Manchester and Associates

Pennsylvania Criminal & DUI Defense

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Not Guilty of Aggravated Assault

On May 15, 2014 Manchester and Associates Law Firm received a total not guilty verdict in Centre County. Defendant was charged with Aggravated Assault, Simple Assault, and Reckless Endangerment. Aggravated Assault is a first-degree felony punishable by a maximum of twenty years in state prison. The minimum sentencing range is 4-5.5 years in state prison. Aggravated Assault is one step below murder.

After a day long trial and after exposing the weaknesses of the government’s case and the victim’s changing story of what happened the jury completely acquitted Defendant of all charges.

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Union County Synthetic Marijuana Case Successfully Settled

On Thursday attorney Brian Manchester settled a synthetic marijuana case for probation. Defendant owned two stores. One was in Centre County and one was in Union County. The government alleged that Defendant was selling synthetic marijuana, also known as K2, Spice, or fake pot, from his stores in Centre County and Union County. His stores were raided in February and May of 2012. Some of the alleged substances were XLR-11 and UR-144 which the government claimed were analogues of JWH-018.

Attorney Brian Manchester assembled a team of top scientists in the field and filed several scientific motions over the past two years. These hearings exposed the position of the government’s scientist. A five day trial was scheduled to begin on June 10, 2014. After the jury was picked Mr. Manchester discussed the case with the District Attorney and pointed out the issues that they would face in trying the case. This led to an offer of probation of no more than five years with the Defendant able to argue for less. A plea was entered last Thursday for sentencing in July.

The initial offer in this case was jail. This case was investigated by the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office. Initially there were less than a dozen charges filed against Defendant. However, the Attorney General’s office designated this as a high profile case and at the preliminary hearing almost 30 more charges were added including Corrupt Organizations, Money Laundering, Designer Drugs, and Non-Controlled Substance charges.

Charges involving synthetic marijuana are complex. The science involved is complex. If you are charged with possessing or distributing synthetic marijuana, Spice, K2, bath salts, or any other synthetic or designer drug contact the law firm of Manchester and Associates. This firm regularly handles synthetic drug cases across the state of Pennsylvania and has consulted on cases in other states.

Filed Under: DUI

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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.

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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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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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DUI Defense Law Blog

Manchester & Associates – Aggressive Criminal Attorneys

The criminal defense law firm of Manchester & Associates defends criminal cases throughout the State of Pennsylvania. At Manchester and Associates, we understand when people find themselves accused or charged with a crime, they have numerous questions about the PA judicial system. We also understand how people can feel stressed or anxious and even depressed when criminal legal situations occur.

Commitment | Quick Response | Knowledge

Why do our clients choose us? For our Commitment, Quick Response, and Knowledge. The experienced PA criminal lawyers at Manchester and Associates are committed to vigorously defending you. We will respond quickly to answer your initial questions and will continue to keep you informed as the case progresses. Our knowledge of the Pennsylvania Criminal Law and real world experience earned from representing thousands of people charged with criminal offenses, will help reduce any anxiety, stress and depression you may experience.

Filed Under: DUI