Lancaster County DUI & Criminal Defense Lawyer
Lancaster County mixes a busy small city, tourist corridors and miles of farm roads. All of it runs through the courthouse on North Duke Street.
Getting arrested in Lancaster County
Lancaster County has 60 municipalities. The City of Lancaster has its own police bureau, larger townships like Manheim Township and East Lampeter have their own departments, and the Pennsylvania State Police cover much of the rural county.
Stops are common on Route 30, Route 222, Route 283 and the Turnpike, and on the tourist stretch of Route 30 east of the city. On rural roads, officers often cite reasons like drifting over the line or wide turns. Those calls are worth checking against dash-cam video.
What happens next
People held after arrest are taken to Lancaster County Prison until bail is set. Otherwise, the case starts with a summons and a preliminary hearing at a magisterial district court. Cases held for court go to the Lancaster County Court of Common Pleas downtown.
Lancaster County has its own ARD program and its own approach to first offenses, so advice from someone used to Philadelphia-area courts does not always apply. We prepare the ARD application where it fits, and challenge the stop and the testing where it does not.
What is different about Lancaster County
- Rural State Police stops can involve long distances to a hospital for blood testing, which affects timing issues.
- Students at Franklin & Marshall, Millersville and Elizabethtown College face school consequences on top of court.
- Visitors stopped while passing through still have to come back to Lancaster for court, so it helps to keep trips to a minimum.
You work directly with attorney John Gentry from the first call to the last court date. Your case is not handed off to someone you have never met.
Lancaster County Courthouse
Where: 50 North Duke Street, Lancaster, PA 17602
Police: Lancaster City Bureau of Police; township departments; PA State Police
Common stops: Route 30, Route 222, Route 283, PA Turnpike
Calls answered Mon–Fri, 9am–6:30pm; after-hours by appointment
John Gentry, Esq.500+ criminal and DUI cases · Licensed since 2007
Communities we cover in Lancaster County
Charges we defend in Lancaster County
Lancaster County questions we hear often
Charged in Lancaster County? Talk to us first.
The consultation is free and confidential.
Calls answered Mon–Fri, 9am–6:30pm; after-hours by appointment
You'll talk to John Gentry, not a call center