In a shocking act of poor judgment, a New Jersey man is accused of stealing a car in order to make it to a court appearance for another criminal matter. If the details that have been released are accurate, the case serves as an illustration of the type of reasoning that leads many to seek the aid of a criminal defenseattorney. It also demonstrates the importance of making good decisions in the months and years following a court appearance.
The man in question is a 21-year-old Riverdale resident. He was visiting a friend the day before he was expected in court, and he mentioned to the friend multiple times that he was not sure how he was going to find transportation to the hearing. When the friend woke up the following day, he allegedly found that his car had been stolen. He called the police to report the theft.
The friend then called to say that he was on his way back to return the vehicle, but police were already on the scene when he arrived. They searched the car and found multiple items of drug paraphernalia inside as well as an open bottle containing whiskey. The authorities are uncertain if the man even appeared in court, as he had returned to the friend's home shortly after the courts opened for the day.
The young man now faces multiple criminal charges related to both the car theft and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was also charged with driving on a suspended license. Authorities assert that he has a long history of drug charges, which suggests that he has struggled with addiction for some time. As he and his New Jersey defense attorney work to structure his criminal defense strategy, asking the court to order some type of rehabilitation may be a consideration.
Source: New York Daily News, "New Jersey man steals friend's car to make court appearance: cops", Joel Landau, April 14, 2015