K-9s picked up a scent during a search but didn't initially find the man, police said.

A Palmer Township man who jumped out of an ambulance on Friday afternoon in Freemansburg and shed his hospital gown while running toward the Lehigh River has turned up in Warren County, police said Tuesday.

Authorities have yet to locate the man, who contacted his mother within the past 24 hours and said he was in New Jersey.

Trevor Atkinson, who is in his mid 20s, was being taken just before 1:30 p.m. Friday from St. Luke's Hospital in Bethlehem Township to another hospital when he bolted along Freemansburg Avenue near the baseball fields, Freemansburg police Chief Jonathan Itterly said.

Borough police set up a perimeter and, aided by officers from Bethlehem Township, Colonial Regional and Lower Saucon Township, searched for the naked man, Itterly said. A nearby day care center was locked down, the chief said.

K-9s from Bethlehem and Colonial Regional were brought in, got a scent off the deposited clothing and tracked the man along the Lehigh River, Itterly said.

Boats were deployed in the river by the Steel City and Bethlehem Township fire departments. Atkinson either went into the river or into Bethlehem Township, Itterly said.

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Off-road vehicles were added to the search as "every resource available" was used, but Atkinson didn't turn up Friday or over the weekend, Itterly said.

Palmer police notified the man's mother, Itterly said.

Atkinson is considered an "endangered person" and could be a risk to himself and others, according to the chief.

There was "concern about his safety," Itterly said.

The search was called off Friday in the borough once it was determined the man was no longer in Freemansburg, but Bethlehem Township firefighters on Monday night again were looking on the river, township police Chief Dan Pancoast said.

Artkinson ran through the Lehigh Canal so he likely was muddy, Itterly said. Police received no sightings of a naked man from people along the towpath.

Atkinson has contacted his mother and reported being in Lopatcong Township, Itterly said.

If anyone sees Atkinson, they should call local authorities, Itterly said.

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

Students of Warren Technical School celebrated their commencement at the school.

Warren Technical School held its commencement Tuesday night at the school.

Check out the celebration by scrolling through the photos atop this post.

Warren Tech prom 2017 (PHOTOS)

LOOKING FOR A KEEPSAKE?

Are you one of the people pictured at this graduation? Want to buy the photo and keep it forever? Look for a link below the photo caption to order prints in a variety of sizes or products like shirts or coffee mugs.

Be sure to check out our complete graduation coverage at lehighvalleylive.com/graduation.

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

Four Phillipsburg High School grads receive scholarships in the name of Samantha "Sam" Pesaresi.

Four Phillipsburg High School seniors, Andrea Merring, Daniel Thompson, Austin Sumner and Payton Elling, were awarded $1,000 scholarships by Sam's Spirit at the annual Honor Graduates/Awards Night Program earlier this month in the Phillipsburg High School Auditorium.

Andrea is a daughter of Loren Merring and is planning on attending The College of New Jersey to major in elementary education-math. Daniel is a son of Daniel and Annette Thompson and will be attending Drexel University and majoring in biomedical engineering. Austin, son of Chris and Julie Sumner, will attend Syracuse University with a major in earth science. And Payton, a daughter of Gary and Allison Elling, will attend Moravian College where she will major in pre-med.

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Sam's Spirit, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, is named for Samantha "Sam" Pesaresi, a 2008 graduate of Phillipsburg High School, who tragically passed away in September 2013 due to a brain aneurysm. The mission of Sam's Spirit is to advance brain aneurism research and advocate for organ donor awareness. 

The annual scholarship recognizes exemplary seniors who demonstrated outstanding achievement in athletics, music or community service. This year marks the fourth year that the scholarship was awarded. Funding for the scholarship is derived from an annual golf tournament and 5k race.

Do you have education news to share? To see it posted here and possibly in The Express-Times and Warren Reporter, send me an email.

William J. Spencer is the 2017 Mary Louise Christine Outstanding Senior Citizen of Warren County.

The Warren County Division of Aging & Disability Services and the county's Aging Services Advisory Council and recently honored Phillipsburg resident William J. Spencer as the 2017 Mary Louise Christine Outstanding Senior Citizen of Warren County.

Spencer was praised for his years of volunteering on educational issues and other civic activities at the Independence Township Senior Center on May 25.

Freeholder Director Richard D. Gardner and Freeholder Jason J. Sarnoski presented Spencer with the award and recognized five other nominees.

Spencer was raised in Avoca, Pa. He graduated from Kings College in Wilkes-Barre in 1968, receiving a master's degree from Trenton State College of New Jersey (The College of New Jersey) in 1977, and spent 36 years working as a teacher, counselor and administrator in Warren County schools.

He was involved in all levels of education from elementary through adult education, and his career included a year with the New Jersey State Department of Education during which he monitored school facilities and reviewed grant applications for schools in Warren and Sussex counties.

A Phillipsburg resident for the past 46 years, Spencer has continued his involvement in education as a volunteer, serving on the founding committee to establish a Special Services School District within Warren County for students with multiple disabilities.

He also has been a member of the Special Services School District's Board of Education for 27 years and served as president of the board for 23 of those years. He is serving his 6th year as a member of the Phillipsburg Board of Education, and has been president of that board as well.

Besides his involvement in education, Spencer has taken an active role in many Phillipsburg community organizations ncluding the Phillipsburg Lions Club; the Knights of Columbus; Atlantic States Community Action Program; Firth Youth Center;and the Phillipsburg 150th Anniversary Planning Committee.  He is actively involved in the Phillipsburg Senior Center and serves as chairperson of the board of directors.

Married to the former Rose Marie Tron, their sons are Will, Jarrod, and Travis, and they have nine grandchildren.

Also recognized were Stephen Brickman, of Lopatcong Township; Robert Detrick, of Belvidere; Barbara Green, of Blairstown; Dean Rossi, of Washington; and Anthony Turdo, of Alpha.

The award has been given since 1984 but was renamed in 2007 to honor Mary Louise Christine shortly before the 85-year-old community activist from Washington Township passed away.

Do you have community news to share? To see it posted here and possibly in The Express-Times and Warren Reporter, send me an email.

Others in the home were not taken into custody.

One man was taken into custody just after 5:30 a.m. Thursday after Phillipsburg police entered a home in town.

A woman, as she sat on the front porch, told police she didn't know the man was selling heroin there.

Police quickly took the man from 349 Mercer St. It was not immediately clear what charges he may face.

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The woman and two younger people were not taken into custody.

The Warren County Tactical Response Team and New Jersey State Police assisted in the effort.

Police initially requested the animal control officer to remove two German shepherds from the home but later cancelled.

Police said the Warren County Prosecutor's Office would release information on the raid and the prosecutor's office said the news release would be sent in the afternoon.

Freelance photographer Tim Wynkoop provided information for this report.

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

The annual event marks 30 years this weekend.

Phillipsburg's annual festival is 30 years Ole.

The Ole Towne Festival marks three decades this weekend with three days of events starting Friday.

There will be music, fireworks, hot-air balloon rides (weather-permitting) and a hot dog-eating contest. New this year is a beer garden and yard games for adults. The ribbon will also be cut on the town's new splash pad at noon Saturday.

The 2017 Ole Towne Festival will be held at Phillipsburg's Walters Park on Friday and Saturday. 

The festival runs 5-10 p.m. Friday, opening with music by the Swingtime Dolls and continuing with Flamin' Dick and the Hot Rods. Saturday's events go 11:50 a.m. to 10 p.m., concluding with fireworks.

37 summer events in the Lehigh Valley

On Sunday, the festivities move to the Riverside Entertainment Stage with music by Bobby Clark and Play It Hard Country Band from 5 to 8 p.m. and an outdoor showing of the movie "The Boss Baby" at dusk.

A trolley will run hourly on Saturday from Walters Park, and hot air balloons will lift off from 6 to 8 p.m. that day.

Oh, and there's archery tag.

More information on Ole Towne can be found at the Ole Towne Festival Facebook page and www.phillipsburgnj.org/community-events.

Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @type2supernovak and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.

The assaults occurred over a few years, when the child was 10 to 13 years old.

A 49-year-old Pohatcong Township man was convicted Thursday of sexually assaulting a preteen over a few years, the Warren County Prosecutor's Office announced.

Anthony Firetto, of the 600 block of Route 627, is guilty on four counts of first-degree aggravated sexual assault, two counts of second-degree sexual assault and one county of third-degree child endangerment.

Each of the first-degree charges carries a maximum possible sentence of 20 years in state prison when Firetto is sentenced Aug. 11. He was sent to the county jail pending the sentencing hearing, the prosecutor's release said.

Firetto molested the victim between 2005 and 2008, when the child was 10 to 13 years old, according to the prosecutor's office and previous reports.

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The victim was among the witnesses to testify, and Firetto took the stand in his own defense, the prosecutor's release said.

The conviction comes following a bench trial, in which Judge H. Matthew Curry heard the case rather than a jury. Firetto was defended by David Schlendorf, while Assistant Prosecutor Amy M. Knutsen represented the state.

Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @type2supernovak and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.

The operation concludes a three-week investigation.

A 49-year-old alleged heroin dealer was arrested and charged Thursday following an early-morning raid at his Phillipsburg home.

The raid was the culmination of a three-week investigation by Phillipsburg police and the Warren County Prosecutor's Office, according to a news release from the prosecutor.

Longino Ruiz, of the 300 block of Mercer Street, is charged with two counts of second-degree distribution of heroin within 500 feet of public housing, two counts of third-degree distribution of heroin, two counts of third-degree possession with intent to distribute and three counts of third-degree possession of heroin.

Woman charged in P'burg slashing

Ruiz was taken into custody after the 5:30 a.m. raid. A woman sitting on the front porch told police she didn't know he was selling heroin there.

The most serious charges carry a maximum possible sentence of 10 years in prison and a $150,000 fine.

Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @type2supernovak and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.

The Phillipsburg graduate had been at the school as a coach for 18 years, the last 8 as head coach.

Just two days after what looked like the final scholastic wrestling coach vacancy in the lehighvalleylive region was filled, another opening has popped up.

Tim Flynn has resigned as the North Hunterdon head coach.

Flynn, a Phillipsburg graduate, spent 18 years as a wrestling coach for the Lions, the last eight as head coach. 

Check back soon at lehighvalleylive for more on this story soon.

Brad Wilson may be reached at bwilson@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @bradwsports. Find Lehigh Valley high school sports on Facebook.

Sam LaRochelle thought she lost the irreplaceable item, but she and others never gave up hope.

It was about 4 a.m. Sunday, as Samantha "Sam" LaRochelle lay in a hospital bed, when she noticed her beloved and irreplaceable necklace wasn't on her.

She figured her wife, Audrey LaRochelle, had it and closed her eyes.

Panic set in when she was discharged a couple of hours later.

No one had the necklace.

"This thing means more to me than the world," said Sam LaRochelle, of Lopatcong Township.

On Wednesday, she was reunited with the prized dual-pendant, custom-chain possession -- thanks to persistence and no small measure of sympathy on the part of a Phillipsburg police officer and staff at St. Luke's Hospital in Phillipsburg, its trash hauler and Covanta Energy Corp.

"They found it and I almost wanted to drop to my knees crying," she said.

It was an employee named Steve Acierno at the Covanta trash-to-energy plant in Oxford Township who finally pulled the necklace from some 15 tons worth of trash bags searched Wednesday morning. 

"We all picked through it by hand," said Herman Love, Covanta facility manager. "We spent about two hours searching through it to find what she had lost.

"She was super-excited to have it back. Just a great start to our day. We were all really happy for her."

Sam LaRochelle had been taken unconscious to St. Luke's on Saturday night due to a medical condition. She never takes the necklace off, but hospital staff did -- along with a black T-shirt they cut off her.

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One of the pendants is an impression, in 14-karat gold, of LaRochelle's mother's thumbprint. Shirley Ann Teeter died in 2011. The other is an image of Jesus Christ that Teeter had bought for LaRochelle's grandfather, Charles S. Teeter. Upon his death in 1983, the icon was returned to his daughter, who passed it along to LaRochelle. The chain was made just for her by Audrey, Sam's partner of 23 years.

The old chain Sam wore used to snag her hair.

"It's been longer than we've been together that it's been on my neck," Sam said of the pendants together.

At St. Luke's, the necklace went into a cup, a lid went onto the cup and the cup with the T-shirt ended up in the trash.

That should have never happened, St. Luke's University Health Network said in a statement:

"St. Luke's is pleased that the patient retrieved her necklace with the assistance of the hospital's staff and others. We have processes in place to ensure the safekeeping of our patients' belongings. In this case, we regret that during the patient's visit we inadvertently misplaced her necklace. We are reviewing our processes and will learn from this experience to ensure something like this does not happen again."

No one might have ever known the necklace had been trashed were it not for Phillipsburg police officer Steven Fielding.

On Monday, Fielding watched St. Luke's surveillance footage from the nine hours Sam was hospitalized, and he noticed items taken from her room and thrown into a trash can by a central desk.

That was enough for Sam.

On Monday night, she went to the hospital and took down the name of the trash hauler: Harmony Township-based Sanico Inc. An employee there put Sam in touch with Marsha James, in charge of waste disposal at St. Luke's, and learned the St. Luke's trash winds up at Covanta.

On Wednesday morning, Sam got a call the compactor was headed out for the incinerator and she followed behind the truck in her car.

Audrey at first insisted Sam was crazy to try to find the necklace.

"You're really going to dig through bags and bags of the garbage?" she asked.

Covanta wouldn't allow Sam to do it herself, but the employees were up for it, Love said.

"That's something that we do," he said. "We wouldn't want to expose anybody else to it."

The hospital waste is nonhazardous and complies with the limits on what Covanta can burn, Love said.

But that doesn't mean it was easy. Wielding pitchforks and other tools, the searchers were toward the end of the bags when Acierno found Sam's black, cut-up T-shirt and the cup, the necklace peeking out through a dent beneath the lid.

Covanta is now three-for-three in about the last six months on finding belongings tossed in the trash and brought in for disposal.

"That's where I think the karma sets in and it's always at the very end," Love said. "You never find it at the very beginning. You always find it when you're ready to give up."

The LaRochelles on Thursday brought lunch and cake to the Covanta crew to thank them for their trouble.

"All of these people, it's just so amazing," Audrey said. "They don't know us."

"As a gesture, it's hardly enough," said Sam. "It's something I could never replace and they took the time, the effort."

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

Salim Newton pleaded guilty to manslaughter, avoiding a trial on a first-degree murder charge.

Salim Newton killed the mother of his child almost four years ago in her Phillipsburg home.

For that, he will spend 24 years in prison.

The 30-year-old from Newton, Sussex County was sentenced Friday at state Superior Court in Belvidere, the Warren County Prosecutor's Office announced in a news release. In May, he pleaded guilty to first-degree aggravated manslaughter and second-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, avoiding a trial on a first-degree murder charge.

With the plea, he admitted to fatally shooting 22-year-old Melissa Williams in the head. Her body was found late Sept. 18, 2013, in her Spruce Alley home.

Neighbors had reported hearing at least two gunshots and seeing two people a short time later run down the alley. A gun was found later that morning nearby on Atlantic States Cast Iron Pipe Co. property, and police soon identified Newton, then 26, as a suspect.

At the time, Newton was free after posting bail on drug charges in Hunterdon County. He had reportedly been living with Williams, his girlfriend, until abruptly leaving about two weeks before her death for a residence in the 500 block of South Main Street.

U.S. Marshals tracked Newton to Richmond, Va., where he was arrested after about a month on the lam.

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Newton's trial was originally scheduled last fall, but was delayed when he changed attorneys. He was represented Friday by Michael Priarone, while Assistant Prosecutor Victor Jusino represented the state.

Newton was sentenced in accordance with the plea agreement and must serve at least 20 years before he is eligible for parole. He will be subject to five years of parole supervision upon his release.

His is the third Warren County homicide case to conclude this year:

• In April, a jury convicted 29-year-old Daniel Lawrence of first-degree murder for fatally stabbing a man in 2014 outside a home in Washington.
• In March, 41-year-old Ralph Atkinson pleaded guilty to separate charges of murder and child sex crimes in exchange for a recommended 26-year prison sentence.

At least one more Warren County murder trial is planned for 2017. Zachary Flowers, the last of four co-defendants in the 2012 Phillipsburg gas station shooting, is tentatively scheduled to stand trial on a felony murder charge in September.

Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @type2supernovak and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.

The eight-year head coach will become a vice principal at the school.

Tim Flynn will miss out on a North Hunterdon wrestling milestone.

“Our first dual meet of next season will be the 1,000th in school history,” he said.

On second thought, Flynn will surely be in attendance – but just not as a coach as he has been for 18 years for the Lions, the last eight has head coach.

Flynn has stepped down to become a vice principal at North Hunterdon, where he’ll be in charge of one of the four class group as well as two or three academic departments, plus operational assignments.

But where he will not be is in a chair matside.

“I am very happy about my new role, but I am kind of bummed out about wrestling,” said Flynn, a Phillipsburg graduate. “I have wrestling my whole life; I am 40 years old and been part of wrestling for 35 years. It’s all I know in the winter time.”

Flynn won’t be leaving coaching totally – he still coaches youth football (he was an assistant varsity coach at North Hunterdon in the past) and baseball.

“A ton of people did that for me and I can remember every one of their names,” he said. “I have to give something back.”

Flynn leaves behind a program that he kept at a very high level.

“As an assistant under Dennis Haughey and Jason Hawk and then as head coach we had a lot of great times, win or lose,” he said. “We won the 700th match in program history and when I was an assistant when won the 500th. We won Group 3 state title in 2002 and were runners-up in 2003. We know a (North 2 Group 5) sectional championship (in 2015). Ryan Pomrinca (four-time state placer and two-time runner-up, now at Lehigh) was a big part of my career as a head coach. I feel very, very blessed in the kids that I have coached.”

The future for the Lions looks bright, too.

“One of the things I am most proud of is the relationship we have with the (youth) wrestling club and their coach Mike Cole,” Flynn said. “I want to leave the program in a good spot – that’s how it was left for me, and I hope I left it that way for the next person who bangs on the door.”

And it’s not like Flynn won’t be able to help his successor.

“Hey, I’ll still be in the building,” he said. “I’ll be around.”

As an administrator and fan Flynn will join the ranks of the community support that helps makes the Lions formidable.

“That’s all I knew when I wrestled at Phillipsburg was great community tradition and support and we battled with North all the time,” he said. “It wasn’t that much different at North Hunterdon, good crowds, the community buying in, the parents buying in. We get the student body at the meets; wrestling’s one of the most attended events at North Hunterdon. Wrestling’s the thing to do. The whole community buys into that, like when Ryan won his 100th match and the fans sang to him. That was special.”

But there have been some changes in 18 years in the chair for Flynn.

“The sport is much more year-round,” he said. “I disagree with the whole specialization stuff; I think you can learn something important from playing two or three sports. But now, maybe in between your baseball or lacrosse practice you catch a night workout at a club or take a Sunday at the Hunterdon Duals. It’s not like when I wrestled and you put your shoes up in March and took them down in November. I know that’s tough for the parents and the family, the whole family has to be committed. You can’t do it halfway.”

Tim Flynn never did at North Hunterdon.

Brad Wilson may be reached at bwilson@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @bradwsports. Find Lehigh Valley high school sports on Facebook.

The bike was left in the bushes in Easton, police say.

When Easton police arrested Arande B. Major early Thursday, the 30-year-old from Newark allegedly admitted riding off with a motorcycle during a test drive in Warren County.

Authorities in Lopatcong Township -- where the alleged theft occurred -- now say Major wasn't alone.

In a news release Friday night, Lopatcong police said that Major and Steven E. Zimmerman, 27, of Hillside, N.J., entered a home late Wednesday in the 600 block of Rugby Road, drank some alcohol from the kitchen and took the motorcycle from the foyer. One rode off on the bike, the other in his own vehicle, police said.

The victim knew the two men only by their street names, police said.

Fugitives of the Week - June 24, 2017

A few hours later across the Delaware River, authorities in Easton allegedly stopped a car with both men inside. Officers there had reportedly been flagged down by the theft victims in the 1100 block of Church Street. Major allegedly told Easton police that he left the 2006 red/yellow Honda CVR motorcycle in the first block of North Elder Street after a test drive, and the motorcycle was recovered from the bushes.

Major was charged in Pennsylvania with receiving stolen property and was sent to Northampton County Prison in lieu of 10 percent of $20,000 bail. He awaits extradition back to New Jersey, where he faces charges of burglary and theft by unlawful taking.

Lopatcong police said Zimmerman is charged with conspiracy to commit burglary and is still at large.

Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @type2supernovak and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.

The three-day event has music, fireworks and more.

The Ole Towne is celebrating a milestone this year.

The annual, three-day festival continuing through Sunday in Phillipsburg is marking its 30th year with music, fireworks and other activities.

"That's quite a long run," Mayor Stephen Ellis said of the anniversary. "A lot of people put a lot of hard work into those 30 years."

All you need to know about Ole Towne Fest

The Ole Towne Festival kicked off Friday evening in Walters Park, where it continued Saturday with events scheduled through 10 p.m., concluding with fireworks. New this year is the beer garden, and the town also cut the ribbon on its new splash pad during Saturday's festivities.

Things continue from 5 p.m. to dusk on Sunday with music and a movie along the Delaware River near the free bridge.

Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @type2supernovak and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.

He was also carrying 22 pounds of cocaine, authorities say.

A 40-year-old Los Angeles man was sentenced Friday to 10 years in New Jersey state prison after he was arrested in August carrying 141 pounds of heroin and 22 pounds of cocaine in a tractor-trailer that was stopped by New Jersey State Police in Warren County, authorities say.

Henry A. Cruz Ventura. (Courtesy photo | For lehighvalleylive.com) 

Henry A. Cruz Ventura pleaded guilty May 5 to a charge of possession with intent to distribute heroin, the New Jersey Attorney General's Office's Division of Criminal Justice said Monday in a news release.

The drugs were worth $5.4 million, authorities said in 2016.

Ventura was sentenced by state Superior Court Judge H. Matthew Curry.

"The 64 kilos of heroin seized from Ventura's tractor-trailer could have generated several million doses of heroin once cut and packaged for distribution," Attorney General Porrino said in the news release. "Thanks to the vigilance of Trooper (James) Agens, this deadly cargo never reached the streets of our communities, and undoubtedly lives were saved that would have been lost to overdoses."

The amount of heroin recovered "ranks as one of the largest seizures of heroin by law enforcement in U.S. history," the news release said.

The truck was stopped by the state police Mobile Safe Freight Unit for a "routine commercial safety inspection" on I-78 in Greenwich Township, authorities say. Agens observed "suspicious behavior" by Ventura and "irregularities" with the truck and its cargo, the attorney general's office said.

Agens and Sgt. 1st Class Ronald Mistretta had the truck moved to the nearby weigh station and got an OK to search, authorities said.

Four boxes, which were "inconsistent" with the stated cargo, contained the drugs, the attorney general's office said.

$5.4M worth of drugs seized

"Seizures on this scale have a major and immediate impact in cutting off the supply line of these deadly and corrosive drugs in New Jersey and the region," Director Elie Honig of the state's Division of Criminal Justice said in the news release. "We'll continue to target large-scale heroin traffickers as well as those who run the pill mills that are fueling addiction by illegally supplying the black market for prescription opiates."

Agens was named trooper of the year for his efforts in this bust and another one May 12 during a commercial safety check on I-78 that yielded 33 pounds of heroin, the news release said.

"Trooper James Agens earned the highest award given by the New Jersey State Police for his extraordinary drug interdiction efforts in 2016, and he is commended along with the Mobile Safe Freight Unit for their hard work and dedication," Col. Rick Fuentes, superintendent of the state police, said in the news release.

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

The precedent-setting decision was handed down Monday from the Pennsylvania Supreme Court

A precedent-setting Pennsylvania Supreme Court decision will give Easton killer Qu'eed Batts a third chance to overcome his life-without-parole sentence.

The decision handed down Monday allows prosecutors to impose a life-without-parole sentence on "rare and uncommon" juveniles who demonstrate "permanent incorrigibility."

Batts, of Phillipsburg, was convicted of an Easton murder he committed when he was 14 in 2006 and sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. But the U.S. Supreme Court made it unconstitutional in 2012 to mandate such sentences for juveniles.

Batts' attorney Marsha Levick called the decision Monday a "very strong win" for Batts. A previous appeal was unsuccessful, but this decision means he'll be sentenced yet again in Northampton County Court.

"It will be his third sentencing, but they haven't gotten it right so far," said the attorney with the Juvenile Law Center in Philadelphia.

The court did not heed Levick's request, however, that a jury be empaneled to determine whether a sentence of life without parole is appropriate for a juvenile. That's how a death sentence must be imposed in Pennsylvania. Instead, the sentencing decision will remain with a judge.

District Attorney John Morganelli said he and his staff are reviewing the decision and called its legal implications confusing.

He has previously presented testimony from forensic psychiatrist Timothy Michals to bolster his claim that Batts cannot be rehabilitated. That testimony convinced Northampton County Judge Michael Koury to keep the life sentence on appeal. Morganelli it's unclear what more is expected of him.

"It appears the Supreme Court has put a very onerous burden on the Commonwealth to be able to establish to their liking what is necessary to meet the burden of a sentence of life without parole," he said.

Qu'eed Batts' appeal of life term heard by Pa. Supreme Court

Meeting this burden beyond a reasonable doubt is "practically impossible," he said.

In her majority opinion, Supreme Court Justice Christine Donohue disputes Michals' claim that a 14-year-old's personality is fully formed. His testimony may have persuaded Koury to re-impose the life sentence, but the justice found it "does not constitute competent evidence and cannot provide support for a conclusion that Batts' actions were not the result of transient immaturity." 

Although Koury imposed the life sentence, he said in his written opinion that it would take years of therapy to rehabilitate Batts. That means Batts is not incorrigible in Koury's own words, Donohue wrote.

Koury also wrote that Batts' amenability to treatment is "uncertain" leaving open the possibility that he can be rehabilitated, Donohue noted.

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

Get out your sparklers and fire up your glow-worms! They're legal!

TRENTON --  Just in time for the Fourth of July, Gov. Chris Christie has signed a bill legalizing "non-explosive, non-aerial" fireworks in New Jersey, NJ Advance Media has learned.

The legislation is understood to allow both the possession and sale of non-explosive fireworks, like sparklers, glow-worms and smoke devices, meaning that retailers that stock them could legally sell them ahead of Tuesday's Independence Day celebration.

New Jersey had been one of just three states, along with Delaware and Massachusetts, with a blanket ban on fireworks, according to the American Pyrotechnics Association.

Under the new law, Garden State residents can buy, sell and use fireworks such as sparklers and ground-based sparklers, and novelty items, including party poppers and snappers. 

Previously, state law prohibited anyone from selling or using fireworks in New Jersey outside of town-approved public displays. Even selling sparklers could put you at risk for conviction of a fourth degree crime, which carries up to 18 months behind bars and up to $10,000 in fines.

All liquids banned from NJ Transit trains on July 4th

But to be clear, lighting up a "Roman candle" could still cost you plenty in the Garden State: Illegal of explosive, aerial fireworks are considered a disorderly persons offense and carry a fine of up to $500.

Also still on the banned list: Firecrackers, sky rockets and bottle rockets.

Parents should bear in mind that sale of the newly permitted sparklers and party snaps are limited to those 16 years of age and older.

Retailers hoping to stock up and sell the approved fireworks must observe federal safe-storage guidelines established by the National Fire Protection Agency.

The bill had passed the state Senate by a vote of 35-1 last month and cleared the Assembly by a vote of 74-1 last week, but was not expected to affect this year's Fourth of July.

Appearing on his monthly call-in radio show on Monday night, Christie had warned that he was going to proceed with extreme caution.

"When you got the pen in your hand and you're going to be able to make it legal, you want to lessen then opportunity for someone to blow their hand off like JPP," Christie explained, referring to Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul, who badly injured his right hand in July 2015 in a fireworks accident in Florida.

Claude Brodesser-Akner may be reached at cbrodesser@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @ClaudeBrodesser. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.

Ahart's Market will shut its doors after 15 years.

After 15 years, Ahart's Market is closing up shop in Phillipsburg.

The town's only full-size grocery store will shut for good at the end of July, leaving residents used to walking to the store on Route 22 with a nearly four-mile schlep to the next-closest grocer.

"It's a sad situation, but financially it doesn't make sense," said George Ahart, owner of the five-store chain, part of the Great Valu Food Markets group. The Phillipsburg location is the only one in New Jersey; the other four in Pennsylvania and not affected by the closure, he said.

Ahart declined to go into specifics about the decision to close, but said it had to do with a long, ongoing dispute with the landlord. Town officials have previously said property upkeep was an issue, and Ahart credited current and former mayors Stephen Ellis and Harry Wyant with attempting to mediate.

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The store's 33 full- and part-time employees were informed of the closure this week, Ahart said. He said the markets will look for opportunities to relocate the workers to the Pennsylvania locations in Allentown, Bethlehem, Bath and Blakeslee.

The Phillipsburg location, at 680 Memorial Parkway, has been on the market since at least late 2015.

"Nobody's stepping up to the plate just yet," said Bob Bartnett, the vice president of marketing with Morristown-based property owner United States Land Resources. He added that he's confident the well-trafficked location will draw interest, though it may not necessarily be from a grocer.

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In the meantime, residents will have to make longer trips to get groceries come August.

Small grocers dot the town, but the closest major supermarkets to the Phillipsburg Ahart's are more than 3.5 miles east on Route 22. Looking west, it is a four- to seven-mile drive to reach the four closest major supermarkets in the Easton area. 

Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @type2supernovak and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.

Catherine Folk Ahart was named as executive director.

The Greenwich Cemetery Association recently named a new executive director and the launched of a new website.

The new web site may be viewed at Greenwichcemetery.org. 

A Scout places flags on markers at Greenwich Cemetery ahead of Veterans Day in 2014. (File photo)

Catherine Folk Ahart was named as executive director at the recent annual meeting. She is a former elementary school teacher and media specialist.

The historic cemetery, which is nondenominational, pre-dates the American Revolution and is in a park-like, rural setting on Greenwich Church Road near in Greenwich Township. 

The Phillipsburg Class of 1937 and the Holland Township Woman's Club present awards to deserving students.

The Phillipsburg High School Class of 1937 awarded the Dorothy Hamlin Scholarship to John C. Martin and Morgan A. Weindel, both of Stewartsville.

Phillipsburg High School students applaud during graduation ceremonies. Lehighvalleylive.com photo 

John will attend the State University of New York (SUNY) Courtland to study outdoor adventure education and sports management. Morgan will attend Penn State to study communications.

The Dorothy Hamlin Scholarship Award was started 80 years ago in honor of president of the Class of 1937.

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The Holland Township Woman's Club presented awards to two Delaware Valley Regional High School students. Alexzandra Zdepski received a three-day prepaid event for Girls Career Institute at Rutgers, and Ryan LaCourte received the $500 John J. Kelleher Scholarship.

Two $100 Humanitarian Awards went to Jessica King and Gabriel Smith.

Holland Township School eighth-graders Samantha Ruby and Tyler Holzworth received $50 Awards for submitted essays.