Enhanced Penalties In PA DUI & Criminal Cases

Pennsylvania Enhanced Penalties In Criminal Cases

If you are facing criminal charges or DUI charges in Pennsylvania there are certain circumstances that can lead to enhanced, meaning much more harsh, penalties. This is true even for a first offense misdemeanor. Rather than go through this alone it makes ensue to consult with our Philadelphia criminal defense lawyers. They have many years experience handling all types of impaired driving charges, drug crime cases and other criminal charges. 

Please click here to contact our Pennsylvania DUI lawyers for a free case review. With an office in Philadelphia they serve the Bucks, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia County areas. 

Factors Leading To Enhanced Penalties

As with many areas of the law the consequences you face are much more severe if your crime involved a child. This is applicable even if the child was not harmed. With that, getting a DUI with a child in the car is one of the most serious DUI charges you can face. It automatically becomes a felony DUI charge often referred to as a child endangerment DUI. 

If you were caught possessing or selling drugs near a school you face extremely serious consequences no matter the quantity of drugs you had on you or what you intended to do with them i.e. they were for personal use, sell them, etc. According to Pennsylvania drug free school zone laws if you are caught with drugs within 1,000 feet of a school, which includes school buses, Pennsylvania colleges and universities, you will face legal repercussions for violating these laws even if there were no children present at time of arrest. Pennsylvania drug free school zone laws can apply solely based on distance from the school. 

Other factors that can result in steeper legal penalties can include your arrest being a subsequent offense, you had a weapon on you at time of arrest, a weapon was used during the commission of the crime or you had drugs on you or in your vehicle. If you were driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs and you caused an accident, property damage, injury or wrongful death you are looking at significantly enhanced penalties. 

Defending Pennsylvania Criminal Cases With Enhanced Penalty Factors

Our Philadelphia, PA criminal attorneys have a wealth of experience handling serious criminal and DUI cases. Defenses that can be used depend on the charges you are facing. If you are facing drug possession charges PLUS charges of violating PA drug free school zone laws our attorneys will explain that you did not know the laws and or you were unaware of the fact you were near a school. 

In all cases our Philadelphia attorneys will attempt to have your charges dropped or dismissed. That is not always possible however so in some cases our attorneys will attempt to negotiate a plea deal meaning you take one charge provided others are dismissed. The premise is always to minimize the negative consequences of your pending charges. 

Contact Our Philadelphia Pennsylvania Criminal Defense Lawyers

Please do not hesitate to contact our criminal defense lawyers. They offer free case review and serve Southeastern Pennsylvania and Southern New Jersey.