New Jersey Criminal Attorney Blog

A man was charged with aggravated assault after allegedly trying to ram his car into a Bergen County police officer who pulled him over in Hackensack.

The officer pulled over the driver for a routine traffic stop after observing him allegedly weaving in and out of lanes. When the officer approached the car, the driver sped off allegedly forcing the officer to jump out of the way. The officer caught up with the driver and arrested him in Paterson.

In addition to being charged with aggravated assault on a police officer, the driver was faces charges of eluding arrest, being a fugitive from justice, speeding, reckless driving and failure to pull over.

In this economic downturn, jobs seekers in North Jersey may spend a lot of time adjusting their resumes or working on their interview skills. But a job applicant whose record turns up a criminal conviction -- even a minor one -- may start out at a disadvantage when competing in a tough job market.

With unemployment soaring, jobs that are hard to come by, and more companies performing background checks than ever before,many are looking to expunge their records or set aside convictions. Even those who have jobs may consider expunging past convictions now. Waiting until the next job search could mean lost time.

Depending on a person's background, the Court may expunge a conviction, erasing it from that person's record. The process involves petitioning the Court in the county where the offense took place. Several factors affect whether a person is eligible for expungment, including the nature of the crime and the length of time since the last offense.

For those who are being weighed down by mistakes in their past, expungement offers the opportunity to make a fresh start. And in a job market as competitive as this one, erasing a conviction could be a big step toward finding employment.

If you've received summonses for driving without a license, help is available.

A conviction for driving without a license could prevent you from obtaining a license in the future and subject you to fines and a possible prison sentence. An article in today's Newark Star Ledger cited the example of one man who racked up 20 traffic tickets and several summonses for driving without a license . Through a special program in Newark designed to encourage those wanted for non-violent crimes to turn themselves in, he was permitted to work out a payment schedule that would help him clear his name and obtain a driver's license.

But even where such programs are not available, municipal court judges have a range of penalties they can impose when a motorist is convicted of driving without a license. Additionally, the penalties vary depending on whether the driver did not have a current driver's license, or whether the driver never had a driver's license to begin with.

More importantly, a person cannot be convicted of driving without a license if the driver merely fails to show a valid driver's license to the officer requesting it. In some cases, the driver may at worst be guilty of refusing to exhibit a driver's license, which is punishable by a fine.

A Westwood Man allegedly tried to rob a bank on Route 17 Tuesday morning in Mahwah by passing a note to the teller, but fled after the teller activated an alarm.

As police searched for the man, schools in the area were placed on lockdown, but officers in the areas soon caught up with him. Police found the man, 33-year-old Anthony B. Dewberry, in a nearby parking garage and found the note in his car.

Dewberry was charged with robbery and bail was set at $250,000.