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S. WHITEHALL TWP., Pa. – More than three years after 44-year-old Joseph Santos was shot and killed by a now former South Whitehall Police officer, a bit of closure for the family: a $950,000 settlement. The resolution comes after Santos’s estate decided to sue South Whitehall Township and Jonathan Roselle after the officer was found  … Read More

The children of Joseph Santos, the New Jersey man killed by a police officer while his family celebrated a birthday at Dorney Park, will receive part of a $950,000 settlement ending their lawsuit against the officer and South Whitehall Township. According to a copy of the settlement obtained by The Morning Call through a Right-to-Know  … Read More

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — The smell of marijuana can be a factor police use to justify a search without a warrant but can’t be the sole basis for it, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled Wednesday. The court said a state police search of a vehicle in Allentown three years ago was conducted only because the  … Read More

LEHIGH COUNTY, Pa. — A significant ruling regarding marijuana in Pennsylvania: a Lehigh County judge ruled state troopers did not have probable cause to search a man’s vehicle after smelling marijuana during a traffic stop. That man has a medical marijuana license; court documents show he presented the card to troopers during the stop. Judge  … Read More

Do police have the right to search a vehicle just because it reeks of pot? In a case that highlights the confusion over the legality of medical marijuana, a Lehigh County judge has ruled in favor of Germansville man whose car was searched because it smelled of cannabis. Read Article

The city of Hazleton paid $575,000 to settle one of two lawsuits with the family of a 26 year old man whom police shot to death during a struggle at his home six years ago. After Jonathan Gray died on October 5th 2013 authorities and his family provided different accounts of what happened in the  … Read More

WILKES-BARRE — A city resident who was wrongfully arrested during a major drug bust has reached a $150,000 settlement with the state Attorney General’s Office, according to his attorney. John Cole, of 553 N. Pennsylvania Ave., last week settled the false arrest and imprisonment lawsuit against agents Anthony B. Panzarella and Robert Speicher, both of  … Read More

Allentown police paid $142,500 to settle claims an officer shot a teenage boy in the back with a Taser, according to a settlement agreement in a federal lawsuit. The settlement, obtained by The Morning Call in a Right-to-Know request, ends the lawsuit on behalf of Jaylen Santiago, who is now an adult, claiming Allentown police  … Read More

As Allentown police continue their investigation into an altercation outside a city after-hours club, an attorney for the club said it is cooperating with police while conducting its own investigation. Read more at www.mcall.com

Pennsylvania State Police will circulate a memo reminding officers of the state law against ticket quotas as part of legal settlement with a motorist who claimed he was wrongfully arrested for drunken driving. Read more at www.mcall.com