Whether an offender is a juvenile or an adult, law enforcers in New Jersey take violent crime seriously.
While prosecutors take violent crimes seriously regardless of an offender’s age, when an offender has not yet reached the age of majority, they are subject to the juvenile law system, a system with different rules and procedures.
Police recently arrested a teenager from Budd Lake, New Jersey. Mount Olive Police allegedly arrested the 17-year-old boy after responding to a complaint concerning a violent crime at the Kings Village Apartment Complex. Police claim that arriving to the scene they observed a number of people outside the complex. One of the individuals at the scene was reportedly in possession of a baseball bat.
After speaking with the juvenile offender, police learned that the boy had gone to Kings Village to assault another boy who harassed him. The suspect allegedly broke into the victim’s home by breaking a window on the front door of the apartment. Officers claim that after entering the premises, the young man allegedly struck two of the residents with the bat. There is no word on the severity of the injuries.
Mount Olive Police have since charged the boy with multiple crimes including aggravated assault, burglary, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose and criminal mischief. The suspect is currently being held at the Morris County Juvenile Detention Center.
Like adult crimes, juvenile crimes can have serious, long-term consequences. To ensure a proper defense, minors accused of crimes should consider seeking the help of an experienced defense attorney knowledgeable in the juvenile law system.
Source: New Jersey Herald, “Budd Lake teen charged with assault,” Sept. 22 2013
