New Jersey Criminal Lawyers Blog

The 23rd Annual Chowderfest weekend, takes place October 1 and 2, presented by the Southern Ocean County Chamber of Commerce held at 9th Street and Taylor Avenue, in Beach Haven, Long Beach Island, New Jersey. This is the last busy weekend for visitors, locals and merchants to enjoy great food and music and have fun on Long Beach Island.

Whenever there is a large number of visitors to an event some people will be arrested for disorderly persons offenses, receive motor vehicle violations, drive drunk or commit more serious crimes. If you are arrested on Long Beach Island you need an experienced New Jersey criminal defense attorney to defend your case.

Disorderly persons offenses are a general category of offenses that can have serious consequences. If you are charged with a disorderly persons offense in Barnegat Light, Long Beach Township, Harvey Cedars, Surf City, Ship Bottom, or Beach Haven you could face up to a $1,000.00 fine, may be ordered to pay restitution, spend up to six months in jail, and pay other monetary fines and penalties. Discuss with an experienced LBI criminal defense attorney the alternatives to pleading guilty to a disorderly persons offense.

Commonly written disorderly persons offenses on Long Beach Island include:
disorderly conduct (N.J.S. 2C:33-2), trespass (N.J.S. 2C: 18-3(b)), criminal mischief (N.J.S. 2C: 17-3), simple assault (N.J.S. 2C: 12-1), fake ID (N.J.S. 2C: 28-7), underage drinking (N.J.S. 2C:33-15), possession of CDS (N.J.S. 2C:35-10), and resisting arrest (N.J.S. 2C:29-2).

The municipalities of Long Beach Island saw a combined 985 motor vehicle violations in 2010. Some commonly written motor vehicle violations in Long Beach Island include: speeding (N.J.S. 39:4-98 and N.J.S. 39:4-99), failure to yield to a traffic sign (N.J.S. 39:4-81), reckless driving (N.J.S. 39:4-96), and careless driving (N.J.S. 39:4-97). Long Beach Island also saw 123 DWI, DUI, and refusal offenses written in 2010. These offenses are extremely serious and the penalties can include loss of your driver's license, significant fines, jail time, completion of a program at an Intoxicated Driver Resource Center, and the installation of an ignition interlock device.

LBI police officers wrote numerous charges this summer for possession of fake ID, misrepresentation of age to purchase alcohol and underage drinking. The charge most commonly written falls under the New Jersey Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) laws, a Title 33 offense. More specifically, Long Beach Island Police Officers are writing a N.J.S. 33:1-81 charge to violators. The Title 33 statute makes it a punishable offense to present false identification for the purposes of obtaining alcohol (N.J.S. 33:1-81c). The penalties for a conviction include a mandatory fine of no less than $500.00 and mandatory suspension of your driver's license for 6 months.

In addition to the Fake ID charge, you may also be arrested for the disorderly persons offense of underage drinking (N.J.S. 2C: 33-15). A conviction for underage drinking carries a mandatory $500.00 fine and if you are caught consuming that alcohol in a motor vehicle, you could be facing a 6-month driver's license suspension as well. If you are convicted of both the underage drinking offense and the Fake ID offense you are facing at least $1,000.00 in fines plus other court costs and a suspension of your driver's license for 6 months. Losing your license for 6 months can be quite inconvenient. Quite simply, you will have to either rely on public transportation or others to drive you wherever you need to go.

Continue reading "Arrested in LBI (Long Beach Island)? Call an Experienced LBI Criminal Defense Attorney. " »

If you have been arrested for any disorderly persons offense in Wall, drunk driving in Wall, or have committed a more serious crime in Wall you need an experienced New Jersey criminal defense attorney that is familiar with the location where your incident took place and will work aggressively to defend your case.

Frequently charged disorderly persons offenses in Wall include: disorderly conduct (N.J.S. 2C:33-2), trespass (N.J.S. 2C: 18-3(b)), criminal mischief (N.J.S. 2C: 17-3), simple assault (N.J.S. 2C: 12-1), fake ID (N.J.S. 2C: 28-7), underage drinking (N.J.S. 2C:33-15), possession of CDS (N.J.S. 2C:35-10), and resisting arrest (N.J.S. 2C:29-2). A conviction for a disorderly persons charge can result in fines, jail-time, and in some cases payment of restitution. There are alternatives available to pleading guilty and defenses that can be argued in Wall Township Municipal Court.

There are numerous motor vehicle moving violations in Wall Township issued each day on the congested roads of the Garden State Parkway, Route 34, Route 138 and Route 35. Some common moving violations in Wall include: speeding (N.J.S. 39:4-98 and N.J.S. 39:4-99), failure to yield to a traffic sign (N.J.S. 39:4-81), reckless driving (N.J.S. 39:4-96), and careless driving (N.J.S. 39:4-97). There were over 350 DWI, DUI and refusals in Wall in 2010. Talk to an experienced Wall criminal lawyer about the circumstances of your motor vehicle violation or drunk driving charge before going to Wall Municipal Court.

Continue reading "Arrested in Wall Township? Call an Experienced Wall Criminal Defense Attorney." »

If you have been arrested for any disorderly persons offense in Brick, drunk driving in Brick, or have committed a more serious crime in Brick you need an experienced New Jersey criminal defense attorney that is familiar with the location where your incident took place and will work aggressively to defend your case.

Frequently charged disorderly persons offenses in Brick include: disorderly conduct (N.J.S. 2C:33-2), trespass (N.J.S. 2C: 18-3(b)), criminal mischief (N.J.S. 2C: 17-3), simple assault (N.J.S. 2C: 12-1), fake ID (N.J.S. 2C: 28-7), underage drinking (N.J.S. 2C:33-15), possession of CDS (N.J.S. 2C:35-10), and resisting arrest (N.J.S. 2C:29-2). A conviction for a disorderly persons charge can result in fines, jail-time, and in some cases payment of restitution. There are alternatives available to pleading guilty and defenses that can be argued.

In 2010, there were an estimated 4,000 motor vehicle moving violations in Brick. Some common moving violations in Brick include: speeding (N.J.S. 39:4-98 and N.J.S. 39:4-99), failure to yield to a traffic sign (N.J.S. 39:4-81), reckless driving (N.J.S. 39:4-96), and careless driving (N.J.S. 39:4-97). There were over 300 DWI, DUI and refusals in Brick in 2010. Talk to an experienced Brick criminal lawyer about the circumstances of your motor vehicle violation or drunk driving charge before going to court.

Continue reading "Arrested In Brick? Call An Experienced Brick Criminal Defense Attorney. " »

New Jersey law enforcement officers, including local police officers and State Troopers, have a goal of preventing drunk driving in New Jersey during the last days of summer. The New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety is utilizing the Drunk Driving- Over the Limit, Under Arrest and the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaigns. From August 19 through September 5 many local and state law enforcement officers will be conducting field sobriety checkpoints.

The U.S. Supreme Court in 1990 (Michigan v. Sitz) upheld the constitutionality of sobriety checkpoints. The Court held that the interest in reducing alcohol-impaired driving was sufficient to justify the brief intrusion of a sobriety checkpoint. If conducted properly, sobriety checkpoints do not constitute illegal search and seizure in most states. Click here for further information of sobriety checkpoints.

Penalties for a first offense DWI in New Jersey can include loss of your driver's license from 7 months to 1 year, a fine of up to $500.00, 12 to 48 hours of detainment and/or counseling as prescribed by the Intoxicated Driver Resource Center, up to 30 days in jail, mandatory installation of an Ignition Interlock Device, and other fines and penalties. An experienced New Jersey DWI criminal defense attorney may uncover possible defenses to your case to minimize the penalties you are facing.

Due to the fact that no New Jersey DWI, New Jersey DUI, or New Jersey refusal case has the same set of facts, an experienced New Jersey DWI attorney, will take the time to discuss and review with you:
• The circumstances that permitted the stop;
• The tests the police conducted to determine if you were intoxicated;
• The specific results of the breathalyzer, Alcotest®, or blood test that the State will use against you;
• The adherence by the police to the strict procedures necessary to sustain a valid blood alcohol content (BAC) reading;
• The possible fines and penalties you may be sentenced to if convicted of a New Jersey DWI, DUI, or refusal;
• The possible suspension of your New Jersey or other state's driver's license;
• The possible installation of an ignition interlock device in your vehicle;
• The possibility of being sentenced to jail;
• The determination of whether the use of expert witnesses would be a benefit in defending your case;
• The review of all possible defenses and mitigating factors to obtain the best result.

Continue reading "New Jersey Drunk Driving Crackdown! If You Are Arrested For Drunking Driving In New Jersey Call An Experienced NJ DWI Lawyer." »