Somerset County Criminal Defense Attorney

By Keith G. Oliver, Keith Oliver Criminal Law | Updated November 2026

Somerset County is one of the most affluent counties in New Jersey, and many of the people charged here have never been inside a courtroom before. A DWI on Route 22, a shoplifting complaint at Bridgewater Commons or a drug charge after a stop on Interstate 287 can put a career, a professional license or a college plan at risk overnight. Our Somerset County criminal defense lawyers know how these cases are handled in Somerville, and we work to keep a single mistake from becoming a permanent record.

Keith Oliver Criminal Law represents clients in all 21 Somerset County municipalities from our office at 1200 Route 22 East, Suite 2000, in Bridgewater, a short drive from the courthouse in downtown Somerville. Call (908) 533-1064 any time, day or night, for a free and confidential consultation.

Why a Somerset County Criminal Defense Lawyer Should Know Somerville

Somerset County sits at the crossroads of Interstate 287, Interstate 78, Route 22 and Routes 202 and 206, and a large share of local arrests begin with a traffic stop on one of those highways. Retail corridors in Bridgewater and Watchung bring shoplifting and credit card cases, while the county’s commuter communities see their share of drug, DWI and domestic violence charges. Wherever the case starts, every indictable charge ends up on North Bridge Street in Somerville, where the Superior Court and the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office sit within a block of each other.

The local numbers matter. Somerset prosecutors seek pretrial detention firmly and rarely withdraw those motions, and the Criminal Division carries a smaller backlog than the statewide average, so deadlines arrive quickly. A lawyer who regularly appears in Somerville knows when to push for a downgrade, how to prepare a client for a Pretrial Intervention interview, and which issues, such as how long a highway stop lasted or whether a consent search was truly voluntary, are worth litigating.

Somerville Courthouse or Your Town’s Municipal Court?

Where your case is heard depends on how the charge is graded. Open each court below for details.

Somerset County Arrest and Detention Numbers

Somerset County handles fewer criminal cases than its larger neighbors, but it treats them seriously at the start. These charts use the Judiciary’s own figures. Tap a bar in the second chart to see what each outcome means.

In practice, that means two things. First, families should expect a real fight at a detention hearing in Somerville and should help their lawyer build a release plan right away; our first appearance and detention hearing guide explains what judges look at. Second, with a lighter backlog, a Somerset case can reach indictment and plea deadlines quickly, so the best time to ask for a downgrade or Pretrial Intervention is early.

How a Somerset County Case Moves From Arrest to Resolution

1. Arrest and booking. Adults charged on warrants are booked at the Somerset County Jail at 40 Grove Street in Somerville. If you learn there is a warrant out for you, contact a lawyer before you are picked up.
2. Central Judicial Processing. A judge holds the first appearance within about 48 hours, reviews the Public Safety Assessment and either sets release conditions or holds the person when the prosecutor moves for detention.
3. Prosecutor screening. The Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office at 40 North Bridge Street reviews the file and chooses among presenting it to a grand jury, sending it back to municipal court as a lesser offense, or approving Pretrial Intervention. Early, well-documented contact from defense counsel can change the outcome here.
4. Grand jury. Somerset County residents decide whether the evidence supports an indictment. A no bill ends the case.
5. Motions and plea negotiations. Discovery often reveals problems with highway stops, searches and statements. A successful motion to suppress can lead to dismissal.
6. Trial or sentencing. Cases that do not resolve are tried before a Somerset County jury. At sentencing, a Somerset judge balances the factors for and against a harsher sentence, and many first offenders receive probation.

Charges We Defend in Somerset County

Whether you received a summons from a local police department or were indicted by a Somerset County grand jury, we can help. Choose a practice area, or tap a specific charge, to learn how it is graded in New Jersey, what penalties it carries and how we approach the defense.

Penalties at a Glance: Degree, Court and Somerset Examples

New Jersey grades offenses by degree rather than calling them felonies or misdemeanors. The grade sets the sentencing range and decides whether the case belongs in Somerville or in municipal court.

Someone with no prior record who is convicted of a third- or fourth-degree crime is presumed not to need state prison. The opposite is true for first- and second-degree crimes, where prison is presumed. Graves Act gun charges carry mandatory minimum terms, which is why visitors who carry a lawfully owned handgun into New Jersey need immediate advice.

Keeping a Somerset County Charge Off Your Record

For many Somerset clients, especially professionals, students and people with security clearances or licenses, the real goal is avoiding a conviction altogether. Options can include:

• Pretrial Intervention, a supervised diversion program that, once completed, wipes out the indictable charge. The Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office generally must consent, so the application should be prepared carefully.
• Conditional discharge for a first municipal court drug charge, and conditional dismissal for many other first-time disorderly persons cases.
• Downgrades that send an indictable case back to the local court as a lesser, non-indictable offense.
• Recovery Court for people whose charges stem from addiction, combining treatment with court supervision.
• Motions to suppress when evidence came from an unlawful stop, search or interrogation.
• Expungement after the case ends, to clear an arrest or eligible conviction.

Somerset County Towns We Serve

Lower-level charges, DWI and traffic cases are heard in the municipal court of the town where they were written. Scroll to your town or start typing its name in the box. Each town name opens our guide to that town’s court, and the tags underneath cover its charge-specific pages. We also defend clients in Far Hills, Peapack-Gladstone, Rocky Hill and Millstone.

Our Bridgewater Office

Our Somerset County attorneys work from 1200 Route 22 East, Suite 2000, Bridgewater, NJ 08807, minutes from the courthouse and the Prosecutor’s Office on North Bridge Street in Somerville. The office is easy to reach from Interstate 287, Interstate 78 and Routes 202 and 206, and it also serves our clients in nearby Hunterdon County. We meet clients in person, by phone and by video.

Why Somerset County Clients Choose Keith Oliver Criminal Law

• Criminal defense is all we do. Keith G. Oliver and Brett Rosen focus their practice entirely on defending people accused of crimes.
• We protect what is at stake beyond the case. Many of our Somerset clients worry about jobs, professional licenses, immigration status or school. We build the defense with those consequences in mind.
• We move early. We prepare for detention hearings from the first call and contact the Prosecutor’s Office about downgrades and PTI before deadlines pass.
• We are close by. Our Bridgewater office is a few minutes from the Somerville courthouse.
• Results you can review. See our case results and success stories. Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome.

Frequently Asked Questions

How likely is jail after an arrest in Somerset County?

It depends on the charge and your history. Somerset police charged about 56 percent of defendants on warrants in 2024, above the statewide rate, so more people here are held until a first appearance. Most are released at that hearing, but when the prosecutor files a detention motion, Somerset judges granted it in about 62 percent of the motions they decided.

Where will I be held if I am not released?

People are booked at the Somerset County Jail at 40 Grove Street in Somerville. Those held longer are generally housed at the Morris County Correctional Facility in Morris Township under a shared services agreement. Our Somerset County jail guide explains calls and visits.

Is there free parking at the Somerset County Courthouse?

Yes. Visitors can park for free in the county parking deck in downtown Somerville. Our courthouse guide explains where to park, how to get through security and where to go inside.

Can a Somerset County felony be downgraded?

Often, yes. When the facts support it, Somerset prosecutors can amend an indictable charge to a disorderly persons offense and remand it to the town court where it started. Early contact with the prosecutor, along with evidence that supports a lesser charge, improves the chances.

Is a municipal court charge in Somerset County worth hiring a lawyer for?

Usually. A shoplifting or drug conviction in a town court still appears on background checks for jobs, licenses and graduate school, and a DWI brings an ignition interlock and fines. A Somerset County criminal defense lawyer can often get the charge dismissed, amended or diverted.

Do you handle cases outside Somerset County?

Yes. From Bridgewater we also represent clients in Hunterdon County, and our Hamilton and Middletown offices serve Mercer and Monmouth Counties. We also handle federal cases.