Police blotter reports are generally written by the authoritative agency and only edited by Shore News Network for grammar and accuracy. If you have any questions regarding the information in these reports, please contact the issuing authority.
by Ralph Stocco, TRPD
TOMS RIVER-Local youth raise money for injured police officer: A special thank you goes out to Toms River Football Club. TRFC “Hulk” traded goals with TRFC “Dempsey” this weekend as a charity event. The boys played these games outside of their regular schedule to show support for Officer Brett Hansen who was recently injured in an off duty motor vehicle crash. Great job guys and thank you from all of us here at TRPD.
On Sunday, February 26, 2017 at approximately 4:40 am, Police Officers Michael Basso and Javier De La Torre responded to a residence located on Brewers Bridge Road on the report of a burglary.
Upon arrival, the residents reported that they believed that an unknown male had attempted to make entry to their house through an unlocked rear door. The residence had a video surveillance system and a recording was played for the officers showing a male subject at the rear door of the residence. The victim initially believed that his barking dog may have scared the suspect away.
A check of the area was conducted for the male suspect but he was not located. Upon further investigation at the residence, it was discovered that the female resident’s wallet was stolen from her purse, which had been on a counter in the room just inside from where the entry was made.
At approximately 7:05 am, Police Officer Cherrick Daniels was on patrol in Anillop Plaza on Brewers Bridge Road when he observed a male who matched the description of the suspect in this incident. Officer Basso responded to the area and was able to positively identify the male as the suspect in the home’s surveillance video he had observed and placed him under arrest.
Arrested:
Antunee Adams, age 21, of Jackson, NJ. He was charged with burglary and theft and released on summons pending a court appearance after being processed.
A short while later, the victim contacted headquarters to advise that the stolen wallet had been located, minus the money that had been inside, near the residence while the victim was walking their dog.
Originally published by JPD Sgt. Christopher Parise,
JACKSON-On Saturday February 25, 9 members of the Jackson Police Department took part in the annual Polar Bear Plunge in Seaside Heights. Our Officers were part of the approximate 7,000 people who braved the 42 degree water temperatures to help raise money for the Special Olympics of New Jersey. In the picture below is Sgt Larry Logan, P.O. Robert Reiff, Sgt Christopher Parise, P.O. Kyle Stybe, P.O. Wes Thomason, Sgt Fred Meabe, P.O. Keith French, P.O. Derek Thomason and P.O. Andy Falzarano. Approximately 40,000 people were present at the event which raised 1.8 million dollars for the Special Olympics of New Jersey.
NATIONAL PARK — The lower part of a person’s decomposed leg was discovered Sunday after washed up along the shoreline of the Delaware River in Gloucester County, authorities said. A woman found the limb while walking her dog in National Park. The foot was attached to the limb, the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office said in a…
Drug deaths in Ocean County have double over two years despite law enforcement’s best effort to curb the rapidly growing addiction epidemic. Even with Narcan, the opiate reversing nasal spray, deaths continue to increase.
Last month, in conjunction with the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office the Brick and Manchester police departments will begin an innovative initiative by partnering with Preferred Behavioral Health in Lakewood and Integrity House in Toms River to pilot the HARP program.
Initially, the two departments and their health providers will make the life changing option available two days a week. Those fighting addiction, regardless of their residency, can go to Manchester Police Department on Wednesday or Brick Police Department on Thursday to seek immediate critical help in fighting drug addiction.
The premise of the program is simple – any person who voluntarily enters the two participating agencies and requests help with addiction to heroin or opiates or any substance shall be immediately screened for potential participation in HARP.
Although HARP is primarily designed to apply to persons who present themselves at the station, an officer who encounters a person outside the police station believing they would benefit from HARP has the discretion, based upon their training and experience, to the bring an individual to the police station if the person consents to the voluntary screening process. The officer/shift supervisor, upon completion of the HARP screening process shall provide transportation for the participant to the designated provider as soon as reasonably possible.
On Saturday, January 18th, Jackson residents voted for their new fire district commissioners and fire district budgets.
In Jackson Fire District 2 (Consolidated 1&2), Marty Flemming and Robert Reddington, Jr. won 3 year seats and John Ryan won an unexpired one year term. A strong showing by lifetime resident and community volunteer John Alchevsky fell short.
Voters approved the district budget
.
In Jackson Fire District 3, Jackson police office John Seidler won his election against Vincent Nicosia and the district approved the budget.
In Jackson Fire District 4, voters came out to support Wallace Jameson and Ray Torres. Suffering defeats were Jackson Township’s building department head, Barry Olejarz and fire sub-code official, incumbent Ken Byrnes. Brian Ruditsky, a local volunteer firefighter and police officer also lost his bid in the most hotly contested race in the township where district voters voiced their opposition to the political and township establishment candidates.
Voters approved the fire district’s operating budget.
Jackson is broken into three fire districts. Fire districts 2, 3 and 4. Each fire district is independently operated.
After the consolidation of fire districts one and two into fire disctict two, commissioners are now chosen to manage the new consolidated district.
Jackson’s fire districts can seem confusing but if you visit your local fire district website or Facebook page, each provides information on stations in their district and district maps so you can see which district you reside in. All fire districts coordinate with each other during fires and other emergencies.
Photo by Jackson Fire District 3.
Kathy Water of the White Butterfly gift shop, owned by former township Mayor Michael Kafton delivered Valentines Day cards made by local residents and students to the Jackson Police Department. Kafton arranged a table at his gift shop and let his customers write their own cards to the Jackson police officers.
SEASIDE HEIGHTS-Ocean County Prosecutor Joseph D. Coronato announced the indictment of Nicholas Piccolino, 34, of Seaside Heights, for one count of Animal Cruelty in the 3rd degree for causing serious bodily injury and death to a 10 year-old female Bichon Frise dog named “Booshu”.
The indictment stems from an animal abuse incident reported on August 19, 2016, at approximately 9:55 pm, to the Seaside Heights Police Department. Booshu’s owner alleged that Piccolino, who was alone with the dog in her kitchen, caused the dog’s death. An investigation by NJSPCA Det. Sergeant Larry Donato, with assistance from the Seaside Heights Police Department, determined that during Piccolino’s time alone with Booshu, a resident of the house upstairs heard several loud banging sounds and a dog yelping in the kitchen below. Shortly after, Piccolino notified the dog’s owner that something was wrong with her dog. Booshu’s owner found the dog dead on the floor of the bathroom. Piccolino claimed that Booshu “dirtied” herself in her crate and that while he was cleaning her up, he dropped her.
Booshu was transported to Red Bank Animal Hospital where she was pronounced dead upon arrival. A subsequent necropsy performed on Booshu by Dr. Shannon Swist of the NJ Animal Health Diagnostic Lab found that Booshu suffered multiple blunt force injuries to her head and body which contributed to her death.
On September 13, 2016, having received the necropsy report and having completed witness interviews, Det. Donato presented his findings to Ocean County Assistant Prosecutor Heidi Tannenbaum-Newman who approved Third Degree charges pursuant to NJSA Title 4:22-17c(1) and 4:22-17 c (3)(a) of Torment, torture, unnecessarily or cruelly beating a living animal resulting in their death. Bail was set at the time of his arrest at $35,000.
The media and public are reminded that criminal charges are merely accusations and that the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
JACKSON-Jackson Township is a rural suburb nestled at the edge of the New Jersey Pinelands. It’s New Jersey’s third largest town by size in area, with over one hundred square miles. It’s a bedroom community of 54,000 and crime is very low here, but the mayor of the town tonight said even his low crime community will not be able to keep up with New Jersey’s Bail Reform and Speedy Trial Act and he fully supports a resolution being presented to the township council next week.
Jackson Township Michael Reina (R) might be the first mayor in the State of New Jersey to openly express criticism of the state’s new Bail Reform and Speedy Trial Act since it has been enacted when he said tonight that he fully supports a resolution that will be voted on by the township council Tuesday night.
He’s not alone though. Last week, Ocean County Freeholders Joe Vicari and Gerry Little officially launched opposition to the reform law, along with the Ocean County Association of Police Chiefs. A week earlier, the New Jersey Association of Counties opposed legislation sponsored by Lakewood Senator Robert Singer that would have allowed governing bodies to break the 2% tax cap for costs associated with the new law.
Bail reform came into the local spotlight after Little Egg Harbor Police Chief Richard Buzby and Ocean County Prosecutor Joseph Coronato were powerless against a local judge’s decision to release a multiple offense child sexual offender back into the community after a pretrial hearing.
Related: How Jersey Shore Legislators Voted on Recent New Bail Reform Funding Bill
The Jackson Township council is expected to vote on the resolution against the new law which has essentially created a revolving door for criminals. It has made New Jersey’s streets less safe for residents and police officers alike. The Toms River PBA last week called bail reform a very serious problem for their town. The resolution to be voted on was circulated by the New Jersey League of Municipalities this week.
“The Criminal Justice Reform Act imposes upon municipal governments an undue financial hardship to implement as each municipality in some capacity must hire new personnel, invest in new equipment and information technology, and make capital and other necessary improvements to jail, court and ancillary court facilities,” the resolution reads. “Under this terribly flawed law, judges now assign a score to determine whether a defendant should be detained or freed. Serious offenders are being let go over prosecutor and law enforcement objection only to go and commit more crimes as soon as they hit the street.”
Related: Governor Chris Christie says bail reform opposition is “ridiculous crap”.
It states the new reform, which is unfunded by the state, is not only dangerous, and the town will not be able to afford to properly maintain the necessary staffing to comply with the requirements dictated by the state to enforce it locally.
“It is also a massive financial burden to our police department, municipal courts, municipal public defenders and the County Prosecutor’s Office. Detention hearings are expedited and our officers are forced to spend hours on even simple offenses due to demands for our officers to file paperwork and complete cases, some demanding complex analysis, are simply unrealistic and the costs are only going to expand without any financial relief from the state,” it continued “The Criminal Justice Reform Act law has put our residents at risk and threatens the fiscal health of the town and county. ”
Related: Who is benefiting from bail reform?
The council is expected to vote on the resolution Tuesday evening and certified copies will be sent to the Governor of the State of New Jersey, Chris Christie, the President of the New Jersey State Senate, Steve Sweeney, the Speaker of the General Assembly, Vincent Prieto, the New Jersey Association of Counties, the Office of County Counsel and all Ocean County municipalities.
“Yes, I support this resolution,” Reina said when asked his position. “You’re asking me if I support a resolution opposing a state law that helps put criminals back out on our streets, of course I do.”
A story coming out of Jersey City via the Star Ledger newspaper highlights the increasing absurdity of New Jersey’s bail reform and speedy trial act.
After a known gang member assault a police officer and threatened to shoot cops with an AK-47 if they came around his hood, he asked the judge for a gps monitoring bracelet.
It’s no secret, the criminals of New Jersey know the new system and know how to play it, but most importantly, know that they now have home field advantage here in New Jersey.
According to the New Jersey Bail Reform watchdog page, the perp was released by a judge Friday, no need for a gps bracelet.
Here’s the report from the Star Ledger.
JERSEY CITY — A self-described gang member assaulted a police officer and threatened two others after he was caught stealing more than $500 worth of merchandise from Macy’s, authorities said. A security guard at the Newport Centre mall department store stopped 19-year-old Davonta Barr on Sunday after the teenager ripped security tags and damaged the items…
Jackson police had another busy weekend with drug related incidents across the township. Here is last weekend’s police blotter published by the Jackson Police Department
Sunday February 18:
– OVERDOSE/FIRST AID: At 1236 hours, Police Officers Candido and Chesney responded to Brook Plaza on the report of an unconscious male laying in the parking lot. The officers located an unconscious 30 year old male and discovered evidence of recent heroin use. Narcan was administered and the male became semi conscious. Fire personnel from Station 55 arrived on scene to assist the male and he was later transported by first aid to an area hospital for treatment.
Saturday February 18:
– CDS ARREST: While on patrol at 0246 hours, Police Officer French conducted a motor vehicle stop with a 2002 Dodge on Bennetts Mills Road after observing motor vehicle violations. Upon speaking with the driver and detecting the odor of marijuana coming from inside the vehicle, a search was conducted which resulted in the recovery of marijuana. The 20 year old male driver was placed under arrest and charged with possession of marijuana, possession of a controlled dangerous substance while operating a motor vehicle and motor vehicle violations. He was processed and released on summons pending a court appearance.
– CDS ARREST: While on patrol at 2353 hours, Police Officer Daniels conducted a motor vehicle stop with a 2002 Saturn on Botanical Way. While speaking with the 25 year old male driver, the officer made observation of items in view inside the vehicle which were consistent with narcotics use. A search resulted in the recovery of multiple hypodermic syringes and items consistent with injecting heroin and prescription Suboxone. The male was placed under arrest and charged with possession of Suboxone without a prescription, possession of hypodermic syringes, possession of drug paraphernalia and motor vehicle offenses. He was processed and released on summons pending a court appearance.
Sunday February 19:
– DISPUTE/WARRANT ARREST: At 0101 hours, Police Officers Roth, Basso and Kafton responded to a residence on Cottonwood Drive on the report of a dispute. During the investigation, a 36 year old male was placed under arrest for an outstanding warrant out of Ocean County. The male was processed and later turned over to the Ocean County Sheriff’s Department.
– ATTEMPTED BURGLARY: At 1050 hours, a resident of Montana Drive reported that unknown suspect(s) attempted to make entry to his residence through a basement door. Minor damage was caused to the door during the incident, entry was not gained.
– CDS ARREST: At 1116 hours, Police Officer Uricks conducted a motor vehicle stop with a 2004 Mazda on West Veteran’s Highway for observed motor vehicle violations. During the stop, the officer detected the odor of marijuana coming from inside the vehicle. A search resulted in the recovery of marijuana. The 20 year old male driver was arrested and charged with possession of marijuana and motor vehicle offenses. He was processed and released on summons pending a court appearance.
Ocean County Prosecutor Joseph D. Coronato and Toms River Police Chief Mitch Little today announced that the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Arson Unit/Major Crimes Unit, Toms River Police Department, Toms River Bureau of Fire Prevention, and the Ocean County Sheriff’s CSI have determined the cause of the fatal fire on February 14 at 1911 Fiddlers Run. The team, after exhaustive hours examining the fire scene debris, determined that the fire originated near the south wall of the residence basement in a plastic trash can. The cause of the fire is accidental and improperly discarded smoking material could not be eliminated.
After an autopsy by the Ocean County Medical Examiner, the victim of the fire is identified as Ellen Tanner, 64, a resident of the home. The manner of death is accidental and cause of death is smoke inhalation and heat related injuries as a result of the house fire.
The fire occurred on February 14th at 11:03 am. Police, Fire, and EMS units responded to the active structure fire at 1911 Fiddlers Run. Upon arrival the units observed a heavy smoke condition. They were advised by witnesses on the scene that a woman was still inside of the home. Toms River Police Officers Scott Fallano and Raymond Beyerle, who were first to arrive, entered the front door and tried to locate the woman. They were quickly turned back by the thick smoke. Once outside, they located a 67 year old male resident in the back yard who had escaped the blaze. He was trying to regain entry to his home to locate the woman. The structure was then fully engulfed in flames and the rescue attempt by police officers was not successful. The homeowner, who suffered burns to his hands, was removed to a safe distance. Once the firefighters arrived, they made a brave secondary attempt to rescue the woman. The firefighters, who were in full protective gear, entered the home. As they made their way towards the interior of the house, an unidentified Fireman suffered second degree burns to his neck and ear before having to retreat for safety reasons. He was treated and released at a local medical facility.
Responding fire units were Pleasant Plains, Silverton, East Dover, Toms River #1 & #2, Island Heights, and Manchester. Medical units responding were Toms River EMS Division, MONOC Paramedics, and Silverton Volunteer EMS.
BRICK-A rash of vehicle break-ins in the township prompted the Brick Police Department to warn residents to lock their car doors at night.
“There have been numerous car burglaries this last week on the north side of the Township,” the department said. “All of the vehicles burglarized were unlocked. Burglars will normally look for the easy victim. Please remember to lock your vehicle doors and take your valuables inside your residence.”
Photo: Actor in stock photo. Not actual criminal.
At approximately 1245 am, February 15, 2017, the Howell Police Department Communications Center received a phone call that there were flames visible on the property behind Taylor Fence. The Howell Police Department along with several Howell Township Fire companies (Adelphia, Ramtown, Southard, Squankum and Freewood Acres) with the assistance of NWS Earle and Colts Neck Fire Department responded to the scene. Howell Police EMS, Farmingdale-Howell First-Aid Squad and Howell First-Aid and Rescue Squad were also on scene.
The fire was obvious upon arrival as it was consuming a large section of wood fencing material. The material burning was stacked approximately thirty feet wide by thirty feet long and twenty feet high. The fire companies gained access to the area and began battling the fire, a task that took several hours to accomplish. To assist with fire suppression, large machinery was brought in to separate the material.
The matter is under investigation by the Howell Township Police Department Investigations Division, Howell Township Fire Bureau and Monmouth County Fire Marshal’s Office. It is deemed suspicious at this time. One firefighter sustained a knee injury and was transported to the hospital. The office/structure area of the business was not damaged.
The Howell Police Department obtained an MRAP through a federal program that allows local law enforcement to accept equipment that has been declared military surplus, but Chief Kudrick details how other lesser equipment is helping his department save money on much needed equipment.
https://www.facebook.com/NJ.com/videos/10154497550571234/
TOMS RIVER-On January 4th, The New Jersey State Police notified the Toms River Police Department of a serious crash involving one of their own officers.
Twenty eight year old Officer Brett Hansen was traveling on the Garden State Parkway in his personal vehicle near mile marker 90. He was off duty at the time his vehicle collided with a large truck.
Officer Hansen, who has been assigned to the patrol division since being hired in August 2015, sustained life threatening injuries.
Before joining the Toms River Police Department, Hansen worked for the Camden County.
The town police departments came together to show their support for Hansen and his family by playing a hockey game at Winding River Skating Center in Toms River on Saturday, February 18th.
Hansen’s injuries were severe. He had serious facial damage, losing his left eye and he may never see again out of his right eye. Hansen’s mother said he remains in a coma and it is not known yet how badly his brain has suffered damage.
His recovery could take years, but on May 17th, his benefits run out as he is forced to go on disability. Being a young officer, disability payments will be minimal and the family has set up a Go Fund Me account.
To date, $32,000 has been raised by the Ocean County and New Jersey police community at large.
While the Toms River Police won the hockey game, it was a bigger win for Team Hansen and the great Toms River region who came to support a young man who dreamed of one day becoming a police officer.
TEANECK-Police in Teaneck arrested a man that has been in and out of the Bergen County Jail at least 31 times since 2002 on new burglary charges on Friday.
Ali Beretay, aka “Touch”, aka “Usher” has a rap sheet that includes burglary, criminal trespass, assaulting a police officer, resisting arrest and more was let out of jail after a pretrial hearing held under New Jersey’s new bail reform law.
According to jail records, Beretay was also charged with defiant criminal trespassing on February 7th and was also released after a bail reform pretrial hearing.
New York City jail records show Beretay was also arrested on January 25th for 3rd degree felony burglary and released.
According to judges in Bergen County, Beretay obviously poses no threat to the community and pinky-promised the judge to return to court for his hearing(s) on the new charges.
Beretay charge sheet courtesy of Bergen County Jail, provided by NJBailReform-Why NJ is Less Safe Facebook page.
Some Democrat organizers blame former President Obama’s grassroots nonprofit for helping destroy the Democrat party, leaked emails show. The leaders and activists didn’t take news of the nonprofit, Organizing For Action “relaunching” to protect Obamacare well, as they believe the shadow army drained valuable resources and energy from the official Democrat grassroots effort during the election.…
Teachers tasked by taxpayers with educating their children are instead inserting their own anti-Trump biases into their lesson plans. A Staten Island, New York, educator teacher placed an anti-President Trump question onto a middle school homework assignment — and then defended it as “freedom of speech,” reported The New York Post. “Please keep your political views…
by Al DellaFave, OCPO
TOMS RIVER-Andrew Mayer, 29, was sentenced today on his plea to Cruelty to Animals in the Third degree. The State was seeking a sentence of 364 days in the Ocean County Jail as a condition of Probation, along with restitution to the various rescue agencies that had requested it (of all the agencies involved in the rescue, only the NJSP and TR Fire District One replied asking for restitution, $6273.76 and $8,370.60 respectively). Also the State requested that Mayer be banned from companion animal ownership for 5 years.
Judge James Blaney sentenced Mayer to 180 days in the Ocean County Jail. He agreed with the State that some incarceration is appropriate for the reckless act that lead to a large rescue operation and caused the demise of his dog, Rolo. He did not sentence him to any probation. He did order him to pay $1,000 restitution to each of the two agencies seeking restitution, as he felt Mr. Mayer should take some financial responsibility for his actions. The judge did not deem a ban on companion ownership as necessary in this case, as Mayer expressed remorse and his acts were deemed reckless and no intent to harm his dog. He was also sentenced to pay minimum fines of $155. The Sheriffs officers took custody of Mayer and he was escorted to the County Jail. The related Criminal Mischief in the third degree charge and Pollution of water summons were dismissed as part of the sentence.
His acts on March 1, 2015, purposely, knowingly or recklessly failed to provide necessary care for and protection of his dog, Rolo, from harm by driving his pickup truck onto the frozen Toms River and as a result the vehicle cracked through the ice and his dog died.
Mayer then failed to notify authorities of this incident when he got safely to shore, resulting in a huge rescue operation that took place for hours involving the United States Coast Guard’s Aviation Unit, The New Jersey State Police Aviation Unit, NJ State Police/local marine units, multiple local police departments, fire companies and First Aid squads from Toms River, Beachwood, Pine Beach and Island Heights.
Mayer is released on his own recognizance to appear in court on a future date. The maximum he could face on each charge would be five years in New Jersey State Prison.
This case was a joint investigation by the NJ State Police, NJ SPCA, Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, as well as the Toms River, Pine Beach, Beachwood and Island Heights Police Departments. Prosecuting attorney is Ocean County Assistant Prosecutor Heidi Tannenbaum-Newman.
Two individuals from Laurence Harbor were arrested following an extensive search by Manchester Township Police Officers on Thursday, February 16, 2017, after the stolen vehicle they were traveling in crashed into a wooded area.
At approximately 11am, during patrol operations on Manchester Boulevard, Ptl. Michael Terranova spotted a GMC Envoy reported stolen out of Old Bridge Township. When Ptl. Terranova attempted to stop the vehicle, the driver refused and sped away at a high rate of speed. In the interest of public safety and having a full description of the vehicle, Ptl. Terranova terminated the pursuit.
A short time later, officers passed through the Manchester Boulevard/Wranglebrook intersection and noticed vehicles pulled over on the side of the road, with occupants looking in the woods. Patrol officers stopped and discovered that the stolen GMC Envoy had lost control, left the roadway, and traveled approximately 100 feet into a wooded area before coming to a stop. Unable to open the damaged vehicle doors, the occupants climbed through windows and fled from the scene on foot.
An extensive search of the area began, as the members of the Manchester Township Police Investigations Bureau, Patrol Bureau, and Narcotics Enforcement Team were called to the scene, as was K-9 Officer Marc Micciulla and his partner, Storm, for tracking purposes. Also responding was the New Jersey State Police Aviation Unit for aerial support, and K-9 Officer Christine Casullo from the Ocean County Sheriff’s Department. As a precaution, the nearby As We Grow Childcare was notified and placed on temporary lockdown, and a Nixle emergency message alerted the public to stay clear of the area.
Approximately 45 minutes after the search began, the suspects, George Noonan, 31, of Route 35 in Laurence Harbor, and Kristina Noonan-Bath, 32, of Norwood Avenue in Laurence Harbor, were found walking along Wranglebrook Road by Ptl. Christian Nazario, who placed them under arrest.
George Noonan was charged with possession of hypodermic needles, possession of drug paraphernalia, receiving stolen property, eluding, and hindering apprehension. Officers also found that he had multiple no bail warrants from numerous jurisdictions.
Kristina Noonan-Bath was arrested on warrants totaling $5,500 out of multiple jurisdictions. Both suspects were sent to Ocean County Jail pending court in default of bail. The Manchester Township Police Traffic Safety Officer Douglas Higgins is investigating the crash.
The Toms River Regional School District’s Board of Education recognized High School North coaches Josh Huber and John DeMarco for their quick thinking as well as their certified training that led to saving the life of a Donovan Catholic student during a wrestling meet in Lakewood on January 4, 2017.
“We are proud of our coaches and the real reason for victory that evening,” the board said.
Pictured with coaches Josh Huber and John DeMarco is Board Member Christopher Raimann, HSN Athletic Coordinator Paul Barnoski and Superintendent David Healy.
TOMS RIVER-The Ocean County Association of Chiefs of Police called upon call upon Governor Christie, the New Jersey Legislature, the New Jersey Administrative Office of the Courts and New Jersey Attorney General Christopher Porrino to immediately suspend the use of the current public safety assessment computerized program that scores criminal defendants under New Jersey’s bail reform law.
The association, which represents the county’s municipal police chiefs also said the new system is, “Dangerous, onerous and fiscally disastrous to the taxpayers of this great state.”
Below is a resolution prepared by the Ocean County Association of Chiefs of Police:
Resolution
Whereas, The Ocean County Association of Chiefs of Police consists of the law enforcement chief executives from all the law enforcement agencies currently active in the Ocean County, and,
Whereas, It is the goal of this Organization to promote the welfare and mission of its members, their relative agencies and the general public, and,
Whereas, the voters of The State of New Jersey recently approved a state constitutional amendment that called for bail reform for low level indigent offenders, and,
Whereas, that amendment was implemented by a state legislative enactment which took effect on January 1, 2017 and for which a computer generated Public Safety Algorithm (PSA) was designated to assess the threat level of respective arrestees , and,
Whereas, the required usage of that modality thus far has been observed to involve long delays and often produces what appear to be highly inappropriate results regarding the relative threat level of these offenders, and,
Whereas, These delays and this extra work being placed on our systems without budgetary support requires reallocation of budgetary items that are already in too short of supply due to existing funding restrictions, and,
Whereas, Existing State Law requires enactments that impose a financial impact on Counties and Municipalities to be supported by a concomitant State funding initiative that does not appear to have been provided in this case, and,
Whereas, Officers being redeployed to these activities are not available to answer even emergency calls for service, and has resulted in slower response times and the suspension of discretionary police activities that support and improve the quality of life in those communities, and,
Whereas, Certain inappropriately low threat assessments have also led to the ill-advised release of offenders who traditionally have, and we believe should, be remanded to custody for the safety of the public, and,
Whereas, Many of these releases relate directly to offenses against special victims such as sexual offenses, offenses against children, domestic violence victims and senior citizens to name but a few, and,
Whereas, Certain protections for these special victims appear to have been completely disregarded by the PSA, those protections having been built into our laws over the course of decades and often the result of collective tragedies, and,
Whereas, NJ Court officials announced yesterday that in those cases where incarceration is indicated under the PSA, extensive discovery must be provided to the defendant almost immediately further increasing the burden of this initiative and demanding additional staffing that currently does not and will not exist, and,
Whereas, in other cases, such as serial shoplifters, it is our understanding that inappropriately high threat levels have been observed, due again to data given inappropriate weight by the PSA and causing additional systemic work and incarceration senselessly for subjects who would have otherwise been released, and,
Now heretofore, be it resolved on this the eighth day of February, 2017, The members of this Association support the State mandate, State pay litigation initiated by New Jersey Counties and call upon Governor Christie, the New Jersey Legislature, the New Jersey Administrative Office of the Courts and New Jersey Attorney General Christopher Porrino to immediately suspend the use of the current PSA as being dangerous, onerous and fiscally disastrous to the taxpayers of this great State.
This Saturday is the day residents of Jackson can go out and vote for their local fire district commissioners and budgets. Polls in Jackson are open from 2pm to 9pm on Saturday, February 18th.
3 yr. Commissioner Seats Available: 2
Candidates: *John Alchevsky, *Martin Flemming III, Robert Reddington, Jr.
1 yr. Commissioner Seats Available: 1
Candidates: *John Ryan
Budget detail: 2017 Proposed Budget 2017 APPROPRIATIONS Salaries $682,615 Fringe Benefits 355,923 Election Expense 1,500 Office Expense 5,400 Professional Services 50,000 Travel Expenses 200 Advertising Expense 2,000 Insurance Expense 165,000 Maintenance & Repairs 140,000 Hydrant Rental 38,000 Supplies Expense 5,000 Training & Education 10,000 Uniforms & Personal Equipment 37,000 Utilities 40,000 Fire Supression Contracts 40,500 Payroll Service Fees 5,500 Physicals 10,000 Fuel 20,000 Replacement Equipment 36,500 Extrication Equipment 24,000 SCBA 20,000 Hose 5,000 Pagers 5,000 Operating Expenses 66,800 Losap 40,000 Capital Appropriations 490,000 Debt Service 137,021 Total Appropriations $ 2,432,959 REVENUES Fund Balance Utilized $655,500 Misc. Revenues 12,745 Interest Income 3,300 Supplemental Fire Grant 116,500 Amount to be Raised by Taxation 1,644 914 Total Revenues $ 2,432,959 Tax Rate Per $100 $0.0812
Voting place: Miller Avenue Firehouse, 785 Miller Avenue
3 yr. Commissioner Seats Available: 1
Candidates: *John Seidler, Vincent Nicosia
Budget detail: OPERATING APPROPRIATIONS: Current Operating Expenses $ 3,008,400.00 CAPITAL APPROPRIATIONS: a. Debt Service $ 84,105.00 b. Total Capital Improvements $ 100,000.00 c. Reserve for future Capital Outlays $ -0- d. Length of Service Award Program $ 30,000.00 TOTAL APPROPRIATIONS: Total revenues and fund balance $ 3,222,505.00. utilized to defray taxation: $ 264,651. 00 AMOUNT TO BE RAISED BY TAXES: $ 2,957,854.00.
Voting Place: Jackson Volunteer Fire Company Firehouse 200 Kierych Memorial Drive
3 yr. Commissioner Seats Available: 2
Candidates: *Brian Ruditsky, *Ray Torres, Kenneth Byrnes, Wallace Jamison, n/a
Budget detail: OPERATING APPROPRIATIONS: Current Operating Expenses $ 1,546,141.00 CAPITAL APPROPRIATIONS: a. Debt Service $ -0- b. Total Capital Improvements $ 500,000.00 c. Reserve for future Capital Outlays $ -0- d. Length of Service Award Program $ 50,000.00 TOTAL APPROPRIATIONS: $ 2,096,141.00 Total revenues and fund balance utilized to defray taxation: $ 538,757..00 AMOUNT TO BE RAISED BY TAXES: $ 1,557,384.00
Voting Place: Jackson Mills Volunteer Fire Company firehouse, 465A North County Line Road.
* Indicates JTOWN Magazine’s fire commissioner endorsement.
Originally published by Ralph Stocco, TRPD
TOMS RIVER-On February 14th at 11:03 am, Police, Fire, and EMS units responded to an active structure fire at 1911 Fiddlers Run. Upon arrival the units observed a heavy smoke condition. They were advised by witnesses on the scene that a woman was still inside of the home. Police Officers Scott Fallano and Raymond Beyerle, who were first to arrive, entered the front door and tried to locate the woman. They were quickly turned back by the thick smoke. Once outside, they located a 67 year old male resident in the back yard who had escaped the blaze. He was trying to regain entry to his home to locate the woman. The structure was now fully engulfed in flames and rescue attempts were not successful. The man, who suffered burns to his hands, was removed to a safe distance. The 64 year old woman, who also resided at that address, did not survive the fire. The man declined medical treatment at the scene.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation by Toms River Detective Roger Hull, the Ocean County Prosecutors Office Arson Unit, Ocean County Sheriffs CSI, and Toms River Bureau of Fire Prevention.
Responding fire units were Pleasant Plains, Silverton, east Dover, Toms River #1 & #2, Island Heights, and Manchester. Medical units responding were Toms River EMS Division, MONOC Paramedics, and Silverton Volunteer EMS.
As of 4:50 pm, investigators were still on the scene. There has been no determination as to the cause`
HOPATCONG-A man posing as a DPW worker to commit burglaries is on the streets again in North Jersey, thanks to the state’s new public safety assessment and bail reform laws.
Police here say they are powerless to keep a dangerous repeat criminal in jail and off the streets.
“Major is accused of committing multiple burglaries in multiple jurisdictions over the last month or so. (See the towns that we know of above). Major would put on a tri color safety vest and pose to be a DPW worker. He would knock on doors and if no one answered he would break in and steal what he could,” according to the Hopatcong Police Department.
Police said their only method of protecting the communities from future robberies is to post his picture to alert potential victims.
Related: Last night on NJ101.5 radio, Governor Chris Christie touted the success of New Jersey’s bail reform and criticized opponents of the flailing legislation as “crap” and “propaganda”.
“There is nothing the Police can do about this because of the new bail reform law. In our efforts to keep the public safe we can only attach Major’s picture to this press release. If you see him on your property or a neighbor’s, please call 911,” the department said.
Police say Major drives a 1990’s green Dodge Pickup with a black ladder rack.
On Friday, with the help of the Hopatcong detectives, Byram Township Detectives, Sparta Township Detectives and the Sussex County Prosecutors Office, Major was investigated and arrested in Elmwood Park.
With the assistance of the Elmwood park police, drug paraphernalia, and proceeds from many burglaries were recovered.
After being released from the Elmwood Park burglaries, he was charged for two burglaries in Hopatcong.
“Because of the Elmwood Park charges, we were able to get a high enough score on the new PSA (Public Safety Assessment) to have him lodged in the Sussex County Jail on Saturday morning,” Hopatcong Police Department said. “Major was released a few hours later after a court hearing on Sunday.”
After being released Sunday, Major was arrested in Morris Township for committing another burglary. He was charged and later released. At this time Major is not incarcerated.
Police in all of the towns where Major was released by judges based on PSA are powerless in stopping him.
Major’s actions were highlighted today on a bail reform watchdog page, which bore the brunt of Governor Christie’s anger last night.
SOUTH BRUNSWICK-Last night, Governor Chris Christie touted New Jersey’s bail reform as a success, at least one repeat criminal agrees with him.
On Saturday, 47 year old George Pescavage, Jr. robbed a South Brunswick liquor store and was found bleeding and frozen in a snow pile.
Patrol units responded to a reported attempted burglary at the Quick Aid Pharmacy located at 569 Milltown Road. Upon their arrival, officers observed visible signs of an attempted forced entry burglary to the rear door. During a subsequent cursory search of the area, Officers located a male subject matching the description given by witnesses loitering across the street in the Brunswick Shopping Center. The Officers made contact with the subject, identified him, and investigated further.
After being caught for a second crime in two days, he indicated to detectives that even he couldn’t believe that he was plainly released after just four hours.
“Even I was surprised how fast I got out, if they let me out again I will do more crime,” the man said, according to the New Jersey State Policemen’s Benevolent Association.
Pescavage was released “with a pinky promise” to the New Jersey courts and the next day he was arrested trying to break into the local Quick Aid Pharmacy.
Police said he was again transported to Middlesex County Corrections, indicating that if he is again released so soon, he will again commit a similar crime in order to get by.
Bail Reform – Suspect quote after 2nd arrest, "Even I was surprised how fast I got out, if they let me out again I will do more crime" pic.twitter.com/5brGriQxTJ
— New Jersey State PBA (@NJSPBA) February 14, 2017
@NB_PublicSafety arrest same suspect who broke into liquor store Friday in South Brunswick for breaking into store Saturday in their town pic.twitter.com/E0bGxmx1pF
— So Brunswick PD (@SoBrunswickPD) February 13, 2017
TRENTON-Governor Chris Christie went into a childish rant on New Jersey 101.5 last night after being asked a question about bail reform which has been allowing violent offenders and even several who have committed sexual assault against children, some repeat offenders, back into New Jersey’s communities.
“Oh stop, that’s ridiculous, they’re not being released on nothing more than a promise, they’re given bracelets,” Christie said. “These are non violent people who are not causing problems when they get out.”
Christie said only people in the bail bonds community is upset over bail reform.
“Now they’re pissed, too bad,” Christie said. “You shouldn’t be making money off the poor [criminals].”
Christie said a Facebook page which track the release of violent criminals and sexual predators is nothing more than “ridiculous crap”.
The most notable breakdown in bail reform in 2017 happened in Ocean County where a man who offered a video game console to a young child in exchange for sex over the internet was set free with an ankle bracelet.
Local Police Chief Richard Buzby said the man had a known reputation for trying to entice children to have sex with him, including a second pending case for an earlier sexual assault against a child.
Local officials said the subject also approached young children at their school bus stops.
A street race on Bennetts Mills Road in Jackson on Saturday night ended up in favor of the officer after the would-be Speed Racer was stopped and charged with drug charges.
According to the Jackson Police Department, around 8pm, while on patrol on Bennetts Mills Road, Officers Conti and Cilento observed a 2010 Nissan disregard and drive through a red traffic light. After pulling behind the vehicle at another traffic light on Bennetts Mills Road, the officers heard the vehicle’s engine revving repeatedly and loudly as it appeared that the driver of the vehicle was attempting to engage the driver of another vehicle in a race.
When the light turned green, the officers followed the vehicle at speeds exceeding 52 miles per hour in a 40 mile per hour zone and at that time, conducted a motor vehicle stop with the Nissan.
Upon approaching the vehicle to speak with the driver, the officers detected the odor of marijuana coming from inside the vehicle and suspected marijuana and paraphernalia was recovered in a search. The 19 year old male driver was placed under arrest and later charged with: possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of a fraudulent driver’s license and motor vehicle summonses. He was processed and released on summons pending a court appearance.
Police did not release the name of the driver.
He has been attacking the media, including yours truly, law enforcement, prosecutors, the bail bond industry and anyone who dares criticize bail reform.
After all, it is his baby.
“Man, I never thought I’d ever use such a stupid term as ‘fake news,’ and my dad knew Nixon,” Schnacke wrote on his blog, followed by just 5 people. “But recently I’ve seen the bail insurance company posts with all these stories about how horrible everything is in New Jersey, and I noticed that they were all coming from one source – Shore News Network. I mean, it was literally the only outfit saying these things, and the things it was saying were pretty much the opposite of what I was hearing both from people high up and on the ground in New Jersey.”
We decided to look into the man behind the curtain and see why his panties are in such a bunch. After all, it was his program that just facilitated the release of a two-time child sexual predator back into the neighborhood in Little Egg Harbor.
It turns out Mr. Schnacke is paid good money to promote bail reform. In fact the company he works for, Pretrial Justice Institute has received over $7 million in federal grant money to write positive reports and analysis on bail reform. Those are just the grants we were able to find through a quick Google search.
Pretrial Justice Institute hails itself as “The Third Generation of Bail Reform”.
It turns out Schnacke is even one of the architects behind bail reform programs such as New Jersey’s which has put child sex offenders and other repeat offenders back on the streets in the first 30 days.
In fact, in 2013 he was the driving force behind pretrial bail reform in Jefferson Colorado. By 2016, the Attorney General there shut the failing bail reform program down.
Tim Schnacke’s bail reform ideas failed the citizens of Colorado and the Attorney General suspended it in December of last year, a few days before Schnacke’s model was implemented in New Jersey. Now schnacke is pushing bail reform in NJ and going after NJ’s law enforcement community and news outlets such as ours who are reporting the failures. He’s also going after the bail industry because he NEEDS reform to work in NJ so he can get more million dollar grants from the federal government.
Schnacke’s methods were sharply criticized by the American Bail Coalition, a bail industry advocate in 2011, prior to launching his failed bail reform pilot program in Jefferson County, Colorado.
“Tim Schnake from Jefferson County, CO, wants JEFFCO to become the DC of the Rockies. In his position as a criminal justice planner/analyst for the county, he explained his two part program the first part of which was a jail impact study and the second part of which was to highlight the defects of the commercial bail system in Colorado,” the ABC wrote.
“During the debate over CO SB 186, Schnacke’s findings were challenged by a professor of criminology at the University of Texas, who concluded, that by contemporary academic/scientific standards, Schanke’s methodology suffered from such grave design flaws, that they were fatal to the validity of his findings,” the report continued. “Schnake did not react well and attacked the professor ad hominem through all the deans on his campus, the provost, plus the system chancellor of the University of Texas. Schnake never did address the substance of the professor’s criticism, nor did he mention such a challenge during the symposium presentation (nor did his colleague, Mike Jones, who gave substantially the same presentation at the National Sheriffs Association annual meeting on 18 JUN in a session lumberingly entitled, Increasing Public Safety While Reducing Jail Populations: The Benefit of Cost-Effective Bail Setting and Pre-Trial Services Programs).”
Two years later, Schnacke was able to reform JEFFCO’s justice system. Three years later, it was shut down.
The mainstream liberal media in New Jersey has for the most part not covered the downside of the new Bail Reform and Speedy Trial Act.
Schnacke and his company are making big bucks on bail reform at the expense of the residents of New Jersey who now have sexual predators being released back into their neighborhoods.
That’s why Schnacke is interested in pushing bail reform and trash talking the media, law abiding citizens, prosecutors and law enforcement officers who criticize his platform. His company survives on federal grant money and if the narrative of success is not maintained, they could lose that money in the future.
With the amount of revenue being spent on bail reform, we can only hope at some point this scam against the American people and especially the people of New Jersey is noticed by the Trump Administration and is shut down until a more practical, affordable and sensible reform can be adopted.
Schnacke’s bail reform has failed the citizens of Colorado, where marijuana is legal, but officials are of enough sound mind to have pulled the plug on his terrible bail reform program.
We attempted to contact Mr. Schnacke several times this week to hear his side of the story, but he dodged our repeated calls and never returned any messages.
A document making its rounds today purportedly shows a leaked training document claiming Ahmad Khan Rahami, the terrorist who was shot and captured in Linden after setting off bombs in Seaside Park and New York City would have scored a 2,2 under the New Jersey Bail Reform and Speedy Trial Act’s computerized public safety assessment.
The same document suggests a shoplifter, sexual offender or the local drug dealer could score higher than Rahami if he was arrested after the new bail reform system was enacted on January 1st.
PSA is a computerized pre-trial assessment that assigns a score of 1 to 6 based on two factors, a failure to appear risk scale and a new criminal activity risk scale.
The PSA score takes into consideration only the nature of the current offense and the offender’s criminal case and court history data.
What the computer does not calculate is the manner in which the present offense was committed, the strength of the case by prosecutors against the defendant, out of state charges or convictions, juvenile records, expunged records, threats of future harm to current victims or witnesses, gang involvement, drug or alcohol dependencies, mental illness or missing criminal information in the criminal database.
According to the document, it’s the prosecution’s responsibility to alert the courts to that information, but it will not be factored into the defendant’s computer generated score.
Our investigation found that the document is a revision of an actual New Jersey Attorney General’s Office bail reform survival guide for New Jersey Prosecutors. Who made that revision at this time is unknown or if the revision represents an earlier or unreleased version of the survival guide.
The document appears to be a modified revision of “CONFRONTING THE CHALLENGES OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM: A SURVIVAL GUIDE FOR PROSECUTORS“, created by the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General, however in the version online at the current time, that page does not appear.
Peter Aseltine, spokesman for the Attorney General’s Office said the page being circulated representing the course was not generated or approved by their office. Aseltine added that the course was delivered to law enforcement agencies in a format that did allow them to modify the curriculum at the local levels.
“It was in a format that made it possible for others to create their own modified versions,” Aseltine said.
As far as the validity of Rahami scoring a 2,2 on a PSA, he said, “I cannot comment on that data. Again, that page was not something that came from us.”
Correction: Originally published as being a document by the New Jersey Judiciary. It is a version of a document by the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office.
TOMS RIVER-Shore News Network has been called “fake news” by a man whose firm makes millions of peddling bail reform and strong armed by the NJ court system to try to get us to stop covering the fiasco, but the Toms River Policeman’s Benevolent Association said this week it’s a very serious problem.
We were once the only media outlet covering this topic, but now many others are following suit, seeing the real dangers to the communities they serve.
At first police officers and prosecutors were camera shy when it came to speaking out against the reform. Especially after a gag order from the District Attorney’s office was reportedly sent down the chain of command, effectively locking out senior appointed and elected law enforcement officials from speaking out further on the subject.
Now some in the law enforcement rank and file are beginning to speak out.
The Toms River PBA issued a statement saying that the problem is “very serious” for everyone in New Jersey, that is except for the criminals.
“This NJ Bail Reform is becoming a serious problem for everyone in NJ except criminals. Keep a close eye on this problem,” the PBA said. “Sometimes you have to scratch your head and wonder what our duly elected politicians were thinking when they made this garbage law.”
To date, Governor Chris Christie and Lt. Governor Kim Guadagno have collectively buried their heads in the sand on the subject.
The only one willing to address the fundamental flaws in the program at the state level was Peter McAleer, a communications Manager Administrative Office of the Courts. McAleer contacted SNN after our first investigative report on bail reform, in an attempt to insert rainbows and unicorns into the story, but after notifying mcaleer that we would only accept his comments in writing, via email, he disappeared.
A second public information officer from the state court system wanted to engage us in debate over the reform, but we responded we would only like to hear directly from the Governor himself on the subject and we’re not interested in speaking to aides armed with marketing data written by the company who has made at least $7 million pushing this reform in New Jersey.
To date, the Governor’s office has yet to reply to our requests and neither has Gubernatorial candidate Kim Guadagno.
A Facebook page (Not affiliated with SNN) has been established and is keeping a daily tab on bail reform failures all over the state.
Originally published by Donna Weaver, MCPO
Want to know how many arrests have been made in Monmouth County since the Bail Reform and Speedy Trial Act went into effect on January 1, 2017?
This new law represents one of the most dramatic changes to our criminal justice system in many years. Under the new law, New Jersey shifted from a system that relied principally on monetary bail, to a risk-based system that assesses a defendant’s risk of flight and dangerousness to the community. Additionally, defendants have a right to a speedy trial under the new law.
In Monmouth County’s first month under the new system, there were 302 arrests made and 546 summonses issued across the county.
Of those 302 arrests, the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office filed 45 detention motions seeking to have those defendants detained pending trial. Of those 45 cases, 36 had pretrial risk assessment (PSA) recommendations of “release not recommended,” and 21 defendants contested the State’s motion for detention, seeking pretrial release.
When a defendant contests the State’s motion for detention, the new law provides a defendant the right to a detention review hearing within five days of arrest. Of the 21 defendants that contested our Office’s detention motions, 15 were detained by the Monmouth County Superior Court.
Of these 15 detained defendants, 13 had PSA recommendations of “release not recommended;” one had a PSA recommendation of home detention with electronic monitoring and weekly reporting to the Pretrial Services Unit; and one had a recommendation of monthly reporting to the Pretrial Services Unit.
Additionally, our Office withdrew two detention motions that were initially filed, and those defendants were released on bail conditions. Six defendants were released pretrial on conditions by the Court over objections from this Office.
At this time, 18 detention hearings remain pending, and two defendants have appealed detention decisions to the Appellate Division. Four cases with detention motions were resolved via guilty pleas before the detention hearing occurred. Three defendants, who were released pretrial, have violated pretrial release conditions as a result of new arrests. In these three cases, the Office asked for increased conditions on pretrial release as a result of the new arrests.
From this point forth, the Office will publish Bail Reform and Speedy Trial Act statistics in this fashion covering each quarter in the calendar year (e.g., April 1, July 1, October 1, January 1).
Originally Published by Al DellaFave, OCPO
Ocean County Prosecutor Joseph D. Coronato and Long Beach Township Police Chief Anthony Deely today announced that the Ocean County Grand Jury returned an indictment against Conrad Sipa, 52, of 1 Homelands Drive, Colts Neck, New Jersey charging him with the murder of Richard Doody, Jr. Sipa was arrested and released last year on $1,000,000 bail.
Mr. Doody’s body was found at his residence in Barnegat Light by Officers from the Long Beach Township Police Department on Monday, November 23, 2015, after a concerned family member was unable to make contact with Mr. Doody.
An autopsy conducted by Dr. Ian Hood on November 24, 2015, determined that Mr. Doody suffered blunt force trauma to his head and slash wounds to his neck. Dr. Hood ruled that Mr. Doody was the victim of a homicide.
The events outlined in the Indictment allege that Sipa committed the offense of knowing or purposeful murder by causing the death of Richard Doody, Jr., sometime between November 21, 2015, and November 23, 2015. He is further alleged to have utilized multiple weapons against the victim in the commission of this murder, including a knife, golf club, and/or a ceramic lamp. Sipa is also alleged to have taken steps to attempt to clean up the scene of the crime and to remove items of evidence from the scene in order to avoid apprehension.
The specific counts of the Indictment include one count of Murder – First Degree, three counts of Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose – Third Degree, one count of Unlawful Possession of a Weapon – Fourth Degree, one count of Hindering Apprehension or Prosecution – Third Degree, and one count of Tampering with Physical Evidence – Fourth Degree.
The investigation in this case has been conducted by Detectives from the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes and White Collar Crimes Units, the Long Beach Township Police Department and the Ocean County Sheriff’s Department Crime Scene Investigations Unit. The lead detectives are Detective John Murphy from the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office and Sergeant Ron Hullings of the Long Beach Township Police Department. The victim’s residence was meticulously examined and processed by members of the Crime Scene Investigations Unit of the Ocean County Sheriff’s Department.
The media and public are reminded that criminal charges are merely accusations. Each person charged with a crime is presumed innocent until their guilt is proven beyond a reasonable doubt in court.
The New Jersey State Policeman’s Benevolent Association this week released a terrifying statistic about New Jersey’s bail reform. It’s a system where those pushing it are making millions of dollars, but the people of New Jersey, including police and prosecutors are the ones paying the price.
“Bail Reform Numbers – In the 3,382 cases statewide that were processed in the first four weeks of January, judges set bail only three times,” the NJSPBA announced.
Bail Reform Numbers – In the 3,382 cases statewide that were processed in the first four weeks of January, judges set bail only three times.
— New Jersey State PBA (@NJSPBA) February 8, 2017
TRENTON — With an avowed enemy of marijuana legalization sworn-in as the nation’s Attorney General Thursday, the state lawmaker working to make pot available for recreational use in New Jersey said he is “concerned” but not deterred from his goal. Sen. Nicholas Scutari (D-Union) said he’s putting the finishing touches on a bill he will introduce…
JERSEY CITY — A Secaucus Department of Public Works truck plowing snow on Seaview Drive burst into flames this morning. At about 8:45 a.m. the driver noticed fire coming from the truck’s engine compartment and the flames quickly grew, stretching several feet above the truck’s roof, Secaucus Police Capt. Dennis Miller said. The town fire department…
Originally published by the Beachwood Volunteer Fire Department.
BEACHWOOD-At approximately 3:45 PM the Beachwood and Pine Beach Fire Departments responded to a vehicle fire at the intersection of Mermaid Avenue and Maple Street. Units found a well involved engine compartment fire that progressed into the passenger area of the vehicle. The fire was extinguished quickly and there were no reported injuries. The fire is being investigated by the Ocean County Fire Marshal’s Office and the Beachwood Police Department.
TOMS RIVER – With the completion of the Route 9 corridor study and an increase in population growth, Ocean County is undertaking a study to review potential county road network improvements in the northern area of the County.
“We have had some initial meetings with representatives from Lakewood and Jackson townships,” said Ocean County Freeholder John P. Kelly, Director of Law and Public Safety. “Today we are ready to bring on a consultant to perform the study that will provide us with both short term and long term recommendations.”
The recommendations will be used to upgrade Ocean County’s countywide transportation model which was last updated in 2013.
“This is an important tool to help us with future planning when it comes to the county road network,” said Kelly, who is also liaison to the Ocean County Engineering Department.
After reviewing several proposals, Ocean County is expected to choose Stantec Consulting Services with offices in Wall Township to oversee the study.
“Picking a consultant is key to getting this work under way,” Kelly said.
The study will focus on the traffic network in the northern area of the County.
“It’s been determined that an update to the transportation model for the northern municipalities is warranted to reflect new growth patterns,” Kelly said. “This update will be used by the County to update our long term capital improvement program.”
In addition to reviewing all traffic county data currently available from the County, the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority and the state Department of Transportation, the consultant also will look at socioeconomic data, zoning information, planned developments, approved developments, and certificates of occupancy.
“This will be a comprehensive study that addresses growth in the northern section of the County and how it impacts the county road network,” said Ocean County Freeholder Director Joseph H. Vicari. “We need to make certain we do whatever we can to provide the best road network possible for motorists and pedestrians.”
A timeline for the study is expected to be established during the county’s first meeting with the consultant.
However, the consultant is expected to begin traffic counts by April.
“Once all this is completed we will have a comprehensive look of not just current conditions but current and future growth patterns,” Kelly said. “This will allow us to determine our best course of future action.”
The consultant will develop forecasts for years 2025 and 2040 based on the traffic counts, the Route 9 corridor study and the updated data collected.
“The study will result in a comprehensive report including a list of action items outlining transportation hot spots,” Kelly said. “The list will be divided into short-term and long-term transportation improvements that will improve the operation of Ocean County’s transportation network within the project townships.”
Kelly noted that while the study is going on the County will continue to implement improvements in the county’s road network.
“This study will help in long range planning,” Kelly said. “In the meantime, the County continues to do infrastructure projects that improve our roads.”
For example, Kelly noted that the County recently went out to bid for two new traffic signals in Lakewood.
The new signals will be constructed at two intersections that currently do not have traffic signals. The intersections are at New Hampshire Avenue and America Avenue and Cedarbridge Avenue and Avenue of the States.
Besides providing for vehicular coordination at these intersections, the intersections will also have full pedestrian accommodations. Construction on the new signals is expected to take place this summer.
“The new signals will help improve traffic flow and safety,” Kelly said.
Thursday February 2:
– CDS ARREST: At 1810 hours, Police Officers Cilento and Conti responded to South Lakeview Drive to check on a suspicious vehicle report called in by an area resident. The vehicle was located and during the investigation, an 18 year old male was placed under arrest when suspected marijuana and paraphernalia were recovered. The male was charged with possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of a controlled dangerous substance while operating a motor vehicle. He was processed and released pending a court appearance.
Friday February 3:
– CDS ARREST: At 2243 hours, Police Officer French was on patrol and conducting a check of the Prospect Point Apartments located on South New Prospect Road. During this time a 2001 Mazda was observed parked in a fire zone, running but without it’s headlights on. As the officer drove his vehicle near the Mazda, it left the parking lot and began to travel on South New Prospect Road without turning on the headlights. After observing this and other violations, the officer conducted a motor vehicle stop with the car. During the stop the officer detected the odor of burnt marijuana coming from inside the vehicle and a search resulted in the seizure of suspected marijuana and a glass pipe. The 26 year old male driver was placed under arrest and charged with: possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of CDS while operating a motor vehicle and failure to use headlights. He was processed and released on summons pending a court appearance.
– CRISIS INTERVENTION: At 2328 hours, multiple officers responded to a residence in the township on a report of parents attempting to restrain their 21 and 23 year old sons who were reported to be out of control. Arriving officers were advised that it was believed that the two males had smoked marijuana that was laced with an unknown substance and then began hallucinating and acting bizarrely. One of the subjects became combative with the officers and had to be restrained to be escorted from the residence. The other, clothed only in his underwear, fled from the officers who had to pursue him and then restrain him after a brief struggle once he was caught. Both were transported to an area hospital for treatment.
Saturday February 4:
– CDS ARREST: At 0157 hours, Police Officer French was on patrol on South New Prospect Road when he conducted a motor vehicle stop with a 2012 Nissan Altima. During the stop, the officer detected the odor of marijuana coming from inside the vehicle and a search resulted in the seizure of suspected marijuana, suspected Oxycodone pills, and over 170 wax folds packaged to appear to be heroin along with other items. The 23 year old female driver was placed under arrest and later charged with: possession with intent to distribute imitation CDS, possession of heroin, possession of heroin with the intent to distribute, possession of Oxycodone, possession of marijuana, possession of marijuana with the intent to distribute, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of CDS while operating a motor vehicle, obstructed view, driving while revoked, unclear plates and failure to maintain lane. She was processed and released on summons pending a court appearance and later transported to an area hospital for treatment after making threats to harm herself.
– CDS/WARRANT ARREST: At 0738 hours, multiple officers responded to the report of a dispute on Willow Point Drive. After getting information that suspects in the incident had fled the area in a vehicle, the 1998 Honda they were operating was located and stopped. During the course of the stop, an 18 year old male was discovered to have an outstanding warrant out of Jackson for his arrest. He was placed under arrest and later released after posting bail. Also during the stop, the officers detected the odor of marijuana coming from inside the vehicle and observed an occupant attempting to hide a glass pipe. The pipe along with suspected marijuana was recovered and a 22 year old male was placed under arrest. He was processed and charged with possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia and later released on summons pending a court appearance.
– CDS ARREST: While on patrol on South New Prospect Road at 1317 hours, Police Officer Falzarano conducted a motor vehicle stop with a 1998 Subaru for motor vehicle violations. During the course of the stop, the officer detected the odor of marijuana coming from inside the vehicle and during a further search, suspected marijuana and paraphernalia was recovered. An 18 year old female occupant of the vehicle was arrested and charged with possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia. The vehicle driver was issued summonses and released at the scene.
– CRISIS INTERVENTION: At 2000 hours, officers responded to a residence in the township on the report of a 59 year old male who may want to harm himself. Responding officers located the heavily intoxicated male at his residence and observed he had numerous fresh cuts on his body along with blood smeared over several locations inside the residence. He was later transported to an area hospital for treatment.
Sunday February 5:
– CRISIS INTERVENTION: At 1110 hours, officers responded to a residence in the township on the report of an out of control teenager who had fled the residence after claiming he wanted to harm himself. The juvenile was located a short distance away from the residence and transported to an area hospital for treatment.
– CDS ARREST: At 2127 hours while on patrol, Police Officer French conducted a motor vehicle stop with a 2005 Toyota on Garden Street. During the course of the investigation, multiple wax folds containing suspected heroin, hypodermic syringes and other items consistent with narcotics use was recovered. A 21 year old female and 31 year old male were arrested and charged with: possession of a controlled dangerous substance, possession of hypodermic syringes and possession of drug paraphernalia. Both were processed and released on summons pending a court appearance.
READINGTON TWP. – A man driving a semi tractor-trailer pulled into the parking lot of police headquarters on Route 523 and shot himself on Tuesday night, the Hunterdon County Prosecutor’s Office announced. The incident happened at 9 p.m. Whitehouse Fire Company and Whitehouse Rescue Squad responded, transporting the man to Robert Wood Johnson Hospital in New…
The National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning Wednesday morning ahead of a snowstorm that could dump between 3 and 10 inches across the state Thursday. The most significant snowfall of winter for New Jersey will come after possible record high temperatures on Wednesday before the mercury plummets overnight. Eighteen of New Jersey’s 21 counties…
KEYPORT– A roast by the chief of police to honor the outgoing chief of the fire department has drawn criticism from civil-rights organizations for playing on Asian stereotypes, according to app.com. But fire Chief Eugene Eng, the target of the roast and who is of Chinese descent, said he was not offended by the routine and…
FREEHOLD — A former classmate charged in connection with the death of Sarah Stern hid her body in the bushes of her home and returned to the crime scene at least twice before helping toss her body off a bridge in Belmar, prosecutors disclosed in court on Tuesday. After a lengthy detention hearing in which prosecutors…
Lucy sustained a gunshot wound to the shoulder and required emergency surgery. The surgery went well and Lucy is still recovering in the medical department at the Newark facility where she is feeling like one happy and lucky little lady these days.
Lucy’s family has the other two dogs at home, who were unharmed and well taken care of, and were just devastated about what happened to Lucy.
BERKELEY TWP-The Pinewald Fire Company installed their 2017 line officers at a ceremony this weekend.
Mayor Carmen Amato administered the oath of office and thanked the volunteers for their community service.
This is reader submitted news. Got news to share with the Jersey Shore? Click our Report News link and share your accomplishments.
On Tuesday, January 31st, we reached out to every New Jersey assemblyman and state senator to talk about the first 30 days of the state’s new bail reform system.
Here are the responses we have received.
This will be updated as more reach out to us.
Those for bail reform…
Senator Robert Singer (R), 30th District – Assemblyman Singer did not reach out to us directly, but last week did introduce a bill to increase funding outside of New Jersey’s 2% tax cap to pay for bail reform.
Senator Steve Sweeney (D), 3rd District – Senator Sweeney did not reach out to us directly, but last week did introduce a bill to increase funding outside of New Jersey’s 2% tax cap to pay for bail reform.
Those against bail reform…
Assemblyman Erik Peterson (R), 23rd District – “Many residents are uneasy – and in some cases outraged – by the dramatic changes to bail proceedings that allow potentially dangerous criminals out of jail for free. Meanwhile, everyday people are held for days with minor infractions, like missing a traffic court date. I opposed and continue to oppose these changes because of the substantial cost on counties and, more importantly, the release of dangerous people with the absence of judicial discretion. This system has already proven to be off to a rocky and questionable start in New Jersey. I look forward to working with my colleagues to make improvements.”
Assemblyman Robert Auth (R), 39th District- “I didn’t vote for it, I would repeal it if I could.”
Assemblyman Ron Dancer (R)
What the NJ governor candidates are saying…
Joseph Rullo – Is against bail reform. Has stated facts and figures supporting his opposition. No direct comment yet.
Kim Guadagno – Guadagno’s name was on the 2014 bail reform ballot referendum – no comment yet
Jack Ciattarelli – no comment yet
Steven Rogers – no comment yet
Legislators, candidates for office, local elected officials and law enforcement entities may contact us with their opinions, letters and statements on bail reform by sending an email to news@shorenewsnetwork.com.
After our coverage last week regarding the problems associated with New Jersey bail reform, many police officers have contacted us thanking us, but very few would go on the record criticizing the new system that is rapidly undoing their hard work apprehending criminals and keeping their communities safe.
One police officer, a detective who has had enough of the hardened criminals his department arrests being let back into public hours after an arrest wanted New Jersey to know the other side of bail reform.
After the editorial board of the Star Ledger defended bail reform and blamed only a judge for the release of a two-time Little Egg Harbor Township child sexual assault offender, this detective had enough.
He did share with us his name and asked us to publish his name, but because of our knowledge of a recent gag order the Attorney General of New Jersey, we’ve decided not to publish his name or department. Police officers, courts, prosecutors and every level of law enforcement agencies have been under pressure to “go with the flow” on the very broken bail reform system.
Here is his response to the Star Ledger editorial on bail reform.
The editorial published by Star Ledger Staff regarding bail reform published on February 2nd, is a great indication of the general public’s misconceptions of how this system is really working. The Star Ledger cites several examples of where the system has failed already, but seems to place the blame on the judges rather than the system itself.
Quoting the Star Ledger “Under the old [bail] law, the only factor [in determining bail] was a defendant’s risk of flight – not the threat posed to the community.” This is false.
Under Bail Schedules 1 and 2, Court Rule 3:26-1, a predetermined monetary bail amount was set according to each specific statute. When setting bail, Judges and Judicial Officers HAD to abide by Court Rule 3:26-1:
“3:26-1 – Right to Bail before Conviction – The factors to be considered in setting bail are:
As you can see, there wasn’t just one factor as the Star-Ledger would like it’s readers to believe, there were a total of eight. Suffice it to say, the Star Ledger didn’t do their research. What’s very important to note is number 8 “… the general policy against unnecessary sureties and detention.” The monetary bail system in New Jersey was generally well balanced and fair. For the most part, people weren’t subject to unnecessary pretrial incarceration for minor offenses thanks in large part to these factors unless there were other extenuating circumstances, but I won’t say that it never happened.
Now, to address the statement made by the Star Ledger that people were sitting in jail on minor or non-violent offenses and couldn’t “buy” their freedom. Bail reform did not address the issue of people sitting in jail on “minor offenses” like traffic warrants. In fact, under bail reform, people are more likely to be incarcerated on the inability to pay a traffic ticket as opposed to having committed a crime.
Under bail reform, determinations for incarceration are made based on computer Algorithms called “Public Safety Assessments” or PSA’s. If a defendant has a high PSA they are recommended for incarceration, if the PSA is low pretrial release or release on summons is recommended. However, as experienced by law enforcement across the state, the program is flawed. For example, the PSA numbers for Ahmad Khan Rahami, (the Seaside Park Boardwalk Bomber), were low enough that if he were processed under the new bail reform act, he would technically be eligible for pretrial release. Yet, despite bail reform being touted as a huge success; people are still sitting in jail on minor offenses because they have a past of committing minor crimes like shoplifting, while violent offenders are routinely released. Hypothetically, you could murder someone having never committed a crime in your life and have a lower PSA score than someone who shoplifted a few times in the past, so the Star Ledger was wrong again, a PSA score does not take the seriousness of the alleged offense into consideration when determining incarceration or release.
I will concede to one thing the Star Ledger stated; the bail system SHOULD be based on a risk assessment and a judge. In fact, it used to be. Just read the rules of 3:26-1 again; only Judges were allowed to use common sense. Now they’re forced to rely on the flawed PSA’s to make these determinations and it has failed miserably time and time again, for example Dawud Ward; he was arrested and released three times in a month for residential burglary. Maybe if Ward was in jail the first time under “the old law”, he wouldn’t have victimized two additional innocent people. But I digress. The pretrial conditions of bail reform require judges to take the PSA numbers into consideration; and to be fair, some judges may be more inclined to incarcerate while others are not.
Yes, offenders could post bail before and be released. But, the gang member that Star Ledger referenced with $50,000 worth of heroin, and a loaded 9mm, more than likely would have had a $250,000 – $500,000 bail maybe more depending upon his criminal history, prior failure to appears, and his status as a gang member. Even with a 10% option, he and/or his buddies are putting up a lot of cash to get him out. But let’s say he did bail out; the purpose of bail money is to guarantee he’s going to show up in court to answer to his charges; if he doesn’t, he forfeits the money and a warrant is issued for his arrest. But there’s more to it than simply “buying your freedom” as the Ledger puts it.
Most significantly, what the Star Ledger conveniently neglected to mention is what was known as a Bail Source Inquiry, P.L. 2007, c. 46., which was in effect until The Bail Reform Act was enacted. During a Bail Source Inquiry, Pursuant to N.J.S.A. 2A:162-13, a person charged with a crime with bail restrictions had to provide, under penalty of perjury, information “about the obligor, indemnifier or person posting cash bail, the security offered, and the source of any money or property used to post the cash bail or secure the surety or bail bond, as the case may be.” This bail source inquiry was an 8 page application that had to be submitted for prosecutor review which encompassed the source of the money being posted for bail to ensure that gang members or other ill-gotten funds weren’t posted to bail someone out of jail. Just Google “NJ Bail source inquiry”, you will find the actual application on the Attorney General’s website.
But now defendants are released, with no bail source inquiry, no accountability, nothing to lose, just simply a promise to appear. Sometimes pretrial release monitoring consists of an ankle bracelet which offenders have been cutting off, and other methods are having the defendant provide a good phone number so they can “check in”, which shockingly enough, most phone numbers that have been provided don’t work. But for the Ledger to say “there’s more monitoring”, is a feel good statement without basis, there simply is not.
The most inaccurate statement the Star Ledger makes: “the poor were jailed simply because they couldn’t [“buy” their freedom].” First of all, refer back to the bail schedules, if you committed a burglary your bail was in the same range whether you were a millionaire or on public assistance, Judges simply had to set bail amounts according to the 8 factors mentioned above on a case by case basis. Furthermore, this isn’t about being poor – 3:26-1(6) – Rules Governing the Courts of New Jersey – Setting of Bail: “defendant’s employment status, record of employment, and financial condition [must be taken into consideration when setting bail].
What this is about personal accountability. It’s about obeying laws, and being responsible enough not to worry about coming up with bail money in the first place, I’ve managed to do it my whole life and so have millions of other people. The criminal justice system isn’t perfect, and it does need tweaking… here’s the fix; dangerous people belong behind bars, not on the street, and if they’re released, they need to be held accountable.
Historically, The State of New Jersey has exceeded Federal Constitutional Standards and extended these additional protections to its citizens. The 6thand 8th Amendments were never an exception. With that said there is a delicate balance between protecting the Constitutional Rights of defendants, while also placing a higher value of the rights of a person to live in a community knowing violent or abhorrent offenders are safely locked behind bars or at least being held accountable for their actions.
Bail reform has done the opposite. It has created a revolving door where offender after offender is being released back onto the streets days or even hours after arrest which compromises the safety and security of victims and communities. Even after only a month of bail reform, offenders are routinely arrested again shortly after being released. It isn’t “a rare case or bad call”, as the Star Ledger puts it, when it happens on a daily basis across the state; it is a testament to the failure of the system.
Because of the revolving door it has created, bail reform has proven to be a complete drain on law enforcement resources which has resulted in increased municipal overtime. Suffice it to say, bail reform came with changes to the online complaint systems which every law enforcement agency in this state uses. The changes have resulted in increased booking times, increased complaint processing times and most importantly increased overtime. What was touted as being saved in incarceration costs is lost in day to day police operations and most of all lost in implementation: $53.4 Million to be exact. The recently retracted Bill S2933, sponsored by Senators Robert Singer and Steven Sweeney which called for a property tax cap exclusion, that would have allowed the state to raise property taxes in order to fund bail reform throughout 2017, substantiates the fact that bail reform is unsustainable and New Jersey simply can’t afford. It took only a month and lawmakers were already looking to the taxpayer for additional funding… isn’t that a surprise.
By the way, I’m not a bail bondsman. I didn’t’ make a living from a monetary bail system, (nor was I financially liable for the estimated $638 Million in commercial bail posted annually, which a majority was allocated to the 21st Century Fund) and personally, bail reform hasn’t affected me. But dealing with it every day, I see its shortcomings and all the societal woes that are sure to follow. I’m a police officer who’s tired of devoting days, months and endless hours into investigations only to see criminals being released with a slap on the wrist. I’m tired of seeing this state value its criminals more than the innocent people they victimize. The rights of the innocent should be appreciated more than anything else in our society. Trenton and some of our politicians obviously feel differently, and until they change it, the innocent people of this state will continue to pay for and fall victim to this total failure called bail reform.
Editor’s note 2/5/17: Edited for style, additional information added regarding bail reform.
WESTAMPTON TWP. — New Jersey State Police reminded drivers in a cautionary Facebook post what can happen when you engage in road rage. “Don’t be the one staring down the barrel of a gun (not saying that this happened here), or the one going to jail because you made a rash decision in anger,” the post…