Pennsylvania Criminal Defense

Being on the receiving end of a protective order sparks feelings of anger, helplessness, and resentment. While these are normal emotions, they can quickly spiral out of control and lead to criminal charges if a defendant...

Protection from Abuse orders, or PFAs, prevent thousands of people from getting hurt – or hurting others – in Pennsylvania every year. While they are usually an effective deterrent from abuse, withdrawing a PFA removes the...

Last November, an NBC10 report exposing the healthcare industry’s lack of reporting protocol sparked a media uproar and spurred officials to take action. In a follow-up report, NBC10 now claims that policymakers plan to...

Out of the frying pan and into the fire – that’s what happened to one Ohio man facing multiple charges while fleeing from police in his car. After leading cops on a whirlwind chase spanning two sides of Youngstown,...

A struggling economy, mutating virus strain, and a shaky start to the new year – it’s a small wonder why most Americans are anxious about the future. COVID-19 was a game-changer in many ways, and the stress of keeping up...

It is a sad reality that domestic violence often worsens over the holidays. The break from routine, the time spent at home, alcohol consumption, and all of the additional stresses of the holidays can make a pressure cooker of...

In October of this year, a Pennsylvania woman was allegedly tragically and fatally shot in her home by her husband. The incident came after a long and well-established pattern of abuse, for which the husband had even been...

If you sometimes feel the need to hide your past when applying for jobs, housing, or other opportunities, you’re certainly not alone. In Pennsylvania, nearly 3 million people have a criminal record of some kind. Many of...

New “Ban-the-box” Bill in PA In late October, Pennsylvania State Representatives Morgan Cephas and Jason Ortitay introduced H.B. 2952, specifically written to “ban the box” on applications to public colleges and...

The tragic case of a young woman’s rape and resulting pregnancies made Pennsylvania legislators aware of a loophole in state law that allowed her rapist to have normal parental rights to the children who resulted from...

To read part 1, click here. In October, the Pennsylvania Secretary of Health referred to the domestic violence epidemic as a “public health issue” and recommended that, due to the long-term effects of domestic violence (DV) on...

When most people think of domestic violence (DV), they view it as a crime—as well they should. It is a crime to cause harm to another person in any setting, and especially among partners or family members. However, looking at...

In January 2018, Keenan Smith, a 29-year-old from Philadelphia, attempted to rob the Trolley Car Diner. He snuck in through a side entrance and waited outside of the manager’s office with a gun. When the manager entered, the...

Earlier this fall, an off-duty Pennsylvania police officer was seen on security cameras, allegedly slashing the tires of cars parked outside of a local restaurant he had been patronizing. While many details are still unknown,...

In the week after election day 2020, police arrested two Chesapeake, Virginia men near a Philadelphia absentee vote-counting location, allegedly armed with firearms not licensed in Pennsylvania. Law enforcement reported that...

The Pennsylvania State Senate recently approved Bill 1170, which allows expert witnesses to testify in court cases that involve domestic violence and human trafficking. The hope is that the expert witnesses will give a clearer...

Earlier this fall, the state charged a 22-year-old man with a number of crimes, including attempted murder. These charges come after Wanyai Parker allegedly shot at two women, one of whom had an active Protection From Abuse Order...

A Pennsylvania man recently learned the hard way that crime doesn’t pay. A Galeton man received a 20-year sentence in federal prison for illegally selling the pharmaceuticals oxycodone and fentanyl. The case was part of...

A recent attempted murder case shows that truth is sometimes stranger than fiction. Pennsylvania state police recently arrested a man for allegedly trying to kill his wife by creating a tripwire at the top of his home...

In Lancaster, Pennsylvania, protesters are crying foul after they were arrested and detained on a $1 million bail. This detainment happened after they clashed with police when the protests they were participating in turned violent...