Drug Crimes
For Drug Court Graduates, Alternative Sentencing Yields Second Chances
Twenty-one convicted, non-violent felons found their dignity and a renewed purpose without going to jail. By Matt Skoufalos Submitted by New Jersey Drug Crime Lawyer, Jeffrey Hark Drug Court graduates. Credit: Matt Skoufalos. “It’s a shame you have to pick up a felony to get into drug court,” said Camden County Assistant Deputy Public Defender Daniel…
Read MoreProject SAVE: Progressive Policing Expands Scope of Addictions Intervention
Submitted by New Jersey Drug Crime Lawyer, Jeffrey Hark By bringing in treatment advocates at the point of arrest, Gloucester Township Police have reduced recidivism rates for drug crimes and built a program ready to expand county-wide. By Matt Skoufalos | September 1, 2016 Gloucester Township Police vehicle. Credit: Matt Skoufalos. Focusing on “third-gear” policing…
Read MoreCamden County to Expand Project SAVE Courtroom Advocacy Program to 20 Towns in 2019
Begun in 2014 in Gloucester Township, where crime has fallen 34 percent since its rollout, the ‘third-gear policing’ project provides counseling interventions for people charged in addictions-related cases. Submitted by New Jersey Drug Crime Lawyer, Jeffrey Hark Camden County saw 277 overdose deaths last year, and has logged 231 so far in 2018. Nationally, overdoses…
Read MoreProject SAVE, Started In Gloucester Twp., To Be Tested Countywide
The county is launching a one-year pilot program in which advocates will be placed in municipal courtrooms to help low level drug offenders. Submitted by New Jersey Drug Crime Lawyer, Jeffrey Hark GLOUCESTER TOWNSHIP, NJ — A drug treatment program Gloucester Township has been using since 2014 is now being tested as a pilot program…
Read MoreAdequate probable cause found by trial court when police officer directly observed the drug transaction.
Adequate probable cause found by trial court and affirmed on appeal when police officer directly observed the defendant involved in a drug transaction. STATE OF NEW JERSEY, v. DARRELL M. HALL, SUPERIOR COURT OF NEW JERSEY APPELLATE DIVISION Decided September 18, 2019 Mercer County, Indictment No. 15-04-0554. Submitted by New Jersey Drug Crime Lawyer, Jeffrey Hark.…
Read MoreState v. Richardson: Possession of Heroin
State v. Richardson. SUPERIOR COURT OF NEW JERSEY APPELLATE DIVISION Decided August 30, 2019 Submitted by New Jersey Drug Crime Lawyer, Jeffrey Hark. I Procedural History : Defendant William Richardson was indicted by an Ocean County grand jury and charged with third degree possession of heroin, N.J.S.A. 2C:35- 10(a)(1), third degree conspiracy to possess heroin, N.J.S.A.…
Read MoreState v. Johnson — Appeal New Jersey Appellate Division August 9, 2019
Submitted by New Jersey Drug Crime Lawyer, Jeffrey Hark. State v. Johnson Facts: As of that time, he had been on the police force for over five years, initially as a patrolman and thereafter as a detective in the Narcotics/Gang Unit. Officer Stinsman had been specifically trained at the police academy to recognize hand-to-hand narcotics…
Read MoreUnlawful Possession of Drugs in a Motor Vehicle
State of NJ vs Haas (Not Approved for Publication by the New Jersey Appellate Division July 2, 2019) Submitted by New Jersey Drug Crime Lawyer, Jeffrey Hark. How can the police prove I have certain drugs and can they charge me with unlawful possession or NJSA 39:4-49.1 (Drugs in a Motor Vehicle)? New Jersey’s Net…
Read MoreMarijuana expungement bill heads to governor’s desk
Submitted by New Jersey Drug Crime Lawyer, Jeffrey Hark Hundreds of thousands of New Jerseyans could see their criminal records cleared under a bill awaiting Gov. Phil Murphy’s signature. On Monday, state lawmakers in both the Assembly and the Senate voted in favor of a measure that would make it easier to expunge certain criminal…
Read MoreMarijuana legalization bills likely ‘dead’ as Sweeney rejects meeting with Murphy
By SAM SUTTON 05/09/2019 07:31 PM EDT Submitted by New Jersey Drug Crime Lawyer, Jeffrey Hark TRENTON — Legislation that would legalize marijuana for recreational use in New Jersey appears to be dead — at least for now. The Democrat-controlled Legislature no longer expects to vote this month on a package of three bills that would…
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