Author Archives: Jay Butchko
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 »
Uncle of Allegheny County Teen Who Suffered Fatal Overdose Gets One Year for Child Endangerment
It is possible to face criminal charges, up to and including homicide, if someone else fatally overdoses on drugs they got from you. These charges can apply whether the victim bought the drugs from you, if you gave the drugs to the victim, or, in the case of a child or teen victim, if… Read More »
Despite Its Religious and Medicinal Uses, Salvia Divinorum Is Illegal in Pennsylvania
Is it a healing herb or a dangerous drug? Since ancient times, people in the plant’s original homeland have prized the plant’s leaves for their effect on the mind and body, and a counterculture in the United States embraced the plant in a big way. Sensing its allure with young people, the plant’s detractors… Read More »
The Smell of Marijuana Is Not a Valid Reason for Police to Search Your Car Without a Warrant
In Pennsylvania, marijuana is legal in all but name. For several years, Pennsylvania’s medical cannabis program has made it legal for patients with qualifying medical conditions to possess small quantities of smokable or non-smokable cannabis products, provided that they have a valid, state-issued medical cannabis card. Furthermore, many cities in Pennsylvania have decriminalized possession… Read More »
Couple Assaults Teen Employee During Mask-Related Dust-Up at Sesame Place
Sesame Street has an outsized reputation for modeling kindness for children, but 2020 has called into question almost everything we thought we knew. Everyone is frustrated with the pandemic and the quarantine, so one would expect that, when theme parks finally opened this summer after being closed for months, that guests would appreciate them… Read More »
