Author Archives: Jay Butchko
Pittsburgh Woman Arrested After Attempting To Evade Jail Sentence
The county jail is an unpleasant place, to be sure, but if there is anything to be said in its defense, it is that no one stays there for very long. Jail sentences are usually for misdemeanor convictions, and the sentence usually lasts less than two years. No one serves a life sentence in… Read More »
Pittsburgh Man Accused Of Stealing County Maintenance Truck And Crashing It
Even for those of us who do not have a larcenous bone in our bodies, certain items of public property are a source of temptation. During study hall periods in high school, even the most straitlaced kids and the teachers’ pets shoot the breeze about which street signs they would most like to steal. … Read More »
Man Faces Charges For Criminal Mischief After Trashing Mechanicsburg Hotel
Remember when Keith Moon of The Who flushed a firecracker down a hotel toilet? When Ozzy Osbourne threw a TV out of a hotel room window, he was not doing anything different from what the Rolling Stones had done years earlier. And the less said about the Led Zeppelin mud shark incident, the better. … Read More »
The Western Pennsylvania Accountant Who Served Prison Sentences For Two Embezzlement Schemes
You might think that there are two kinds of people in the world, the ones whose business operations are small enough that they can manage them with an inexpensive subscription to Intuit QuickBooks, on the one hand, and on the other, the ones who have access to enough money that they can embezzle it… Read More »
Can You Get Arrested For DUI If You Are Asleep In A Parked Car?
Everyone knows that driving drunk is dangerous and illegal, so what do you do when the bar closes and you are too drunk to drive home? Even if your grandpa swears by black coffee and your college roommates were in the habit of eating a bacon and egg sandwich between Thirsty Thursday drink specials… Read More »
Pennsylvania Is A Hot Spot For Xylazine Overdoses
The answer to the question “What makes the opioid overdose epidemic so scary?” has been changing over the years. First it was the pill mills that flooded the community with opioid pills that had technically been legally prescribed. Then it was the abrupt cutoff of that supply, leaving the many thousands of people who… Read More »
Mother And Daughter Plead Guilty To Defrauding Pennsylvania Department Of Education Out Of More Than $2 Million
Fraud can take many forms, from the email scams where the defendant plays on the victim’s sympathies and convinces them to send the defendant money for a purported emergency to deceptive business practices where the false advertising is so egregious that it crosses over into illegal territory. In a substantial portion of fraud cases,… Read More »
You Still Need A Defense Lawyer, Even If You Are Already Serving A Prison Sentence For Something Else
The three main characters of the movie O Brother, Where Art Thou have escaped from prison, confident that they can get home to their families without getting caught. In one scene, where it appears that they have been recognized as escaped prisoners, John Turturro’s character Pete lashes out at the others, saying that he… Read More »
Yes, You Can Get A Prison Sentence For Failing To Register Paperwork
A man goes to prison because he did not file a form that he was supposed to file. It sounds like a nightmare out of Kafka’s imagination, but it can happen right here in Pennsylvania. For example, you can get criminal penalties for failing to file an income tax return, but most of the… Read More »
Man Who Sold Counterfeit Percocet Pills To Overdose Victim Sentenced To Prison For Involuntary Manslaughter
In the 1990s and 2000s, when pharmaceutical companies led doctors and patients to believe that it was safe for most patients to take prescription opioids long term, and that these drugs were freely available, there were plenty of dangers. Many thousands of people in Pennsylvania and other states became addicted to opioids, and some… Read More »
