Author Archives: David R. Eshelman
What is Probable Cause?
Before you can be arrested, police officers must have probable cause that you committed a crime. Without it, they have no right to make an arrest or even obtain a warrant from a judge. There are a few things you should know about probable cause to give you a better idea of your rights if […]
DUI Arrests Over Memorial Day Weekend Up from 2016
The number of arrests made for driving under the influence (DUI) in Pennsylvania over Memorial Day weekend went up this year compared to the 2016 totals, according to representatives from the Pennsylvania State Police. Each year, Memorial Day weekend is one of the busiest times of the year for DUI enforcement, and 2017 was no […]
Do You Have the Legal Right to Record Police?
Over the past couple years, there have been numerous incidents of alleged police misconduct that have gone viral due to recorded video from smartphones. But this brings up a good question: do you have the legal right to record video of your interactions with police officers? In most cases involving this issue, courts have ruled […]
Frequency of Drugged Driving Surpasses Drunk Driving in Pennsylvania
According to auto club AAA, the rate of drugged driving in Pennsylvania is now surpassing drunk driving. Of the approximately 53,000 arrests for driving under the influence (DUI) throughout the state in 2016, the number of arrests for drunk drivers and drugged drivers were split about evenly for the first time. AAA released this information […]
Critics Wonder if Pennsylvania Needs Tougher DUI Laws
As many states across the nation begin to focus on reducing the prevalence of impaired driving due to both alcohol and drugs, critics of Pennsylvania’s laws say the state is not doing enough to punish people convicted of driving under the influence (DUI). One of the points of contention for these critics is that in […]
Pennsylvania Attorney General Announces Major Drug Bust
Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro recently announced that the state is filing criminal charges against 49 people accused of either selling or possessing heroin and an assortment of other illegal drugs in Blair County. The charges came about through a cooperative investigation from the Office of the Attorney General, the Blair County Drug Task Force, […]
Critics of Mandatory Minimum Sentences Say They Don’t Enhance Public Safety
The proposal to bring back mandatory minimum sentences to the state of Pennsylvania for certain crimes has drawn both praise and criticism. A new piece of legislation making its way through the state House of Representatives would reinstitute mandatory minimums for offenses involving drugs, children or the elderly. The state Supreme Court found several mandatory […]
Man Heads to Court After Being Charged with DUI Resulting in Death
A man who was charged with driving under the influence (DUI) causing death in late March had probable cause established in his case, which means his next step is to head to county court. The 22-year-old man from Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, was arraigned on felony charges of DUI causing death after he allegedly caused a single-vehicle […]
Bill to Restore Mandatory Minimum Sentences Gets Support from Law Enforcement Community
District attorneys across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania have come out in full support of the restoration of mandatory minimum sentences for certain offenses. Likely crimes that would be tied to these mandatory minimums would be those involving children, drugs and the elderly. The bill, HB 741, has already been passed in a vote out of […]
Dog Owners Can Be Criminally Liable for Serious and Deadly Attacks
The horrific mauling in January 2017 of a 96-year-old Germantown woman by a pair of dogs raises the specter of criminal liability for the owner of the dogs. Pennsylvania law offers great protection to dog owners, so victims bringing civil lawsuits or pressing criminal charges often have a tough case to make. Pennsylvania is a […]
