Pennsylvania Criminal Defense

Accused does not mean guilty. Temporary protection from abuse (PFA) orders are usually based solely on the plaintiff’s ex parte allegations. The defendant has the right to dispute those allegations at a PFA hearing. Men are...

Part One: Two PFAs That Failed to Protect There is no such thing as a bulletproof restraining order. It’s “just a piece of paper,” according to Circuit Court Judge Marissa McDermott of Lake County, Illinois. “In...

What are you in prison for? For being stupid. Daniel Justin Miller, 47, of Williamsport, PA, is going to have a long time to regret his decision to violate the protection from abuse (PFA) order he received on December 1st. Instead...

Shot by State Trooper A father who broke a protection-from-abuse (PFA) order was shot and killed by a Pennsylvania State Trooper on Nov. 7 while resisting arrest, according to a terse press release from the State Police. At...

In what could be a harbinger of national policy, the Associated Press reported Oct. 7 the Democratic governors of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Connecticut, and New York have signed a 10-page agreement to share gun-crime information....

A Pennsylvania Superior Court has ruled on an appeal challenging the constitutionality of a protection-from-abuse (PFA) order. Manjinder Singh argued that a final PFA court order against him violated his First Amendment right to...

An Illustrative Case A recent case against a Greene County district attorney shows how swiftly and surely gun surrender works under Pennsylvania protection from abuse (PFA) orders. An initial news report of the case indicates that...

Usually, only public prosecutors have the authority to file a criminal complaint, based on evidence that police gather. But when a defendant violates a Pennsylvania Protection from Abuse (PFA) order, private persons can bring...

The mother of two young girls who were slain by their father has sued Chief Timothy Damon of the York Area Regional Police of Pennsylvania. The woman, who has not been named by authorities, claimed Damon “blocked” for 18...

Robert Vicosa, 42, a fired Baltimore County police officer, and Tia Bynum, his female accomplice, allegedly falsely imprisoned Vicosa’s estranged wife at gunpoint Friday, Nov. 12, in his Windsor Township home in...

Simply put, ghost guns are firearms without serial numbers. These weapons—from handguns to assault rifles—are virtually untraceable by law enforcement. Gun manufacturers are required by the federal Gun Control Act of 1968 to...

Contrary to what people might think, ex-offenders still face employment discrimination despite the labor shortage caused by the pandemic. For ex-offenders who qualify, expungement or sealing their criminal records might be the key...

A Violator Goes to Prison A law enforcement representative showing up at your front door, or at your workplace, is rarely good news. If that officer hands you a piece of paper called a PFA, that is definitely bad news—and what...

It’s been said a lie can travel halfway around the world before the truth gets its boots on. Case in point: On October 13, 2021, a woman was raped over a 40-minute period on a sparsely populated, late-night commuter train...

It’s not a good idea, but it’s not a crime in Pennsylvania to run away from a police officer who is detaining or arresting you. That may change soon. “It is not your right to put the public and that police officer in...

Even Sealed, a PFA Is Forever The light from a rising star in the Republican Party is faltering as allegations of domestic violence taint the reputation of Sean Parnell, a Pennsylvania candidate for the U.S. Senate....

In September 2021, four Pennsylvania teens were arrested and face criminal charges after police discovered they were plotting an attack on their school to mark the 25th anniversary of the Massacre at Columbine High School....

Gun rights activists have won an important, precedent-setting victory from the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. While not deciding on the merits of Firearm Owners Against Crime (FOAC) v. City of Harrisburg, the court ruled Oct. 20...

In Part 1  of our discussion on the PBS mini-series The Power of a Pardon, we discussed ongoing efforts to reform the Pennsylvania pardon process and the life-changing effects on three formerly incarcerated people. In Part 2...

Pardons are life-changing, and in the PBS mini-series The Power of a Pardon, viewers observe firsthand the compelling stories of formerly incarcerated individuals and their journeys through the Pennsylvania pardon process. For...