Underage Drinking Lawyers
Ewing Underage Possession of Alcohol Lawyers
If you have been arrested for underage possession or consumption of alcohol, it is important that you hire an experienced criminal defense lawyer to represent you. The Law Offices of Jonathan F. Marshall represent clients, under the age of 21, who have been charged with underage possesion or consumption of alcohol, throughout Mercer County and specifically in Lawrence Municipal Court, Ewing Municipal Court, and Princeton Municipal Court. Many of these clients are students currently attending either Rider University, TCNJ or Princeton University. If not handled properly, a conviction for a violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:33-15 can expose you to up to 6 months in county jail and up to a $1,000.00 fine. A judge can also place you on probation and, if the offense takes place in a motor vehicle, isuspend your driver’s license for a mandatory 6-month period. Furthermore, the nature of the conviction can also have a detrimental impact on future career plans and/or continuing education.
Contact our office today for a free initial consultation with one of our attorneys at (609) 683-8102.
§ 2C:33-15. Possession or Consumption of Alcoholic Beverages by Person Under Legal Age
N.J.S.A. 2C:33-15 is the criminal statute which governs underage possession of alcohol and provides in pertinent part:
a. Any person under the legal age to purchase alcoholic beverages who knowingly possesses without legal authority or who knowingly consumes any alcoholic beverage in any school, public conveyance, public place, or place of public assembly, or motor vehicle, is guilty of a disorderly persons offense, and shall be fined not less than $ 500.00.
b. Whenever this offense is committed in a motor vehicle, the court shall, in addition to the sentence authorized for the offense, suspend or postpone for six months the driving privilege of the defendant.
We are typically able to get the municipal prosecutor to downgrade the disorderly person charge to a violation of a municipal ordinance, which usually results in a fine and is not a criminal conviction. After obtaining this favorable resolution, we can then work with you to have it expunged. If you would like to discuss the details of your case with one of our lawyers completely free of cost please contact our Princeton office at (609) 683-8102.