Howell Police and New Jersey State Police make a significant number of drug arrests. If you have been charged in Howell for a drug arrest, I can help. A conviction for a Howell drug charge can result in jail time, probation, fines and mandatory driver's license suspension.
Most Howell Township drug arrests are made after traffic stops. Howell lies on the Route 9 corridor. Anyone commuting from western Monmouth County has little choice but to use Route 9 when going north or south. Route I-195 and Route 33 also traverse Howell. These roads bring in lots of traffic tickets. Common traffic tickets in Howell include speeding, improper passing and leaving the scene of an accident. Both adult and juvenile drug arrests ("being taken into custody") are commonly made in howell following traffic stops.
These traffic stops often leads to drug arrests in Howell. If you are charged with possession of marijuana, less than 50 grams in Howell, your case will be heard in the Howell Township Municipal Court. A drug conviction can have drastic immigration consequences. If you are seeking to enter the country, adjust status, or simply remain here, a drug conviction can end that very quickly.
There are defenses to drug charges in New Jersey. Most of these deal with the circumstances surrounding the search. Special rules apply to searches of automobiles and homes. Police may not generally search either without a warrant. If police do not have a warrant, the search must meet some exception to the warrant requirement.
In the car search situation, the most frequently cited exception to the warrant requirement is by consent of the driver. If the police have probable cause to believe that your car might contain drugs, they may ask for consent to search your vehicle. They should explain your right to refuse consent at any time before or during the search. New Jersey police utilize standard forms when asking consent to search a vehicle. Consent must be given voluntarily and without any coercion.
Another exception to the warrant requirement is exigency. Exigency is a difficult concept to define. Basically, it is an emergency situation where police must conduct a search immediately to prevent destruction of evidence. At a roadside crime scene, this could be if the area is known to be a high-drug or foot traffic area. The ratio of suspects to officers is also a factor.
If you have been charged with a drug offense in Howell, call now to speak with a New Jersey drug charge lawyer.
