General

Posted in General on January 12, 2015

By Jason Dunkle on G+ A woman recently was stopped after she allegedly tried to exit from the Benner Pike Wal-Mart without paying for approximately $1,200.00 worth of merchandise. When the police officer arrested the woman for the State College retail theft incident, he conducted a warrantless search incident to arrest, and the search led… view more

Posted in Criminal Mischief, General on January 12, 2015

By Jason Dunkle on G+ A 20-year-old man was arrested and charged in a Centre County Court with Pennsylvania felony offenses of Criminal Trespass and Criminal Mischief after allegedly going into an unoccupied State College apartment and vandalizing the place to the extent of causing over $6,000.00 in damage. Both charges were graded as felonies… view more

Posted in General on January 12, 2015

By Jason Dunkle on G+ Like many states, Pennsylvania faces prison overcrowding issues, and the problem is being dealt with in two ways: 1) the construction of additional prisons; and 2) the early release of some non-violent offenders. The Pennsylvania legislature passed the Recidivism Risk Reduction Incentive Act,  commonly referred to as RRRI, to allow… view more

Posted in General on January 12, 2015

By Jason Dunkle on G+ I am sure that many people have been late in returning a library book and incurred some minimal fines, but most of us do return the books at some point. I am certain that people that failed to return a book never thought that they could possibly go to jail…. view more

Posted in General on January 12, 2015

By Jason Dunkle on G+ A minor appeared in court for an Underage Drinking charge and had with his pants hanging a bit low, and the judge repeatedly told him to pull his pants up to his waist. The teenager didn’t dress appropriately for court in the first place as he showed up in sweatpants,… view more

Posted in Drug Possession, General on January 12, 2015

I thought that I had heard of almost everything, but a state correctional inmate receiving a marijuana delivery while working on a road crew was a new one. A Florida inmate was working with other inmates when a black Dodge Charger drove by and something was tossed out the window. The inmate picked up the… view more

Posted in Felony Drug Delivery / Possession with Intent to Deliver, General on January 12, 2015

I believe that it is undisputed that the current drug-related mandatory minimum sentences in Pennsylvania, like the “drug-free school zone” and “drug trafficking,” are unconstitutional. The laws as written do not require a prosecutor to actually charge a person with the mandatory, and prosecutors are not required to prove applicability of the drug mandatory sentences… view more

Posted in ARD, General on January 12, 2015

A recent Dauphin County case has brought attention to who decides whether a person charged with a criminal offense is permitted to participate in a pretrial diversionary or first-time offender program known as Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition, commonly called “ARD.” With the ARD program, a person pleads not guilty to the criminal charges, but the person… view more

Posted in General, Invasion of Privacy on January 12, 2015

The State College Police Department was notified in January of 2015 that members of the Kappa Delta Rho fraternity at Penn State had posted photos of drunk girls in compromising positions on a private Facebook page. A former member of the fraternity brought the matter to the attention of police, most likely to obtain favorable… view more

Posted in General, Manufacturing Marijuana on January 12, 2015

We’ve all heard of the fight for medical marijuana going on in many states throughout the country. This battle was won in Pennsylvania this week, but that doesn’t mean it will not be without its challenges. Following years of lobbying, Governor Tom Wolf signed the use of medical marijuana into law. The reason some of… view more