Charged With Harassment in Kenilworth NJ
Although individuals often think of harassment as a civil cause of action, it is actually a criminal offense that arises quite often in municipal courts like the one in Kenilworth New Jersey. If you have been charged with a petty disorderly persons offense for harassment in Kenilworth, do not make the mistake of underestimating the severity of this charge. You are facing a violation that will result in a record and penalties that include the possibility of jail. This is why hiring the right lawyer to defend a Kenilworth harassment offense is so pivotal. The Law Offices of Jonathan F. Marshall is comprised of a team of criminal attorneys with over a century in practice combined, including considerable experience serving as prosecutors. An attorney with extensive knowledge in the defense of harassment charges is ready to undertake your defense immediately. Contact us any time of day or night at 908-272-1700 to speak to one of our lawyers in a free consultation.
Kenilworth Harassment Offense
A Kenilworth harassment offense stems from N.J.S.A. 2C:33-4. This statute makes it a petty disorderly to engaging in harassing behavior or communications. This occurs if, with the purpose to harass, a person:
a. Makes, or causes to be made, a communication or communications anonymously or at extremely inconvenient hours, or in offensively coarse language, or any other manner likely to cause annoyance or alarm;
b. Subjects another to striking, kicking, shoving, or other offensive touching, or threatens to do so; or
c. Engages in any other course of alarming conduct or of repeatedly committed acts with purpose to alarm or seriously annoy such other person.
Most harassment charges that arise in Kenilworth fall under the jurisdiction of the Kenilworth Municipal Court. An offense can, escalate, however, to a fourth degree crime if the conduct occurs when the accused is on probation or parole for an indictable criminal offense (i.e. a crime of the first degree, second degree, third degree or fourth degree).
The penalties if you are convicted of a petty disorderly persons offense for harassment in Kenilworth include a fine of up to $500 and up to 30 days in the Union County Jail. If you are convicted of a fourth degree crime for harassment, the consequences are more severe. You are subject to a fine of up to $10,000 and can be sentenced to a term of imprisonment that can reach 18 months.
There are two diversionary programs available to first time offenders. Someone charged with a misdemeanor offense for harassment in Kenilworth Municipal Court may apply for Conditional Dismissal of his/her offense. A similar program, Pretrial Intervention, is available at the county level for those facing a fourth degree harassment offense at the Union County Superior Court in Elizabeth.
You should also know that a collateral consequences of harassment is that it is considered a form of domestic violence under N.J.S.A. 2C:25-19. What this means is that you can be subjected to the restrictions of a restraining order if you harass someone who is a spouse, former spouse, boyfriend, girlfriend, someone with whom you resided, dated or have a child in common.
Kenilworth Harassment Defense Attorney
A common problem for those arrested for harassment is a tendency to take the charge too lightly. This can turn into a grave error since a conviction for harassing someone, whether in municipal court or at the county level, leaves someone with a criminal record that can significantly effect you in the future. Selecting a defense attorney who is skilled in defending Kenilworth harassment charges can accomplish considerable in avoiding such a result. This is exactly what we know that lawyers at our firm can provide you. If you were charged with harassment in Kenilworth or anywhere else in the area, contact our office to speak to a lawyer at the Law Offices of Jonathan F. Marshall. Attorneys are available around the clock for free consultations at 908-272-1700.
