Public Drunkenness and Travel Sports Team Parents
If you’re a travel sports parent, you’re well aware of how hectic an out-of-town sporting event can be. After all the chaos of packing, family travel, navigating an unfamiliar city, and getting your kids to their events on time, most parents relax in the evening with drinks.
If you end up being cited for public drunkenness while you’re out of town at a travel sporting event, contacting a defense lawyer is the best way to minimize the legal consequences.
Parental Alcohol Consumption During Travel Sporting Events
Youth travel sports teams are a popular activity. Travel sports allow families to see new cities and celebrate the accomplishments of youth athletes. Parents who travel for youth sports often become friends with other parents. In the evenings, it’s common for teen athletes to hang out together in the hotel while parents enjoy some adult fun.
Travel sports team parents often enjoy exploring the nightlife in new cities or celebrating the team’s accomplishments at hotel bars or by having drinks in their rooms.
Since travel sports celebrations occur in public places, there’s a risk of being arrested or cited for public drunkenness. This is never a welcome experience, but it brings additional challenges when you’re visiting with an out-of-town or out-of-state sports team.
Out-of-Town Sports and Citations for Public Drunkenness in Pennsylvania
Every state sets its own laws for dealing with public drunkenness. Many states automatically arrest someone for being visibly intoxicated in public. In Pennsylvania, there are a few options for how a police officer might handle a public drunkenness complaint.
If the police are called to the hotel where your travel sports team is staying, it’s possible for you to be arrested and taken to jail. However, this is usually the outcome only in cases where the officer believes you’re a danger to yourself or others or you’ve committed additional crimes, like DUI.
In most cases, public drunkenness in PA results in a citation. Under Pennsylvania law, public drunkenness is classified as a summary offense. This is a less serious offense than a misdemeanor and typically only results in a fine, but it potentially can carry a jail sentence of up to 90 days in addition to a $500 fine.
Fighting a PA Public Drunkenness Citation
If you’ve been served a public drunkenness citation in Pennsylvania while traveling with an out-of-town sports team, you have a few options for how to proceed. If this is your first offense, you’re facing a fine of $500. If you’ve been cited for public drunkenness in PA before, a second or third offense brings a fine of $1,000.
Even if you don’t mind paying the fine, a summary offense is still a criminal offense that appears on your criminal record. Your alternative is to fight the citation by attending a court hearing.
PA laws on public drunkenness are quite vague. The wording of the law states that you can be cited simply for annoying the people around you. When you involve a defense lawyer, there’s a good chance of getting the citation dropped.
Speak With a Pennsylvania Defense Lawyer
You don’t have to accept the consequences of a Pennsylvania citation for public drunkenness just because you were celebrating on a travel sports trip. Calling a Pennsylvania criminal defense lawyer allows you to avoid costly fines and keeps your criminal record clear.
