State College Criminal Law Blog

As a Pennsylvania college student, you know that there is much more to campus life than going to class and studying. You also have football games, basketball games, fraternity parties, sorority parties and plenty of just plain hanging out with your friends and classmates. You also know that alcohol plays a big part at most of these festivities. But before you overindulge and possibly wind up facing DUI charges, take a few moments to think about what a DUI conviction could do to your future.

Partying aside, the main reason you decided to pursue a college or graduate degree was so that you could receive the education – and the letters after your name – required to allow you to work in your chosen field. What you may not be aware of, however, is that virtually all licensing boards and employers conduct background checks of their applicants. If a DUI or other conviction shows up, you could find it quite difficult to obtain your professional license. And even if you overcome that hurdle, you could find yourself severely limited as to the types of jobs you can find.

One of the most challenging parts of a divorce is determining how to split up the assets you and your soon-to-be ex-spouse have acquired over the course of your relationship. Family law courts vary from state to state when it comes to property division rules. Some states are classified as community property states, while other states, including Pennsylvania, are classified as equitable distribution states.

In a community property state, any marital property, which is property collected by you and your spouse during the marriage, will be divided evenly between you and your spouse. The court will calculate the value of the property and use their calculations to divide the property 50-50. Any separate property, such as property acquired by one spouse before the marriage or an individual inheritance, will be kept by its original owner.

Driving under the influence is one of the most dangerous forms of driver negligence. Fortunately, Pennsylvania residents appear to be getting the message. The Pennsylvania Uniform Crime Report showed a 33 percent decline in drunk and drugged driving arrests in Philadelphia from 2009 to 2017. During the same period, the data shows a 13 percent decline in DUI arrests statewide.

According to AAA, there were fewer Philadelphia drunk driving accidents from 2015 to 2017, but fatality numbers have stayed fairly constant over the past five years, with 17 people dying each year, on average, in drunk driving accidents.

When an officer knocks on the front door of your house, stops you as you walk down the street or pulls you over while driving, there is a possibility that the officer will search your property for evidence of a crime. However, under the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, you are protected from unlawful searches and seizures. A criminal defense attorney can help to ensure that your rights are protected.

What is an unlawful search? Generally, an officer needs a valid warrant, consent and/or for probable cause in order to search an area where you have a reasonable expectation of privacy. Probable cause means that the police officer has reasonable suspicion that a crime has been committed or will be committed in the future. The officer also must have reasonable grounds to believe that the property to be searched and/or the person who owns the property being searched is somehow connected to the crime. For example, the smell of alcohol during a traffic stop or seeing evidence of drug use out in "plain view" may give the officer the probable cause needed to go forward with the search.