West Chester Criminal Defense Blog

ekatherine.stamatis@lawrank.com | February 21, 2018 | Child Pornography

A large amount of law enforcement resources and efforts are spent on investigating and prosecuting those who make, possess or view child pornography.  Child pornography cases are intensely involved criminal matters where not only are the criminal penalties severe but the damage to personal reputation… read more

ekatherine.stamatis@lawrank.com | February 21, 2018 | Controlled Substances

Sentencing guidelines provide Courts in Pennsylvania with the ability to have a standard range of sentences that are imposed for certain similarly situated offenders and crimes.  One of the major aims of these guidelines is to have a level of consistency in sentencing.  Each crime… read more

ekatherine.stamatis@lawrank.com | October 23, 2017 | Criminal Law

The wheels of justice turn slowly. An old saying that we who practice in the criminal defense field think about weekly – if not daily. Even though the slow crawl that criminal cases sometimes take is to be expected at times, it is important to… read more

ekatherine.stamatis@lawrank.com | October 23, 2017 | DUI

If you are caught driving under the influence / DUI and have a child in the vehicle who is under the age of 18, you may be charged with the crime of Endangering the Welfare of a Child. The crime of Endangering the Welfare of… read more

ekatherine.stamatis@lawrank.com | August 29, 2017 | DUI

Driving Under the Influence charges (DUI) are one of the most common criminal charges that people face in Pennsylvania and elsewhere. With law enforcement cracking down on DUIs and the prosecutions of these cases becoming more aggressive – it is all the more likely that… read more

ekatherine.stamatis@lawrank.com | May 8, 2017 | Weapons

When an object or weapon is involved in the commission of a criminal offense, a common charge that will be levied against an individual is that of “Possessing Instruments of Crimes.” This charge is found in title 18 section 907 of the Pennsylvania Criminal Code…. read more

ekatherine.stamatis@lawrank.com | April 18, 2017 | Conspiracy

Under Pennsylvania law and throughout Pennsylvania criminal trial Courts one crime that is often seen in cases involving multiple defendants is the crime of conspiracy. Conspiracy is a separate and distinct crime and it is covered by its own statute in the criminal code. Under… read more

ekatherine.stamatis@lawrank.com | April 11, 2017 | Self-Defense

Under Pennsylvania law when a crime of violence has been alleged a criminal defense attorney must evaluate the circumstances and determine whether or not self-defense would be an available principle of justification and defense in the criminal case. Whether it be a prosecution of simple… read more

ekatherine.stamatis@lawrank.com | February 9, 2017 | DUI

When someone has been arrested and is pending trial there are decisions that need to be made based upon the needs of the person and the strategy of the case.  Some of these decisions will be made by the individual and others may be made… read more

ekatherine.stamatis@lawrank.com | January 9, 2017 | Full Tort

Under Pennsylvania law, there are two main types of insurance coverage for motor vehicles.  First, is called “limited tort” and the second “full tort.”  The main difference between limited tort and full tort is that when one has a limited tort policy, if they are… read more