Author Archives: Jay Butchko
Sunbury Grandpa Released From Prison After Serving 10 Years Of Sentence For Trafficking In Cannabis
It is an understatement to say that the discourse about cannabis has changed during our lifetimes. Subsequent cohorts of young people have smoked what they referred to as reefers, doobies, pot, bud, weed, and trees, and after decades of discussion about the legal status of “medical marijuana,” most states now have medical cannabis programs,… Read More »
Westmoreland County Nurse Practitioner Faces Criminal Charges For Writing Fraudulent Prescriptions
The rates of drug addiction among healthcare professionals have been rising, and it is not hard to understand why. Being a doctor, nurse, or nursing assistant is an extraordinarily stressful job, and due to the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare professionals are even more overworked than before. Being in the presence of prescription drugs all day… Read More »
Johnstown Man Sentenced To Probation For Animal Neglect
Yes, you can get criminal charges because of your pets. Pennsylvania has detailed laws relating to the proper care of domestic animals. There are laws about how much space each species of animal needs, as well as about veterinary care that the animals require. Most of the time, when people get in trouble with… Read More »
Yes, You Can Get Criminal Charges For Kidnapping Your Own Child
Kids can be a handful, but nothing is worse than being separated from your children against your will. The worst thing about divorce is having the court dictate when you can and cannot spend time with your children. While the possibility of receiving criminal penalties for failure to follow a court-ordered parenting plan is… Read More »
Police Find Heroin Stash In Hempfield Man’s Home For The Second Time In Two Years
You might assume that, if someone was arrested for possessing $15,000 worth of heroin at the beginning of the pandemic, that they would be in prison by now, unless, of course, their defense lawyer had been able to persuade the judge that it was all a misunderstanding and get the charges dropped. Things rarely… Read More »
Was It Malicious Prosecution, Or Was The State Protecting Potential Victims?
United States law considers liberty a fundamental human right, and the state does not have the right to take away your liberty by detaining you in a jail or prison except as a punishment for a crime, although, in practice, there are some exceptions. Judges can decide to hold a defendant in jail until… Read More »
Lancaster Man Charged With Murder And Other Crimes After Relatives And Police Find Dismembered Body In Family Home
In recent years, lawmakers and voters in Pennsylvania and other states have made some changes to the laws to reflect the belief that most crimes are not committed by dangerous people, and that the motive for these crimes is not incorrigible evil. For example, possession of drug paraphernalia and controlled substances are symptoms of… Read More »
Allegheny County Woman Sentenced To One Year In Prison For Conspiracy To Commit Money Laundering
The term “money laundering” means something different in the popular imagination, as does “conspiracy.” You can get convicted of money laundering even if the amount of money involved was relatively small. Likewise, you do not have to be a criminal mastermind to commit conspiracy. Depending on the circumstances, it is possible for people charged… Read More »
Allegheny County Doctor Sentenced To 78 Months In Prison For Health Care Fraud
In these tough economic times, almost everyone in western Pennsylvania knows someone who has tried to recruit them to distribute nutritional supplements through a multilevel marketing (MLM) business model. The products are ordinary vitamin supplements like the ones you can buy much cheaper at Walmart or Costco, but the former classmate who messages you… Read More »
North Huntingdon Township Man Faces Criminal Charges For Rape Of Drinking Buddy
When you and your college classmates used to joke that a certain socially awkward guy who lived in your dorm looked like a rapist, those rumors were not only cruel; they were also wildly inaccurate. There is no one way that rapists look. In fact, the only characteristic common to the majority of rapists… Read More »
