Marijuana Possession Charges Dismissed

Marijuana Defense Attorneys in Mercer County New Jersey

Another marijuana possession case dismissed for one of the clients of the Keith Oliver Criminal Law. Mr. Oliver, one of the firms founding partners, just resolved a marijuana possession case wherein which it was alleged that their client was in possession of marijuana under 50 grams. The charges stemmed from what the arresting officer was claiming was a “routine traffic stop”.  When the arresting officer approached the Defendant’s vehicle, he alleged that he saw several packages of Cigarillo’s and loose tobacco guts covering the passenger seat. The officer then when on to state in his reports that the Defendant was acting “extremely nervous” when being asked “routine” questions. Based on the Defendant’s alleged nervousness and the readily apparent “drug paraphernalia” located on the passengers seat, the officers asked the Defendant to step outside the vehicle for further questioning. When outside the vehicle, the officer sought permission from the Defendant to search the interior of the vehicle. When the Defendant refused to give consent, the officer’s claimed that they had probable cause to search the vehicle regardless of the Defendant’s consent. A search of the Defendant’s vehicle was conducted. Located inside the vehicle was several empty baggies alleged to at one point in time contained marijuana. Based on the baggies, the Defendant was placed under arrest. Furthermore, a search incident to arrest revealed that the Defendant had several grams of marijuana located in his sock.

Once Mr. Oliver was able to fully examine the evidence, including the police reports, MVR’s and the body cameras that the officers were wearing, it was evident that several constitutional rights were violated. After extensive negotiations with the prosecutor, the marijuana and drug paraphernalia charges dismissed. As part of the plea agreement, the Defendant entered a guilty plea to what is known as a Borough Ordinance. Also, the driving while suspended charge was amended to a failure to exhibit a proper license. So at the end of the day, their client as able to avoid a criminal record and did not have to use a diversionary program like the conditional discharge program to do so.

Mercer County NJ Marijuana Lawyers

Marijuana charges are by far one of the most common offenses issued in not only Mercer County but New Jersey as a whole. Regardless of what is going on in the rest of the country, marijuana is still illegal in New Jersey. In fact, unlike most other states, marijuana possession charges are considered criminal offense. If you have been arrested and charged with the possession of marijuana under 50 grams, the possession of drug paraphernalia, the possession of CDS in a motor vehicle or any other offense for that matter in Mercer County, the criminal lawyers at Keith Oliver Criminal Law can help. We serve all of Mercer County, including towns like Ewing, Hamilton, Lawrence, Robbinsville, West Windsor, East Windsor and Princeton. If you would like to speak to one of our criminal defense attorneys today about your options then please contact us at 690-789-0779.

State v. D.S.

Author: Keith G. Oliver

Founding partner Keith G. Oliver has a passion for helping people who are caught up in the criminal justice system. He believes that everyone has a right to be presumed innocent, and that one mistake shouldn’t define a person forever. This passion drives Mr. Oliver to tirelessly fight for his clients and pursue the best possible outcome in every case.