State College Legal Blog
Nearly half of traffic drug dog searches come up empty
Law enforcement agencies in Pennsylvania and across the United States routinely use drug dogs to "alert" officers to the presence of narcotics in vehicles. However, studies have found that a significant percentage of these alerts fail to yield any drugs once the...
What to know about underage alcohol laws
Individuals younger than the age of 21 are not allowed to consume or possess alcohol. Furthermore, someone who is younger than 21 in Pennsylvania or any other state is not allowed to transport or attempt to purchase beer, liquor or similar products. Those who are not...
What to know about a preliminary hearing for a DUI
Individuals in Pennsylvania who are charged with a DUI have the right to take their case to trial. However, before a trial begins, there is usually a preliminary hearing to determine whether one needs to occur at all. A judge will review the evidence that the...
Drug charges can lead to significant penalties
People who sell or attempt to sell controlled substances in Pennsylvania may be charged with a crime. In most cases, possession with intent to distribute charges are separate from drug trafficking charges. If a person is charged with drug trafficking, it means that...
Scientists develop device that tests drivers’ THC levels
While Pennsylvania law enforcement officers can use breath and blood tests to accurately gauge a driver's level of alcohol impairment, there are currently no tests that reliably measure a driver's level of marijuana impairment. However, that could soon change....
Cash and large drug quantities lead to drug trafficking charges
Criminal charges of drug trafficking result in more severe penalties and prison sentences than drug possession charges. Prosecutors in Pennsylvania will likely charge you with drug trafficking if police attributed large quantities of drugs to you. Authorities will...
Drug probe leads to 6 arrests
In early February, state and federal investigators arrested six men for allegedly conspiring to transport large amounts of illegal drugs from Puerto Rico to Erie over a two-year period. The charges were brought by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of...
Pennsylvania man faces muliple drug charges
A 52-year-old Bristol Township man was taken into police custody on March 18 after law enforcement officials say they found drugs and drug-related paraphernalia in his home. The man was placed in the Bucks County Correctional Facility following his arraignment....
Pennsylvania man charged with drunk driving and assault
A Pennsylvania man is facing a raft of charges for allegedly driving drunk and then assaulting a police officer. The 56-year-old Weisenberg Township resident was transported to the Lehigh County Jail after being taken into custody, but he was released on March 3 after...
Man faces drug charges after large police raid
Pennsylvania police have arrested a person they described as a "major source" of opiates in Berks County. Authorities claim that they seized over 1,000 packets of drugs, firearms and cash during a raid conducted Feb. 26 in Reading. A 58-year-old man was arrested at...
