A young mother who was leaving a corner store with her three year old daughter in her arms was shot this week. But despite reports of many witnesses being out when the shooting happened, no one was willing to give any information to police on the scene. Both the mother and daughter survived but the story is still a tragic one, and only one of many in recent years.

The mother, twenty-one years old, was shot in the buttocks and her daughter was hit in the arm. The child was also injured about the face, it’s believed, when the mother dropped her after being shot.

The shots all came from one vehicle and it seems the young mother stepped into the line of fire unknowingly. It was about 8:45 pm and many people were out and about in the area.

In the NJ.com story, it seems the only ones willing to speak about the incident were business owners and city officials. Family members of the victim refused to comment, as did neighbors sitting outside when the reporter was investigating. They weren’t any more forthcoming with law enforcement either.

“There were a large number of people out at that scene. However, we were unable to obtain any information from witnesses,” says one Detective. Though the police say they have a few leads, witnesses in the neighborhood refuse to come forward.

Sad, but scenes like this play out across the country nearly every day. People in these communities plagued by violence don’t just fear the gun wielding criminals; they also distrust the gun wielding police officers. This makes it difficult for law enforcement to solve any of the shootings because no one wants to put their neck on the line, nor do they want to be viewed as a snitch.

It’s particularly tragic when a young mother and child are shot and no one comes forward. But these communities can’t carry all of the blame, in a society where the culture of poverty and crime have helped to create this growing rift between the boys in blue and those they are said to be protecting.

This same mistrust carries over into the arrest procedures and the courtrooms as well. As a defendant accused of a crime, you want to know your case will be handled in a fair manner. That’s where a criminal defense attorney comes in, tasked with ensuring your rights are protected at every stage of the process.

If you are facing criminal charges and are concerned about receiving fair treatment, contact my offices today for a consultation on your case.

Just a few weeks ago I wrote about a case that sent a man with no criminal record to prison for 7 years—all due to some pretty confusing gun laws and an unwavering judge. Just this week he was granted a commutation from Governor Christie, likely due in part to all of the attention his case was getting.

A sentence “commutation” isn’t the wiping away of a conviction; it’s just a lessening of the penalty. Reprieves of any kind are unusual, though governors and even the president grant a few as the holiday season nears.

The man was released this week in time to spend Christmas with his family, though he states he won’t be spending it in Jersey, opting instead to get out of the state somehow.

The release came as a surprise to him. According to the NJ Star Ledger, he was moved from his prison tier to a single man cell in the medical unit with no explanation the night before his release. (It’s common for inmates to be removed from general population preceding their release).

Over the past few months, his case got a lot of attention from some pretty powerful groups. He was made a poster child for the NRA whose executive director thanked Christie “on behalf of the 4 million members” for freeing the man.

The pressure on the Governor no doubt played a role in his decision. Afterall, though this was a questionably meting out of justice by the trial judge, there are similar albeit lesser-known cases happening all the time. One has to wonder how things would’ve been different had the man had previous convictions or been an unemployed drug addict.

The justice system isn’t always fair. Plain and simple. There are controls in place to help prevent injustice but those controls sometimes fail.

Even sometimes when the law is correctly applied, it can seem unfair or overly harsh. Take drug crimes, for instance. You can go to jail for months and even years for drug offenses that technically don’t hurt anyone but you.

There are no guarantees when you are facing criminal charges. As if the system wasn’t scary enough already, now you have to cross your fingers and hope there are no glaring injustices that occur in your own case. Having a criminal defense attorney on your side can help.

From the moment you come in contact with the police, the risk for abuse is present. A criminal defense attorney can analyze all the facts of your case and help to ensure your rights are protected at every stage of the game.

You don’t want to have to hold out for a commutation or pardon. Avoiding a conviction in the first place is the obvious preference.

A Colorado man moving to New Jersey took precautions that any other reasonable person would have to ensure moving his firearms, which were legally purchased and registered in Colorado, would be done according to New Jersey law. Now, however, due to an unwavering system and a complex jumble of gun laws, he is in the custody of a New Jersey prison.

The twenty-seven year old entrepreneur had no criminal record and a relatively squeaky clean image. Now he is fighting for his freedom and petitioning Governor Christie for a reprieve in his case.

In the process of moving across the country, he took precautions including calling New Jersey State Police to ensure he was transporting his weapons in compliance with the laws. But, when he went to his parents house after arriving in Jersey, distraught over issues with his ex-wife, his mother called police as a precaution. As someone who works with the mentally distraught, his mother states she has always been told to be safe rather than be sorry and she was concerned for her son’s emotional health.

Police arrived at the home and telephoned the man, who was already driving to his own place, asking him to return. He complied. When police searched his vehicle and found his firearms, he was arrested on charges of unlawful possession of a firearm. This despite police determining he wasn’t a risk to himself or anyone else.

You see, in New Jersey, a purchaser’s permit allows you to buy a weapon but not carry it. If you are in possession of a weapon and not one of the select few allowed to carry it (including police officers and some security forces), you are presumed guilty and must prove your innocence, a clear perversion of justice.

Certain exceptions exist under the law to allow for carrying a weapon. Unfortunately, and for an unknown reason, the judge presiding over this particular case ruled he didn’t qualify for any of the exceptions, even the federal law that protects people from being prosecuted for transporting weapons between residences.

He was found guilty of a felony charge of possession of a firearm without a permit and sentenced to seven years in prison. His criminal defense lawyer is appealing the conviction.

As Radley Balko states in his commentary at Reason Magazine, convicting this man “isn’t going to make New Jersey any safer. It might, however, make some of the state’s residents think twice before calling the police, particularly if they own guns.”

A multi-agency effort to stop the efforts of a local drug trafficking ring has resulted in 26 arrests thus far in the Jersey City area. The effort involved local, state, and federal officials and has netted guns, drugs, and several alleged gang members.

According to NJ News, the investigation has lasted 6 months and involved a 29 year old alleged ringleader from Bayview Avenue in Jersey City. He and his alleged associates are said to have worked out of the Greenville area and may have been connected to the Bloods street gang.

All told, the police are said to have seized 32 ounces of PCP, marijuana, oxycodone, 35 bricks of heroin, two guns, and $7000 in cash. This total does not include the latest seizures and those numbers are likely to rise.

This group is said to have dealt with the distribution, not only of heroin, but also of what is referred to as “wet”. Wet is a term used to describe PCP laced cigarettes or marijuana. It’s cheap and commonly found in urban areas.

While the alleged ringleader of this group has been charged with racketeering, leading a narcotics trafficking network, conspiracy, and distribution, it isn’t clear what the other arrestees are facing. Judging from the seizures, there will be everything from drug charges to weapons offenses.

Despite what the general public thinks, it is easy to be caught in the wrong place at the wrong time when you associate with people like this ringleader and his crew. When the police have their eyes on someone, you don’t want to be in the peripheral. When you are, you stand the chance of being accused of something.

Whether you are caught with marijuana in your pocket or riding in someone else’s car when drugs are found, you can face very serious charges. The key to having a potentially positive outcome at court is being able to depend on a defense attorney.

Knowing what to do in a time like this is tricky. Contact me today for a consultation on your case and some free legal advice. I am interested in hearing about your charges and I am interested in helping you.