Month: July 2017
Thwarting reform efforts, Sessions increases civil forfeiture
In a move former attorney general Eric Holder called “another extremist action,” Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced on Monday that he plans to retrench an old policy on civil forfeiture. In a speech before the National Association of District Attorneys, Sessions urged prosecutors to “develop policies to increase forfeitures” because...
Crime labs are not infallible
While there are no known issues here in Centre County, Pennsylvania, news reports from across the country of faulty procedures, cover-ups and dishonest and incompetent employees in crime labs should be enough to make any person arrested based on forensic evidence nervous. While TV shows have made the work of...
Preliminary hearing continues in Penn State fraternity death case
Penn State’s Beta Theta Pi fraternity and 16 members are challenging the case against them in a preliminary hearing on the February hazing death of a pledge. According to a police detective testifying at the hearing, the 19-year-old pledge drank a dangerous amount of alcohol before falling down a set...
Understanding Pennsylvania’s ‘Good Samaritan’ law for overdoses
The opioid and heroin overdose crisis continues to destroy lives in central Pennsylvania and across the commonwealth. Some local law enforcement agencies are attempting to take steps to help people struggling with an addiction to heroin, fentanyl or prescription painkillers. However, many people remain in the shadows, fearful of a...
Pregnant woman overdoses, gets charged with assault on child
A 30-year-old East Butler woman has been charged with aggravated assault on an unborn child after overdosing on heroin while seven months pregnant. The baby was born a day after the overdose and is now on life support with “lasting injuries,” according to police. The woman had been in jail...