Gay Elwell, Easton District Judge, Dead at 54

Longtime Easton judge found dead at home, coroner says.

Easton Man Headed to Trial For Child Rape

Jose Lebron, accused of sexually abusing three boys in Easton in 2006, is headed to court.

When Jose Lebron was led into court Tuesday afternoon, one of the witnesses against him began to weep. Prosecutors allege that in June of 2006, Lebron sexually abused three boys in Easton's West Ward. They were 11, 8 and 9 years old at the time. It was the oldest of those boys who broke down upon seeing Lebron in District Judge Gay Elwell's courtroom Tuesday. He soon composed himself, however, and offered testimony that led the judge to send Lebron to trial on numerous child sex charges. Lebron, 36, formerly of South Ninth Street, is charged with rape, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, sexual assault, corruption of minors, endangering the welfare of a child, and indecent assault. According to police, Lebron -- along with Sharon …

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Forks Man, 84, Faces Trial in Easton Sex Case

Philip Tone was 78 when the alleged child rape occurred at his home on College Hill.

A Forks Township man is facing trial for allegedly molesting an Easton boy in 2007. Philip Tone , 84, of 1006 Sullivan Trail was charged in April with two counts each of rape of a child, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and statutory rape, four counts of indecent assault and one count of endangering the welfare of a child. The child in question was a boy who was in Tone's care. In a hearing before District Judge Gay Elwell Monday, that boy testified that Tone molested him in Tone's basement and bedroom on College Hill while he was staying there before and after CCD (Confraternity of Christian Doctrine) classes. The boy said Tone wouldn't talk about what they were doing, except for one time. "I remember once he said not to tell …

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Prosecutors Drop Charges in Easton Brawl Case

Five people had been accused in March nightclub attack; four of them plea to summary charge.

Four people who had been charged in connection with an attack on three other men in downtown Easton earlier this year have agreed to plea guilty to summary harassment charges. In return, prosecutors have withdrawn the more serious criminal charges against Jose Gonzalez, 21, Elizaul Trujillo, 19, Arturo Trujillo and Natacha Gonzalez, 32, attorneys said in a hearing Thursday morning before District Judge Gay Elwell. A fifth defendant, Jeffery Gonzalez, 19, is expected to plead guilty to simple assualt; prosecutors dropped robbery and theft charges against him. The case began in March when Jeffery Gonzalez and his co-defendants allegedly attacked a group of men after getting into an altercation at the Latino Heat nightclub on Northampton …

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Brother of Easton Judge Reported Missing

Jonathan Elwell, whose sister is District Judge Gay Elwell, missing in Iowa, police say.

Jonathan Elwell, a Berks County man and brother to Easton District Judge Gay Elwell, has been missing since April 17, according to police. Authorities in Iowa -- where Elwell's rental car was found April 20 -- are seeking the public's help in finding him. "The fact that the car is found out in Iowa is not normal, so obviously it's a very great concern," Judge Elwell told the Morning Call Tuesday. "And we have no idea why he would have gone there or what he was doing there." The Iowa Department of Public Safety said Jonathan Elwell was last seen in his hometown of Shillington, Berks County on April 17. Three days later, his rental car, a white Volkswagen Jetta, showed up in Crawford County, Iowa. "Information discovered during the …

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Easton Police Describe Fight at Headquarters

Easton officers testify in preliminary hearing of man who threatened cops, stole shotgun.

A Bangor man accused of fighting with several Easton police officers after stealing a shotgun from a city police cruiser is headed to trial. Leslie Smith, 23, is also accused of threatening to kill the officers who subdued and arrested him last November in the Easton police garage.  On Wednesday, two of those police officers testified against Smith during his preliminary hearing, detailing what it took to bring him under control. Following their testimony, District Judge Gay Elwell ruled there was enough evidence to take the case to trial. "Like superhuman strength" is how Officer Ryan Celia described Smith's efforts to resist his arrest.  According to testimony Wednesday, a call came over the police radio from Officer Joshua Marvin on the…

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Easton District Court Has a New Home

Starting today, District Judge Gay Elwell will hold court in a new office at 400 Northampton Street.

Starting this morning, Easton District Judge Gay Elwell has a new home. The judge and her staff have moved to new offices, in the first floor of the National Building at 400 Northampton Street. The actual move happened Thursday, but today is the first day the new office is open for business, at least for a few hours. (Due to the holiday, all county offices will close at noon today.) The suite in the National Building has been vacant since 2009, when the Morning Call closed its bureau in Easton. Elwell said the new space will give her staff more room to work. The building's owners constructed a new courtroom, and made other renovations. The judge had been in Centre Square since 1997. Before that, her court was on South Third Street, in the …

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Easton Police: Man Had 81 Packets of Heroin

Deven Garland, with addresses in Easton and Newark, jailed on drug offenses.

Easton police say a New Jersey man was carrying 81 packets of heroin Wednesday afternoon. According to court records, police were contacted by the U.S. Marshalls service about Deven Garland, 24, of 51 9th St. in Newark. It was unclear why the Marshalls were in Easton.  Police say Garland was in possession of heroin, and charged was charged with possession of a controlled substance with the intent to deliver. He was arraigned before District Judge Gay Elwell in Easton, and sent to Northampton County Prison in lieu of $100,000 bail. Garland has been jailed on drug offenses before. According to the Express-Times, Easton police charged him with possession in 2008. Police say he yelled at officers giving someone a parking ticket, and those …

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