BY SUSAN BRYANT

sbryant@tnonline.com

A former Lehigh County commissioner is facing charges for allegedly stalking a female acquaintance and her boyfriend.

According to District Attorney Jim Martin and Pennsylvania State Police Troop M Capt. Derek A. Koch on Dec. 8, Martin Nothstein, 50, of Orefield, was charged with criminal trespass, a felony of the third degree; two counts each of stalking, misdemeanors of the first degree and defiant trespass, a misdemeanor of the third degree.

Nothstein was taken into custody Dec. 7 and arraigned at Central Booking around 10 p.m., Martin stated.

Bail was set at $25,000 unsecured and Nothstein will be supervised by Lehigh Valley Pretrial Services.

He was ordered to have no contact with the woman and her boyfriend, Martin said.

The affidavit of probable cause details incidents which occurred between December 2020 and November 2021, which allegedly constitute an ongoing pattern of stalking both the woman and her boyfriend, harassment and damage to personal property.

It is alleged that in one instance, on or about March 22, 2021, Nothstein allegedly entered the woman’s house without her consent and attempted to access her Apple account.

Nothstein later admitted he had entered her home, Martin said.

According to Martin, this incident is the basis for the charges of criminal trespass and defiant trespass.

During the course of this investigation, phone records of the defendant were obtained through a search warrant.

Analysis of those records by the Regional Intelligence and Investigation Center places the defendant’s cell phones (he maintains two) in close proximity to the place and at the time of the alleged incidents, Martin said.