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Recent Blog Posts
Traffic Stops—What Not To Do
Driving while impaired by drugs or alcohol is life-threatening. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates impaired drivers hit the road 112 million times across the country in 2010, with one in three fatalities influenced by alcohol. If reading this, you might avoid some mistakes if pulled over, or caught up at a […]
Understanding Expungement in Pennsylvania
Mistakes happen. Consequences occur, penalties are paid, and painful incidents retreat into memory. However, criminal records do not. A criminal record eliminates and stalls opportunities like adoption, housing requests, educational and employment offers. In this electronic age, information out there stays out there. In Berks County, and elsewhere in Pennsylvania, we get requests from individuals […]
A Big Difference: Drug Charges in Pennsylvania
If it seems like arrest on criminal charges is more common than it used to be — it is. A 2011 study found roughly 30 percent, almost one-third of Americans, are arrested on charges by age 23 — not including minor traffic violations. The figure marks a big difference from a similar 1965 study that […]
Walk the Line
Field sobriety tests in Pennsylvania We have all seen comic film versions of a drunk driver unable to touch his nose, or stagger happily down the road under the watchful gaze of law enforcement. But it is not funny. Standardized Field Sobriety Tests (SFST) were developed by the Southern California Research Institute for the National […]
Debt to Society
Collateral consequences for a criminal record He was convicted of possession of cocaine. A half-gram earned him a felony conviction, six months probation and a $100 fine. That was 25 years ago. Darrell Langdon, a 52-year-old father of two, was offense-free, raised two boys as a single parent, and worked hard ever since. In […]
Rx for Disaster
You have unused medications on the shelf. A friend offers a painkiller because he or she had extra. You went to a party and were given some pills that made you feel pretty good. You are not causing trouble — so there is no trouble, right? Well, wrong. Using prescription drugs without a valid prescription […]
Pot, Pills, and Snow White
Drug abuse is a top health and legal issue in the United States. The U.S. Department of Justice estimates the economic cost of drug abuse in our country is $215 billion. A rapidly expanding drug issue is prescription drug abuse. Prescription drug abuse refers to use by individuals of medication not prescribed to them, or […]
Can Your License Be Suspended for DUI?
One of the most severe penalties associated with a DUI (driving under the influence) conviction is the suspension of your license. Such suspensions occur under a number of different circumstances. First, anyone refusing chemical testing — Breathalyzer®, blood or urine testing — that tests for blood alcohol content receives a 12-month suspension of their driving […]
Evidence
Just the Facts — and What We Do with Them The ongoing story of former Pennsylvania State football assistant Jerry Sandusky is known around the country. Facing approximately 50 counts of child sex abuse, the grand jury findings of fact in the case give stark testimony why Mr. Sandusky is facing trial on June 5 […]
Social Media and Criminal Charges
By March of this year, Facebook had over 901 million active users worldwide. In the three months prior, an average of 300 million photographs were uploaded to Facebook each day. Twitter claims to have over 200 million users. MySpace, LinkedIn, and other social media sites mean connectivity is everywhere. Gossip, plans, thoughts, questionable statements — […]
