Monthly Archives: July 2014

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Can Auto Accidents result in #CriminalCharges?

On a Monday morning in late June, at around 3 a.m., a car smashed into several houses on Federal Street on the North Side, which awakened many residents in the area.

According to police, the female driver lost control and hit several porches and a natural gas meter. Residents of the homes were evacuated as a precaution until Equitable Gas repaired the meter and city officials confirmed the houses were safe. They were then allowed to return.

A local resident said that there was a need for people to drive more slowly in the area as one day someone would be killed and other neighbors said that it was lucky no one was killed on this occasion.

Apparently drivers speed in that area all often and it is the third time a home in that part of Federal Street has been hit. A picture of the incident was sent to Mayor Bill Peduto and the Director of Public Safety.

The woman driver was taken into custody but she was not immediately charged.

Thankfully no one was seriously hurt in this incident. Had someone been killed the driver may well have been charged with manslaughter, which can carry serious penalties relating to prison time – not to mention the devastating consequences to the family of the victim.

Attorney Frank Walker of Frank Walker Law is a National Top 100 Criminal Defense Lawyer and Personal Injury Attorney with offices in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania and Morgantown West Virginia.

If you or someone you love are facing criminal charges or seriously injured in an accident, contact Attorney Frank Walker immediately at 412-315-7441, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for aggressive and experienced Criminal Defense or Representation in a Civil Case.

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Woman to win $115,000 for #Pittsburgh police fabrication

Legislation has been introduced by Pittsburgh City Council which will pay a woman from North Apollo $115,000 in settlement of a federal lawsuit which accuses the city police of falsely arresting her back in 2010.

The 50 year old woman says that during a hearing for her son in May 2010, she accidently brushed against a witness. Nothing further happened and there was no future contact with the witness.

Her son had been arrested in February 2010 at a bar room scuffle in Station Square by Officer David Honick. However, another officer, Anthony Scarpine said in a criminal affidavit that she had spoken to and elbowed the witness.

In the lawsuit brought by the woman, she maintains that Scarpine made up the details of the incident and in addition alleges that Honick also participated in the false arrest.

There was no comment on the incident from the City Solicitor, Lourdes Sanchez Ridge, nor Howard McQuillan, the President of the Fraternal Order of Police Fort Pitt Lodge 1.

There have been a number of false arrest and police brutality cases in the city over the past several years. While the vast majority of police officers are doubtlessly hardworking and honest individuals, these cases show that the public continues to be victim to the occasional police bad apple.

Attorney Frank Walker of Frank Walker Law is a National Top 100 Criminal Defense Lawyer and Personal Injury Attorney with offices in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania and Morgantown West Virginia.

If you or someone you love are facing criminal charges or seriously injured in an accident, contact Attorney Frank Walker immediately at 412-315-7441, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for aggressive and experienced Criminal Defense or Representation in a Civil Case.

 

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Do Recent #Pittsburgh Prostitution Busts Confuse Criminal and Victim?

Pittsburgh police reported that a woman from Toledo, Ohio, came to Pittsburgh with her family and then left them at a hotel so that she could go to work as an escort. Nine women in all were arrested for either prostitution or for offenses related to prostitution as part of a sting that was set up by Pittsburgh police. The sting was a coordinated effort between PPD detectives, the Federal Bureau of Investigations’ Human Trafficking Task Force, the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Task Force, the Allegheny County Sherriff’s Department, and federal probation officers.

The sting involved responses being sent to a number of escort services through their respective websites requesting that the women meet them at a nearby hotel. Upon arrival the women offered to perform a variety of sexual services for the undercover officers at costs ranging between $200 and $500. The women were all between the ages of 23 and 32, some of whom told police that they had no other way to earn a living.

It is interesting to see how authorities, on one hand, bill certain sex crime arrests as “freeing sex slaves from a life of servitude”, but on the other hand arrest the women – who are allegedly working in the sex field – as if they are the true criminals.

There seems to be a disconnect in our legal system. According to authorities, are sex workers victims or criminals?

Attorney Frank Walker of Frank Walker Law is a National Top 100 Criminal Defense Lawyer and Personal Injury Attorney with offices in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania and Morgantown West Virginia.

If you or someone you love are facing criminal charges or seriously injured in an accident, contact Attorney Frank Walker immediately at 412-315-7441, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for aggressive and experienced Criminal Defense or Representation in a Civil Case.

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Video Evidence is not always Clear or Conclusive in #CriminalCases

A 41 year old woman from Scott Township has been accused of assaulting her three year old son inside a Walmart store.

Police say the incident, which was recorded by the store’s video surveillance system, was advised to them by a loss prevention officer.  Apparently he followed the suspect around the store and saw the abuse take place. He said that she the woman dragged the boy across the floor, holding him down and putting her knee on top of him. In addition she allegedly punched him in the ribs with her fist. The security guard then allegedly followed her out of the store into the parking lot where he took down her license plate number.

The police subsequently went to the woman’s home in Carnegie, arrested her, and filed charges. They say that she appeared to be under the influence of either drugs or alcohol at the time of the event.

She will now be sent a summons charging her with simple assault and endangering the welfare of a child.

Considering the fact that Wal-Mart stores have extensive security cameras, it will be interesting to see the quality of video evidence in this case. Child endangerment is never acceptable or defendable. However, considering the fact that the loss prevention officer reported the crime based on his interpretation of what he saw, police will need far more evidence in order to secure a conviction.

Attorney Frank Walker of Frank Walker Law is a National Top 100 Criminal Defense Lawyer and Personal Injury Attorney with offices in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania and Morgantown West Virginia.

If you or someone you love are facing criminal charges or seriously injured in an accident, contact Attorney Frank Walker immediately at 412-315-7441, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for aggressive and experienced Criminal Defense or Representation in a Civil Case.

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Can Victims of #Pittsburgh Police Beatings file a Lawsuit?

An attorney for a Brentwood man who was arrested in 2012 by Pittsburgh police is filing a lawsuit against the department for abuse he allegedly suffered during the arrest. The incident, which was recorded on video, reportedly shows the man being pulled forcefully from his car through the driver-side window, thrown to the ground, pistol whipped, and assaulted in myriad other ways as he lay on the ground. According to the reports, the video shows that the violent assault took place after the man had surrendered and was shown holding his hands out the car window for the officers to see.

The video tape, which was recently released, apparently serves as strong evidence against the officers in question and the lawsuit being filed by the alleged victim accuses them of civil rights violations and abuse. The arrest was the result of an incident in which officers reported that the suspect ran a red light at high speed on Pittsburgh’s North Side.

People who are arrested are often treated harshly. They may be tackled to the ground, sprayed in the face with pepper spray, or even Tasered. But police are supposed to use force proportional to the threats they face. When police go overboard and use too much force – such as beating a handcuffed suspect – they may open themselves, their departments, and the government, up to civil lawsuits. If you have been the victim of police brutality give our office a call immediately.

Attorney Frank Walker of Frank Walker Law is a National Top 100 Criminal Defense Lawyer and Personal Injury Attorney with offices in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania and Morgantown West Virginia.

If you or someone you love are facing criminal charges or seriously injured in an accident, contact Attorney Frank Walker immediately at 412-315-7441, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for aggressive and experienced Criminal Defense or Representation in a Civil Case.

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Could a Beaver County Sheriff face a Civil Suit? #PittsburghLawyer

A Beaver County sheriff has been under house arrest since he violated his bail last month, and the case against him begins today – which centers around his alleged threatening to shoot a news reporter. He also faces 11 another misdemeanor charges which include obstruction of justice and intimating witnesses.

A political campaign worker, one of sheriff’s alleged victims, said that when he was at the Democratic Party headquarters the sheriff threatened to cut his hands off, eat them and shove them down his throat.

His bail conditions included a ban on holding press conferences on country premises, and he could only be present in the courthouse from 10 a.m.to 1 p.m. He was allowed to hunt on his own property, but not to take his weapon to the courthouse.

Last April the sheriff was also in court, where several witnesses described threats he had made to them, including a guard from Beaver County Jail who said the remarks made to him by the Sheriff had made him fear for his life.

In this case the sheriff is facing multiple allegations of multiple violations. If proven culpable his victims may have credible civil cases, especially if his threats resulted in demonstrable harm and damages.

Attorney Frank Walker of Frank Walker Law is a National Top 100 Criminal Defense Lawyer and Personal Injury Attorney with offices in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania and Morgantown West Virginia.

If you or someone you love are facing criminal charges or seriously injured in an accident, contact Attorney Frank Walker immediately at 412-315-7441, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for aggressive and experienced Criminal Defense or Representation in a Civil Case.

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Is a Text Message enough Proof for Guilt in #Pittsburgh #Homicide case?

In February of this year, in a house in Worth Township, a 21 year old woman was discovered by her mother after having died from an overdose of heroin mixed with fentanyl. Her death was not the only death in the area from this particular batch of heroin which was labeled ‘Theraflu’.

Paramedics advised the police that they had found drug paraphernalia at the scene, including a syringe and the bags the drugs came in. In addition, the coroner’s report confirmed that both heroin and fentanyl were found in her body.

After finding a text message from a man to her deceased daughter, in which he advised the woman that he had ‘Theraflu’ for her, the woman’s mother contacted the police. The man was arrested in connection with the overdose and is currently in Butler County Prison on a $100,000 bond.

Police are understandably very concerned about the deaths related to this very dangerous drug cocktail. But, in a case like this, it is important to remember that the alleged text message advising the woman that the man had ‘Theraflu’ for her is not the same as having provided the woman with the drug.  The officials first need to connect the message to the man’s phone, prove he is the one whom sent the message and proved that she in fact received the dangerous drugs from the man that caused her death.

Attorney Frank Walker of Frank Walker Law is a National Top 100 Criminal Defense Lawyer and Personal Injury Attorney with offices in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania and Morgantown West Virginia.

If you or someone you love are facing criminal charges or seriously injured in an accident, contact Attorney Frank Walker immediately at 412-315-7441, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for aggressive and experienced Criminal Defense or Representation in a Civil Case.