A ZLF client was charged with two separate cases in Indiana County, Pennsylvania. The first case was for Drug Possession. The second case was for Contraband and Drug Possession. Essentially, the client was arrested for the first case and notified members of law enforcement that narcotics were located in a pant pocket. Thereafter, the client was transported to the jail where additional narcotics were found in the same pant pocket. As a result of the second search that occurred in the jail, the client was charged with Contraband, a 2nd Degree Felony, and Drug Possession, a 1st-Degree Misdemeanor. Both offenses carried a maximum sentence of up to 13 years in jail.

At the preliminary hearing, the firm was successfully able to convince the District Attorney’s office that the client should have never been charged with Contraband in the first place, as there was no evidence to establish that drugs were being smuggled into the county jail. Specifically, had law enforcement thoroughly searched the client during the initial arrest, no drugs would have been found at the county jail. As a result, all charges at the second case were withdrawn, allowing the client to avoid a felony conviction without the time and expense of trial.