Pennsylvania Summary Offenses
What are Summary Offenses in Pennsylvania? Glad you asked.
Summary Offenses are the lowest graded crime in Pennsylvania. Summary offenses are higher than
traffic tickets, but lower than
misdemeanors or
felonies crimes such as
aggravated assault,
sex crimes or
perjury.
Some examples of summary offenses are
Disorderly Conduct
Obstructing the Highway
Public (intoxication) Drunkenness
Public Urination
Retail Theft (under $150 and first offense)
Harassment
Criminal mischief
Defiant Trespassing
Underage Drinking
Dog Laws
Theft of Services ($50 or less)
Unauthorized Sale or Transfer of Tickets
Can Summary Offenses be Expunged?
Yes. You can have any summary offense, whether
underage drinking,
disorderly conduct or any other summary offense,
expunged if you are convicted of the same. However, to have the summary offense
expunged, you must meet two important criteria:
1) you must wait five (5) years and 2) you must be arrest/conviction free during those 5 years.
Are Summary Offenses Serious?
Absolutely. Even though summary offenses are the lowest of the graded offenses in Pennsylvania, you can still receive
maximum fines and even jail time if convicted of a
summary offense. If convicted of a summary offense and the conviction is not
expunged or
appealed, the conviction will remain on your record and will show up during background checks for loans, higher education, employment and any other check.
How do you fight Summary Offenses?
Zealously, that is the only way.
Granted, summary offenses are a far cry from a
Robbery,
DUI, or
Federal Crime, however, summary offenses must be defended. Most
summary offenses can be resolved at the
Preliminary Hearing whether through a hearing or vigorous negotiation. However,
summary offenses should not be taken lightly. If convicted of
underage drinking,
false id,
defiant trespassing, disorderly conduct and public intoxication-drunkenness, you may think, "
oh, these are just summary offenses, I'll just pay a fine . . . Right?"
Wrong
. You could very well receive the
maximum penalty on each charge and sentenced to serve the jail time consecutively, which means,
one 90 day jail sentence and license suspension after another, after another, after...well, you get the point.
Make the smart decision:
Contact Pittsburgh Attorney Frank Walker at 412.532.6805 and schedule a consultation to discuss your
summary offense today. Let Attorney Walker review your charges, discuss the defenses and the possibility of
expungement if the charges are dismissed or withdrawn.