Twenty-two patrons were charged with underage drinking, including four who were also charged with presenting a fake identification card. One additional patron was charged strictly with presenting a fake identification. All 23 patrons are from New Jersey.

“Those under the age of 21 need to know that if they break the law by drinking alcohol, they could face serious consequences,” said Director Fischer. “We are partnering with local and county law enforcement agencies to prevent underage drinking, which endangers the young people involved as well as the public at large.”

Scarlet Pub’s liquor license will be reviewed by ABC for possible administrative charges. Those charges could result in the suspension of the bar’s alcoholic beverage license. The charge of selling alcohol to underage patrons is a disorderly persons offense which carries penalties including a fine of at least $500. Underage drinking is also a disorderly persons offense, carrying a potential fine of at least $500 and a six-month driver’s license suspension.

The arrests are part of the Division’s ongoing efforts to combat underage drinking in an around college communities throughout New Jersey.

This message has been brought to you by the New Jersey Criminal Defense Attorneys at Garces & Grabler, P.C.

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Kenneth Darrian, 25, appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Lois H. Goodman on a Complaint charging him with one count of bank robbery.

According to the Complaint filed on July 5, 2011, and statements made in court:

Darrian entered the Mercerville Chase Bank on June 23, 2011, dressed in a tan sleeveless dress and a woman’s wig. He approached the teller counter and inquired about purchasing a money order. When the teller began to help him, Darrian pulled what appeared to be a black handgun from a bag he was carrying and pointed it at the teller. He then vaulted the counter, demanded the teller drawer be opened, and reached into the drawer for the cash.

Witnesses and surveillance video led a Trenton police officer to locate the defendant’s vehicle outside his residence in Trenton.

Darrian was arrested on June 27, 2011, by the Hamilton Police Department in relation to other matters, and has been held by the state since that time. He was returned state custody following today’s proceeding pending the resolution of those matters.

If convicted of the robbery, Darrian faces a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Brought to you by New Jersey Criminal Defense attorneys at Garces & Grabler, P.C.

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My first advice is don’t drink and drive in New Jersey or any other state, period. This can be accomplished by having a designated driver agree not to drink, thereby getting you and your friends home safely without endangering the lives of others.  If you do that you will always beat a DWI in New Jersey. However if you have already been charged with a DWI it is important that you get a qualified and experienced New Jersey DWI lawyer.

Not only will you lose your driving privileges if convicted of a DWI in New Jersey, you could also face time in jail on a second or subsequent offense. Also, the additional insurance costs and MVC or DMV surcharges alone if convicted of a DWI in New Jersey will cost several thousands of dollars, and/or cancellation of your insurance.

At Garces & Grabler, P.C. our New Jersey DWI lawyers can help.

Here are a few examples of how our New Jersey DWI  lawyers and our defense team will fight to exclude evidence from your case that may result in a dismissal of your DUI or DWI charge in New Jersey:

• You were illegally stopped
• The Field Sobriety Tests do not reliably indicate that there was even probable cause to arrest you to compel submissions to breath testing
• Breath test operator was unlicensed or had expired license
• The officer failed to read the Implied Consent Warning
• Breath test machine was not properly operated
• There were errors with the new Alcotest 7110 MKIII-C machine as documented in its embedded memory systems
• There was a language barrier and you did not understand that the officer advised you that you had the right to obtain an independent blood/urine test
• The alcohol reading was contaminated by asthma spray, cough drops, paint, fingernail polish (all of which contain alcohol)
• You were physically forced to give blood or urine
• A refusal charge only applies to breath testing and not to the refusal of giving blood or urine
• Videos and/or dispatch tape(s) do not show that you were intoxicated
• Prosecution failed to provide our DUI defense lawyers with complete discovery (all of the investigations/reports on your case)
• Court failed to provide a speedy trial

Frequently Asked Questions About DWI/DUI

What is “blood alcohol concentration”?

Can I refuse a Breath Test?

Are Breath-Test results always accurate?

What if I lose my license from a DWI or Refusal conviction but continue to drive?

What is the punishment for drunk driving?

How can I get to work if I cannot drive?

If I simply intend to plead guilty, why do I need a lawyer?ave the experience

If you have been charged with a DWI in  New Jersey, at the law offices of Garces & Grabler, P.C. we  have  experienced and qualified New Jersey DWI lawyers ready to help win your case. We  have 7 law offices throughout New Jersey.

Call now to make an appointment. 1-866-951-8387

New Jersey DWI Lawyers

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Applying the definition of bullying behavior, name-calling and teasing are included as “attempts to inflict physical and/or psychological distress.” Though perhaps not as obviously painful as physical bullying, name-calling and teasing can be just as harmful when they result from an “imbalance of power” between the bully and the victim. For example, children’s name-calling with terms such as “queer” or “fag” is definitely a form of bias-based bullying.

How can we stop bullying on the playground?

Bullying intervention should be seen as one part of a systemic preventionintervention-protection (PIP) approach. The entire school COMMUNITY must be included. Teachers, students, administrators and parents are part of the school community. Stopping bullying in any environment, whether on the playground, in the classroom, or in the hallway requires that:

1. Student bystanders and victims feel empowered to report the situation to adults, understanding the difference between:

• “tattling” to harm someone and
• “telling” to protect someone (or yourself).

2. And that adults will respond by:

• stopping the bullying behavior immediately (intervention)
• providing consistent consequences for the students behaving as bullies
• including disciplinary consequences and reports to parents
• protecting/supporting the victim

How can we empower children who are being bullied?

The experience of being bullied may have long-term consequences, depending on the duration, the level of bullying violence, and how it is related to the victim’s identity,. A victim is empowered by a shift in the school community’s norms which make totally clear that bullying is not permitted, that every person has a right to feel safe, that everyone has a responsibility to help others feel safe. Providing victims with the chance to tell their stories and ask their questions is also empowering. Assuring that victims know they are not alone also empowers children who are being bullied.

How can we help children who are behaving as bullies, especially when their parents may be reinforcing bullying behavior?

Not all children who behave as bullies are alike. Some are acting from more deep-seated emotional problems, while others are experimenting with limits and/or enjoying the feeling of “power over” others. Some victims may act aggressively and appear to be bullies themselves. Clearly parents need to be informed of their child’s bullying behavior. While they may be in denial or may defend their child, parents respond more positively to a concern for their child than to an accusation or an implied condemnation. Parents also need to understand that the long-term consequences for children behaving as bullies can be very serious. Research shows that about 1/4 of children identified as bullies in elementary school have a criminal record by age 25-30 (depending on the study). Often, parents are defending themselves (and their parenting skills) when they act defensively about their children.

This message has been brought to you by the New Jersey Criminal Defense Attorneys at Garces & Grabler, P.C.

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Guilty of DWI

To be found guilty of a DWI, the Municipal Prosecutor must prove each element of the offense beyond a reasonable doubt. Conversely, the Defendant does not have to prove their innocence.

A DWI case usually begins with a motor vehicle stop. The Police Officer must observe the Defendant drive in a manner that reveals a reasonable suspicion that the driver is operating the motor vehicle in a manner that would indicate they may be under the influence. Being under the influence can be achieved through the consumption of intoxicating liquor, narcotic or hallucinogenic. There are two methods that the State utilizes to obtain convictions.  Primarily, the Municipal Prosecutor must prove that the Defendant’s blood alcohol concentration (BAC) is a .08% or more via a breath or blood test.

After a motorist is pulled over by Police, they are usually required to perform certain field sobriety tests. Some of the most common field sobriety tests required to be performed are screening tests such as Alphabet Test or Counting tests, followed by the HGN, One Leg Stand and the Walk and Turn. If the Police Officer deems a motorist’s performance is poor, they are usually arrested and transported to the Police Station for furthering testing. Upon arrival, the motorist is typically required to submit to a breath Test. The Alcotest will usually indicate how much alcohol is present in your bloodstream. That is the aforementioned BAC.

Refusal to Submit to a Breathalyzer

Any person licensed to drive in the State of New Jersey is deemed to have given his consent to the taking of samples of their breath for the purpose of making chemical tests to determine the BAC. If a motorist refuses to submit to testing, they can still be charged with a DWI and will subject themselves to an additional serious charge known as a Refusal. Refusal to Submit to a Breathalyzer falls under N.J.S.A. 39:4-50.4a. A Refusal to Submit to a breath test carries with it serious consequences. If an individual is convicted of a Refusal he/she faces a monetary fine of up to $500, no less than 12 hours but no more than 48 hours at the Intoxicated Driver Resource Center and shall forfeit their right to operate a motor vehicle for a period of not less than 7 months but no more than 1 year. Now, these penalties can be imposed to run “consecutive”, or in addition to, penalties arising out of the DWI.

The Criminal Defense Unit at Garces & Grabler, P.C. consists of  licensed New Jersey attorneys who are highly experienced in representing Defendants throughout the various municipalities within the State of New Jersey for both Driving While Intoxicated and Refusal to Submit to a Breathalyzer infractions.  With 7 fully staffed offices throughout the State, a defendant gains the advantage of “local” experienced attorneys.  At Garces & Grabler, P.C., our attorneys will litigate every aspect of your respective DWI case from the probable cause of the motor vehicle stop to the actual accuracy of the breath test.

Our attorneys have successfully challenged the procedures and methods employed by the Police Officers involved, ranging from our clients’ performance of the Field Sobriety Tests, whether or not the Alcotest was properly performed and whether or not the BAC levels are within acceptable tolerance as required by Supreme Court case law, State v. Chun, a case where our office had been directly involved. Throughout the years, our Criminal Defense Unit has successfully prevailed at Trial, while in other cases, had substantially reduced our clients’ revocation periods by discovering technical deficiencies within the State’s case.

For more information about New Jersey DWI, see our DWI FAQs.

To find out how we have helped others with their DWI charges, see our Most Recent DWI Successes.

If you’ve been charged with a DWI in New Jersey, it’s important to contact a New Jersey DWI Lawyer as soon as possible to protect your rights.

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On site, while participants waited in the auditorium for an assigned defense counsel or conferenced their case with counsel, volunteer attorneys including Mr. Kessous and Ms. Labrada were present on stage awaiting assignments. Six virtual courts amassed an adjacent room where a judge, court staff, prosecutor, defense counsel and each participant resolved cases. Other classrooms were filled with court computers, law enforcement personnel, state and county prosecutors, court staff members, volunteers, faith based leaders, and members of the First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens, Somerset, N.J. who provided the work force for this initiative.

Garces & Grabler, P.C., with local offices in seven locations throughout New Jersey, stems its roots in local communities from almost twenty years of service. We strive to fulfill our mission to our communities by providing collaborative efforts through our staff attorneys present at this worthwhile event, donating their particularized acumen of knowledge and expertise in diverse legal areas. In English, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, French, Polish, Russian language, among others, our belief in sustaining the growth of vibrant neighborhoods emerges. Our presence serves a common goal……for a common good…..the empowerment of our communities.

Contact Garces & Grabler, P.C.

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If you need a criminal defense attorney in New Jersey call the law firm of Garces & Grabler at 866-951-1387 or contact us.

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If you need a criminal defense attorney in New Jersey call the law firm of Garces & Grabler at 866-951-1387 or contact us.

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