Author Archives: Jay Butchko
Can A Broken Taillight Lead To An Arrest?
It’s 2023, and everyone is busy. With the costs of necessities skyrocketing, everyone is living paycheck to paycheck, whether they have salaried jobs supplemented by gigs or are full-time participants in the gig economy. The laid back days of the pandemic, when there was nothing to do but binge watch TV shows and wait… Read More »
An End To Sentencing Disparities Between Crack Cocaine And Powder Cocaine?
In the 1980s, politicians and the media aimed to make people afraid of crack cocaine, and they succeeded. Elementary school students in the 80s received lessons in health class about the dangers of drugs. Some of the drugs seemed perfectly harmless; most kids had seen their neighbors, if not their own parents, drinking alcohol… Read More »
Pennsylvania Car Dealership Employees Face Criminal Charges For Title Washing
Title washing is not the only way, or even the most common way, that used car dealerships can defraud customers. Consumers can file used car fraud claims if, for example, the dealer misled them about the car’s history of collisions or repairs, or if they advertised one car to them online or by phone… Read More »
Pennsylvania’s Good Samaritan Laws Are A Good Start, But They Still Have Too Many Loopholes
Few things are scarier than seeing someone suffer a drug overdose in your presence. These days, Narcan nasal spray has become widely available enough that, if you happen to have it, you can reverse the effects of opioid overdose simply by administering it to the victim. First responders always carry Narcan, and fear of… Read More »
New Efforts In Pennsylvania To Exonerate Wrongfully Convicted Defendants
The “no double jeopardy” clause in the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution means that, once you are acquitted of a crime, the state or the federal government can never prosecute you for it again. If you plead guilty, you can appeal your conviction but not your sentence. If you plead innocent and then are… Read More »
Harrisburg Resident Faces Criminal Charges For Threatening Parishioners During Church Service
In Pennsylvania, as in many other states, there are plenty of ways to break the law that involve guns but do not involve shooting. It is a crime to use a gun to threaten someone; depending on the circumstances, this could lead to charges of assault with a deadly weapon, armed robbery, or possession… Read More »
Pittsburgh Emergency Physician Charged With DUI Vehicular Homicide After Accident That Killed Colleague
Insurance companies and personal injury lawyers appear to look at fatal DUI car accidents as number puzzles. This is all part of their job description, determining the chances that the victim would still be alive if he had been wearing a seatbelt and perhaps even assigning a share of the fault for the accident… Read More »
Lancaster Man Arrested For Drug Possession After Alleged Domestic Dispute
Charges of simple possession are far from being the worst-case scenario when it comes to facing criminal charges for drug offenses, but you should still take your drug possession case seriously. If you do not have a criminal record, and if drug possession is the only charge you are facing, you could be eligible… Read More »
Cumberland County Man Faces Criminal Charges For Financial Abuse Of Elderly Family Member
The past two years have seen most families around the country endure a sustained period of financial hardship, and areas that were already struggling financially before the COVID-19 pandemic have suffered the most. While economic necessity can bring out the resilience and resourcefulness in people, when life gives you a steady stream of lemons,… Read More »
Washington Township Man Faces Felony Charges For Witness Intimidation
In some news stories about pending criminal cases, you hear that the defendant is in jail until the trial, but in other cases, you hear that the witness is out on bail. Letting defendants in criminal cases remain free until they are convicted at trial or plead guilty is in line with the legal… Read More »
