Barnegat Township Criminal Defense Attorneys
If you have been criminally charged or arrested in Barnegat or Ocean Acres, New Jersey, then rest assured that an experienced lawyer can provide much needed assistance. At the New Jersey Defense Firm of Proetta & Oliver, our attorneys possess considerable expertise with years of experience and thousands of successfully handled cases. Criminal charges, disorderly persons and petty disorderly persons offenses as well as serious traffic tickets can result in severe penalties such as jail time, compulsory community service, probation, loss of driver’s license, and a permanent record. Our defense attorneys represent clients who have been charged with Drunk Driving, Simple Assault, Possession of CDS, and Disorderly Conduct in Barnegat Township. The criminal defense attorneys at our law firm represent clients throughout Ocean County on a daily basis. Please feel free to schedule an appointment at our conveniently located Jersey Shore office to meet with a Barnegat Criminal Lawyer for a free consultation or contact us at (848) 238-2100.
Barnegat Township Municipal Court Lawyers
If you are scheduled to appear in the Barnegat Municipal Court then it is important to ensure that you have all relevant court information. If you have any questions concerning your court date, it is a good idea to call the court days prior to your scheduled appearance. The contact information for and directions to the Barnegat Municipal Court are:
900 West Bay Avenue
Barnegat, NJ 08005
Phone: (609) 698-0080
The Honorable Philip M. Miller is the presiding judge over Barnegat municipal criminal matters. Court sessions are on the second and fourth Monday of each month beginning at 9:00 a.m. Additional sessions are at 9:00 a.m. on the third Tuesday of each month. Barnegat Municipal Court hears cases involving traffic violations and criminal offenses falling under the category of disorderly persons offenses and petty disorderly persons offenses, each of which are also known as misdemeanors. For additional information on the Barnegat Township Municipal Court, see their official website here.
Barnegat Municipal Court has Limited Jurisdiction
While felony-level offenses are distinguished according to “degrees,” less serious charges handled at the municipal court level can be distinguished as either disorderly persons offenses, petty disorderly persons offenses, or municipal ordinance violations. Although none of these types of charges are likely to result in jail time in most cases, the first two – disorderly persons offenses and petty disorderly persons offenses – do carry the possibility of jail time for anyone who is convicted or who pleads guilty, while the third – municipal ordinance violations – tends to result in a fine.
For one thing, a disorderly persons offense does not require a grand jury to issue an indictment before the case can proceed to trial. This means that once you have been charged with a disorderly persons offense, it will be entirely up to the prosecutor to decide whether they wish to move forward with the case. Additionally, since disorderly persons charges are handled in the municipal court, there is no jury trial possible in these types of cases. Instead, all cases involving disorderly persons offenses are heard by a judge in what is known as a bench trial. The same goes for charges for violating New Jersey motor vehicle laws that occur within the Township of Barnegat. Since this municipality hosts a number of highly trafficked roadways, one of the major ones being the Garden State Parkway, traffic violations are very common here.
It should also be noted that there is an important distinction between prison and jail in NJ criminal matters. While disorderly persons offenses carry the possibility of jail for up to 6 months, indictable criminal offenses carry possible prison time. Jails are managed by the county and tend to have a maximum term of incarceration of 18 months, while prisons are managed by the state and have much longer terms of incarceration, including life imprisonment. A disorderly persons offense does not carry a presumption of imprisonment, which opens the door for numerous alternatives and options that a good criminal lawyer can seek to achieve. This, of course, should be after a complete evaluation of the charges and available evidence to weed out possible defenses and ways to get the charges dismissed altogether. Having undergone this process with countless successes in Barnegat Township criminal and traffic cases, as well as cases like these statewide in New Jersey, our defense team possesses the solid foundation and practical application experience to assist with handling your charges.
Barnegat Criminal and Traffic Attorneys
Our attorneys represent clients charged with disorderly persons offenses and felony charges throughout Barnegat Township and Ocean Acres including: Aggravated Assault, Resisting Arrest, Oxycontin Arrests, Theft, Possession of Drugs, Criminal Mischief and Fraud. We also represent individuals who have been charged with serious traffic offenses such as DWI, Refusal, Reckless Driving, Leaving the Scene of an Accident, Driving While Suspended, and Driving Without Insurance. If you are facing one of the previously listed offenses or any other criminal or traffic offense, or have any questions regarding your charges or representation, then please contact our Ocean County office for immediate assistance at (848) 238-2100. The initial consultation is always free of charge. We look forward to assisting your legal needs.
Common Barnegat NJ Offenses: