School Teacher Accused of False Report Gets ARD and Expungement
Did you know that false police reports might get you to jail in Pennsylvania?!
Yes, reporting a fake incident to the police is considered a misdemeanor of the third degree under the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes and carries a one-year prison term, along with a $2,500 fine.
Also, it becomes a misdemeanor of the second degree if you falsely implicate a person in a crime, which can result in up to 2 years of imprisonment and a $5,000 fine.
Recently, we at Logue Law Group handled a false report case and saved a woman from serving prison time! So, let’s explore this blog and see how our Pittsburgh criminal lawyers ensured such a favorable outcome.
What Was the Scenario?
So our client, a 35-year-old school teacher, was going through some personal issues with her husband, which often led to verbal confrontations.
On the day of the incident, our client (as she briefed us) got home drunk, as she had a long day at work. After she got home, she had a couple of more drinks despite her husband’s repeated objections.
Now, after the drinks got the better of our client, she suddenly felt threatened by her husband and called 911! She complained that she was feeling threatened by her husband.
However, the police understood from her voice that she was intoxicated! And knowing that a majority of such incidents turn out to be false claims, tried to repeatedly tell her to stop calling. But our client was too drunk to even think straight!
The Aftermath and the Solution
After getting sober, she realized the ruckus that she created, and also realized that the consequences might result in a prison sentence. So, she called up our Pittsburgh criminal lawyers and begged us to help her out.
And upon hearing her out, we knew that our client had to serve a prison sentence, as she herself confessed to the false allegations that she brought against her husband! She just wanted a permanent solution to this problem, as she was afraid of her reputation getting tarnished.
Therefore, our Pittsburgh criminal lawyers did what they do best. They got into the details and found out that despite the miserable personal life, our client had a successful career. She had received numerous awards for being the best teacher at her school. So, a criminal record would not just tarnish her reputation but would also cost her the job.
Therefore, the only way to save her reputation and her job was to enroll her in the ARD program. Thankfully, since this false reporting case was her first offense, she was eligible for the ARD enrolment. This was the first good thing that helped our client stay away from imprisonment and hefty fines.
But there was still one more problem- our client would still have a criminal record against her name! So, our Pittsburgh criminal lawyers came up with a great strategy. If our client completed the terms of the ARD diligently, it would make her case eligible for expungement. Which meant that our client would be free to walk away without having to carry the burden of a criminal record on her shoulders for her entire life.
If you think it through, you’ll realize that a majority of such false reports occur because of a hasty decision. However, the consequences might stay with you forever by the time you realize your mistake! So, if you happened to have filed a false report, don’t take any chances and hire our Pittsburgh criminal lawyers to protect your rights today! Call us at 412-387-6901 for a free consultation.