2014 Criminal Results

2014 – Superior Court: The Police arrested an individual for the burglary of a church. In order to get out going to jail, the burglar agreed to set up his alleged drug dealer who supposedly was going to buy a tv stolen in the burglary. The police set up a meet and were told that a runner who worked for the dealer would be a black male operating a black or dark colored SUV. The police spotted the Client in a vehicle matching the description and approached the car and called the contact number they had for the dealer. When the Client’s phone rang they arrested him. The officer smelled marijuana coming from the car and the Client handed it over along with a large amount of money in his pocket. After being arrested and taken to the police department, a search found 50 bags of heroin in the Client’s underwear. Client was charged with 2C:35-10A(1), Possession of CDS Heroin and 2C:35-10A(4) Possession of Marijuana under 50g. The Heroin charge was an indictable and client who had numerous prior felony convictions and had served prison time was facing five (5) years in State Prison.

Result: Attorney determined that Client had a drug problem and in fact had smoked marijuana every day since he was 13. Despite his prior terms in State Prison he had never received any drug treatment. Attorney had Client apply for Drug Court and he was accepted. Client is receiving drug treatment and did not receive any prison time.

2014 – Municipal Court: Client became very intoxicated at a bar and called a cab to take him home. When the client entered the cab, he refused to give the cab driver his address, but just told the driver the general way to head. After the taxi driver insisted that the Client give an exact address, the Client became irate and began yelling obscenities and climbed over the seat and began punching the female driver in the side of the head. The Client had a history of alcohol dependence, but had been sober for an extended period of time until the relapse that led to this incident. Client was charged with 2C:12-1A Assault and 2C:33-2(a)(2) Public Intoxication and was facing up to 6 months in the County Jail.

Result: Following the attorney’s recommendation, client began seeing a psychologist and was successfully coping with his addiction through therapy and Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. Client reimbursed the victim for her medical bills and with the victim’s concurrence a plea was reached for dismissal of all criminal charges. Client pled guilty to a township ordnance and paid $1,039 in court fines and fees.

2014 – Superior Court: Client walked into local liquor store to buy a six pack of beer. While paying at the register the clerk opened the register to put the money away and the client pushed him back from the register, stole the money out of it, and fled. Client was identified on the store surveillance tape (which was put up on You Tube by the store clerk).

Client was charged with 2C:20-3A, Theft by unlawful taking or Disposition, and 2C:15-1A(1), Robbery by force, a Crime of the 1st Degree with a potential prison sentence of 20 years.

Result: A plea agreement was reached where the client pled guilty to Fourth Degree Theft, and was given fines and penalties only. Client had severe alcohol dependency issues and had entered into an Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP). He was assessed $145 in court fines and fees and required to pay $800 in restitution and not return to the store in question.

2014 – Monmouth Superior Court: Client was pulled over for a motor vehicle stop for 39:4-98 Speeding (60 in a 40 mph zone), 39:4-81 Failure to Observe Red Signal, and 39:4-96 Reckless Driving. During the motor vehicle stop the Officer saw what he believed to be marijuana in the vehicle and requested to do a search of the vehicle, which the Client consented to. During the search the Client was found to be in possession of a loaded hypodermic needle, a bag of heroin, and a prescription drug. She was subsequently placed under arrest. Client was charged with the above motor vehicle offenses, 39:4-49.1 Possession of a CDS in a motor vehicle, 2C:35-10(a)(1) Possession of Heroin, 2C:35-10.5(E)(1) Possession of Prescription Legend Drug, and 2C:36-6 Possession of Paraphernalia. The drug charges were indictable and client was facing up to five (5) years State Prison and fines of $35,000.00.

Result: Attorney appeared with client in the Monmouth County PIP (Plea Indictment Plea) Court. This is a Superior Court appearance in which favorable deals can often be worked out. A plea agreement was reached where the Client would plead guilty to 2C:36-6 Possession of Drug Paraphernalia and be granted a Conditional Discharge. The motor vehicle charges, except 39:4-81 Failure to Observe Red Signal, would be dismissed along with the additional drug related charges 2C:35-10(a)(1) and 2C:35-10.5(E)(1). A Conditional Discharge means that the client will be put on probation for a 1 year period. If during that period no new criminal charges are received and the client does not fail a drug test, then a Not Guilty finding will be entered on the criminal charge and the Client will not have any record of a criminal conviction.

2014 – Municipal Court: Client is a long-haul truck driver and out of state resident who had been granted a Conditional Discharge on a matter in New Jersey. As a long-haul truck driver client spent most of his time away from home and did not always receive his mail. A letter from the Probation Department asking for drug testing (as required by the Conditional Discharge) was not received. Probation issued a violation and the matter was scheduled for a hearing before the Municipal Court Judge to determine if the CD would be terminated and the client subjected to criminal penalties and the client was facing a criminal conviction which would result in the loss of his job as well as up to 6 months in jail.

Result: Attorney discovered that client had been subjected to random urine testing as part of his employment as a truck driver. Attorney obtained those results (which were negative) and appeared before the Court (without the client who was out of state) and as a result the Judge re-instated the Conditional Discharge, declared it to be successfully completed, and entered a Not Guilty finding as to the criminal charges.

2014 – Superior Court: Client who had an extensive record with over 20 felony convictions paid a matrimonial attorney with checks written on a closed account. The attorney filed a bad check complaint and due to the amount of the checks was charged with an indictable criminal offense with a plea offer of four (4) years State Prison from the Prosecutor.

Result: Attorney learned that client was suffering from an alcohol issue that had never been treated and applied Client to Drug Court. Client was accepted and received alcohol treatment instead of prison. In lieu of the four years in State Prison, Client was accepted into Drug Court where she will serve five years probation. Client was assessed fines of $115 plus over $11,000 in restitution.

2014 – Superior Court: Police were dispatched to a apartment to investigate the report of an accidental discharge of a firearm resulting in a bullet going through a window in a building next door. Client’s mother told police that the gun involved was a legally registered family member’s vintage gun. After investigating, the police determined the shot was not consistent with the vintage gun. They learned that the Client and his girlfriend were having an argument and the Client pulled out an automatic and threatened to kill himself. The police recovered the weapon from the Client’s guitar case in the trunk of the mother’s car and obtained a ballistic match on the bullet recovered from the nearby apartment. Client was charged with 2C:39-5B, unlawful possession of a handgun, 2C:39-4A, possession of weapon for unlawful purpose, 2C:39-3F1, possession of penetrating bullets, and borough ordinance 3-9.9, discharge of a Firearm. The weapons charges were 2nd degree and Client was facing up to 10 years in State Prison with a parole disqualifier.

Result: A plea agreement was worked out where client pled guilty to 2C:39-5B, unlawful possession of a handgun, and all other charges were dismissed. The Client was sentenced to two years probation, conditioned upon serving 364 days in the Monmouth County Correctional Institution. Conditions of the probation included psychiatric evaluation as well as substance abuse evaluations. As the client had already been in jail for a number of months at the time of sentencing, he was released with time served. The Client was assessed $205 in fines and court fees, as well as a $25 probation fee.

2014 – Municipal Court: The Client and her boyfriend got into an argument after he told her he didn’t want her to spend the night at his house. She was accused of ripping the blankets off him and repeatedly kicking him at which point he called the police. The Client was arrested for 2C:12(a)(1) Simple Assault and was facing up to six (6) months in jail and a fine of up to $1000.

Result: All charges were dismissed.

2014 – Municipal Court: A motor vehicle stop was initiated because the border around the license plate of the vehicle was blocking “New Jersey” and “Garden State”. The Client was a passenger in the vehicle. When the Officer approached the vehicle he smelled marijuana. A search was consented to which found marijuana and the Client and driver were placed under arrest. The Client was charged with 2C:35-10(a)(4) Possession of Marijuana under 50 grams and 2C:36-2 Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.

Result: A plea bargain was reached in which the charge of 2C:36-2 was dismissed. On the 2C:35-10(a)(4) a Conditional Discharge was granted. As long as client completes the requirements of his Conditional Discharge the charges will be dismissed after 1 year.

2014– Superior Court: Client, a juvenile, with two friends were parked and were shooting paint balls in to oncoming traffic. Client was charged with 2C:33-2A, improper behavior; 2C:33-14(1)(b) Interference with Transportation; two counts of 2C:17-3 Criminal Mischief one for shooting paint balls at a car and the other for breaking a car window; and 2C:39-4(a) Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose, a third degree crime. The case was sent to the Juvenile Detective Bureau. Client was facing at least 5 years in State Prison.

Result: A plea deal was reached where one count of 2C:17-3 Criminal Mischief was amended to 2C:33-2 Improper Behavior – a petty disorderly persons. The client pled guilty to the other count of 2C:17-3 Criminal Mischief. The rest of the charges, 2C:33-2A Improper behavior, 2C:33-14(1)(b) Interference with Transportation, and 2C:39-4(a) Possession of a Weapon were dismissed. Client was sentenced to one (1) year probation, 25 hours community service, and restitution for the damaged vehicle.

*While all of these results were actually obtained by Wolf Law in the Municipal Courts and Superior Courts of the State of New Jersey, the success in these cases does not guarantee a similar success in any future case. Clients names have been removed to protect their privacy. Due to the delay in posting these cases to this web site some cases may actually have taken place in the year before their posting date as it appears above.