Commonwealth v. Vida

Appellant, Francis Vida, appeals from the Order of May 21, 1997 which denied his writ of certiorari to the Common Pleas Court. Following his Municipal Court convictions of criminal mischief,1 and possessing instruments of crime,2 he was sentenced to one (1) year probation, two hundred (200) hours of community service and costs. On appeal, we address, inter alia, a recent amendment to the criminal statute of Possessing an Instrument of Crime (PIC). 18 Pa.C.SA. § 907.

Police observed appellant use a white paint stick to paint the letters “C-A-D-E” on a public lamp pole on the street in…