My question involves criminal law for the state of: PENNSYLVANIA
I was arrested for DUI in the state of PA. I went to my Preliminary Hearing, and the officer has a number of other charges tacked on with my DUI charge. In the Police report, He cited these other charges (disregard traffic control device, Careless driving, driving at safe speed, Failure to use seatbelt). My question is; Every other charge was dismissed at the preliminary hearing except the DUI. Is it legal to use other lesser charges to warrant a "lead charge" of dui and then dismiss the charges that granted the officer probable cause or even reasonable suspicion? I'm not a lawyer, and I haven't really had any one of authority explain this to me. It would seem to me that if the lesser charges that led to and gave reason for the traffic stop and held as probable cause were dismissed, then shouldn't the charge resulting from the dismissed charges also be dismissed? Seeing as how the latter charge could not have been probable or reasonable if the lesser ones were not? Please don't bite my head off, I'm just trying to understand this.
Thanks.
Casper

