Shoplifting Charges in Ocean, New Jersey
From an outside appearance, Ocean Township looks like just another quiet Jersey shore town, however this upper middle class town has a surprisingly busy court. This is most likely due to a combination of incidents from students attending nearby Monmouth University and traffic stops and arrests arising from Route 18 and Route 35. For purposes of this article, it is important to point out that a large number of these cases that go before the court involve shoplifting charges and related offenses. These arrests are generated by shoppers who are stopped and detained by store security at one of the many busy stores along Route 35. Ocean Township Police are normally called to the scene after the individual has already been stopped and searched by store personnel. Based on the evidence that is handed over to them, the police may choose to arrest the suspect and sign a criminal complaint of shoplifting against them under 2C:20-11b or give the store loss prevention officer the option to sign the complaint themselves. Once you appear in court to defend your charges, the prosecutor will give you or your attorney a copy of the evidence that they plan to use against you to prove the case. An experienced New Jersey shoplifting lawyer can analyze this evidence and challenge the proofs against you in furtherance of a possible dismissal or downgrade that will not result in a criminal record. To learn more about what our Ocean shoplifting attorneys might be able to do to help you or your loved, contact our office today at (732) 856-9959 for a free no-obligation consultation.
Arrested for Shoplifting in Oakhurst?
Have you been arrested in Ocean for shoplifting? Well you were not the only one – Ocean Township and Oakhurst are located in a key area for shoppers travelling up and down Route 35 and Route 18. In fact, there are several large storefronts and strip malls along Route 35 including, most notably, Seaview Square Shopping Center which is home to Sears, Target, Burlington Coat Factory, Costco, AC Moore Arts & Crafts, Big Lots, and PetSmart. Other stores worth noting in the town are Dollar General, Staples, BJ’s Wholesale, CVS Pharmacy, Wegmans, Dean’s Natural Food Market, Kohl’s, Super Foodtown of Ocean, QuickChek, 7-Eleven, Party Fair, and Family Dollar. It is not uncommon for these stores to generate a several dozen shoplifting arrests throughout the year. This is in big part due to the fact that most of these stores employ part-time or full-time store security guards who are specially trained to spot and react to possible shoplifters before they can make it out of the store with the merchandise. If you have been arrested for shoplifting in Ocean Township then you will most likely be ordered to appear in the Ocean Township Municipal Court located at 399 Monmouth Road in Oakhurst, New Jersey. However, certain more serious shoplifting cases known as indictable crimes or felonies (involving more than $200 in merchandise) will be sent to the Monmouth County Superior Court for review and possible prosecution. There are several different levels of shoplifting felony crimes including a 4th degree shoplifting, 3rd degree shoplifting involving more than $500 worth of merchandise, and 2nd degree shoplifting involving more than $75,000 in merchandise. No matter the circumstances of your case, you can rest assured that our Ocean Township shoplifting attorneys are well experienced and have successfully handled every level of shoplifting charge in New Jersey. You can call our office today to speak with one of our shoplifting lawyers during a free consultation where we can answer your questions and address any of your concerns.