arrive to assist borough police with a crowd control call, according to a post on the fire company's Facebook page.

Authorities closed the area to residents for safety reasons and contacted the Pennsylvania Game Commission to tranquilize the bear and relocate it.

The 215-pound female bear was so high up in the tree, the fire department was asked to help catch the bear once it was tranquilized, the post says.

Firefighters set up a tarp below the tree in anticipation of the bear falling once the tranquilizer kicked in.

It took about 10 minutes for the bear to feel the effects and tumble out of the tree. She was caught in the tarp, but tried to run away. The bear only made it 10 feet before she laid down and passed out.

The game commission took the bear to relocate it to a less populated area.

Sara K. Satullo may be reached at ssatullo@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @sarasatullo and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.