Joshua Rockwood and his wife Jessica Rockwood, twenty seven and thirty one years of age respectively, are going to have to remain in jail for a while according to a judge sitting in Taunton, Massachusetts. Both have been charged with Trafficking Heroin in the Taunton District Court. The complaint follows a July 1, 2011 arrest during which police from several local law enforcement agencies conducted a raid pursuant to a search warrant at the couple’s home. During the search police found over one thousand four hundred bags of heroin with a street value estimated at fourteen thousand dollars. Officers also found a sawed off shotgun during the search. Only Jessica Rockwood was home at that time however the next day Joshua was arrested and found in possession of over two hundred bags of heroin and two thousand dollars cash. In addition to Heroin Trafficking the pair was charged with Possession of a Firearm and Receiving Stolen Property Over $250. Both defendants have been charged on several occasions with crimes as indicated by the district attorney during the arraignment and bail hearing. The article does not mention the quantity of heroin allegedly trafficked however it is likely that this case will be prosecuted in the Superior Court in New Bedford.
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http://www.enterprisenews.com/news/cops_and_courts/x1850042721/Couple-in-drug-case-denied-bail
What interests me most about this case as a Massachusetts Criminal Lawyer is the information law enforcement might have possessed prior to applying for a search warrant. I am sure that prosecutor provided the judge with a history of facts he felt deserving of a no bail order. None of these are however mentioned in this article. The quantity of heroin, the presence of a firearm and the criminal records of the defendants in this case without more might warrant the imposition of a high bail but not detention without bail. So what other facts might have been imparted to the judge at the bail hearing? Were there controlled buys made by undercover officers, informants or both? Were sales where the purchasers were apprehended witnessed for an extensive period of time? Perhaps most significantly, what involvement did each spouse have in the operation. Many times our office has been approached by couples who simply because of their relationship have been get charged together. Many times however the case against one of the spouses gets dismissed due to inadequacies in the evidence against him or her. However, almost always will the district attorney charge both the husband and the wife when a search warrant is executed at a home and drugs are found. Having an experienced lawyer is the best way to ensure that justice is done and that an innocent spouse does not suffer for the crimes of the other.
We have been defending people accused of crimes such as those with which the Rockwoods have been charged for over twenty years. Our representation extends throughout Massachusetts including Bristol County and the Taunton area. Our phones are answered 24/7. Call us now at 617-263-6800 or contact us online to discuss your case. Your defense should start now.