Manchester and Associates

Pennsylvania Criminal & DUI Defense

Criminal Cases

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Atty. Manchester Represents Man Accused of Vehicular Homicide & Involuntary Manslaughter

TYRONE, Pa. — A Centre County man authorities say hit and killed a PennDot worker earlier this year is headed to trial.

“As I’ve said all along, this is just a tragic accident. When they’re talking about speed, all they have is my client’s statement — my client who was just in a serious automobile accident where a man lost his life,” said Brian Manchester, Hu’s defense attorney. “That’s their sole reliance and that’s what the hearing showed. And legally I do not feel that’s enough to go forward with the case.”

Manchester said there were multiple other crashes on that same stretch of roadway that same day. He says he will be filing motions to have the case dismissed before trial.

Prosecutors argue that Pennsylvania vehicle code requires drivers to have control of their vehicle at all times.

Full story: http://wjactv.com/news/local/man-police-say-hit-killed-penndot-worker-headed-to-trial

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Bradford County DUI Appeal Victory

In 2013, a client of ours was charged with their 2nd DUI offense, with the prosecution claiming they had a BAC of .147.

The problem, however, is that the blood test results were not reported correctly. Fortunately for our client, we were able to obtain the hospital’s blood testing and sample preparation procedures from another case and were able to prove that the hospital had still been reporting inaccurate results.

Although our client was found guilty of having a BAC of greater than .1, he was found not guilty on driving while impaired. Thus, he was sentenced to 30 days to 6 months in jail, but was given bail due to our pending appeal.

Conviction Overturned

At the appeal, the Superior Court overturned his conviction based on the inaccurate blood test reporting by the hospital. Our client received a complete acquittal.

The Importance of Science in DUI Cases

Cases like these are examples of when understanding the science behind DUI charges can make way for amazing results for our clients. Had Brian Manchester not studied the science behind blood testing and their procedures, it is very likely his client not would have been acquitted of his charges, but have been found guilty on worse charges in the first place.

If you or a loved one are facing DUI charges, contact Attorney Brian Manchester as soon as possible for a Free Strategy Session. We want to help.

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Cameron County Second Offense DUI Dismissed

Our client was charged with a second offense DUI in Cameron County. Over the past two years Brian Manchester has exposed the blood test that is done for alcohol in that county does not conform to the law. The law requires that when a less than whole blood sample is tested (plasma or serum) the test results must be converted down to a whole blood equivalent. Brian Manchester exposed this problem in two prior trials in Cameron County. The hospital reports the blood alcohol content as a whole blood test result. So a typical lawyer will just look at the test result and tell his client that he is over the limit and then get the client to plead guilty. Well Mr. Manchester is very familiar with hospital blood tests so he requested the blood testing procedures from this hospital and they showed that serum is actually tested and the results were not converted down to a whole blood equivalent.

When Defendant was charged not only did Mr. Manchester remind the prosecution of this issue he also pointed out that the blood test was likely taken over two hours after Defendant was arrested. The district attorney then dropped the DUI offense and in court tomorrow he will enter a plea to several summary game law violations.

This dismissal came about as a result of knowing how hospitals test blood, the law, and getting the data and not being satisfied with what the police say the blood test results are. If you have been charged with a DUI offense in Cameron County call Manchester and Associates right away.

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Huntingdon County Manslaughter Case Successfully Settled

Today in Huntingdon County we successfully resolved a two year old case. Our client was charged with Involuntary Homicide and Negligent Care of an Elderly Person. A conviction on the latter charge would have guaranteed a lengthy state prison sentence. These charges stem from the death of a woman who unexpectedly walked out in the middle of the night from the nursing home our client owned. From day one all of the lawyers at Manchester and Associates working as a team fought the charges. After a thorough investigation of the case and a rejection of a plea that would have put our client in jail we prepared for and was ready for trial. A jury was picked several weeks ago and this morning was to be the first day of trial. Prior to the beginning of trial the DA approached us and our client and made an offer that involved some in home detention and probation. After discussing the case with our attorney who was ready to try the case our client decided to accept this plea offer.

The resolution that came about in this case happened because of our attorney preparation and the knowledge by the District Attorney that this law firm was prepared for trial. This case once again showcases our attorney talents as a trial lawyer. If you have been charged with a violent crime such as involuntary manslaughter, homicide, or assault give us a call. Our team at Manchester and Associates will put the same effort into your case as was put into this one.