Showing posts with label Criminal Courts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Criminal Courts. Show all posts

Thursday, July 7, 2011

Case Updates - People v. Anonymous

Attorney John Pettinella recently disposed of a criminal matter in a local Westchester Criminal Court by successfully negotiating two violation pleas for his client (violations in New York State are not crimes). The client was charged with three separate offenses:

1. Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance, a misdemeanor
2. Obstruction of Governmental Administration, also a misdeameanor, and
3. Unlawful Possession of Marijuana, a violation

This case was particularly interesting in that the client is currently on parole and any misdemeanor conviction would have likely resulted in a violation of that parole and a potential remand back to prison. Mr Pettinella successfully argued that the criminal possession of a controlled substance charge should be withdrawn by prosecutors because, although not in his hands at the time of arrest, the client possessed a valid prescription for the substance he charged with possessing illegally. With respect to the Obstruction of Governmental Administration charge, Mr. Pettinella successfully had the charge reduced to a violation after presenting case law to the prosecutors and pointing out inconsistencies in the charges following pre-trial hearings. The result was a plea to disorderly conduct and the UPM charge, both violations.

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Eastchester Town Court

The Eastchester Town Court hears civil cases, misdemeanor and traffic cases, as well as pre indictment felony matters. The Court is located at 40 Mill Road, Eastchester, NY 10709. The Court may be reached by telephone at (914) 771-3354. Criminal cases are heard on every Wednesday morning. As of this writing, two Judges presided in Eastchester Town Court: the Honorable Domenick Porco and the Honorable James Connors.

The Court is conveniently located in the center of the Town of Eastchester and is accessible via both the Hutchinson River and Bronx River Parkways.

If you or a loved one has been arrested, contact an experienced Eastchester criminal defense lawyer.

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Arrested in Manhattan...It's Going to Be a While

I was recently retained by a person arrested in Manhattan at approximately 3:00AM Saturday morning.  As a New York criminal defense attorney, I am used to delays in producing clients for an arraignment.  But for the benefit of those of you not used to the delays, here is what to expect. New York County (Manhattan) experiences hundreds of arrests per day.  On the day in question, there were over 415 arrests.  Once arrested, a person is brought to the local police station.  From there, if the person does not qualify for a desk appearance ticket, he will be brought to central booking, processed, and interviewed by a city agency for the purposes of making a bail or ROR recommendation.  The police officer(s) making the arrest must speak with the Assistant District Attorneys in the complaint room to formulate the charges.  The charges are then drafted and filed (docketed) with the Court Clerk.  At that point, the case is ready to be called so long as the person is at the courthouse.

The point is that this is often a lengthy process and it is not uncommon for a person not be arraigned until the next day.  In my case, my client was arraigned at 12:45AM Sunday morning (the court operates till 1:00AM).  That's almost 24 hours from the time of the original arrest.  
Be sure to seek the services of a qualified New York criminal defense attorney to lead you through the maze of arraignment in Manhattan.  

 

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Yonkers City Court

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The Yonkers City Court, Criminal Division, hears misdemeanor and pre-indictment felony cases originating within the City of Yonkers as well as moving violation and parking ticket matters.  

The Court is located at: 100 South Broadway
Yonkers, NY 10701

The Court may be reached at: (914) 377-6326

Yearly statistics show that Yonkers City Court is one of the busiest criminal courts in Westchester County.  The Court hears a multitude of DWI and DWAI cases, Petit Larceny and Grand Larceny (pre-indictment), drug possession and weapons possesion matters, as well as VTL 511 cases (Aggravated Unlicensed Operation of a Motor Vehicle).  

As a
Westchester County criminal attorney, I have handled numerous matters in Yonkers City Court ranging from Criminal Mischief to Assault.  This Court, as I indicated, has a very busy calendar and the process can be confusing to someone unfamiliar with the criminal justice process.  Be sure to contact a qualified criminal attorney to handle your matter.  

For directions and transportation information to Yonkers City Court,
click here.

For a Mapquest Map of Yonkers City Court,
click here.  

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

White Plains City Court

The White Plains City Court is located at 77 South Lexington Avenue, White Plains, NY 10601.  This Court handles misdemeanor criminal charges originating within the City of White Plains.  They also have jurisdiction to arraign defendants charged with felonies originating within the City of White Plains.  Additionally, the Court handles certain civil matters and traffic matters.  

As the Criminal Court for the City of White Plains, a multitude of criminal charges are heard by this Court including, but not limited to, DWI, DWAI, False Personation, Criminal Posession of a Controlled Substance, Petit Larceny, Assault, VTL 511 charges, Criminal Mischief,  and Disorderly Conduct to name a few.  In my experience as a White Plains criminal defense lawyer, I have found this Court to maintain a busy calendar and it is not uncommon for the Court to hear fifty or more criminal cases each day.  

The Court is accessible via both Metro North and the Bee Line Bus System.  There is limited meter parking available however, visitors to the Court may park in the Supreme Court parking lot and Galleria Mall parking lot located next to the Court.  

The Court may be reached at (914) 824-5675.  

Friday, November 14, 2008

New Rochelle City Court



In the first of our series highlighting local criminal courts, we focus on New Rochelle City Court. The New Rochelle City Court has jurisdiction over both civil and criminal cases originating within the City of New Rochelle. In the category of criminal law, the New Rochelle criminal court part hears misdemeanors and pre-indictment felonies, including drug possession, unlawful possession of marijuana, robbery, petit larceny, DWI, DWAI, criminal possession of a weapon, assault, and other cases.

The New Rochelle Criminal Court part also hears Vehicle and Traffic offenses such as violations of VTL 511 (Aggravated Unlicensed Operation of a Motor Vehicle) and the Traffic part hears traffic cases such as speeding, red light and stop sign violations.

The New Rochelle City Court is located at 475 North Avenue, New Rochelle, NY 10801. The Court Offices may be reached at (914) 654-2207. As of the writing of this blog, the three Judges sitting in New Rochelle City Court are the Hon. Preston S. Scher, Hon. John P. Colangelo, and Hon. Gail Rice.