TestDear Ask the Attorney: My 18 year old son was a passenger in a car with 3 other boys when it was pulled over for speeding. In the back seat was a case of beer and a half a pint of vodka. The three other boys are all underage as […]
The facts are as follows: The then eighteen-year-old defendant, Ms. Lenihan, was driving her 1999 Hyundai southbound on Route 519 in Hampton Township, with her sixteen year-old friend, K.G., in the front passenger seat. Defendant lost control of the vehicle and it veered to the right, crossing the shoulder of the road, striking the guardrail head-on. Both defendant and K.G. were seriously injured and transported to a local hospital. K.G. died the following day.
In January 2003, two people, Minitee and Bland robbed a spa in Fort Lee, New Jersey. When the officers arrived at the scene, individuals in the area pointed out a red SUV blocked by traffic at a light and indicated that the occupants were armed and had just robbed the spa. Mr. Bland, holding a gun, jumped from the SUV and ran from the scene (considering he is now a defendant, it should be clear—he got caught).
The other day, after we published my blog post about the New Jersey Supreme Court’s “Animal House” decision, I received some emails about police searches in general. So, in response, I thought the below primer may be helpful to understand what the police can and cannot do to you, your car, and your home. I should note that search and seizure issues are among the most fact-sensitive aspects of a criminal case.