A man was recently accused of engaging in criminal activity involving a weapon at a school in New Jersey. He now faces serious charges. However, anyone accused of gun crimes in the Garden State is always presumed innocent until the State can prove his guilt in a court of law.
According to authorities, the 46-year-old man showed up at an elementary school at around 4 p.m. one day with a gun that was loaded. Authorities were told that the man may have been armed, so the school was locked down. When police found him, he was reportedly holding a loaded pistol. He also allegedly had a couple more ammunition clips that were loaded.
Police said they additionally found 130 extra rounds in his SUV’s trunk. The man now faces a charge of weapons possession and possessing hollow-point bullets. In addition, he has been charged with trespassing. If he receives a conviction for the most severe charges, the man may spend five to 10 years in a New Jersey State Prison.
People who face criminal charges for allegedly committing gun crimes have several options for defending and protecting themselves in the criminal justice system. They can proceed to trial and file all relevant pre-trial motions and litigate the matter aggressively. They may request a Graves Act Waiver and they may request pre-Trial Intervention or Probation rather than the mandatory State Prison sentence with a period of parole ineligibility or they may negotiate a plea agreement for less than the sentence that is being offered. An attorney can ultimately help a defendant in New Jersey to choose the most personally beneficial option considering the circumstances surrounding his or her arrest.