North Brunswick Criminal Defense Attorney
North Brunswick New Jersey Theft Lawyer
If you or your loved one has been arrested and given a court summons in North Brunswick then you are very likely facing serious consequences under New Jersey law. The Law Offices of William Proetta Criminal Law is a Middlesex County criminal defense law firm that represents clients in North Brunswick Municipal Court who have been charged with traffic violations, including DWI offenses, Driving While Suspended, and Driving Without Insurance. Our firm also represents clients charged criminally with disorderly persons offenses (also known as misdemeanors) such as Criminal Mischief, Shoplifting, and Drug Paraphernalia. An experienced criminal defense lawyer from our law office will represent you throughout the entire judicial process and help you every step of the way keeping you involved and always mindful of your concerns. If you or your loved one has been charged with any type of criminal offense or serious motor vehicle ticket in North Brunswick, contact us for a free initial consultation by calling (732) 659-9600.
North Brunswick Court Hours & Location
Your summons, as you have probably already noticed, indicates your court date. It is important that you straighten out any questions or concerns that you may have with your court date days prior to your hearing. The North Brunswick Municipal Court will be happy to field your calls and provide assistance. The North Brunswick Municipal Court is located at 710 Hermann Road in North Brunswick, NJ 08902 and can be contacted by phone at 732.247.0922 on EXT 425. The North Brunswick Municipal Court is presided over by Judge E. Ronald Wright and Judge Christine Heitmann. The court administrator is Sheral Rossmann and the fax number is 732.247.1796. Please visit the North Brunswick Municipal Court Website for more information regarding the court.
Criminal Misdemeanors are Disorderly Persons Charges in North Brunswick
The first thing you need to know if you have been charged with a disorderly persons offense or a petty disorderly persons offense is that the consequences of a conviction, or a guilty plea, can be tough. These types of criminal charges carry penalties that may include jail time, and a conviction will leave you with a criminal record, so it is critical that you speak with a reputable criminal defense lawyer before your case proceeds any further. The next thing that you should understand about disorderly persons charges is that they apply to a number of different types of offenses, ranging from harassment, to resisting arrest, to trespassing. These types of cases are handled in municipal court.
The most severe penalty that can be imposed in a municipal court case is jail time. The range of your exposure to jail is generally determined by the classification of your offense, namely up to 6 months for a disorderly persons offense and up to 30 days for a petty disorderly persons offense. Thus, a charge for harassment carries up to a month in jail, while a resisting arrest charge can entail up to 6 months. Fortunately, there is not likely to be a mandatory jail sentence in your municipal court case, which means that the judge should have a good deal of latitude and flexibility when it comes to sentencing. The bad news, however, is that the judge can still order you to serve time in jail. Some cases, such as a third conviction for shoplifting, overcome the presumption of non-imprisonment. For this reason, it is very important that your individual case and circumstances be assessed by knowledgeable legal counsel.
In addition to jail time, there are other penalties that may attach to a conviction or guilty plea on a disorderly persons charge. For example, the judge may order you to pay monetary fines: up to $1,000 for a disorderly persons offense, and up to $500 for a petty disorderly persons offense. Your sentence may also require you to pay court costs and other fees, as well as order you to perform community service. The judge can also suspend your driver’s license for a period of time. Beyond the direct consequences of a conviction, there are also consequences that while not directly criminal in nature, substantially affect your personal life. You may have to explain your charge to friends, family members, and co-workers, and you will be left with a criminal record. Having a conviction on your criminal record can cause problems in the future if you apply for a job and your potential employer needs to run a background check on you.
Can You Expunge a Case in North Brunswick Municipal Court?
If you are convicted of a disorderly persons offense or a petty disorderly persons offense, or if you plead guilty to a disorderly persons charge, you will have a criminal record. However, the good news is that New Jersey provides an opportunity to have the record expunged after five (5) years have passed since the conviction or since you completed probation. It may even be possible in four (4) years with an appropriate showing when submitting an expungement application.
An expungement means that the record of conviction is removed so that it will no longer be accessible under normal circumstances. Additionally, once an expungement has been approved and finalized, you can truthfully answer “NO” when asked whether you have ever been convicted of a crime. However, the expungement process is complex, and it does involve an application process that is often made easier with the assistance of a knowledgeable lawyer. And what happens if you were not convicted on the disorderly persons charges? Even if you are able to avoid conviction through either a dismissal or a downgrade of the charges, there will still be a record of the arrest and a record of the charge against you. These criminal records could show up on background checks in the future when you apply for a job or for a loan. Nevertheless, you can apply to get the record of your arrest and the record of your charge expunged immediately.
North Brunswick Defense Lawyers
Our attorneys represent clients in North Brunswick, New Jersey for all crimes and misdemeanors including Driving While Suspended, Disorderly Conduct, Simple Assault, Theft, Drunk Driving and Possession of Oxycontin. If you or someone you know has been charged with these or other criminal offenses, then the time is now to contact a North Brunswick New Jersey Defense Attorney with the skill and experience to properly defend. Our law firm’s founding attorney, William A. Proetta, is an experienced criminal defense attorney who has successfully handled thousands of cases and has years of experience in criminal defense, DWI, and serious traffic defense. To build a case strategy customized to the facts of your particular case, contact our Edison Office today at (732) 659-9600 for your free consultation.