Felony Gun Charge Dropped Against Victim Of Drunken Driving in New Jersey
TRENTON – The felony gun charge against 46-year-old Raymond Hughes was dismissed on Monday by the Gloucester County Prosecutor, Sean Dalton.
According to the prosecutor, the cops came to know that the guard had a gun in his motor vehicle because he was the victim of a DUI accident.
Facts of the Case
He had a Pennsylvania carry permit, but it was not according to the harsh gun laws of New Jersey. The charges were filed by the cops in January, and the case was under review by the prosecutor’s office who gave the decision of dropping the case.
Dalton said, “In this particular case, Mr. Hughes was the victim of a crime prior to any violation of New Jersey gun law”.
Hughes said that he was traveling with his wife and they were getting home after attending a concert and having dinner in Atlantic City when an individual, who was driving under the influence of alcohol, struck their vehicle. After the accident:
- Hughes told police that he had a handgun under his seat.
- The officers took his personal 9mm Glock handgun while he was on his way to the hospital.
- Local police filed charges a few days later for a felony gun charge.
Recent Relevance
Hughes was the latest to be charged with carrying a legally owned gun into New Jersey. Gov. Chris Christie dropped the charges of 6 individuals in 2015 that were charged with a similar offense.
On Monday, Hughes said, “I am very happy and very thankful to the prosecutor’s office”.
Evan Nappen, the Hughes attorney said that the dismissed charges showed the requirement to reform gun laws on the state and federal levels. According to him, New Jersey’s laws are “inflexible and draconian.”
According to Bryan Miller, executive director of Heeding God’s Call, “People should learn from this example to not bring their guns into New Jersey”.
News Source: https://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/