Our criminal attorneys recently defended a client who was charged with 3rd degree Assault by Auto for getting into a serious accident while driving under the influence that resulted in serious injuries. In fact one of the injured victims was a minor and had to be air lifted by helicopter to the nearest hospital. Needless to say, this was a serious situation which was made worse by the various aggravating factors and under circumstances like this the charges could easily result in a felony conviction and long term incarceration in state prison.
As a rule of thumb, the county prosecutor’s office has a prohibition against letting defendants into Pre-Trial Intervention “PTI” because of the strong public interest against drunk drivers and creating deterrence for other drivers. However, our client was adamant that he could not be convicted of a felony or be sentenced to state prison because he was not a U.S. Citizen and any conviction would most definitely result in his deportation. Over a course of 2 years our office worked hand in hand with the county prosecutors office while we provided various mitigating evidence such medical records that proved a pre-existing medical condition of the alleged victim. Based on these documents and other challenges we brought to the prosecutor’s attention, we were able to secure our client’s admittance into PTI where the charges will be dismissed in their entirety in 12 months. If you would like to discuss the particulars of your case with a New Jersey Assault by Auto lawyer then contact our office for a free consultation.
State v. I.M. decided May 30, 2017
