Police officers in Bergen County recently announced the arrest of a man who they said was carrying marijuana in his car while driving around with his children in the vehicle.
The 38-year-old Passaic man was arrested by Maywood police on drug charges. He also faces charges of endangering the welfare of a child.
Officers reported that they pulled the man over for a motor vehicle violation. He was in the car with his four kids and the mother of the children.
However, when police ran a check on his name, they said they learned that the Bergen County Sheriff's Department had an active warrant for him for non-payment of child support.
They took him into custody at that point.
Officers said there was a strong odor of marijuana plants coming from inside the vehicle. When they searched it, they found several bags containing marijuana hidden inside a car seat being used by one of the kids.
He was subsequently charged with possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute in a school zone and endangering the welfare of a child.
He was taken to the county jail. Bail was set at $25,000 with no 10 percent option.
People facing drug offenses face the possibility of losing their freedom if they're convicted. When the charges include intent to distribute in a school zone, the stakes are even higher.
New Jersey law requires a minimum jail sentence for anyone convicted on the charge. The length of incarceration depends on a variety of circumstances, including the amount of marijuana involved.
Even if the amount of pot involved in the matter is less than an ounce, an offender could face up to a year in jail.
People facing those kinds of punishments do well to talk to an attorney experienced in successfully defending clients against drug charges.
Source: NorthJersey.com: "Father arrested in Maywood with children in car," Susan Joy Clark, March 8, 2012