Having to face the stress and uncertainty of defending yourself against criminal charges in Snyder County, Pennsylvania is never easy. If you've been charged with a crime, you probably have a lot of questions about what the process is going to be like and how you can best defend yourself and protect your reputation and your future.
The LLF Law Firm is here to help. Our experienced criminal defense team understands Pennsylvania's many criminal laws, the court procedures that apply in criminal cases, and how prosecutors operate. We will protect your rights and defend you from start to finish against the criminal charges you're facing. To learn more about how the LLF Law Firm can help you protect your future, call us at 888.535.3686 or use our contact form to schedule a confidential consultation.
Categories of Crimes in Pennsylvania
If you've been arrested or charged with criminal behavior in Snyder County, it's important to understand what you're charged with and what the consequences could be if you are convicted or plead guilty. There are three different levels of crimes in Pennsylvania. They are as follows:
- Summary Offenses. These include crimes that most people consider to be fairly low-level, but which can still leave you with a criminal record. If you're accused of one of these, you may not have been arrested but may have received what resembles a ticket – this is actually a summons that will require you to appear in a certain court on a certain date. Summary offenses include trespassing, criminal mischief, and public urination. While they may not seem serious if convicted, you will have a criminal record and, in some cases, may even be sentenced to up to 90 days in jail and have to pay a fine of up to $1,500. If only to avoid having a criminal record, it's important to take summary offense charges seriously. The LLF Law Firm Criminal Defense Team is able to help you defend yourself against these kinds of charges.
- Misdemeanors. These are more serious than summary offenses. Misdemeanors make up the bulk of criminal charges that defendants face all across Pennsylvania, including in Snyder County. If you're convicted of a misdemeanor, you could end up in jail for up to 5 years and may have to pay a fine of up to $10,000. There are three classes of misdemeanors: third-degree is the least serious type of misdemeanor, second-degree is the middle level, and first-degree is the most serious. Pennsylvania has dozens of different misdemeanor crimes, including DUI, possession of a controlled substance, simple assault, and shoplifting (which is also called "retail theft"). And, of course, if you are convicted of a misdemeanor, this will appear on a criminal background check.
- Felonies. The most serious type of crime in Pennsylvania is felonies. There are three main categories of these, and in addition to the felony categories, there are three degrees of murder. A felony conviction could result in you being sentenced to up to 20 years in prison and forced to pay a fine of up to $50,000. If you're convicted of murder, you could be sentenced to prison for 40 years to life in addition to having to pay the fine. Pennsylvania is one of the relatively few states that still has the death penalty for a conviction of first-degree murder.
Courts In Snyder County
One thing you might not expect if you are a defendant in a criminal case in Snyder County is that you may be appearing before more than one judge in different locations, depending on where your criminal case is at. It's extremely important to understand when you have to be in court and which court you are expected to be at so that you don't make a mistake and miss your court date. A missed court date in a criminal case could result in a warrant being issued for your arrest.
It can be easy to treat a summary offense as something that you don't have to worry about. That would be a mistake. If you've received what looks like a ticket, instead of being arrested, you still need to pay close attention to the date that is on that ticket and the location of the court where you are supposed to appear on that date. And, of course, once you do appear in any court proceeding in your criminal case, you also need to pay close attention to when your next court appearance is scheduled and where that court appearance is going to be.
One of the many benefits of working with an experienced criminal defense attorney from the LLF Law Firm is that your attorney will keep track of where you are supposed to be and when. They will let you know well in advance when those dates are and where you need to be. This will significantly reduce the amount of confusion that you might have and increase your peace of mind during what can be a very difficult process.
There are two different types of courts in Snyder County that are responsible for handling criminal cases. These are:
- Court of Common Pleas. This is located in the Snyder County Courthouse at 9 West Market Street in Middleburg. The Court of Common Pleas hears both misdemeanor and felony cases. Earlier parts of some criminal cases, such as misdemeanors, may be heard by a Magisterial District Judge, with later portions heard by the judge of the Court of Common Pleas. Snyder County has two common pleas judges.
- Magisterial District Courts. These are lower-level courts, and there are two of them in Snyder County. One is in Middleburg at 32 East Market Street, and the other is in Selingsgrove at 1025 US Route 522. As noted above, these are the courts that typically handle summary offenses as well as the early stages of more serious crimes.
It is very typical for you to appear before a Magisterial District Judge in the early part of a misdemeanor or felony case and then appear before a completely different Common Pleas Court Judge at the later stages. This can get confusing if you are not familiar with the criminal prosecution process. If you are working with one of the attorneys from the LLF Law Firm's Criminal Defense Team, you will have someone on your side who can make sure you understand what is happening with your case, where the next stage of your case will be held, and what you need to do – if anything – in connection with your next court appearance.
Steps in the Criminal Process in Snyder County
If you've been charged with one of the lower-level summary offenses, your entire case is likely to be heard by a Magisterial District Judge. You will not be changing court locations, and everything will happen in the same place. As mentioned earlier, when the charges are more serious, a Magisterial District Judge may handle the early stages of your case, with later portions handled by one of Snyder County's two Common Pleas Judges.
For misdemeanor and felony cases, you can expect to encounter the following steps in the criminal process:
- There will be a preliminary arraignment before a magistrate district court judge. A preliminary hearing may also take place before that judge, the purpose of which is to determine if the prosecutors have sufficient evidence to make the charges that they are filing against you.
- After this, the case will usually move to the Court of Common Pleas for its later stages. At some point, prosecutors are required to file a criminal information, where they specify in detail the charges that are being brought against you. There may be one or more pretrial hearings, where attorneys on either side can bring motions that can affect the scope of the case against you and where the attorneys on both sides can let the judge know how the case is progressing. If your case is not dismissed by prosecutors or does not end with a plea agreement, there will be a trial. That trial will happen in the Court of Common Pleas. Where the trial results in a guilty verdict, or where there is a plea agreement, the Court of Common Pleas Judge is the one that will impose the sentence.
Most criminal cases do not go to trial. You may know this already. Many end with a plea agreement. How these cases end can depend significantly on the quality of the defense work performed by your attorney. At the LLF Law Firm, our experienced criminal defense attorneys understand what it takes to negotiate with prosecutors for the most favorable types of plea agreements. We also know when it may make more sense to take a case to trial and let a jury or the judge decide the matter.
The LLF Law Firm Can Defend You in Snyder County
When you are working with an attorney from the LLF Law Firm's Criminal Defense Team, you will benefit from the years of experience that we have defending clients all across Pennsylvania, including in Snyder County, who have been charged with all types of crimes. Criminal cases are serious matters. Even summary offenses can leave you with a blemish on your record that can show up in a criminal background check. This is why it is in your interest to do everything you can to defend yourself against criminal charges, whether they are summary offenses, misdemeanors, or felonies.
If you've been charged with any type of crime in Snyder County, don't try to defend yourself! Let one of the experienced criminal defense attorneys from the LLF Law Firm protect your rights and defend you against the charges that you're facing. Call us today at 888.535.3686 or use our contact form to schedule a confidential consultation to learn more about how we can help you protect your rights and your future.
