Summer is one of the best seasons. Although this summer has been pretty hot, young people don't seem to mind. School is out, and so are they!

Southwestern Pennsylvania is a wonderful place to grow up. However, here, like elsewhere, young people seem to think their options at having fun are limited. One activity that many undertake is drinking alcohol at parties with their friends. Many adults drank when they were underage. It was illegal then and it is today. Acting in a careless manner can give you a criminal offense. So, it is not surprising that underage drinking offenses increase during the summer.

There are three categories of criminal offenses in Pennsylvania: a) felonies, b) misdemeanors, c) summary offenses.

Summary offenses, while they are the least severe, can still cause you to end up with a criminal record and put a damper on your life. When charged with an offense many young people become severely depressed. This can take an entire lifetime to overcome. Many people have never been told what a summary offense is. Examples of summary offenses are underage possession of alcohol, tampering with identification of personal property, carrying a false ID, trespasses, retail theft, unlawful use of paintball guns/markers, criminal mischief and misrepresentation of age to secure alcohol. It is important to be aware of the examples listed above. If you have been charged with a summary offense, we can help. We have been representing young and not so young since 1976. If you need our services, please give us a call.