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Posted in General on June 23, 2017

Most people have probably read recent articles about women going topless at the beach in Ocean City, Maryland. I suspect that some people are curious if it could happen in Pennsylvania. The law that was discussed in Ocean City was Indecent Exposure. In Pennsylvania, the Indecent Exposure law generally prohibits a male or female from… view more

Posted in Criminal Records/Expungement,Expungement on March 28, 2017

Criminal charges in Pennsylvania can create a permanent, publicly accessible record, even without an actual conviction. Just one mistake can generate repercussions you may continue to feel for the rest of your life, affecting your career prospects and social relationships. Fortunately, in some cases, Pennsylvania law provides the possibility of expungement. Getting a record expunged… view more

Posted in Constitutional Rights,General on January 2, 2017

Most people would not find a bicyclist flipping off a cop to be an interesting article, but, to a legal nerd like me, it is thought-provoking for a few reasons. First, the man’s name was David Smith. The Huntingdon County District Attorney is also named David Smith. While the idea that a local prosecutor would… view more

Posted in DUI,General on December 28, 2016

If you have ever been pulled over on suspicion of drunk driving, you may have been asked to submit to a breath test. Intended to give authorities an idea of how much alcohol you consumed and whether that consumption has negatively impacted your ability to safely drive, the breath test uses a device called a… view more

Posted in Felony Drug Delivery / Possession with Intent to Deliver,General on December 22, 2016

A man got himself into some legal hot water after he decided to spread Christmas cheer by gifting marijuana to customers and employees at a California Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant. The man allegedly wrapped marijuana in napkins before handing it to customers. The man also must have been thoroughly impressed with the food and service… view more

Posted in DUI,General on September 12, 2016

The police are familiar with observing Amish buggies on roadways in rural Central Pennsylvania, but they do not often see young men riding on top of the buggies. Some Pennsylvania State Troopers in Indiana County recently encountered such a sight and conducted a traffic stop of the Amish buggy. The stop led to the discovery… view more

Posted in General,Penn State Marijuana Possession on August 30, 2016

As many people are aware, the State College Borough recently passed an ordinance to allow the State College Police Department to issue a non-traffic summary citation for a person who is caught smoking or in possession of less than thirty grams of marijuana. According to many online newspaper articles, this is being called the decriminalization… view more

Posted in Penn State Marijuana Possession on August 5, 2016

While the State College Borough’s decision to pass an ordinance to create non-criminal charge to use if people possess less than 30 grams of marijuana is being touted as a “decriminalization of marijuana,” that simply is not the case.  First, a police officer in State College may use the ordinance violation, but the officer is… view more

Posted in General,Penn State Marijuana Possession on August 2, 2016

On August 1, 2016, the State College Borough passed an ordinance that created a new violation of the State College Borough code that made possession of less than 30 grams of marijuana a summary, non-traffic offense. According to the proposed ordinance, a person caught smoking in public will receive a non-traffic summary citation that will… view more

Posted in Furnishing Alcohol to Minors,General on July 12, 2016

I would say that this could only happen in Pennsylvania, but there are actually Amish communities in many states across the United States. It just so happens that the Lancaster area may be the most famous area associated with Amish, and this case happened to occur in Lancaster County. While I do not believe that… view more