Charged With Disorderly Conduct in the Borough of Mountainside
Recently, in the early morning hours, Mountainside Police were called to intersection of Summit Road and Iris Drive based on a report of a woman screaming and then entering a van that did not belong to her. When the police arrived they found a woman, obviously drunk, sitting on the ground outside the van with no clothes from the waist down. Apparently, her boyfriend was driving the woman home from a party, they began to argue, and he stopped the car letting her out. The woman then entered the van and removed her clothing. She was charged with both lewdness and disorderly conduct in Mountainside. She was released on a summons. If you made a bad choice and find yourself facing a disorderly conduct charge, you should consider getting an attorney to help. Although you may be inclined to represent yourself in court, you should still talk to a knowledgeable lawyer since the consequences of a conviction include a record and even the chance of jail time. The attorneys at the Law Offices of Jonathan F. Marshall are accomplished advocates in minimizing disorderly conduct charges and getting them dismissed in Mountainside Municipal Court. Contact us for a free consultation with an attorney at 908-272-1700. Lawyers are available day and night to assist you.
Disorderly Conduct Charge in Mountainside New Jersey
The New Jersey Disorderly Conduct statute can be found at N.J.S.A. 2C:33-2. That law is written broadly to encompass a lot of different behaviors that are disruptive to the public in Mountainside New Jersey. The first category of disorderly conduct is “improper behavior” and this variety of charge includes fighting, threatening, or other types of violent conduct. It also covers conduct where a person creates a hazardous or physically dangerous condition by an act that serves no real purpose. Playing a prank on someone where that person could be injured is something that falls under that type of improper behavior. Finally, improper behavior could be anything that causes public inconvenience, annoyance, or alarm. Shouting in the middle of the street is an example of inconvenient, annoying, and alarming conduct.
The second category is somewhat more specific. A person can also commit disorderly conduct by using offensive language. “Offensive language” is specifically defined in the statute as speaking in a manner that is “unreasonably loud, and in offensively coarse or abusive language.” Of course, to be disorderly conduct, a person needs to have used the language in public with the purpose to offend the sensibilities of the people within earshot.
Taking our example described above, it appears that the intoxicated woman found by the Mountainside police would most likely be guilty of both types of disorderly conduct. She was screaming in the early morning hours, which looks like “improper conduct” under the statute. Also, assuming she was screaming at her boyfriend, with whom she was fighting, it is most likely she was using “offensive language” as well. The fact that she was half naked is covered by the lewdness charge.
Disorderly conduct is considered a misdemeanor or what New Jersey refers to a petty disorderly conduct offense. The sentence in Mountainside Municipal Court for a petty disorderly persons offense includes up to 30 days in jail and up to a $500 fine.
Mountainside Disorderly Conduct Defense Attorney
We all have lapses of judgment from time to time, or we let our tempers get the better of us in a place where we should not lose our cool. Because such conduct could result in a possible stint in jail or a hefty monetary fine, you may want to at least talk to a defense attorney before deciding to represent yourself in Mountainside Municipal Court. The lawyers that make up the staff at the Law Offices of Jonathan F. Marshall provide a free initial consultation, so you can evaluate your legal options before spending any money. In addition, our criminal attorneys know the network of judges and prosecutors in Union County, including those in Mountainside, and can utilize this familiarity to make sure that you treated fairly and objectively. Call us at 908-272-1700. A lawyer on our team is available now to take your call.
