Ocean County Drug Charges
Arrested for Possession or Distribution of CDS in Toms River, Brick, Lakewood, Jackson, Manchester or Elsewhere in Ocean County New Jersey? Our Skilled Drug Lawyers Can Help.
A criminal offense in Ocean County for distributing or possessing drugs can have significant ramifications. In most cases, either category of controlled dangerous substance (“CDS”) charge is a felony that must be resolved at the Ocean County Superior Court in Toms River and exposes a defendant to the possibility of years in state prison. In fact, even a disorderly persons offense for possession of 50 grams or less of marijuana or less than 5 dosage units of a prescription drug like Xanax, Valium, Vicodin, Oxycodone or Hydrocodone. If you were arrested in Toms River, Jackson, Brick, Manchester, Lakewood or another Ocean County municipality for possession, selling, distribution or possession with intent to distribute heroin, cocaine, MDMA (e.g. Ecstasy or Molly), LSD or another drug, one of the drug lawyers at our firm can help you.
We are the Law Offices of Jonathan F. Marshall, a team of eight criminal defense attorneys with over 100 years of combined experience, that is located just a block from the county courthouse in Toms River. Our staff includes an attorney who is a former Drug Task Force director and another who was Drug Court supervisor. It also helps that we possess a lawyer who served as the prosecutor in Brick, Toms River, Manchester, Jackson, Stafford and several other Ocean County municipalities in the past. A lawyer is standing by to provide a free consultation any time of day or night. Contact our Toms River Office now for immediate assistance from a highly skilled drug attorney.
Disorderly Persons Offense for Drug Possession in Ocean County New Jersey
When someone is arrested and charged with a disorderly persons offense for possession of 50 grams or less of marijuana, 4 or fewer pills/doses of a prescription legend drug, or under 4 grams of hashish, their case is heard in municipal court. Despite the misdemeanor nature of such an offense, you can be sentenced to penalties that include up to 6 months in the Ocean County Jail and a driver’s license suspension of 6-24 months. The lawyers and former prosecutors in our office defend possession charges throughout the municipal court system of Ocean County, including in:
| Barnegat Township | Barnegat Light | Bay Head Borough | Beach Haven | Beachwood | Berkeley Township | Brick Township |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eagleswood | Harvey Cedars | Island Heights | Jackson Township | Lacey Township | Lakehurst | Lakewood |
| Lavallette | Little Egg Harbor | Long Beach | Manchester | Mantoloking | Ocean Gate | Ocean Township |
| Pine Beach | Plumsted | Point Pleasant Borough | Point Pleasant Beach | Seaside Heights | Seaside Park | Ship Bottom |
| South Toms River | Surf City | Stafford Township | Toms River | Tuckerton Borough |
Ocean County First, Second, Third or Fourth Degree Crime for Possession of CDS or Distribution of Drugs
Every charge involving manufacturing, distributing or possession with int to distribute drugs is a felony crime of the first degree, second degree, third degree or fourth degree. If you possess “hard drugs” like heroin, cocaine, MDMA, LSD, methamphetamine and other Schedule I, II, III, IV CDS, you also face indictable criminal charges, typically a third degree crime. All of these matters must be dealt with at the Ocean County Superior Court. You are entitled to a trial by jury of your offense when it falls within this category. A conviction for a fourth degree crime results in up to 18 months in prison. The period of imprisonment is up to 5 years for a third degree possession of CDS or drug distribution charge. Second degree drug offenses can result in a state prison sentence of 5-10 years. The most serious pedigree of drug offense is one that is a first degree. You can be imprisoned for 10-20 years for this grade of Ocean County drug charge.
As previously stated, all proceedings in an Ocean County felony CDS case are conducted at the county courthouse in Toms River. The judges that preside over hearings at the Criminal Division include:
Presiding Judge Wendel E. Daniels 732-929-2171
Judge Therese A. Cunningham 732-929-4793
Judge Rochelle Gizinski 732-831-7935
Judge Steven F. Nemeth 732-288-7230
Judge Michael T. Collins 732-831-7940
Judge James M. Blaney 732-506-5375
Other key Ocean County Criminal Division personnel are:
Michelle L. Tierney, Criminal Division Manager 732-929-2042
Agustina Champion, Asst. Criminal Division Manager 732-929-2075
Angie Tracey, Asst. Criminal Division Manager 732-506-5141
The interactive google map that follows can help you with directions to the Ocean County Superior Court:
Ocean County CDS Lawyers
Long stretches of the Garden State Parkway, New Jersey Route 35 and several other roadways traverse Ocean County. When this factor is combined with issues like its having a horrific opiate epidemic, Ocean County has a much higher number of drug possession and charges for selling CDS than you would expect. This is nothing that comes as a shock to the CDS lawyers at our firm since we are exposed to so many drug cases. If you were charged for possessing CDS or distributing drugs anywhere in Ocean County, an attorney at the Law Offices of Jonathan F. Marshall has the know how to favorable defend your case; indeed, we have been representing clients arrested for drug offenses just like yours for over a century between us. Attorneys with the skill to mount a potent defense are ready to assist you 24/7. Call our office for a free consultation with a lawyer now.