Author Archives: Jay Butchko
Mount Airy Couple Charged With Drug Distribution And Held On Million Dollar Bond
The Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution protects against cruel and unusual punishment, including excessive financial penalties before or after a conviction. This means that fines as a criminal penalty should not be disproportionate to the crime and that bail amounts should not be disproportionate to the amount of danger the defendant, who… Read More »
Federal Prison Sentence For Participant In Money-Laundering Conspiracy Involving Former Pennsylvania Narcotics Agent
Stories about family members working together in an “us against the world” scenario certainly make for interesting movies, especially when their quest is illegal. When it happens in real life, though, it means being separated from your (proverbial and literal) partner in crime in different correctional institutions. In fact, you and your family member… Read More »
Pittsburgh Man Sentenced To 57 Months In Prison For His Role In Drug Trafficking Conspiracy
57 months doesn’t seem like such a long time until it does. If your child is 57 months old, you have probably long since stopped calculating your child’s age in months. On three-day weekends, car dealerships offer promotions where you can buy a car for little or no down payment and pay off your… Read More »
Montandon Dad Charged With DUI And Child Endangerment For Falling Asleep In Parked Car While Daughter Was Present
Every parent knows the dangers, legal and otherwise, of leaving a child in an unattended vehicle. Sleep-deprived parents exchange hacks on social media for how to remind themselves not to go inside the house without first taking the sleepy baby out of the car seat in the back; one grandmother even drives barefoot when… Read More »
Black Creek Township Man Faces Charges For Possession Of Hundreds Of Images Of Child Sexual Abuse
Social attitudes toward sexuality have become less puritanical in recent decades, and laws have changed in accordance with this. The underlying idea is that people are free to live their sexuality as they choose, as long as in doing so, they do not harm anyone. Thus, sexuality activity between consenting adults is legal regardless… Read More »
North Wales Police Issue Arrest Warrant For Home Contractor Accused Of Defrauding Homeowners
When you are trying to find a contractor to make repairs to your house or condo, you probably research the contractor’s reputation online before you contact them. Disgruntled customers tend not to be shy about voicing their opinions in online reviews, and if they wrote the reviews in anger, then the contractor’s work or… Read More »
Self-Appointed Police Informant Acquitted Of Drug Possession
You have probably seen police informants in the movies and on TV. They interact with people suspected of drug dealing, and then they give the police the information and evidence they need to have probable cause to arrest the suspects. Sometimes the informants even wear recording devices so that law enforcement can use the… Read More »
Bicyclist Gets Hit By Feed Truck, Then Faces Charges For Manufacturing Methamphetamine
If you get hit by a car while riding your bicycle, you are lucky to walk out of the hospital emergency room and go home. Accidents where a car strikes a bicycle can have long-term medical and legal consequences, but usually not of the kind that a Sunbury man who got hit by a… Read More »
Defendant Acquitted Of Aggravated Assault But Convicted Of Simple Assault For Movie Theater Shooting
As Pennsylvania reopens, people who have watched all the movie offerings on Netflix during the pandemic are eager to watch movies in the movie theater, even though going to the movies costs the equivalent of a year’s Netflix subscription and a panic purchaser’s haul worth of microwave popcorn, to say nothing of how you… Read More »
Allegheny County Man Sentenced To 66 Months In Prison For Drug Distribution While On Supervised Release
If you are facing criminal charges for the first time in your life, the actions of your criminal defense lawyer can affect how your life will be for years to come. Even if you do not go to prison for your first offense, law enforcement and the criminal courts will have an excuse to… Read More »
