A belief by some that “nothing much ever happens in the Hellertown area” seems to become more of a proven fallacy with each passing year, and this list of the 10 most-read news stories published on SauconSource.com in 2018 certainly seems to support that. Collectively, all of the stories and calendar items published on the website this year have received more than a million pageviews, according to Google Analytics data.
Saucon Source will continue to publish all of the local news–big and small–that matters to you in 2019, and we hope you’ll continue to read and share it. To keep up on the latest local news, be sure to subscribe to our free e-newsletter–which is emailed to subscribers each Monday, Wednesday and Friday–and like and follow Saucon Source on Instagram and Facebook.
10 Most-Read Stories of 2018 on Saucon Source
- South Bethlehem Home Will Be Featured on ‘The Dead Files’ (July 7, 2018) … A Cherokee Street rowhome was featured on the popular Travel Channel series “The Dead Files,” in which physical medium Amy Allan and retired New York City homicide detective Steve DiSchiavi combine their skills to solve unexplained paranormal phenomena in allegedly haunted locations across the U.S.
- New Explosion Reported in Upper Bucks, Police Questioning Witnesses (June 7, 2018) … State and local police investigated an explosion on Brick Tavern Road in Milford Township that left a crater near the roadside and was reported by a witness to have sounded as loud as explosions he heard in Vietnam during the war. The explosion was later tied to serial bombing suspect David W. Surman Jr., 30, of Milford Township, who has been charged with felony charges of unlawfully possessing or manufacturing weapons of mass destruction and other charges. Surman’s girlfriend is also charged.
- Fight Draws Police to Hellertown Fire Company (May 19, 2018) … A brawl at a wedding reception at Dewey Fire Co. Social Hall in Hellertown involved numerous individuals and was initially reported as a stabbing. Authorities later confirmed there was no stabbing, however four people were seriously hurt in the fight that allegedly began with a domestic dispute. Scott Brockel Jr., 25, was charged as a result of the fight.
- Hellertown Woman Accused of Sexually Assaulting Boy Over 9 Months (Feb. 12, 2018) … Bonnie Marie Rohn, who was 34 at the time, was charged with more than a dozen felony counts related to the sexual assault of a juvenile male victim. Rohn, now 35, ultimately pleaded guilty to a single charge of felony statutory sexual assault as a result of a plea bargain. She will be required to register as a lifetime sex offender under Megan’s Law and is scheduled to be sentenced in Northampton County Court Jan. 25.
- Drug Deal Gone Wrong on Rail Trail Leaves Teen Injured, Police Say (Oct. 17, 2018) … A drug deal that reportedly went wrong along a darkened section of the Saucon Rail Trail near Thomas Avenue in Hellertown resulted in a teen needing emergency surgery for facial injuries and led to the arrest of two men–David Michael Harris III, 19, of Hellertown, and Elijah Tyree Laws, 18, of Bethlehem–who were charged with felony robbery, corruption of minors and theft. Both men are charged with felony conspiracy to commit robbery and Harris is also charged with felony aggravated assault, according to court records.
- Police ID Men Who Allegedly Robbed Person at Bank, Fled to Quakertown (June 27, 2018) … Pennridge Regional Police said Israel Omar Zelaya, 20, and Nadir Tarise Tidwell, 19, both of Allentown, robbed an individual of $4,700 at a Wells Fargo bank branch in East Rockhill Township, Bucks County, before fleeing north, where they were apprehended a short time later at a shopping plaza on Rt. 309 in Quakertown. They were charged with robbery, conspiracy to commit robbery, theft by unlawful taking, conspiracy to commit theft by unlawful taking, receiving stolen property and conspiracy-receiving stolen property, all of which are third-degree felony charges.
- Kintnersville Man, 22, Sentenced for Sex Assault on Sleeping Woman (Aug. 23, 2018) … Dylan R. Rodd, 22, of Kintnersville, Bucks County, was sentenced to five to 10 years in state prison for sexually assaulting a woman who was sleeping in his Nockamixon Township home, in accordance with the terms of a negotiated guilty plea he entered on May 9 in Bucks County Common Pleas Court. Rodd had pleaded guilty to two felony counts of aggravated indecent assault, and agreed to a maximum sentence on one of the counts in return for authorities not pursuing penalties for other crimes.
- Hellertown Woman Hit By Tractor-Trailer on Rt. 22 Near Airport Road (April 30, 2018) … A Hellertown woman was hospitalized with injuries following a hit-and-run accident in Hanover Township, Lehigh County, which Pennsylvania State Police at Bethlehem investigated. State police said Lindsey Frain, 31, was struck as she was walking east in the westbound lane near the center concrete barrier of Rt. 22.
- Coroner Investigating Death at Condo Complex in Upper Saucon (Aug. 10, 2018) … Police investigated a death in a condominium on Saratoga Lane in Liberty Village in Upper Saucon Township. The death was later determined to not be suspicious.
- Hellertown Bank Robber Displayed Revolver, Police Say (Sept. 17, 2018) … Police launched a manhunt after a man displaying a revolver robbed the BB&T branch at 741 Main St., Hellertown, of an undisclosed amount of money just before closing on Sept. 17. Within a few days police had arrested Kurt M. Laudenslager, 47, of 1910 Skibo Road, Lower Saucon Township, and charged him with Felony 1 Robbery, Felony 3 Theft, Felony 3 Receiving Stolen Property and Misdemeanor 2 Simple Assault in connection with the bank robbery. According to court documents, as of Dec. 26 Laudenslager remained incarcerated in Northampton County Prison in lieu of $75,000 bail. Laudenslager is being represented by public defender James Martin Connell, with a formal arraignment scheduled for Jan. 24 at the Northampton County Court of Common Pleas.
A Hellertown Police SUV is parked outside the BB&T branch at 741 Main Street shortly after a robbery took place there Monday, Sept. 17. Lower Saucon Township resident Kurt Laudenslager, 47, was later charged with the crime. (FILE PHOTO)
