The case against former New York Jets football player Mike Goodson, accused of illegally possessing a handgun, was recently postponed.
Goodson and his co-defendant were scheduled to appear in Morris County Superior Court in Morristown. However, attorneys in the case agreed to postpone the status conference because one of the defense attorneys and the assistant prosecutor were both on vacation. According to a prosecutor who appeared at the court proceeding, the attorneys had agreed to “put the matter off.”
The status conference has been rescheduled for August 4.
This is not the first delay in the case. When Goodson missed a previous court appearance on June 26, the superior court judge told him that he would be arrested if he failed to appear for another scheduled court date.
When the case resumes, Goodson’s attorneys are likely to seek a dismissal of the evidence against Goodson on the grounds that the gun was seized illegally by law enforcement.
Goodson and his co-defendant were arrested in 2013 after State Police allegedly found the men intoxicated in an SUV and discovered a loaded .45 Taurus caliber handgun in the glove box of the vehicle. At the time, the vehicle was stopped in the center lane on Interstate 80 in Denville, NJ.
N.J.S.A. 2C:39-5 governs illegal handgun charges in New Jersey. As set forth by the statute, unlawful possession of a weapon is a third degree felony. This means that Goodson faces up to five years in New Jersey State Prison if he is convicted.
For more information about this case, read the NJ.com article entitled “Court Date Postponed Again in Weapons Case Against Ex-Jet Goodson.”