On June 4, a Belvidere man was arrested for illegal weapons possession.
New Jersey state troopers stopped Michael Miller, a 29-year-old Belvidere resident, while he was driving a Ford pickup truck. After citing Mr. Miller for a nonmoving violation, officers noticed a rifle next to him in the passenger seat.
Officers immediately removed Mr. Miller from the truck. When Mr. Miller allowed the officers to search his vehicle, they found a total of two (2) rifles, a .40-caliber handgun, and two (2) high-capacity magazines.
Mr. Miller was arrested and taken to Warren County Jail. He has been charged with possession of firearms without firearms identification.
In New Jersey, unlawful possession of a rifle is governed by N.J.S.A. 2C:39-5(c). If Mr. Miller is convicted under this statute, he could be looking at as many as 10 years in New Jersey State Prison. And even if Mr. Miller has no prior record, prosecutors are likely to do no better than a plea offer of five (5) years in state prison.
For more information, see the NJ.com article entitled “State Police: Belvidere Man with Rifles, Handgun Had No ID for Weapons.“