Municipal Court matters move to Medford Lakes for four Burlco towns

Residents with pending or future in-person municipal matters in the Tabernacle, Woodland, Shamong, and Medford Lakes communities will now be required to visit the Medford Lakes Municipal Building as the four towns move forward with plans for a shared municipal court.

Last month, Medford Lakes joined the Tabernacle Township in a shared services agreement to merge operations of the Medford Lakes Borough and Shamong Township Municipal Court with the Tabernacle Township and Woodland Township Court. This means if you have been charged with a criminal offense or DWI in any of the four towns your case will be heard and decided at the Medford Lakes Municipal Building.

Any new cases and cases that have yet to be decided in Shamong, Medford Lakes, Tabernacle or Woodland Township will be transferred to the Medford Lakes Municipal Building. Business that does not require an in-person appearance will be conducted virtually.

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Municipal courts in New Jersey handle various matters but are generally divided into four categories that include motor vehicle and traffic violations, disorderly persons offenses, fish and game violations, and municipal ordinance violations.

The Medford Lakes Municipal Court oversees lower-level criminal offenses known as misdemeanors, including things like simple assault, shoplifting, harassment, and drug paraphernalia possession. It also includes some motor vehicle offenses.

According to the New Jersey Courts, joint courts offer savings in staff size, sharing court security measures, and reducing the number of court facilities.

The Municipal Court of Medford Lakes is located at 1 Cabin Circle in Medford, NJ. Operation hours are Monday and Wednesday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Tuesday and Thursday from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The court is closed on Friday. The presiding judge is the Honorable Peter C. Lange, Jr. The court administrator is Lena Creer and the prosecutor is Martin Buckley.

The municipal court can be contacted at 609-654-7589. The fax number for the court office is 609-654-7432. For more information on the Medford Lakes Municipal Court visit https://www.medfordlakes.com/164/Municipal-Court.

Nicolette White is the Diversity and Inclusion reporter for the Burlington County Times, The Daily Journal and Courier-Post. She is a Temple University graduate with Dallas, Texas roots. Send tips to nwhite@gannett.com and follow her on Twitter @nicolettejwhite. Please support local journalism with a digital subscription.

This article originally appeared on Burlington County Times: Some Burlington County Municipal Court cases move to Medford Lakes