A currently homeless former resident of Washington Township with a lengthy criminal history has been charged with a multitude of theft, drug, and weapons offenses in jurisdictions throughout Bergen County.

Law enforcement officials in Hackensack, Elmwood Park, Mahwah, Rochelle Park, Ho-Ho-Kus and Washington Township have reported arrests concerning the same man. The defendant has been indicted by a Bergen County grand jury on a total of five charges, including burglary and armed robbery, in connection with an alleged incident that occurred at a Ho-Ho-Kus residence on April 14, 2012.

Records reveal that the man has been arrested and subsequently released after posting bail numerous times over the course of the last two years. In addition to the aforementioned Bergen County indictment, the defendant has also been charged with burglary, drug, and weapons offenses in a variety of Bergen County municipalities. Among these alleged offenses, he is accused of heroin possession and possession of a hypodermic needle in Hackensack, as well as a burglary crime in Mahwah.

Considering the defendant’s criminal background and the host of current charges against him, he may receive considerably harsher sentences if he is ultimately found guilty in any number of these cases. New Jersey statute N.J.S.A. 2C:44-1 provides an extensive list of “aggravating factors,” which a presiding judge will consider prior to issuing a sentence in a particular case.

Some of the criteria listed as “aggravating factors” according to this law include: the risk that the defendant will commit another offense, the extent of the defendant’s prior criminal record (if any) and the seriousness of the offenses for which he or she has been convicted, as well as the need for deterring the defendant from further violations of the law. Clearly, all of these factors will affect the sentences imposed in cases that result in his conviction.