Category Archives: Criminal Defense
Students Face Criminal Charges for Vandalizing School Property in TikTok Challenge
The emergence of TikTok as a popular social media hangout for adolescents has led to unlawful behavior in response to “challenges” posted by other users. School-aged individuals have been recording themselves licking ice cream and putting it back on a store’s freezer shelf, damaging property or physically harming teachers and other students. These actions can… Read More »
What To Do if There’s a Warrant Out for Your Arrest
Learning you are wanted by law enforcement is an unwelcome discovery, but ignoring the warrant and hoping it just goes away is not a wise choice. Warrants never expire and you can be taken into custody in any state in the country, even if you are pulled over for a minor infraction like having a… Read More »
Pennsylvania Considers Allowing Concealed Carry of Firearms Without Licenses
Legislation now moving through the state House of Representatives and Senate would make it easier for qualified Pennsylvanians to carry concealed firearms. Under current law, individuals must go through a background check upon purchase of a firearm. Then, they must apply for a concealed carry license and pass another background check. The concealed carry background… Read More »
Bill Would Restore Mandatory Minimum Gun Sentences in Pennsylvania
In 2015, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that mandatory minimum sentences for most offenses, including those relating to firearms possession, are unconstitutional. However, a proposal by a freshman representative from Philadelphia has reignited debate over the issue and has shown that plenty of lawmakers and citizens seem to support mandatory minimums for weapons crimes. In… Read More »
Self-Defense Argument Leads to Dismissal of Assault Charges in Bedford County Activist Shooting
A recent case in Bedford County, Pennsylvania shows the effectiveness of a justification defense in a criminal assault prosecution. My firm won dismissal of the most serious charges faced by a local man who fired a shotgun at a group of activists that were trespassing on family-owned property. On the evening of August 24, 2020,… Read More »
Pennsylvania Supreme Court Restricts Vehicle Searches by Police
A recent Pennsylvania Supreme Court decision limits the power of police to search vehicles after pulling them over. Unless they have a warrant, officers must demonstrate both probable cause and “exigent circumstances,” such as that evidence will be lost or destroyed if a search of the vehicle is not performed. The new rule should provide… Read More »
Is Pennsylvania on the Cusp of Legalizing Recreational Marijuana?
It’s been less than five years since Gov. Tom Wolf signed the bill that legalized medical marijuana and just over two years since the first Pennsylvania dispensaries opened. In that time, dispensaries have sold more than $1 billion worth of marijuana to approved patients. Marijuana has proven to be big business, which has some people… Read More »
Bill Cosby Case Focuses on Admissibility of “Prior Bad Acts” Testimony
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court is deciding whether five witnesses in Bill Cosby’s 2018 sexual assault trial should have been barred from testifying about “prior bad acts” that may have influenced the jury verdict. The prosecutor used the testimony to establish that Cosby engaged in a long-term pattern of inappropriate sexual behavior. Cosby was ultimately convicted… Read More »
Federal Prosecutors Charging Protestors with Crimes Under Civil Rights-Era Law
Federal prosecutors in Philadelphia and other large cities around the country have revived a little-used criminal law from the 1960s civil rights era to charge protestors with obstructing law enforcement during the unrest that followed the killing of George Floyd. The Civil Disobedience Act of 1968 makes it a felony to “obstruct law enforcement in… Read More »
When Can Deadly Force Be Used in Defense of a Home or Other Place of Security?
One nightmare everyone dreads is being awakened by the sound of breaking glass or other unexpected noise coming from downstairs and encountering an intruder. In that scenario, what can you do to protect yourself, your family and your possessions? Pennsylvania follows the “castle doctrine,” a legal principle allowing you to use deadly force against someone… Read More »