What did you do in High School and College? Just saying. Recent statistics point to a well known fact. Teen boys get in trouble. The statistics pointed to the reality that arrests in this age group are increasing. Teen boys have been getting in trouble for decades. The alarming trend might be that teen girls are now getting into more criminal activity than in previous generations. Bieber was picked up by Miami Beach police for drag racing, driving under the influence (admitted to alcohol, marijuana, and prescription drugs), and resisting arrest. What are the chances that your teen might end up with similar criminal charges?36.4% of high school seniors used marijuana in the past year8% report using synthetic marijuana in the past year15% report using a prescription drug for a non-medical reason5% used cough medicines to get high26% of high school seniors report getting drunk in the past monthStatistics from http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/high-school-youth-trendsIf you get that call from your teen, you are well advised to seek the help of an experienced criminal defense attorney at Aretsky and Aretsky. As a boutique firm, we give highly personalized service. Below you will see the cell phone numbers of our senior attorneys. Call us 24/7 to discuss your case.

Aretsky & Aretsky Attorneys at Law

3 University Plaza Dr. Hackensack, NJ 07601 201-580-3411 office@aretskylawfirm.com https://www.aretsky-law.com/

Shoplifting is a very serious offense. Depending on the facts of your case you might go to jail, although fines or community service are more likely. Whatever your sentence turns out to be, however, if you are found guilty, you are now in the criminal justice system as a criminal with a jacket. This can effect future opportunities for you when you apply for a job or to get an apartment. Even a future spouse can look up your criminal record. New Jersey shop owners and department stores are installing security cameras, training staff, and using detection devices in order to crack down on shoplifting. You are taking a huge risk with your future even if the item you take is not very expensive.

All of the following are included in the definition of shoplifting:

• Taking an item out of the store intending to deprive the merchant of the value of the item without
  paying its value. You must be shown to have done this intentionally, not accidentally.
• Concealing products clearly available for sale in the store. In other words, you don’t always have to have left the store to be charged. You must be shown to have intentionally concealed the item or items.
• Altering or removing a price tag and trying to buy the item at less than the value originally shown on the tag.

The merchant or a mall security officer must have a reasonable belief that you have shoplifted the item or are about to shoplift the item or items. If you are seen placing items under your shirt or in a shopping bag or coat pocket, that would consititute probable cause to arrest. One thing an attorney will help you determine in a shoplifting case, is whether or not there was probably cause. What Are the Possible Charges in Your Shoplifting Case?

• Shoplifting is a disorderly persons offense if the full retail value of the merchandise is less than $200.
• 4th degree: When the full retail value of the merchandise is at least $200 but not over $500.
• 3rd degree shoplifting: if you are charged with shoplifting merchandise with a value in excess of $500 but less than $75,000, or if you are part of a ring or organized group, and the value is less than $1000
• 2nd degree shoplifting: if the full retail value of the merchandise is $75,000 or more, or if you are part of an organized shoplifting ring or group, and the full retail value of the merchandise is $1,000 or more.

Penalties for shoplifting can include fines and jail time PLUS:

• 1st offense, at least 10 days of community service
• 2nd offense, at least 15 days of community service
• 3rd or subsequent offense, a maximum of 25 days of community service

If you are convicted a third time, there is a minimum 90 days imprisonment. You can see that shoplifting is serious. You are not just taking something that the “rich owner won’t miss.” Shoplifting is stealing. And the courts are not going easy. If you have been caught shoplifting, give us a call at Aretsky and Aretsky. We can help.

Whether you intentionally chose not to attend or circumstances prevented you from arriving, the court does not accept any excuses. You may have thought that missing the hearing would be easy to reschedule, not that big of a deal. However, in the eyes of the court, missing a court hearing is a serious offense. They assigned you a time to be there, and you failed to show up. This will most likely result in the court forfeiting your bond and issuing a warrant for your arrest. The forfeiture of bail means that the money you pay to the court will not be returned to you. Having a warrant out for your arrest means that you will arrested on the spot if stopped for a traffic offense, but more importantly, you can be arrested without notice at your home or place of employment. The court does not take this offense lightly. If you missed a court hearing related to a DUI, then the consequences could lead to losing your license and/or driving privileges. If you missed a family court hearing, then you would be placed in contempt of court, which means that you have not complied with the court’s timely requirements or actions; therefore, you could face a fine or even jail time. The jail time could be related to how long you remain in contempt of court, so the best thing to do is to resolve the issue in a timely manner. Here’s what you can do to avoid the hassle and embarrassment of being in such situations. The first step you should take is to call the court and find out if a warrant has been issued. If this is the case, you have two options. The first is to go to the court and turn yourself in, post bail and find out what steps you need to take in order to reschedule your court hearing. However, it is recommended that you take an attorney with you to approach the court on your behalf for missing the hearing, to get your case another court date, and to help smooth out any wrinkles caused by your delinquency in court. Sometimes an attorney can even help get the warrant vacated, unless you have multiple missed court hearings or other multiple offenses. You can attempt to represent yourself, but an attorney comes to the court with a wealth of knowledge and experience which will make the process go more smoothly. Call us today, so that we can walk you through this difficult process and help reduce the stress this is causing you.

You stopped at the bar on the way home, hung out with a few of your friends, and had a few drinks. You’ve never thought twice about being able to drive home without any problems. After all, you live right down the street. You finished the last beer, and headed home. You were driving too fast, didn’t see the cyclist, and could not hit the brake fast enough. You were afraid of what would happen if you stopped to talk to him about accidentally hitting him, so in a moment of panic you sped off. But what you didn’t know is that someone else was watching the incident unfold and somehow managed to get your license plate information. You were surprised to find that you had been charged with a hit and run. You didn’t mean for it to get to this. You now wish you had stopped – now what are you supposed to do? Should you do nothing and hope it goes away?

Absolutely not.

A hit and run incident can be defined as running into a pedestrian, property, or another vehicle and then leaving the scene of the accident without leaving any of your contact information. The penalties can include heavy fines and even imprisonment, but vary across the states. One thing you can be sure of is that if you fled the scene of one of these types of accidents and were later caught, this incident will be kept on your driving record. Ignoring the consequences you now face will only make matters worse. You are walking into a lose-lose situation, based on the fact that not only are you facing charges for reckless driving, but you have no one legally representing you. Having a lawyer by your side is the only way to face the music. We have the answers for your questions.

1. What are my rights?
2. Will I have to do jail time?
3. Is there a fine I will have to pay?
4. Will I lose my license?
5. Will I have to pay damages to the people/property involved?
6. Is there a way to get my charges reduced or even reversed?

You made a mistake – there’s no reason to make another one. Call us today to set up a consultation so we can look at the facts of your case and make a plan that will protect your interests.

When most people think of shoplifting, they picture kids. However, retail theft charges are regularly brought against people of all ages, races, and income levels. Shoplifting can result in serious criminal charges.

Depending on the value of the merchandise, you may be facing a misdemeanor or a felony charge.

At the New Jersey criminal defense firm of Aretsky & Aretsky (also specialized divorce attorney Bergen County) , we have more than fifteen years of experience successfully representing people charged with shoplifting in New Jersey municipal courts. Contact us to learn how we can help reduce damage to your reputation and your record.

We know you want to move forward with life, and we want to help. We work closely with our clients to understand their situation and the circumstances that led up to the shoplifting charge so that we can build a strong case in their defense, or minimize damages.

The penalties for shoplifting and theft can be serious. At our firm of criminal defense, employment, and divorce attorneys in Bergen County strive to get the charges reduced to Borough Ordinance violations, or to have them dismissed completely. If a conviction can not be avoided, we request community service, probation, or treatment in lieu of jail time

In this series, our criminal defense, employment, and family lawyers in Bergen County discuss shoplifting charges, and probable cause. If you think that you were arrested for shoplifting without probable cause, you should speak with an attorney. (Even if you don’t think so, shoplifting charges can be serious, and something you should discuss with an attorney. Whether or not probable cause exists can be somewhat complicated and will require good representation. See this case regarding shoplifting and probable cause from last year. The supreme court ultimately ruled in favor of the plaintiff, who had been wrongfully charged with shoplifting at a Walmart store in New Jersey, and initially lost the lawsuit he brought against the store. The court first ruled that the store did have probable cause, but that ruling was reversed at the supreme court level. If you are facing shoplifting charges, contact Aretsky and Aretsky, with over 15 years experience in shoplifting cases.

Our Bergen County lawyers are known for working in divorce, employment, and criminal defense cases. In our previous post we introduced probable cause and its importance in shoplifting cases. If you’ve been charged with shoplifting, its important that you speak with an attorney right away about your rights. There are a number of steps that a merchant must go through to show that they had probable cause to bring shoplifting charges against someone. 1. They must have observed the person select the item from the store. This is how they can establish for sure that the item came from their store. 2. They must have observed the person conceal the item. This might include putting something in your purse or pocket, or removing the tags from something and then attempting to leave with it in plain sight.3. The person must have attempted to leave the premises without paying for the merchandise while still under surveillance.

We are attorneys based in Bergen County, NJ representing clients in divorce, criminal, and employment cases. Shoplifting is one of the most common crimes people are charged with.Before someone can be detained, and shoplifting charges can be brought against them, a merchant has to show there is probable cause to detain or charge the individual. There are steps that a merchant’s personnel need to follow to show probable cause. If they do not follow these steps, they maybe subject to a false arrest tort claim. We will describe these steps in detail in our next blog post. If you believe you were wrongfully detained or charged for shoplifting, you should speak with an attorney as soon as possible.

At our firm Aretsky & Aretsky, we have more than fifteen years of experience defending people charged with shoplifting and other crimes in New Jersey municipal courts. Contact us to learn more about how we can minimize the damage to your reputation and your record.

In addition to providing services as family lawyers in Bergen County, every year our firm represents people charged with crimes such as shoplifting. When our clients are charged with shoplifting, they are often feeling embarrassed, and ashamed of how this may reflect on them. They are concerned that the charges will negatively affect their reputation in the community and their employment opportunities. We handle our clients’ cases discreetly and professionally. If you require an especially high degree of privacy with regard to your case, let us know. We will treat your case with sensitivity and consideration. If need be, we can accommodate your needs by not calling you at your home or your place of employment.If you are facing potential shoplifting charges, you should speak with an attorney as soon as possible. The sooner you talk with a lawyer knowledgeable about criminal defense, the more opportunity you will have to respond to charges appropriately and protect yourself from conviction, financial penalties, and possibly jail time.