Holmdel Disorderly Conduct Attorney

Being placed in handcuffs and taken away in the back of a police car is a scary situation for most. Then realizing that you must defend those charges in court of law will only increase the already stressful situation. That is why at Keith Oliver Criminal Law, we take a very hands on approach when it comes to defending our clients. At our office we take a tremendous amount of pride in assuring our clients that their case will get the proper attention that it deserves. All of our criminal cases that arise out of Monmouth County are personally handled by Mr. Oliver, one of the firms founding partners. Unlike larger firms, your file will not simply be handed of to the associate “who is free to cover the case” that particular day. If you have been issued a summons for disorderly conduct in Holmdel Township, whether it be from an incident at the PNC Bank Art Center, the Bayshore Community Hospital, the Holmdel High School or any other type of incident for that matter, it is crucial that you speak to an experienced Monmouth County criminal defense attorney as soon as possible. Although  Holmdel Township only has a population of 16,000, which ranks 151st in the State, the Holmdel Municipal Court deals more than its fair share of disorderly conduct charges each and every court session.  As you will see below, disorderly conduct is basically a catch all charge. It encompasses a wide array of potential conduct, including but not limited to fighting, distributing the peace, harassment and verbal threats as well. Do to the extremely vague wording of the statute, it tends to be over used sometimes. This is where an experienced criminal defense attorney can make a difference. If you have been arrested for disorderly conduct, possession of marijuana, underage drinkingsimple assaultresisting arrest, harassment or any other offense for that matter in Holmdel, the Keith Oliver Criminal Law can help. If you would like to come into our Middletown Office, which is about two miles down the road from the Holmdel Municipal Court and have a face to face free consultation, then please contact us at 732-858-6959. We can go over the specifics of your case and formulate a game plan that works best to suit your needs. Now here is some more information on disorderly conduct charges in the Township of Holmdel.

Holmdel NJ Disorderly Conduct Attorneys

As touched upon above, for a township that has a relatively small population, they tend to deal with a tremendous amount of petty crime. The Holmdel Municipal Court, which is located at 4 Crawfords Corner, has original jurisdiction over all disorderly persons offenses, which is New Jersey’s version of a misdemeanor. From 2016 to 2017 the Holmdel Municipal Court presided over more than 1,300 disorderly persons offense charges. The vast majority of those offenses included disorderly conduct and underage drinking. That is a tremendous amount of cases for what in reality is one of the wealthiest towns in all of New Jersey. That is just one of the many reasons that the Holmdel Municipal Court does not take disorderly conduct charges lightly. Pursuant to NJSA 2C:33-2a, Disorderly Conduct is a petty disorderly persons offense. The legislature has chosen to break the offense down into two general sections and here is a chart that helps illustrate the two different sections.

Disorderly Conduct

NJSA 2C:33-2

What the State Must Prove
NJSA 2C:33-2a

Improper Behavior

  • That the Defendant had the purpose to cause a public inconvenience, annoyance or alarm or recklessly creating a risk thereof and
    • Engaged in fighting, or threatening, or violent or tumultuous behavior; or
    • Created a hazardous or physically dangerous condition by any act that serves no legitimate purpose
NJSA 2C:33-2b

Offensive Language

  • While in a public place, and with the purpose to offend the sensibilities of a hearer or in reckless disregard of the probability of doing so, the Defendant addresses unreasonably loud and offensively coarse or abusive language, given the circumstances of the person present.

 

As you can see from just reading above, this offense is anything but straightforward. It is extremely broad and that is not always a bad thing when it comes to defending this type of charge. This tends to be a go to for most law enforcement officer because of its vagueness. However, the statute is not limitless and often times officers will wrongful charge a Defendant with disorderly conduct simply because they think it fits. For more information on disorderly conduct charge, including how to defend a disorderly conduct charge in New Jersey, please either click the link or contact our office at 732-858-6959.

Is there Jail time on a Disorderly Conduct Charge in NJ?

Disorderly Conduct is a petty disorderly persons offense, which is New Jersey version of a misdemeanor. If convicted, a Defendant could be facing up to thirty days in the Monmouth County Jail, a $500 fine and a criminal record that will remain in place for at least three years.

Holmdel NJ Disorderly Conduct Defense Attorneys

If you have been summonsed to appear in the Holmdel Municipal Court for a disorderly conduct, driving while intoxicated, simple assault, the possession of marijuana under 50 grams or possession of drug paraphernalia, our Holmdel criminal defense attorneys can help. We fully understand what a criminal conviction, let alone a jail sentence can do to someone’s life. If you would like to speak to one of our Holmdel Municipal Court defense attorneys today about your options then please contact us at 732.858.6959. We are available around the clock to help assist in anyway that we can.