Various New Jersey publications have been following the prosecution of a Jersey City women for a host of charges stemming from incidents involving her dogs.  The dogs are two pitbulls who have allegedly gotten loose, bitten individuals and menaced the neighborhood.  The dog owner most recently appeared in Court in late March and the progress of the case was outlined in the Star Ledger.  She was to return in early April with various documentation to substantiate that the dogs are not vicious. 

The import of the term “vicious” generally concerns the future care and well being of a dog rather than criminal culpability.  When a dog is deemed vicious in NJ, it is usually put down. An owner is subject to fines of up to $1,000 per day for a violation of the vicious dog act or any directive provided thereunder. The monetary exposure obviously has the potential to get crazy, particularly, when you consider that an attack is usually the triggering event for vicious dog proceedings in criminal court. Individuals like the women in this case often need to hire not only a criminal defense attorney but also NJ Dog Bite Attorneys to defend a personal injury claim.

We shall keep you advised of any new developments in this unusual Hudson County case.

Virtually all indictable charges issued by municipal police in Hudson County are initially heard at Central Judicial Processing at the Superior Court on Newark Avenue in Jersey City, NJ. The felony offenses that proceed in this manner include a wide range including Robbery, Aggravated Assault, Distribution and Possession of CDS, and Theft. While the proceedings at CJP can focus on bail review, our Hudson County Criminal Lawyers find that these appearances can prove extremely fruitful on behalf of our clients in having charges downgraded or remanded. A good illustrate of what we have been able to accomplish occurred this past week.

Our client had been charged with a host of offenses and, most concerning, second degree robbery. The bail schedule provides for a minimum bail amount of $50,000 and a restriction negating a 10% rider. What this meant was that, at a minimum, our client was looking at a bail of $50,000 which would either have to be posted outright or he would have to pay a non-refundable fee of $5,000 to a bail bondsman to obtain a Release on Bail. If the client was prosecuted in the Hudson County Superior Court on a robbery offense, he was looking at jail exposure of 5 to 10 years and also application of the no early release act (“NERA”). Our mission at CJP was to obtain a dismissal of the robbery charge rather than simply seek a favorable bail as would be the course typically undertaken by a lawyer.  The effort proved successful and the robbery charge was dismissed, allowing the client to be released on an ROR (i.e. released on his own recognizance without posting any bail). Central Judicial Processing often provides a great opportunity to help a client and this was exactly what was accomplished in this case.