Michael Winters was recently appointed by President Judge David L. Ashworth to serve as a Juvenile Court Hearing Officer in Lancaster County. Juvenile Court Hearing Officers have the authority to preside over detention hearings, detention review hearings, and...
You Have A Right To Remain Silent. Before You Decide To Talk, Call Mike Winters.

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Was that wrong? Should I have not done that? I tell you I gotta plead ignorance on this thing because if anyone had said anything to me at all when I first started here that that sort of thing was frowned upon ….
The PA Superior Court has held that when a female exposes her breasts to inmates at a county jail from the street below their cell windows, her public, sexually explicit misconduct violates the open-lewdness statute. Elisabell Berrios received a call from her...
You can only drive with an IID. What about your company car?
Generally, people who are charged with drunk driving (DUI or DWI) don’t have to tell their boss or anyone at work if they don’t want to. But, if you have to drive as part of your job (beyond driving to and from work), you will need to tell your boss because you will...
Locked up? Avoid these mistakes that could undermine your defense.
Some people get arrested and may find themselves in custody for hours before a judge arraigns them. The type of charge and timing of one's arrest will affect the length pf time they are in custody. While in custody, a person will understandably focus on getting out of...
2 things to do if you are stopped on suspicion of drunk driving
Driving after you have had a drink is not necessarily a criminal offense. Although it is best not to drink anything before driving, the law does not explicitly prohibit it for most people. Driving after imbibing a sufficient amount of alcohol to render you incapable...
What evidence can be suppressed in a DUI case?
When evidence is suppressed, the prosecution mayl not use it during a trial. This can happen when a judge grants a motion to suppress filed by the defense team. Evidence can be suppressed for various reasons, from violations of your constitutional rights to mistakes...
GPS DATA IS NOT HEARSAY
The PA Supreme Court has held that GPS data, compiled from a GPS monitoring device on a parolee, is not hearsay because it does not constitute a statement made by a declarant, as outlined in Rule 801, as it is not an assertion (or the nonverbal conduct) of a person....
3 points to remember about Miranda rights
The United States Constitution provides individuals in this country with specific rights. The first 10 Amendments are known as the Bill of Rights. The Fifth Amendment outlines certain rights for people who are being interrogated by the police. The Supreme Court...
Why juveniles are more susceptible to police lies than adults
You may assume that if you’re being interrogated by a police officer about suspected criminal activity, they have to tell you the truth. That’s not the case. In all 50 states, it’s legal for law enforcement officers to lie to suspects. They often do this to elicit...
JUVENILE COURT LACKED JURISDICTION TO ADJUDICATE JUVENILE DELINQUENT FOR CORRUPTION OF MINORS
The Pa. Superior Court recently reversed and vacated the adjudication of the juvenile, J.C., for Corruption of Minors (COM), holding that where a crime under the law of this Commonwealth requires the perpetrator be an adult, such an offense cannot be deemed a...