No Sentencing Date Set for Man Guilty of Weapons Charges: Prosecutor

While no sentencing date has been set, prosecutors are asking for a shorter than normal prison term for Robert Welker, a Jefferson man a Morris County jury found guilty of unlawful possession of a weapon in July 2010, according to a Daily Record report. He was cleared of charges that he deliberately pointed the gun at the man with whom he was fighting. The prosecutor’s office said that a longer sentence would be an injustice, the report said, adding that the office will request a three-year sentence with one year of parole ineligibility, rather than the minimum five year term with three years of ineligibility that the offense normally carries.

Welker was charged with terroristic threats, aggravated assault with a firearm and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose on July 12, 2010 after police received a call from a man stating that Welker threatened him with a handgun after the two had a dispute over a construction job and the payment for it, according to Jefferson Township police.

Last September, in a separate incident, Welker was the victim of an alleged drunken driver, Richard Hoentz, who hit Welker in his car on Weldon Road, police said. Hoentz was charged with DWI and assault by auto after that incident, police said.

According to the Daily Record report, Welker’s attorney, James Porfido, expects to ask the judge for probation on behalf of his client.