Last year, the courthouse in Bergen County New Jersey had to be closed for a short while. The reason for this closure was a flood that was caused by an individual who was on trial there. He has since been charged, and convicted. His punishment is three years for flooding the courthouse, and also for engaging in other crimes. The defendant’s name is Benjamin Blohm. On July 9, 2012, Blohm was in court because he was being charged with car burglary. Once he left the courtroom, he damaged a water pipe by kicking it. The result of his kicking the water pipe was that water gushed out of the pipe and caused flooding and a lot of damage to the court building.
In addition to the damage to the building caused by the actions of this 28-year-old man from New Milford New Jersey, there were also injuries. The injured individuals were the County Sheriff, and also the county judge. They were both injured when they slipped on the wet floor as they were evacuating the building. Blohm will have to pay $10,000 to fix the damage that he caused to the courthouse, and also to the vehicles that he stole. This fine is in addition to his jail sentence. Burglary in New Jersey is normally a third degree felony. If convicted of a third degree felony in New Jersey an individual faces a presumption of non-incarceration. However, that presumption can be overcome and if it is the Defendant can be sentenced up to five years in a New Jersey State Prison.
The Law Offices of Jonathan F. Marshall is an experienced Bergen County Criminal Defense Firm. We have over 100 years of combined experience on staff, including over twenty-five years of prior prosecuting experience. If you or someone you know has been charged with a criminal offense like carjacking, burglary, robbery, theft of moveable property or shoplifting we can help.