Author: William Proetta Criminal Law

close up of addict buying dose from drug dealer

Possession with the intent to distribute is a somewhat confusing charge in New Jersey. Often, people are surprised to find out that police do not have to see you actually distributing or selling an illegal substance for you to be charged with this type of drug crime. Instead, they can make the assumption that you are […]

probation text buffered

Supervised Vs. Unsupervised Probation in NJ If you have been convicted of a criminal offense in New Jersey or taken advantage of a pretrial diversion program like Pre-Trial Intervention (PTI) or Drug Court, there’s a good chance that the court will place you on some form of probation instead of ordering you to serve jail or prison time. […]

noise

New Brunswick Noise Complaint Criminal Charge Attorneys House parties are popular throughout New Jersey, especially in New Brunswick in the houses on and around Rutgers University Campus. As we all know, if they run late, they tend to anger neighbors who may have work the next morning or simply don’t like a bunch of people making noise […]

puzzle piece

Parents often advise teenagers to wait to have sex for religious reasons, health reasons, and for many other reasons. But parents don’t often think to mention that teenage sex can be illegal and result in felony-level criminal charges. It can, especially in situations where kids in school may be having consensual sex underage. Even though […]

Medical marijuana background with cannabis buds & leaves framing

Edison Cannabis Oil Defense Lawyers While New Jersey lawmakers considered legalizing marijuana (also known as cannabis) for adult recreational use, those legislative efforts have stalled, and marijuana remains illegal throughout the state unless you have a valid medical prescription. Similarly, NJ law still prohibits any compound, manufacture, salt, derivative, mixture, or preparation of the marijuana […]

gavel

How Cases are Handled in NJ Municipal Court In New Jersey, disorderly persons offenses (similar to misdemeanor offenses in other states) and traffic offenses are tried in municipal courts. A municipal court has local jurisdiction over cases that arise from acts committed in the township, city, or other community where the municipal court is located. Municipal courts […]

text on the pavement denots a school crossing.

Arrested in a School Zone in NJ, Is it Worse? New Jersey law is highly protective of schools and schoolchildren. As a result, if you are convicted of certain crimes committed in close proximity to school property—an area known as a “school zone”—the penalties that you face are often much harsher than the penalties you […]

Woman Stealing Lipstick At Supermarket

Getting arrested for or caught shoplifting can be embarrassing in the moment, and, even worse, can leave you with a criminal record that may show up on background checks run by subsequent employers. If you have been accused of shoplifting in Ocean County, NJ, you may be wondering how the state can prove that you meant to […]

gavel scales law books

Assuming that you are not acting in lawful self-defense, attacking another person, attempting to do so, and a host of other conduct can result in a criminal conviction for assault in New Jersey. If you harm someone badly in that attack, you may even be convicted of aggravated assault, a more serious assault offense. The […]

Legal Marijuana Concept

As more and more states legalize or decriminalize the possession and use of marijuana, it can be easy to forget that some states, including New Jersey, still enforce laws that severely penalize marijuana offenses. Possession of marijuana is still prohibited by New Jersey’s general-purpose law banning the possession of all controlled dangerous substances without a […]