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Robbery Defense Attorneys in Easton Pennsylvania, Serving Lehigh & Northampton County
Our Robbery Defense Attorneys Represent Defendants in Allentown, Bethlehem & Easton and throughout the Greater Lehigh Valley
Our Violent Crime & Theft Criminal Defense Attorneys have represented numerous individuals charged with Robbery in Easton, Allentown, Bethlehem & the Greater Lehigh Valley. We have successfully had Lehigh & Northampton County Robbery charges evaluated for grading, proof, and available defenses.
In Pennsylvania, Robbery is a felony and can carry a sentence of up to 20 years in prison.
Robbery is essentially a taking of property, from another, by force or threat of force. The amount of force used or threatened will determine how the robbery is graded. Most simple purse snatchings should be graded as a third degree felony while robberies involving the threat of serious injury may be graded as 1st degree felonies.
Two common defenses to robbery are misidentification and disputing the level of threat or force used. Often there is no suspect caught on the scene during a robbery and the state must rely on identifications made by the victim. Contrary to popular belief, eyewitness identification is a relatively unreliable form of evidence. This is especially true when the identifier is also the victim of a crime.
Although the slightest threat or amount of force may create a robbery, the extent of that force or threat has a dramatic impact on the grading of the offense and thus the severity of sentencing. Even if the state can prove that a defendant has a committed a robbery they may be overcharging and subjecting that person to a harsher sentence than he or she should be liable for.
Our Criminal Defense Attorneys in Easton, Pennsylvania are here to help. Call now if you, or a loved one, are facing Robbery charges.
Our Approach to Defending Robbery Charges in the Lehigh Valley
Early Intervention & Aggressive Robbery Defense
Early Retention of a Lehigh Valley Criminal Defense Attorney Can Be an Important Step in Defending Criminal Charges in Easton, Allentown & Bethlehem
When at all possible we want to be involved in a Lehigh or Northampton County Robbery case as early as possible. As time passes, memories fade or distort and witnesses may become harder and harder to track down. Security camera footage in Allentown, Bethlehem or Easton may be overwritten and cell phone records may be destroyed. early contact may provide more time to preserve evidence and prepare. When at all possible, we prefer to be involved in an Robbery case, prior to the Preliminary Hearing in order to maximize our ability to defend against the Robbery charges.
Robbery Law in Easton, Pennsylvania
Below you can find the Pennsylvania Robbery Statute
Robbery - 18 Pa. Cons. Stat. § 3701
Robbery - 18 Pa. Cons. Stat. § 3701
(a) Offense defined.--
(1) A person is guilty of robbery if, in the course of
committing a theft, he:
(i) inflicts serious bodily injury upon another;
(ii) threatens another with or intentionally puts
him in fear of immediate serious bodily injury;
(iii) commits or threatens immediately to commit any
felony of the first or second degree;
(iv) inflicts bodily injury upon another or
threatens another with or intentionally puts him in fear
of immediate bodily injury; or
(v) physically takes or removes property from the
person of another by force however slight.
(2) An act shall be deemed "in the course of committing
a theft" if it occurs in an attempt to commit theft or in
flight after the attempt or commission.
(b) Grading.--Robbery under subsection (a)(1)(iv) is a
felony of the second degree; robbery under subsection (a)(1)(v)
is a felony of the third degree; otherwise, it is a felony of
the first degree.
Criminal Court Process In Lehigh & Northampton County
A brief explanation of the different court hearings in Lehigh & Northampton County
Filing of Charges
A criminal case begins with the filing of the charging paperwork in the District Court. The District Court serves as the gatekeeper for the Court of Common Pleas and generally does not decide guilt or innocence nor does it impose sentences in Misdemeanor and Felony cases.
Under Pa.R.Crim.P. 509, a warrant is required when a felony or murder is charged and in specified circumstances such as reasonable grounds to believe the defendant will ignore a summons or poses a threat. A summons is ordinarily required when the most serious charge is a second-degree misdemeanor or a first-degree-misdemeanor DUI, absent those exceptions. Other cases—including many non-DUI first-degree misdemeanors—may fall within the issuing authority’s discretion. The actual charge, release status, service history, and case-specific facts control.
Preliminary Arraignment
The Preliminary Arraignment is the first court date a defendant must attend. At the preliminary Arraignment the MDJ will set bail. If an arrest warrant has issued, this will occur prior to the preliminary hearing. If a preliminary hearing was scheduled via summons, the Preliminary Arraignment will occur simultaneous to the Preliminary Hearing.
Preliminary Hearing
Preliminary Hearings are the first opportunity for the Defense to test the evidence the Commonwealth plans to bring against them. While the burden the Commonwealth must meet at this level is very low, it is a critical stage of the defense because it allows for the opportunity to lay the strategic groundwork that may make or break a defense in the upper courts. You should never waive a preliminary hearing without an attorney.
Formal Arraignment
Formal Arraignment is the first court appearance in the Court of Common Pleas. The purpose of the Formal Arraignment is to inform defendants of certain rights they have and deadlines in their case. If negotiations have led to a favorable plea agreement in your case, a plea may be entered at this court date
Pre-Trial Motions & Hearings
Depending on the individual case, any of the following types of court hearings may occur after preliminary arraignment but before a trial:
• Diversionary Program Hearing – A diversionary program may permit an eligible person to complete court-ordered conditions without a conviction if admitted and completed successfully. ARD and treatment-court eligibility are governed by statute, current county criteria, prosecutorial discretion, and court approval; prior history may affect eligibility.
• Habeas Corpus Hearing – A Habeas Corpus hearing, like a preliminary hearing, may be held to contest the sufficiency of the Commonwealth’s evidence prior to a trial.
• Suppression Hearing – A suppression hearing may be held to have evidence illegally obtained by the police ruled inadmissible at trial.
• Guilty Plea – If the Commonwealth and the defendant agree upon the terms of a guilty plea, a plea may occur at any time throughout the criminal court process
Criminal Trial
Whether a criminal trial is heard by a jury or by a judge depends on the grading, the right to a jury, any valid waiver, the court’s approval where required, and case-specific strategy. The decision should follow review of the charge, likely evidence, available defenses, and procedural rules—not a generalized assumption about emotion.
If the case proceeds as a jury trial the judge, the prosecutor and the defense attorney will question potential jurors. Each side, without any justification, can eliminate a certain number of jurors. Another number of potential jurors can be eliminated based on a list of legal justifications. Eventually, through this process, a jury is reached and seated for trial.
After a jury is chosen, the trial begins with opening statements.
Because the government has the burden of proof, the prosecutor is allowed to make his opening statement first. The defense will then have the option of making an opening statement or waiting until after the prosecution rests its case.
Defense lawyers usually opt to deliver opening statements immediately after the prosecution so that jurors can examine the government’s evidence under the defense’s theory of the case.
After the opening statement(s), each side has the opportunity to present its case.
The prosecution must present its case first. During this time the government presents evidence and elicits testimony from its witnesses. The defense is entitled to cross-examine each witness that the government calls. The prosecution must establish each charge beyond a reasonable doubt.
When the prosecution rests, the defense presents evidence to the jury. If the prosecution’s case is weak, the defense may argue to have the case dismissed at this point. If the motion is denied the defense will move forward with its case.
After the presentation of evidence concludes, the parties may make closing arguments. The order of argument and any rebuttal follow the applicable rules and the court’s directions.
The defendant may testify as a witness in his or her defense. However, doing so opens the door for the prosecution to attempt to discredit the witness and in many cases allows the prosecution to bring up harmful information from the defendant’s past.
While the prosecution must establish its case beyond a reasonable doubt, the defense has no obligation to present a case. When advantageous, the defense may rely solely upon raising a reasonable doubt in the prosecution’s case.
After the closing arguments, the judge will read specific instructions to the jury outlining the legal standards necessary to decide if the defendant is to be found guilty or not guilty. The jury then leaves the courtroom to deliberate the case.
If the jurors cannot reach a unanimous verdict, the court may declare a mistrial. A hung jury does not automatically dismiss the charges; subject to constitutional limits and later court rulings, the prosecution may seek a new trial or may decide not to retry the case.
