CDS Possession in a Vehicle

December 23, 2012

New Jersey DWI Police Blotter: Multiple Drunk Driving-related Arrests in Ocean, Hunterdon, Morris Counties

Make no mistake, at this time of year there are many New Jersey motorists who get picked up for drunken driving day after day as the holiday season progresses through to the New Year. It matters little if someone is an upstanding person in his or her neighborhood or well-respected individual in the local business community, being arrested for DWI or drug DUI can and does happen; the results of which can be costly and embarrassing.

It’s no laughing matter when a driver is pulled over after having a few drinks. While the initial traffic stop must be for a moving violation, exhibiting any outward signs of possible intoxication will likely pique an officer’s interest to the point that a field sobriety test will be requested. I f failed, the patrolman may decide to arrest the driver and take him or her in to have a breathalyzer test performed (via Alcotest or other such device), which could possibly lead to a charge of drinking and driving.

We see this kind of scenario play out week after week all across the Garden State. Consider the following bits and pieces culled from local news sources:

Ocean County DUI Arrest
A simple wrong turn resulted in a couple charges of operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of a controlled dangerous substance (CDS), as well as drug DUI and possession of drug paraphernalia. According to the news report, Stafford Township police officers responded to an anonymous report after the unnamed caller reportedly saw a passenger car being driven in a reckless fashion along a stretch of Rte 9.
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August 29, 2012

Bergen County Man Charged with Drug Possession following DWI Arrest in Wyckoff, NJ

by Jonathan F. Marshall

The consequences of driving while impaired can range from monetary fines and insurance surcharges to long-term suspension of one’s driver’s license and even jail time, depending on the circumstances and the number of prior drunken driving convictions. Her in the Garden State, as drunken driving defense lawyers, we also know that there can be unintended consequences when a motorist either chooses to drive a motor vehicle after having a drink or two, or even if that person take prescription medicine without realizing the impairing effects it may have on their driving abilities.

Other unintended consequences can include traffic accidents, with or without injuries, as well as fatal collision. New Jersey’s legal statutes already provide for little tolerance when it comes to operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated by alcohol, prescribed medications and illegal substances, such as marijuana, cocaine and meth. Adding vehicular manslaughter to an existing charge of DWI or drug DUI and the need for a qualified DWI attorney becomes more and more essential.

As a law firm serving those charged with drunken driving in areas such as Ocean County, Bergen and Monmouth counties, and elsewhere around the state, I and my colleagues have the experience to handle combined charges of DWI and other offenses, civil and criminal. A news article, discussed below, which we ran across not long ago provided what may be a not-too-uncommon and completely believable scenario. And while the case referenced here may seem extreme, it has its parallels in terms of lesser crimes and misdemeanors that may precipitate from a routine traffic stop.
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August 9, 2012

Morris and Burlington PD Blotters: Police Officers Report Multiple Instances of DWI and Marijuana Possession

by Jonathan F. Marshall

As anyone familiar with the Garden State criminal and civil law will know, operating a motor vehicle while impaired by alcohol, doctor-prescribed medication and even illicit drugs like marijuana or cocaine are all offenses seriously frowned upon by state and local law enforcement agencies. This is actually an understatement, since police are constantly patrolling the streets of Monmouth, Sussex, Atlantic and Hudson counties watching for drivers who are operating their vehicles in an erratic manner.

Although a patrolman cannot stop a driver simply on a hunch that he or she is intoxicated by beer or wine or high on drugs, if that driver errs in any way that provides the officer an opportunity to pull that motorist over for a traffic infraction, the jig as they say may be up — at least initially. As New Jersey DWI defense attorneys, I and my staff of experienced drunken driving lawyers have decades of cumulative experience in defending those accused of driving while under the influence of alcohol or a controlled dangerous substance (CDS).

Impaired driving can take the form of any number of scenarios in which a driver may exhibit signs of drunkenness or drug-related impairment. And while drinking beer, wine or hard liquor is not strictly against the law — except of minors — excessive consumption mixed with operating a motor vehicle can be grounds for a DWI arrest. And hardly a day goes by that we don’t hear of a handful of DWI arrests or drunk driving summonses being issued to New Jersey residents; which is to say that anyone who has been arrested for DWI or drug DUI is, for lack of a better phrase, in good company.
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April 25, 2012

Garden State Police Blotter: Multiple DWI Arrests, Drug Possession Charges and Alcohol-related Driving Offenses

by Jonathan F. Marshall

As we usually see here in the Garden State, not all is sweetness and light on our city streets and highways. While many motorists go about their lives in relative anonymity, the occasional traffic stop is enough to bring one’s name into the local spotlight, if only in the police blotter section of the newspapers. For many, the seemingly inconsequential second or third drink during lunch or dinner can sometimes result in a police arrest and DWI-DUI charges being pressed against an otherwise law-abiding citizen.

As New Jersey DWI defense attorneysI and my legal staff know what can happen when a driver makes a minor mistake in clear view of a state of local police officer. If that individual has recently consumed even a small amount of alcohol, the potential of a DWI arrest is waiting just one wrong turn away in some cases.

Although it is not legal for a patrolman to stop a car simply on the suspicion that its driver is impaired by alcohol (such as beer, wine or hard liquor), doctor-prescribed medication (like pain killers and other opiates), or an illicit substance (such as marijuana, meth or cocaine), what must first occur is a vehicle infraction or driving-related offense.
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December 23, 2011

Hunterdon County Legal Defense News: Clinton Twp. Police Arrest Occupant of Vehicle for Drug Possession

by Jonathan F. Marshall

Many drivers have little idea how easily it is to be stopped by police here in the Garden State. The fact is, even the most minor traffic violation can open the door to a police stop that may or may not escalate into a drunken driving arrest or summons for drug possession. Whether one operates a motor vehicle in Middlesex, Ocean, Passaic or Bergen County, the odds of being charged with DWI or drug DUI is higher during times of increased police patrols, such as during the New Year holidays.

As New Jersey drunk driving defense lawyers, I and my team of experienced DWI attorneys have years of experience in representing motorists accused of driving while intoxicated; operating a vehicle under the influence of a controlled substance such as marijuana or cocaine; or any of the many other alcohol and drug-related traffic violations, such as breath test refusal, underage drinking and driving, and repeat DWI offenses.

The legal penalties for individuals convicted of alcohol and drug DUI traffic offenses can be quite stiff, making it crucial that one consult a qualified drunken driving defense attorney before heading into court. Whether you want to fight the charges or not, it is always a good idea to understand your options when one’s license and hard-earned savings are on the line.
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