Villanova Criminal Defense Attorney

If you have been charged with committing a crime in Villanova, Pennsylvania, you need to make sure that you are represented by an experienced Villanova criminal defense attorney who will fight for you in court. Attorney Evan J. Kelly is death penalty-qualified and a former Chester County assistant district attorney who will aggressively represent your interests. Villanova criminal lawyer Evan Kelly is a graduate of Villanova Law School and was recently named one of the top 10 Criminal Defense Lawyers in the eastern portion of Pennsylvania by the National Academy of Criminal Defense Lawyers. Mr. Kelly was also named one of the top 10 Criminal Defense Attorneys in Pennsylvania for both 2014 and 2015 by the American Institute of Legal Counsel.

Experienced College Criminal Attorney In Villanova

Villanova is a community in Radnor Township. Portions of Villanova lie in both Delaware County and Montgomery County. Villanova is also home to Villanova University, which was founded in approximately 1842 and has approximately 10,000 students.

Villanova students are known for frequenting Villanova and Ardmore bars on Lancaster Avenue. While traveling to and from these bars and other establishments, college students can become a target for officers working for the Radnor Police Department and Lower Merion Police Department.

If you are a Villanova student and you are accused of a crime, contact the Villanova criminal attorneys at Bellwoar Kelly, LLP. Bellwoar Kelly, LLP handles such charges as DUI, simple assault, recklessly endangering another person, disorderly conduct, harassment, aggravated assault, burglary, criminal trespass, possession of marijuana, possession of cocaine and other similar charges.

Underage Drinking Charges

One of the most frequent crimes Villanova students are charged with is underage drinking. Although there is no crime in the Pennsylvania Criminal Code called underage drinking, its equivalent is purchase, consumption, possession or transportation of liquor or malt or brewed beverages. To be found guilty of this crime, the government must prove the following criminal elements beyond a reasonable doubt:

1) That the accused is less than 21 years of age

2) That the accused attempted to purchase, purchased, consumed, possessed or knowingly and intentionally transported any liquor or malt or brewed beverages

It is important to note that frequently, officers will ask the accused to submit to a portable breath test (PBT) to see if he or she has been drinking. Despite the fact that police officers use PBTs, results obtained from these tests are not admissible in court as a result of a recent decision by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.

Underage Drinking Penalties

Pennsylvania penalizes underage drinking in the following ways:

A first offense carries a fine of up to $300 and a jail sentence of up to 90 days. The primary penalty for a conviction for underage drinking is the automatic loss of driving privileges for 90 days.

The penalties are even steeper for those found guilty of underage drinking a second time. The sentence for a second underage drinking conviction includes a fine up to $500 and a jail sentence of up to 90 days. A second offense also carries an automatic license suspension of one year.

For those facing a third or higher conviction for underage drinking, penalties include a $500 fine, 90 days in jail and an automatic license suspension of two years.

Villanova Disciplinary Hearings

When a college student is charged with or convicted of a crime, the penalties he or she faces are not only those levied by law enforcement. Many colleges, including Villanova University, have their own proceedings for punishing students accused or convicted of crimes. The penalties and procedures for these disciplinary hearings are very different from those encountered in criminal proceedings. Specifically, unlike criminal proceedings, in college disciplinary proceedings, all rules and rights are governed by the applicable college handbook and the contract that students enter into with the school when they gain admittance to the university. At schools such as Villanova, for instance, an attorney is permitted to help a student prepare a case, such as opening and closing statements, but the lawyer is not permitted to participate directly in the hearing. Accordingly, all students at universities such as Villanova should be aware of the collateral consequences of criminal charges.

Villanova Sex Crime Attorney

One of the most series charges a Villanova student can face is a sex crime charge such as rape or sexual assault. Both charges are felonies punishable by 15 to 20 years in prison. If you are charged with any type of sex crime, it is imperative that you retain the services of a Villanova criminal attorney to represent you. Besides significant prison sentences, convictions for crimes such as indecent assault, sexual assault and rape carry mandatory reporting requirements under Megan’s Law.

At Bellwoar Kelly, LLP, we handle the following types of cases:

• Rape
• Date rape
• Spousal rape
• Sexual assault
• Involuntary deviant sexual intercourse (IDSI)
• Child sexual abuse
• Molestation
• Internet sex crimes
• Child pornography
• Internet solicitation

Every case is different so it’s important to set up a meeting with an attorney as soon as possible to go over the facts of your situation. Call 610-314-7066 to contact Bellwoar Kelly, LLP.