After a traffic stop, when can the state police decide to hold you for an extended period of time and search your car? In Pennsylvania, the answer seems to be, “Whenever they feel like it,” even if doing so is actually illegal. All it takes to pull over a car is “mere...
Criminal Defense
Criminal Defense
Should you testify as the defendant in a criminal case?
You’re the defendant in a criminal case, and you want to make sure that you do all you can to protect your interests. You know that there is a chance that you’ll be asked to testify, even though you could make a mistake or say something that doesn’t sit right with the...
Horror movie provides inspiration but no justification for theft
Movies can have powerful impacts on their audiences. Some movies make people laugh, some movies entertain people, and some movies frighten people. Two teenagers in Scranton recently confused the fictional world in the movie "The Purge" with real life and are now...
Understanding how extradition works
Police in Lackawanna County recently arrested a woman who had been accused of selling a controlled substance in Cortland, N.Y. According to news reports, the woman was extradited from Pennsylvania to New York to stand trial. Such occurrences are common - a person is...
Police arrest three men in $100k debit card fraud
The proliferation of credit cards and debit cards has, not surprisingly, led to the proliferation of crimes involving these cash substitutes. Police in South Abington Township in Lackawanna County recently arrested three men who are alleged to have operated a...
Weapons and hate crime charge raises mental health issues
The line between expressing forbidden criminal intent and aberrant mental health can be quite vague. The case of a man currently in the Lackawanna County Prison demonstrates the difficulties of distinguishing between expressions of intent to commit hate crimes and...
Disagreement about liquor ID becomes fight, robbery and DWI
Store clerks who sell liquor in Pennsylvania are required to ask for identification and proof that the customer is old enough to legally purchase intoxicating beverages. Ordinarily, the transaction is simple and quick, but a recent argument about showing...
Can I face drug charges for prescription drugs?
Criminal charges are possible related to the abuse of prescription drugs and the illegal sale of prescription drugs. It is both illegal to use prescription drugs without a prescription that is valid and to distribute prescription drugs that are illegally obtained...
The serious nature of drug charges and potential penalties
Drug charges are always serious charges that carry potentially stiff consequences and penalties. A good criminal defense may be able to reduce the charges the accused individual is facing, or reduce the potential penalties the accused individual is facing, so accused...
What are felony charges and why are they so serious?
Felony criminal charges are serious criminal charges which can deprive the accused individual of their freedom and future. Individuals who are facing felony charges may wonder what felony charges are and why they are so serious. In general, felony charges are...