Jonathan Valentine
A Pleasantville man who admitted to possession of a so-called ghost gun was given probation at his sentencing Thursday.
But his attorney, Meg Hoerner, successfully argued for probation.
She presented several letters of support to the court, and talked of his past as a star football player, worker at Ocean Resort and his help in the community.
Valentine already served about eight months in jail before he was released Feb. 23, pending sentencing.
He was supposed to be sentenced Feb. 28, but then his brother died of a drug overdose, Hoerner said. He was able to attend both the funeral and his other brother's graduation from the police academy.
Valentine was arrested during a car stop in Pleasantville in June.
Police saw the muzzle of a gun, and recovered a 9mm Luger Polymer 80 semiautomatic handgun with no serial number, called a "ghost gun" because of the difficulty in tracking it. It was loaded with a high-capacity magazine.
Police also found 2¼ ounces of marijuana, a digital scale, empty Ziploc baggies and an undisclosed amount of cash.
The outcome of that stop could have been much worse, Judge Bernard DeLury told him at sentencing.
"Nothing good happens after midnight behind the wheel of a car with (drugs) and a firearm," he told Valentine.
The judge said he was giving him a chance, noting that studies show that the brain isn't fully formed before the age of 26.
The prosecutor in the case indicated the state may appeal. As a result, DeLury stayed his decision.
That means Valentine will remain free but his sentence will not yet be imposed.
