Author Archives: Gary Gerson
Pennsylvania Woman Pleads Guilty for Her Role in Synthetic Identity Fraud Conspiracy
If someone made fraudulent transactions using your social security number, you would probably find out quickly. Financial institutions are always on the lookout for fraud, and given that your bank sends you fraud alert texts when you so much as make a purchase at a Wawa outside your home county, the bank would certainly… Read More »
Do Pennsylvania’s Laissez Faire Smoking Laws Cause DUI Incidents?
Sure, there are social drinkers who have never lit a cigarette, and there are cigarette smokers who do not drink alcohol but for the most part, drinking and smoking go together. The neon signs in bars and the glow of cigarettes add to the atmosphere of conviviality. At least, that was how the old… Read More »
In DUI Cases, Whether You Injure Someone Matters More Than Prior Offenses or the Nature of the Substance
One of the many flaws of the drug education programs many of us experienced in school is that they made it sound like there are good drugs and bad drugs, that something is either a dangerous poison that only a stupid or amoral person would ingest, or else it is a harmless, beneficial medicine. … Read More »
The Drug Overdose Response Immunity Law Encourages Bystanders to Choose Compassion Over Fear
What would you do if someone appeared to be suffering a drug overdose while you were present in the same room? When someone asks you this question hypothetically, you might think that calling 911 is the obvious choice, but the way people actually respond in this situation depends on several other important details. Do… Read More »
Bystander Opioid Overdoses: Myth or Reality?
Washing your hands is an effective way of reducing your risk of exposure to a variety of harmful things, but irrational fears of contamination through accidental contact with the skin can do more harm than good. Foodborne pathogens can’t hurt you unless you ingest them; you wash your hands after handling raw chicken so… Read More »
COVID-19 in Pennsylvania Prisons: A Scary Situation
Movies and television do a good job of scaring people about what life is like in jails and prisons, from the awful food to the lack of privacy to abuse and violence at the hands of prison guards and other inmates. Perhaps a police officer even spoke at an assembly at your school, telling… Read More »
Titusville Gym Teacher Pleads Guilty to Sexually Abusing Student
Sexual abuse of minors is very prevalent. By some estimates, one in four women and one in nine men were sexually abused before they reached adulthood. Given that most adults care so much about protecting children from abuse, and given that teachers and healthcare providers have a legal responsibility to report cases of suspected… Read More »
Can You Get Criminal Charges for Participating in a Protest?
On October 26, police in Philadelphia fatally shot Walter Wallace, Jr. Wallace, who suffered from bipolar disorder, was having a mental health crisis and behaving erratically. His parents had called the city’s emergency lines three times that day, in hopes that the city would send an ambulance and that their son could get emergency… Read More »
Jury Acquits Police Chief of Theft by Deception
If you have not formally studied law or been a party in a lawsuit, it can be easy to mix up what the civil courts do and what the criminal courts do. The criminal courts are different from the other parts of the court system in several important ways. First, criminal cases are always… Read More »
Northampton County Man Sentenced to Prison on Weapons Charges After a Series of Attempted Drone Strikes Near Ex-Girlfriend’s House
Unmanned aerial vehicles, popularly known as drones, experienced a surge in popularity when they became legally available for recreational use. They were a popular gift item during the 2015 holiday season. Perhaps some of the parents who scrambled to grab the last Tickle Me Elmo dolls from store shelves to give to their young… Read More »
