Author: William Proetta Criminal Law
Superior Court Judge Mark Ciarocca ended a high profile political lawsuit today when he ruled that the Berkeley Heights Police Chief, Mike Mathis would not get reinstated. The lawsuit had claimed that Mathis was forced out of office by Mayor Joe Bruno earlier this month, after he emailed the mayor announcing his intention to retire and […]
Today the Union County Prosecutor’s Office announced that they had their first successful juvenile prosecution involving New Jersey’s newly enacted cyber bullying law. The juvenile defendant, a 15 year old Hillside teenager, was sentenced to a year of probation as a result of pleading guilty to a single count of 4th degree cyber harassment. As part of the […]
Jersey City Police arrested four suspects on Wednesday for allegedly buying and selling heroin in an area of Jersey City known to police as a “high drug and violent crime area,” according to a report. Early Wednesday morning around 9 a.m. police officers in the area of Martin Luther King Drive and Forrest Street witnessed an alleged drug transaction […]
Recently our law firm represented a client who had been indicted for a crime of credit card fraud in Union County Superior Court. The prosecutor’s office alleged that our client had used a stolen credit card to try and purchase merchandise from the Target store in Union Township. At the time, the store clerk contacted the […]
The protective measures set forth in the Domestic Violence Act in New Jersey are considered some of the foremost in the country. In 1991, the Legislature passed the Domestic Violence Act, based upon numerous studies and findings that domestic violence is a serious crime against society in New Jersey. The state legislature came to the […]
Under N.J.S.A. 2C:25-21(d), the Domestic Violence Act authorizes the police to confiscate the weapons from the defendant if they have reason to believe that domestic violence had taken place. When the police arrive at the scene of a domestic violence complaint they may search the house without a warrant and seize whatever weapons inside as long as […]
Both the receiving stolen property and auto theft statutes are common charges for defendants stopped and arrested for auto theft or “joyriding.” Joyriding is serious and is typically charged as a 4th degree indictable or 3rd degree indictable crime depending on the circumstances. Our criminal defense lawyers represent clients for theft related crimes throughout New […]
A verbal argument quickly escalated out of control yesterday when a teenage boy from North Bergen pulled out a BB gun pistol. The defendant was charged with Aggravated Assault, Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose and Unlawful Possession of a Weapon. Gun charges involving BB handguns are considered 3rd degree indictable offenses. These charges are very serious […]
Is marijuana legal in New Jersey? Well don’t go breaking out your bong in public just yet. Marijuana isn’t legal now but actually could be legal some time in the near future. The proposed bill is being spear-headed by Senator Nicholas Scutari (D-Union). If successful, the legislation would allow New Jersey to follow in the […]
Indictable Offenses vs. Disorderly Persons Offenses vs. Ordinances Our law office often retains clients who, upon receiving a summons, are unsure of the magnitude or seriousness of their offense. If you are unsure of the difference between an ordinance, a disorderly persons offense, and an indictable offense, hopefully this will clear things up for you. […]