Society generally expects politicians or those running for a political office to be law abiding and have a fairly minor, if any, criminal past. Historically, when a politician or someone seeking political office has a criminal incident that becomes public knowledge, the person’s political future may be limited. This historical precedent may prove true, as an aspiring New Jersey politician has been arrested in connection with drug charges.
The New Jersey man was running for mayor in an election that will be held in November. The man’s election goals may be challenged by the man’s recent arrest for selling drugs. The man was arrested after he allegedly sold marijuana to an undercover New Jersey police officer. The man is being held pursuant to the arrest at a local jail. The man’s bail has been set at $50,000. No further information was provided regarding the events of the arrest. The details regarding the man’s pending criminal charges have not been publicly released.
We previously wrote about the legal consequences of criminal charges, especially drug charges. The penalties of most criminal convictions include potential fines or jail time and drug convictions are no exception. In addition to potential fines and jail time, a drug conviction could severely impact the man’s political aspirations. A criminal conviction can have a serious impact on anyone’s life, both personal and professional. When someone is criminally charged, all the events that occurred surrounding the arrest and criminal procedure can be vital to creating a defense against the criminal charges and an experienced attorney can ensure the best defense is provided against pending criminal charges.
Source: Sacramento Bee, “South Jersey mayoral candidate arrested,” Aug. 21, 2012