Manasquan Resident With Decades of Experience in its Court
When you hire an attorney, you want representation by an individual with the knowledge and experience that counts when you have been charged with Disorderly Conduct. In this regard, the founder of our firm, Jonathan F. Marshall, has not only been routinely appearing in the Municipal Court of the Borough of Manasquan since the very start of his career approximately 20 years ago but also happens to be a resident in the town. Other lawyers in the office also have a long history of appearing in Manasquan Municipal Court.
- Disorderly Conduct Explained. This charge is categorized as a Petty Disorderly Persons Offense which gives rise to a criminal record upon conviction and can also result in jail of up to six (6) months. A person can be charged and/or arrested under N.J.S.A. 2C:33-2 for Disorderly Conduct based on improper use of language or misbehaving in public. More specifically, the law prohibits any of the following: (1) causing or recklessly creating a risk of public inconvenience, annoyance or alarm; (2) engaging in fighting, threatening, violent or tumultuous behavior; or (3) creating a hazardous or physically dangerous condition through actions having no legitimate purpose. If an individual engages in the type of conduct outlined in (1) through (3) in Manasquan, an officer may issue a charge of Disorderly Conduct.
- Ordinance Violation Explained. The Borough of Manasquan has adopted local rules of law, commonly referred to as an ordinances, that outlaw certain behavior within the municipality. Manasquan has ordinances that prohibit Maintaining a Disorderly House or Rental, Use of Offensive Language in Public or Quasi Public Place, Indecent Exposure & Nudity, and Disturbing the Peace. The Manasquan Code with the full content of all of these ordinances can be found at Code Systems. The ordinance which are attorneys most frequently encounter and/or attempt to have an offense downgraded to is 3-19.7. This ordinance provides as follows:
3-19.7 Disturbing the Peace Prohibited.
a. No person shall make, aid or assist in making any loud and disturbing noise or noises by use of any device, contraption or machine in the public streets or elsewhere in this Borough.
b. No person shall make, aid or assist in making any disturbance, riot or breach of the peace in the streets or elsewhere within the Borough. (1972 Code § 80-16)
If an individual is found guilty of violating an ordinance, the judge in Manasquan, the Honorable Mark Apostolou, J.M.C., has been known to levy fines of thousands of dollars depending on the underlying facts of a case. It clearly is not advisable to step into Manasquan Municipal Court without the assistance of a local lawyer experienced in the court in our view.
Give us a call at 732-450-8300 to discuss your arrest in more detail.
