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News from New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Beyond.

Freehold Township High School Wins Monmouth County Consumer Bowl

HOWELL, NJ – Freehold Township High School came up winners in the 2017 Monmouth County Consumer Bowl, a game-show-style competition for teams of high school students held Feb. 14 at the Monmouth County Fire Academy.

Students from seven high schools answered consumer-related questions in a multiple choice and open-ended format to test their knowledge of consumer issues, such as Internet fraud and buying and leasing automobiles.

The six-member team from Freehold Township High School successfully earned its 2017 Monmouth County Consumer Bowl title against students from Colts Neck, Freehold Borough, Howell, Manalapan and Raritan and Saint John Vianney High School.

“The best part about this program is that all of our participating young adults gained some knowledge about what it takes to help them be smarter consumers and possibly future consumer advocates,” said Freeholder Serena DiMaso, who was on hand to congratulate the winners. “It is also a great way to promote the County’s Consumer Affairs office, which enforces consumer laws and helps people who suspect they might be victims of unscrupulous business practices.”

In the final round, Freehold Twp. faced-off with Howell High School. Though the scores were close, the Freehold Township team was victorious and won the 2017 County Consumer Bowl for the seventh time in eight years. .

“It’s important that teens understand consumer and business concepts, like credit and identity theft, banking and fraud, marketing and advertising,” said Freeholder Lillian G. Burry, liaison to the County’s Division of Consumer Affairs. “Consumer Bowl participants are a step ahead of their peers with their knowledge of consumer issues and are well-prepared to tackle issues in the marketplace.”

Team members are Anna Landre (team captain), Matthew Bernstein, Jake LaFronz, Michael Galanaugh and Raiyan Hussain. Their advisor is Dan Cooper; school principal is Elizabeth Higley.

The Freehold Township team now moves on to the regional competition on April 6 with home field advantage because the competition will be held at the Monmouth County Fire Academy. The winner of the regional competition will go on to compete in the 2017 New Jersey State Consumer Bowl scheduled for May in Trenton.

The New Jersey High School Consumer Bowl is a program of the state Department of Law and Public Safety, Division of Consumer Affairs. It was established in 1997 to help students learn about consumer issues that will benefit them throughout their lives.

Since the County’s Division of Consumer Affairs was established in 1977, the department has handled more than 50,000 complaints and resolved disputes, resulting in savings to consumers of more than $22 million; $9 million has been resolved in the past five years.

Consumer Affairs is a law enforcement agency, created and funded by the Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders. It protects against consumer fraud and dishonest and dishonest business practices by enforcing the state Consumer Fraud Act and many other regulations.

Additional information about fraud and other consumer affairs programs can be found on the County website at www.VisitMonmouth.com, by calling 732-431-7900 or email ConsumerAffairs@co.monmouth.nj.us. The office is open weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

OC Police Chiefs Call for Repeal of Bail Reform: Dangerous, onerous and fiscally disastrous

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.

Everything You Need to Know About Saturday's Fire District Elections in Jackson

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.

Jackson Fire District 2 (Consolidated 1&2)

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

Jackson Fire District 3 

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

Jackson Fire District 4

3 yr. Commissioner Seats Available: 2
Candidates: *Brian Ruditsky, *Ray Torres, Kenneth Byrnes, Wallace Jamison, n/a

Note: n/a – One candidate omitted at request of family member under threat of lawsuit.

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.

Unsure of which fire district you should vote in, here is an online map.  Note fire district 2 includes previous zone of fire districts 1 & 2.

* Indicates JTOWN Magazine’s fire commissioner endorsement.

 

Police: Elderly Woman Victim of House Fire in Toms River

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`

North Jersey Police Powerless in Stopping Man Who Got Out of Jail Three Times in One Week Under Bail Reform

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.

NJSPBA: Criminal Mocked Bail Reform "If they let me out again, I will do more crime."

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.

Christie Touts Bail Reform, Calls Opposition "Ridiculous Crap"

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.

 

Jackson PD Only Winner in Bennetts Mills Road Street Race

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.

Who is Tim Schnacke and why is he pushing bail reform down our throats in New Jersey?

Tim Schnacke lives in Colorado, but suddenly has an interest in touting New Jersey’s Bail Reform and Speedy Trial Act as a monumental success.

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.

Who is tim schnacke and why is he pushing bail reform down our throats in new jersey?

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.

Who is tim schnacke and why is he pushing bail reform down our throats in new jersey?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.

Who is tim schnacke and why is he pushing bail reform down our throats in new jersey?

 

Seaside Park Bombing Terrorist Would Have Scored Lower Than Shoplifter Under NJ Bail Reform PSA?

Seaside park bombing terrorist would have scored lower than shoplifter under nj bail reform psa?

 

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.

 

Seaside park bombing terrorist would have scored lower than shoplifter under nj bail reform psa?Seaside park bombing terrorist would have scored lower than shoplifter under nj bail reform psa?

 

 

 

 

Toms River PBA: Bail Reform is a "Very Serious" Problem for Everyone Except Criminals

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.

Monmouth County Releases January Bail Reform Figures

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).

Murderer who Used Golf Club, Lamp Arraigned in Toms River

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.

New Jersey State Police Union Reveals Terrifying Bail Reform Statistic

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.

On this Day: Russian Poet Alexander Pushkin Died from Injuries Sustained in a Duel

JACKSON-On this day in 1836, Alexander Pushkin died from wounds suffered in duel days earlier.

A memorial dedicated to Pushkin is here in Jackson, dedicated to the Russian poet and writer. Jackson is home to a very large Russian Orthodox population and was once a global vacation destination for the Russian Orthodox community.   Many came to the now defunct, but once very popular and thriving Rova Farms Resort.

Jackson is also home to the Pushkin Memorial Home, a senior assisted living facility.

Aleksandr pushkin memorial

Photo of the Pushkin Memorial in Jackson Township.

New Playa Bowls in Brick Highlights Success of Empty Storefront Program

BRICK-Across Ocean County, many retail storefront units have remained empty for years, but in Brick, an incentive program for new and expanding businesses is helping to fill those empty stores.

Brick Township’s empty storefront program helps businesses in Brick and the community by waiving all township fees for businesses willing to open shop in a retail space that has been vacant for more than one year.

Under the program, building permits and inspection fees are waived.

Mayor John Ducey touted the success of the program with the announcement of the addition of the wildly popular Playa Bowls chain coming to the Shops at Brownstone.

In his February 7th Facebook live session with residents, Ducey said although builders are free to clear lots and build commercial space in town, he would rather see businesses move into existing vacant spaces.

“We’d rather see empty storefronts filled first and that’s what we’re seeing around town,” Ducey said. “As you drive around as everyone sees, there less vacancies and more and more being filled all the time.”

Playa Bowls is rapidly growing chain of health food shops specializing in acai bowls, pitaya bowls, juices, smoothies, and Chloe’s soft serve fruit.

 

 

Students Learn Impact Dogs Can Have on Mental Health Challenges

The Junior health classes at Toms River High School North assembled to hear a lecture given by Ms.Trisha Baker representing “Attitudes In Reverse” (AIR), a mental health education program. AIR members go into the community to educate about mental health and suicide prevention. With education comes understanding and empathy. If all of society understood the challenges of mental health issues, we would normalize the illness, increase compassion and lessen bullying. Ms. Baker brought along “Mickey” a therapy dog. Research has shown that the simple action of petting dogs releases good brain chemicals that allow us to relax and reduce stress.

Meise Shore Conference High Jump Champ

Toms River High School South’s Madison Meise took home first place at the Shore Conference High Jump Championship with a jump of 5’2. Madison also received the silver medal in the 55 meter hurdles with a time of 8.67 seconds.