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“As far as this court is concerned, you are free to go,” Superior Court Judge James J. Guida told Anthony McDonald.
“You’re not getting your guns back,” the judge added jokingly. “They’re not yours.”
McDonald, who took a bus to court in Hackensack from Brooklyn every day, said the trips were worth it.
“I’m just glad it’s over,” he told CLIFFVIEW PILOT. “I want to thank Mr. Contaldi. He did a great job.”
Defense attorney Joseph Contaldi successfully argued that prosecutors couldn’t convincingly demonstrate that the weapons belonged to his client.
Jurors began deliberating mid-morning and returned their verdict just after 1:30 this afternoon following a day-long trial.
McDonald, 37, was charged with two counts of possession of a weapon without a permit after a Kel Tec .380 handgun and a Glock Model 20 were found in a rented U-Haul truck he was traveling in with his cousin, Scott McDonald of Trenton, on March 9, 2011.
SEE: Ex-con being tried for Mahwah loaded guns traffic stop
Prosecutors offered a plea deal of a year behind bars, but McDonald instead chose a trial.
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