Lawyer Charged With Disorderly Conduct

A lawyer has been charged with disorderly conduct after allegedly swearing and raising his arm to a Lehigh County deputy district attorney outside the office of .

David A. Nicholls, 62, who resides on Kris Drive in South Whitehall and has an office in downtown Allentown, was mailed a summons last week on the misdemeanor charge, according to a release from the Lehigh County District Attorney's office.

Nicholls alleged Monday that the deputy district attorney had engaged in prosecutorial misconduct by trying to prevent him from representing his client and entering the courtroom. "I was furious, absolutely," he said.

The arrest affidavit states that Nicholls and Lehigh County deputy district attorney Juliet L. Dowling were at Hammond's office in South Whitehall on Aug. 19 to attend a hearing on an alleged domestic violence case. The two were standing outside the court when Nicholls allegedly screamed, used profanity and pointed his finger at Dowling, the release said.

South Whitehall officer Andrew Gardo told Nicholls to calm down but he allegedly continued to scream, according to the affidavit, the release says.

Nicholls said he and Dowling had harsh words because she physically tried to prevent him from going into the courtroom with his client. He said she doesn't make the call as to whether he had a conflict of interest, which he said he didn't.

Nicholls said he can't stop those in the district attorney's office from making the accusations against him. "They have all the power," he said. "They're never going to admit they're wrong."