North Andover Criminal Defense Lawyer

Criminal Defense in North Andover, MA

North Andover’s criminal docket looks different from its neighbors’. The town wraps around Lake Cochichewick from the old mill district on the Lawrence line to the farms along Route 114 toward Middleton, and its cases reflect that mix: domestic disputes and restraining orders in the dense downtown neighborhoods, OUI stops on Routes 114 and 125, college-adjacent incidents near Merrimack College, and shoplifting complaints from the Route 114 retail corridor.

Attorney Adela Aprodu represents North Andover residents across all of it — and because a large share of North Andover matters are restraining-order and domestic cases rather than classic street crime, this page gives those their own section below. Every North Andover case, whatever the charge, lands in the same building: Lawrence District Court.

Where North Andover Cases Are Heard

North Andover has no courthouse. All criminal complaints, arraignments, restraining-order applications, and clerk-magistrate hearings arising in town are heard at Lawrence District Court in the Fenton Judicial Center, 2 Appleton Street, Lawrence — about ten minutes from North Andover center. The clerk’s office is at (978) 687-7184. Felonies carrying state-prison exposure are arraigned there and can be indicted to the Essex County Superior Court, whose Lawrence session sits next door at 43 Appleton Way.

Practical note for first appearances: the Fenton Judicial Center security line is long on Monday mornings — the weekend’s arrests from all four communities (Lawrence, Andover, North Andover, Methuen) are arraigned then. Arrive early, dress as if the judge is watching from the moment you enter, and say nothing about your case in the hallways.

Restraining Orders & Harassment Prevention Orders in North Andover

Two different orders get called “restraining orders,” and North Andover generates both. A 209A abuse-prevention order requires a family or household relationship — spouses, exes, co-parents, roommates — while a 258E harassment-prevention order requires no relationship at all and is the tool used for neighbor disputes, workplace conflicts, and campus matters. Both are issued at Lawrence District Court; after hours, an on-call judge can issue an emergency protective order by phone through the Judicial Response System.

Whether you are seeking protection or responding to an order, the two-party hearing — usually within ten business days — is where the case is actually decided. The petitioner must prove the statutory grounds; the respondent can cross-examine and present evidence; and the resulting order (or its denial) has consequences that outlast the hearing: firearms surrender, CORI-visible violations, custody leverage, immigration exposure. It is also a criminal offense to violate an active order even if the petitioner initiates contact. Attorney Aprodu handles both 209A and 258E hearings at Lawrence District Court, on either side of the “v.”

OUI and Motor Vehicle Charges on Routes 114 and 125

North Andover OUI stops concentrate on Route 114 — the restaurant and retail strip running toward Lawrence — and Route 125 through the town’s east side. These are local-PD stops more often than State Police, which changes the defense: different report formats, different training records to subpoena, and often a single officer’s observations carrying the whole case. The OUI itself follows the standard Massachusetts framework — 24D disposition for most first offenders, breath-test refusal suspensions with a 15-day RMV appeal window, and suppression fights over the stop and the field tests. Our dedicated North Andover OUI page and the OUI/DUI defense hub cover the details.