Got Cited For Trespass By Motor Vehicle In Pa (butler County) And Not Sure How To Fight It Location : Pa

I’m an Uber Eats driver and had a really scary situation during a delivery in Mars, PA (Butler County).

I was delivering Walmart orders to a customer. The GPS directed me to a driveway on the wooded side of the property, so I entered from there.

As soon as I pulled in, the homeowner came out with dogs and a firearm. I was scared and immediately explained multiple times that I was delivering his order.

He approached me with a flashlight and said things like “you’re lucky I didn’t shoot you,” then told me to leave immediately and use the other driveway.

While trying to leave quickly and reverse out, I accidentally ran over a very small plant.

He continued to act aggressively, so I went to the other entrance of the property as directed. He followed me there and repeatedly demanded my ID, asked about my ethnicity and whether I was a citizen. I was scared, so I gave my ID and he recorded it and my license plate.

I then completed the delivery and unloaded all the items (around 100 items).

Later, I received a citation for:

• Trespass by motor vehicle

• Property damage (summary offense)

Total fine is around $666.

I had no intention of trespassing and was simply following GPS directions for an active delivery. I also tried to leave immediately when told to do so.

I have already reported the incident to Uber.

My questions:

• Should I plead not guilty?

• How serious are these types of citations in Pennsylvania?

• Does the fact that I was making a delivery help my case?

• Should I consult a lawyer, or is that unnecessary?

Any advice would really help. I’ve never experienced anything like this before.

Location: PENNSYLVANIA