NJ Criminal Defense Lawyer To Fight Penalties On Your Second Degree Burglary Charges
In New Jersey, Burglary (N.J.S.A. 2C:18-2) describes a more specific mode of conduct than most people may expect. In this post we will discuss Second Degree Burglary Charges.
We commonly think of burglary in terms of someone breaking into your house and stealing your laptops or jewelry.
For our purposes burglary means that a person enters or remains in a research facility without authorization. Alternatively, this includes trespasses on utility company property with purpose to commit an offense there.
Burglary is penalized at one of two levels.
The most serious is Second Degree Burglary.
This is charged when, while committing one of the above offenses, the burglar purposely, knowingly, or recklessly inflicts bodily injury, attempts to do so, or threatens to do so; or, is armed with or displays what appears to be explosives or a deadly weapon.
In these cases, Second Degree Burglary charges in New Jersey carry very stiff penalties.
While lower-level indictable offenses usually carry a presumption of non-incarceration, a second-degree charge has no such consideration.
Conviction means that you’ll face a sentence of five to 10 years, plus fines of up to $150,000.
Even if you served the minimum, you would then carry a felony conviction for the rest of your life, which you would have to disclose on applications of all sort.
It’s a tough charge to face, and you shouldn’t do it without legal help.
An experienced New Jersey defense lawyer can make a big difference in your case, especially when the stakes are this high.
Call Matthew Reisig today at 732-625-9661 for a free consultation with an experienced New Jersey criminal defense attorney.