South Amboy Municipal Court Attorney

If you have a serious traffic or a criminal charge pending in South Amboy Municipal Court, you should always hire an attorney to defend you. Attempting to defend a municipal court offense within a skilled lawyer will compromise your chances of avoiding potentially devastating consequences such as significant fines, points or suspension on your driver’s license, a record and even jail. Experienced defense lawyers like those at the Law Offices of Jonathan F. Marshall can ensure that you have every opportunity to successfully attack the state’s case, that a favorable result is negotiated and that you are fully aware of your options throughout your South Amboy municipal court case. If you have a municipal case pending in South Amboy, New Jersey, contact the municipal court attorneys at our firm, including our multiple former Middlesex County prosecutors, for a free consultation. An attorney is available to discuss your charges 24/7 at 732-210-9021.

South Amboy Municipal Court Offense

The South Amboy Municipal Court has jurisdiction over four types of charges: (1) motor vehicle and traffic violations; (2) disorderly persons offenses (misdemeanor); (3) violations of Fish and Game laws, Parks and Forests, Weights and Measures, SPCA, and Boating Regulations; and (4) municipal ordinance violations. The most common municipal court offenses in South Amboy are:

Municipal charges arising in South Amboy are heard and tried in the South Amboy, NJ Municipal Court, located at 140 North Broadway Street, South Amboy, NJ 08879. The telephone number of the municipal court is 732-525-5929.

If you offense involves an indictable criminal charges, meaning that it falls within the grade of a first degree, second degree, third degree or fourth degree crime, it falls outside the jurisdiction of the South Amboy Municipal Court. Classic examples of crimes such as these are aggravated assault, burglary, terroristic threats, distribution of CDS and possession of drugs like cocaine, heroin, MDMA (e.g. Molly & Ecstasy) and LSD. These types of offenses are too serious to be heard in municipal court and must be directed to the Middlesex County Superior Court in New Brunswick for resolution.

Penalties For Being Convicted of a Municipal Offense in South Amboy, NJ

Municipal court judges have a variety of options available to them when penalizing those convicted in a municipal court, specifically:

The Judge must adhere to specific guidelines when assessing fines. Often there are minimum and/or mandatory penalties that must be assessed by law. Failure to pay court-ordered fines can result in a warrant for your arrest being issued and/or a suspension of your driver’s license.

The most jail time that can be imposed in a municipal case is 180 days in a county jail, or if the defendant is a juvenile, in a juvenile detention facility.

Some municipal offenses call for a mandatory suspension of the defendant’s drivers license for a minimum period of time. Driving without insurance, driving while suspended, DWI and possession of CDS in a motor vehicle, fall within this category. During any period of suspension, you will not be able to drive for any reason without risking additional penalties and collateral consequences.

For some traffic convictions, the judge is required to order community service. This will require you to work for the municipality or a non-profit organization designated by the court for a certain length of time, without pay. Failing to complete community service can lead to the case being brought back to court and more severe penalties being imposed.

Apart from the penalties imposed by the court for traffic convictions, defendants may also be assessed points on their driving license, surcharges, and/or be ordered to pay certain administrative fees.

Resolving Your Municipal Case in South Amboy, New Jersey

The State of New Jersey permits plea agreements in municipal cases, except for cases involving drunk driving and certain drug cases. A plea agreement is an agreement between the defendant and the prosecutor whereby the defendant agrees to plead guilty and in return, the prosecutor agrees to downgrade the charge to one that will result in fewer points on the defendant’s license.

New Jersey also permits conditional discharges for defendants who are charged with certain drug offenses. This means that the defendant will be placed on probation for a prescribed period of time. The Judge may then order the defendant to attend alcohol and substance abuse counseling, submit to random drug testing, and may impose other conditions on their probation. If during this period of probation the defendant commits no additional offenses and complies with all of the conditions imposed on his or her probation, the charges will be dismissed.

To be eligible for a conditional discharge, a defendant needs to have never:

• Been convicted of a drug crime; or
• Been granted a conditional discharge or Pretrial Intervention previously.

That being said, only a judge decides who is granted a conditional discharge. So, it is up to your defense attorney to argue persuasively to the court on your behalf. Only a trained and experienced defense attorney will have the aptitude to successfully convince the judge to grant you a conditional discharge.

Municipal Court Defense Lawyers in South Amboy New Jersey

If you are facing charges in South Amboy Municipal Court, contact one of the veteran defense lawyers at The Law Offices of Jonathan F. Marshall. One of our attorneys will be more than happy to help you and provide the benefit of their insight without obligation. A lawyer is available around the clock to provide the service to you. Call us now at 732-210-9021 to speak to an attorney.