On January 9, the Superior Court in a non-precedential decision affirmed Montgomery County Judge Thomas Branca’s order granting the defendant/appellee’s motion to preclude evidence in Commonwealth v. Page, which effectively dismissed the case. Amanda Page was charged with Unsworn Falsification to Authorities after she allegedly lied to police when she told them that she was […]
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Pennsylvania Judge: Shared Attic Not Searchable
On January 7 an Erie County, Pennsylvania Judge ruled in Commonwealth v. Baker that heroin found in an apartment attic shared by the apartment building tenants was not admissible in court, since the shared attic was not specifically mentioned in the search warrant. The Honorable Shad Connelly found that the search was not a mistake […]
PA Supreme Court: Inventory Search Requires Threat to Public Safety
On December 27, the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania ruled in Commonwealth v. Lagenella that a police officer may not conduct an inventory search of a vehicle that has been immobilized unless it is such a public safety concern that it must be towed and impounded. On December 31, 2008, appellant Francis Lagenella entered the flow […]
Montgomery County Youth Aid Panel Looking for Volunteers
Montgomery County’s Youth Aid Panel (YAP) is a restorative justice program offered by the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office that provides troubled youths who have been charged with a nonviolent crime the opportunity to help the community and maintain a clean criminal record. YAP consists of community volunteers who meet with the juvenile and their […]
Pennsylvania’s Prisons Cost $2.1 Billion Each Year
Keeping prisons running is expensive and funded solely by taxpayer dollars. But do you know exactly how much it costs to keep Pennsylvania’s prisons running? The Vera Institute of Justice conducted a study of the costs to run prisons in 2010 and determined that the total cost of all prisons in Pennsylvania is $2.1 billion […]
