Thursday, December 18, 2008

3:14-1. Venue

An offense shall be prosecuted in the county in which it was committed, except that
(a) If it is uncertain in which one of 2 or more counties the offense has been committed or if an offense is committed in several counties prosecution may be had in any of such counties.
(b) If a person dies in one county as a result of an offense committed in any other county or counties, the prosecution may be had in any of such counties.
(c) Whenever the body of any person who died as a result of an offense is found in any county, prosecution may be had in such county, regardless of where the offense was committed.
(d) Whenever a person dies within the jurisdiction of this State as a result of an offense committed outside the jurisdiction of this State, or dies outside the jurisdiction of this State as a result of an offense committed within the jurisdiction of this State, the prosecution shall be had in the county in which the death occurred or the offense was committed.
(e) Prosecution for acts of treason against this State which were committed outside the jurisdiction of this State shall be had in any county designated by the Chief Justice.
(f) Prosecutions for libel shall be had either in the county in which the publication was made or the county in which the libeled person resided at the time of the publication.
(g) An accessory may be prosecuted as such either in the county in which the offense to which he or she is an accessory is triable or the county in which he or she became such accessory.
(h) Any person who steals the property of another, outside this State, or receives such property knowing it to have been stolen, and brings it into this State, may be prosecuted in any county into or through which the stolen property is brought.
(i) Prosecutions for acts of forgery, embezzlement, conversion or misappropriation may be had either in the county in which such offense was committed or in the county in which the offender last resided.
(j) Prosecutions for desertion may be had either in the county in which the wife or any child resided at the time of the desertion or in the county in which the wife resides when the prosecution is begun.
(k) The county of venue for purposes of trial of indictments returned by a State Grand Jury shall be designated by the Assignment Judge appointed to impanel and supervise the State Grand Jury or Grand Juries pursuant to R. 3:6-11(b).