Marijuana Possession in a Vehicle

November 4, 2013

Berkeley Police Charge Handful of Drivers with Drunken Driving following Weekend DWI Roadblock

Here in the Garden State, DWI checkpoints (or drunk driving roadblocks, by which they are also referred) are a common tool used by police departments to help decrease the number of alcohol-related traffic accidents, as well as to signal to drivers that drunk driving is in no way being tolerated any more. That said, it is still rather confusing to the general public regarding the how and why of these seemingly invasive means of generating DWI arrests.

Because the U.S. Constitution protects the public from unreasonable search and seizure, many trial lawyers find the use of sobriety roadblocks and DWI checkpoints somewhat of an affront to the basic rights afforded citizens by the Bill of Rights. Yet, despite the fundamental argument that motorist should be protected against unreasonable search or seizure by the police during a traffic stop, the Supreme Court has previously upheld the constitutionality of drunk driving checkpoints as a means for ensuring the public good.

As most any New Jersey driver is no doubt aware, anti-drunken driving enforcement in the Garden State is undertaken in a number of different ways depending on the season or circumstances. Enhanced roving drunk driving police patrols throughout counties like Hudson, Atlantic, Bergen and Middlesex are often employed before and during popular holidays such as July Fourth, Memorial Day and New Year’s. The use of DWI-DUI checkpoints and sobriety roadblocks is also thought to catch a percentage of motorists who may be inebriated behind the wheel.
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October 30, 2013

Ocean County Drunk Driving Police Blotter: Manchester, Stafford, Lacey and Toms River DWI Arrests

by Jonathan F. Marshall

As drunk driving defense attorneys, my legal staff handles a wide range of alcohol- and drug-related cases every year. The defendants in those DWI-related cases have usually been arrested following a roadside police stop arising typically from a rudimentary traffic-related offense. Other accused drunken drivers may have been taken into custody following a traffic accident or an encounter with police at one of the many sobriety checkpoints erected monthly around the state.

Whatever the situation, those individuals who have been detained or arrested and subsequently charged with a DWI, drug DUI, breathalyzer refusal, or other related offense can often find themselves going before a judge who will hear their case. A number of the dozens upon dozens of drinking and driving cases heard every month across the Garden State started off as arrests listed in the police blotter pages of local and state newspapers and news-related websites.

Every week, for those who may be curious, the police blotter section of various news outlets pages enumerate a variety of scenarios in which average drivers have found themselves arrested and charged with an alcohol- or prescription drug-related DWI or DUI offense. Whether the arrest happens in Middlesex, Hudson, Monmouth or Bergen County, as professional DWI defense lawyers, my colleagues and I have participated in our share of hearings, from car or truck collisions caused by allegedly intoxicated drivers to those motorists accused of possessing a controlled dangerous substance (CDS) in a motor vehicle.
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October 25, 2013

Arrest for Marijuana Possession in a Motor Vehicle Can be Cause for Concern

by Jonathan F. Marshall

Concern about one’s future can be a nagging thing especially when that future hangs on a courtroom hearing for marijuana possession in a car, or a cannabis-related drug DUI arrest. Not only is marijuana one of the most common drugs encountered by police in the New Jersey area, but arrests involving marijuana, hash, weed or pot are certainly as frequent, if not more so, as those for other controlled dangerous substances (CDSs) such as cocaine and narcotic-based pharmaceuticals.

When one realizes that an estimated $30-plus billion of pot is grown in all across the United States annually, it shouldn’t be too surprising that marijuana-related motor vehicle arrests occur quite frequently. In fact, the attorneys at my law firm have more than 40 years of experience defending drivers and other individuals against marijuana-related offenses throughout New Jersey. For myself, as a former municipal prosecutor and now a DUI-DWI and criminal defense attorney, I have been involved in literally hundreds of cases during my career.

As DWI and drug DUI defense lawyers, my legal staff is familiar With drunk driving, alcohol and drug possession cases held in both municipal and county courts throughout the state. Whether a charge is cannabis-related charges. Whether you have been charged with marijuana possession in a vehicle, drunk driving or breath test refusal, the attorneys at my firm have the expertise to defend clients against marijuana, CDS and alcohol-related charges.
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October 18, 2013

Salem County Police Blotter: Multiple Arrests for DWI and Drug Possession in a Vehicle

by Jonathan F. Marshall

Living and working here in the Garden State, one finds that police activity on our highways and byways is certainly not hidden from everyday commuters. Whether driving through Mercer, Union, Somerset or Monmouth County, motorists are witness to routine traffic stops nearly every day on the parkway or interstates, city streets and rural routes. Of those frequent roadside occurrences, drunk driving arrests are hardly uncommon, especially during the holidays and warmer months.

As New Jersey DWI-DUI defense lawyers, my colleagues and I have for years provided our services to motorists who have been accused of driving while intoxicated. Whether coming from a company social function, family picnic or other friendly gathering, if alcohol was consumed — even in small quantities — there exists the opportunity for a DWI arrest. Frankly, being pulled over for driving under the influence of alcohol in Jersey is almost a regular occurrence in some parts of the state.

In any case, a wide range of alcohol- and drug-related police arrests can be read about in almost any newspaper or online news site. As professional legal experts, my staff have seen their fair share of courtroom scenarios play out over the years. From DWI-related auto accidents and underage drunk driving, to arrests involving CDS (controlled dangerous substance) possession in a motor vehicle or drug DUI, my firm has the legal background and the trial experience to represent clients who wish to fight for their rights under the law.
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October 15, 2013

Monmouth Co. Drunken Driving Police Blotter: Middletown Twp. Police Net Dozens on DWI-DUI Charges

by Jonathan F. Marshall

Given the population, as well as the number of motor vehicles in the Garden State, there are a fair number of drunken driving arrests that occur every month all across the state. In counties such as Middlesex, Passaic, Ocean and Cape May, throughout the year local police officers and state troopers alike make dozens of alcohol and drug-related arrests every week following routine traffic stops.

As New Jersey DWI defense attorneys, we understand that being pulled over for even the most simple of driving infractions can open the door to drunk driving or drug-related DUI charges. When a motorist receives a DWI or DUI-related summons, the clock starts ticking toward a court date, a possible conviction and potentially hefty monetary fines and other penalties.

It seems that no matter where one looks in the news, there is always some story that grabs the reader’s attention regarding an alcohol- or drug-related arrest on one of New Jersey’s roadways. The ubiquitous police blotter pages can be an interesting source of information on what not to do if one has a drink or two under their belt.
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October 9, 2013

Son of Former D.C. Mayor, Marion Barry, Charged with Marijuana-connected Drug DUI and Possession

by Jonathan F. Marshall

To many people a DWI is just a DWI; it’s an instance of being charged by a police officer for driving under the influence of alcohol. However, there are other types of impaired driving offenses, the more serious of which can be those that go under the heading of drug DUI. While alcohol can and does affect a driver’s judgment, as well as his or her ability to react to traffic situations, drugs of all types can cause a person to be less able to operate a motor vehicle.

For the above reasons, the New Jersey legislature has enacted laws that make it illegal to drive a car, motorcycle or truck while impaired by any number of substances. Whether a motorist is impaired because of a bad prescription drug interaction, or due to the use of a controlled dangerous substance (CDS) like marijuana or cocaine, our legal statutes (for instance, N.J.S.A. 39:4-50[a]) make it a chargeable offense for operating a vehicle while under the influence of hallucinogenic, narcotic, or habit producing drugs.

Unlike alcohol-based DWI offenses, a drug DUI charge has often been pursued by local prosecutors’ offices using expert opinions as to the effect that a certain type of substance had on the defendant’s ability to operate a motor vehicle. When approaching DWI and drug DUI cases, the term “under the influence” has generally been defined to mean a “substantial” deterioration or diminution of an individual’s mental faculties or physical capabilities due to an intoxicating liquor, a narcotic, a hallucinogenic or a habit producing drug.
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September 5, 2013

Jersey DWI-DUI Police Blotter: Salem County Police Arrest Drivers on Drunken Driving, Drug Possession Charges

by Jonathan F. Marshall

For the average motorist, being stopped by a police officer for impaired driving may not be that one expects to happen, but receiving a summons for drunken driving, drug DUI or even breath test refusal can be a serious situation, especially for someone who has limited means or cannot afford to give up his or her driving privileges for even a short duration. Relying on a qualified drunken driving defense attorney can often be a necessity when facing the many times harsh consequences of a first-time DWI conviction.

Here in the Garden State, drunken driving arrests during the summer months can be much more common than many drivers imagine. But even as we ease into fall, end of summer events with coworkers, family members and close friends can open a person up to the potential for a DWI-DUI arrest. Every week, it is possible to read about any number of drug- and alcohol-related traffic stops published by local and state news outlets.

Monmouth, Bergen, Ocean and Atlantic County are just a few of the areas where police enforcement of traffic laws and anti-drinking and driving statutes happen regularly. As professional drunken driving defense lawyers, my legal staff and I have seen our share of courtroom scenarios where auto accidents, drunk drivers, drug arrests and other civil and criminal cases play out; as such, we are no strangers to defending drivers accused of drug DUIs and alcohol-related traffic offenses.
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August 21, 2013

Cranford, NJ, Drunken Driving Police Blotter: Officers Take in Several Drivers for Alleged DWI

by Jonathan F. Marshall

In the course of driving throughout the Garden State, there’s a good chance that a percentage of motorists have seen roadside traffic stops from time to time. Whether those police stops are conducted at night or during the daytime; on the parkway or in the city, every week there are numerous New Jersey and out-of-state drivers who are stopped by state troopers or municipal cops for what may appear to be a rather minor traffic violation, but which ends up costing those people hundreds or thousands of dollars.

We’re talking, of course, about those traffic stops that develop into an alcohol or drug-related arrest. While not every police stop ends in an arrest for DWI or a summons for drug DUI, many New Jersey motorists in counties such as Bergen, Ocean and Monmouth discover the hard way that drinking and driving can land them in a courtroom to explain themselves before a judge.

This is where my law firm comes into play. As DWI defense attorneys and experienced trial lawyers, my legal staff understands this state’s drunken driving laws. We also understand the way in which otherwise law-abiding individuals can find themselves in the back of a police cruiser on the way to the local police department for a breath test and possible charges. Regardless of the final determination — be it impaired driving due to beer, wine or liquor; or some controlled dangerous substance (CDS) such as marijuana, cocaine or meth – the costs can be high.
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July 10, 2013

NJ Police Blotter: DWI Arrests Include Suspect Fleeing from Drunk Driving Stop in Union County

by Jonathan F. Marshall

Here in the Garden State, motorists are not lacking in choice when it comes to selecting a drunk driving defense attorney to representing their interests following a DWI or drug DUI arrest. Whether it’s a routine traffic stop that results in a summons for impaired driving or multi-car accident that points to a driver being drunk behind the wheel, an unending procession of intoxicated driving and prescription drug-related DUI cases is constantly marching through New Jersey courtrooms almost every day.

As experienced drunken driving defense lawyers, I and my staff of skilled trial attorneys have the legal background and professional experience that brings results. The Law Offices of Jonathan F. Marshall provides clients with legal representation in cases involving drunken driving, drug-impaired vehicle operation, possession of illegal or controlled dangerous substance (CDS), and breath test refusal, just to name a few.

Especially here in New Jersey, where stiff DWI fines and other penalties await those convicted of driving while intoxicated, there is a large number of anti-drunk driving road patrols and sobriety checkpoints (also known as DWI roadblocks) that occur on a regular basis, both in the summer months and at various times during the year when a major holiday suggests a higher-than-normal frequency of drunken drivers on the roadways.

July 4, 2013

NJ Drunk Driving News: Three Garden State Drivers Compound DWI with Additional Offenses in Middlesex County

by Jonathan F. Marshall

In Atlantic, Ocean, Monmouth, Middlesex, Passaic, and Morris County, not to mention the dozen-plus other counties around the Garden State, it is not appropriate to operate a motor vehicle while legally intoxicated as provided in the New Jersey legal statutes. If you or someone you know have been arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated (DWI) or driving under the influence of prescription drugs (drug DUI), you may have already started searching for a drunk driving defense attorney who may be able to assist in your defense.

One of the more important things to remember if ever you find yourself named in a DWI or DUI case is that New Jersey prosecutors, in general, are taught that confronting a defendant in court will be typically more difficult if that individual has retained a DWI lawyer to assist him or her against the state’s accusations. Being found not guilty following a charge of operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol, doctor-prescribed medication or illicit drugs is a matter of finding many or all of the prosecution’s key legal arguments to be defective.

As long-term DWI defense attorneys, the attorneys at my law firm have the skills and courtroom experience to identify problems with the prosecution’s case and use those to the client’s ultimate advantage. Depending on the particular circumstances surrounding the defendant’s arrest and subsequent charging in a drunk driving case, a skilled lawyer may be able to work out a favorable sentence, or better yet, help the accused motorist to avoid a conviction completely.
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