PRESS RELEASE
December 1, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
Jamaal A. Barker, age 25, of 1029 South 8th St., Camden NJ was shot multiple times and killed about 10 p.m. Wednesday (11/30) on West Washington St., Paulsboro NJ.
Barker was believed to have been visiting an acquaintance in Paulsboro. He died at the scene of the shooting.
The shooting is being investigated by the major crimes unit of the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office and the detective bureau of the Paulsboro Police Department. Anyone with information about Barker’s death is asked to contact Det. Stacie Lick of the GCPO at 856-384-5608, Det. Gary Kille of the Paulsboro PD at 856-423-1101 or anonymously text a tip to the GCPO. Text GLOTIP and the message to CRIMES (274637).
This is the third murder in Gloucester County in 2011.
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Driver safety course offered
PRESS RELEASE
November 29, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
For the first time, the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office is offering county residents a free defensive driving course that will give them a discount on motor vehicle insurance premiums and can also remove points from their driving record.
The six-hour course will be offered in two sessions- Wednesday and Thursday evening, Feb. 8 and 9 from 6 to 9 or in one session on Saturday, Feb. 25 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Classes will meet in Room 403 of the Instructional Center at Gloucester County College, Tanyard Road, Deptford Township NJ.
“This is an opportunity for county residents to learn more about safe driving while lowering their auto insurance rates,” said Gloucester County Prosecutor Sean F. Dalton. “It’s a win for the residents and will help make our streets safer.”
Those who complete the course are entitled to a five-percent discount on their vehicle insurance premiums. They can also have two penalty points removed from their driving record, a reduction allowed once every five years and which can also result in lower insurance premiums.
“While the course and an accompanying manual are free, if you want a point reduction, there is a $10 processing fee,” said Det. Nick Schock, motor vehicle crash investigator for the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office and instructor for the course.
The class, using lessons developed by the National Safety Council, will be limited to Gloucester County residents and to 30 per class. Instruction will include operating a vehicle in adverse weather conditions such as snow, and dealing with driving around larger vehicles, pedestrians, cyclists and aggressive drivers.
To register, e-mail either Det. Schock at nschock@co.gloucester.nj.us or Phyllis Covici of the GCPO at pcovici@co.gloucester.nj.us, or telephone Phyllis Covici at 856-384-5534.
November 29, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
For the first time, the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office is offering county residents a free defensive driving course that will give them a discount on motor vehicle insurance premiums and can also remove points from their driving record.
The six-hour course will be offered in two sessions- Wednesday and Thursday evening, Feb. 8 and 9 from 6 to 9 or in one session on Saturday, Feb. 25 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Classes will meet in Room 403 of the Instructional Center at Gloucester County College, Tanyard Road, Deptford Township NJ.
“This is an opportunity for county residents to learn more about safe driving while lowering their auto insurance rates,” said Gloucester County Prosecutor Sean F. Dalton. “It’s a win for the residents and will help make our streets safer.”
Those who complete the course are entitled to a five-percent discount on their vehicle insurance premiums. They can also have two penalty points removed from their driving record, a reduction allowed once every five years and which can also result in lower insurance premiums.
“While the course and an accompanying manual are free, if you want a point reduction, there is a $10 processing fee,” said Det. Nick Schock, motor vehicle crash investigator for the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office and instructor for the course.
The class, using lessons developed by the National Safety Council, will be limited to Gloucester County residents and to 30 per class. Instruction will include operating a vehicle in adverse weather conditions such as snow, and dealing with driving around larger vehicles, pedestrians, cyclists and aggressive drivers.
To register, e-mail either Det. Schock at nschock@co.gloucester.nj.us or Phyllis Covici of the GCPO at pcovici@co.gloucester.nj.us, or telephone Phyllis Covici at 856-384-5534.
Lindenwold man agrees to 4 yrs NJSP in cocaine case
PRESS RELEASE
November 28, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
Jamaine L. Levi (DOB 7/5/88),of 825 Myrtle Ave., Lindenwold NJ pleaded guilty today (11/28) in Superior Court, Woodbury NJ to possession of cocaine with intent to distribute when he was arrested in Paulsboro NJ on Nov. 3, 2010.
Levi acknowledged he was driving his mother’s car and was in possession of less than a half-ounce of cocaine when police stopped him on Capitol St. The vehicle had been seen in the vicinity on Buck St. in Paulsboro at the time of an earlier report of suspicious persons there. Under terms of a plea agreement, Senior Assistant Gloucester County Prosecutor Paul Colangelo will recommend that Levi be sentenced to four years in New Jersey state prison, and that he serve two years before becoming eligible for parole. The sentence would be concurrent with a three-year prison sentence imposed on a narcotics conviction in Camden County on Oct. 7, 2011. The sentence would also be concurrent with a federal prison term Levi is serving. Charges and duration of that sentence were not immediately available.
Superior Court Judge M.Christine Allen-Jackson scheduled sentencing for Feb. 6.
November 28, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
Jamaine L. Levi (DOB 7/5/88),of 825 Myrtle Ave., Lindenwold NJ pleaded guilty today (11/28) in Superior Court, Woodbury NJ to possession of cocaine with intent to distribute when he was arrested in Paulsboro NJ on Nov. 3, 2010.
Levi acknowledged he was driving his mother’s car and was in possession of less than a half-ounce of cocaine when police stopped him on Capitol St. The vehicle had been seen in the vicinity on Buck St. in Paulsboro at the time of an earlier report of suspicious persons there. Under terms of a plea agreement, Senior Assistant Gloucester County Prosecutor Paul Colangelo will recommend that Levi be sentenced to four years in New Jersey state prison, and that he serve two years before becoming eligible for parole. The sentence would be concurrent with a three-year prison sentence imposed on a narcotics conviction in Camden County on Oct. 7, 2011. The sentence would also be concurrent with a federal prison term Levi is serving. Charges and duration of that sentence were not immediately available.
Superior Court Judge M.Christine Allen-Jackson scheduled sentencing for Feb. 6.
2 months-no fatal crashes; keep it going during holidays
PRESS RELEASE
November 22, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
Gloucester County’s last fatal motor vehicle crash in 2011 was Sept. 17, and law enforcement officials want to see that continue through the joyous but dangerous time between Thanksgiving and the new year, weeks that typically claim 2,000 lives on the nation’s roads.
Especially during the month of December, a fast-paced time with celebrations and stress, often made more hazardous by sleet and snow, “we want to urge everyone to drive sober, safe and focused on the road,” said Gloucester County Prosecutor Sean F. Dalton. “Traffic in many places will be heavy and distractions can be many. Do your best to drive responsibly this holiday season.”
As indicated by last year’s holiday period in Gloucester County, it is possible to get through the month without becoming a statistic. There were no motor vehicle fatalities in 2010 after October.
Some reminders:
• Designated driver- if drinking, arrange for one in advance.
• If you’re with an impaired drinker, take their keys and help them get home.
• Eat as well as drink. Balance booze intake with high-protein foods.
• Medication-takers: remember interactions with alcohol.
• Party hosts: stop serving alcoholic drinks well before the party’s over.
Since 2003, the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office has overseen the Gloucester County Highway Task Force, dedicated to reducing the number of fatal accidents on our roadways. It is made up of residents and businesses working to make our roadways safer. If you are interested in participating, please e-mail the Task Force at nschock@co.gloucester.nj.us or call (856) 384-5635.
November 22, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
Gloucester County’s last fatal motor vehicle crash in 2011 was Sept. 17, and law enforcement officials want to see that continue through the joyous but dangerous time between Thanksgiving and the new year, weeks that typically claim 2,000 lives on the nation’s roads.
Especially during the month of December, a fast-paced time with celebrations and stress, often made more hazardous by sleet and snow, “we want to urge everyone to drive sober, safe and focused on the road,” said Gloucester County Prosecutor Sean F. Dalton. “Traffic in many places will be heavy and distractions can be many. Do your best to drive responsibly this holiday season.”
As indicated by last year’s holiday period in Gloucester County, it is possible to get through the month without becoming a statistic. There were no motor vehicle fatalities in 2010 after October.
Some reminders:
• Designated driver- if drinking, arrange for one in advance.
• If you’re with an impaired drinker, take their keys and help them get home.
• Eat as well as drink. Balance booze intake with high-protein foods.
• Medication-takers: remember interactions with alcohol.
• Party hosts: stop serving alcoholic drinks well before the party’s over.
Since 2003, the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office has overseen the Gloucester County Highway Task Force, dedicated to reducing the number of fatal accidents on our roadways. It is made up of residents and businesses working to make our roadways safer. If you are interested in participating, please e-mail the Task Force at nschock@co.gloucester.nj.us or call (856) 384-5635.
Infoshare criminal records system a cost-saver
PRESS RELEASE
November 21, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
For most of the history of criminal investigations in Gloucester County and elsewhere, law enforcement has generated file cabinets of paper, originating with police departments, turned over to the county prosecutor’s office and then shared as required with defense attorneys.
But for the past three years, the paperwork involved in police reports, Miranda forms, photographs, hand-written witness statements and other records has been turned into digital documents- a computer transformation that the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office has been a state leader in accomplishing.
The traditional paper records flow “was labor-intensive and also expensive with respect to supplies,” said Gloucester County Prosecutor Sean F. Dalton.
Under what is called the Infoshare system, only the original criminal complaint signed at police departments is still required to be in paper form. “Everything else is sent electronically,” said Dalton. “And when something gets mislaid, we are easily able to retrieve it.”
The digitization program, including the purchasing of scanners and software for records administrators and laptops and training for all GCPO assistant prosecutors, was funded by a state Public Archives and Records Infrastructure Support (PARIS) grant included in New Jersey’s 2004-05 budget. The PARIS program was itself funded by a document filing fee collected by county clerks.
This was a project that our former First Assistant Prosecutor, Steve Sand, spearheaded with Jannan Salvati of the Prosecutor’s Office and Michelle Everly of the county Information technology Department,” said Dalton. “Their commitment was critical, especially when it came to teaching people a new way of doing their job, which is never easy.”
“I started with three major municipalities,” said Salvati, who manages Infoshare within the GCPO. “It was West Deptford, Mantua and Glassboro.”
“The scanners were all set up. I taught them how to do the scanning, everything they had to do to get the reports up to us. We stayed with that to work out all the bugs for probably about eight months. Then we slowly started adding new municipalities until about a year ago.”
Assisting the GCPO and other county prosecutor’s offices statewide was CSI Technology Group, of Keasbey NJ. The 20-year-old firm specializes in criminal investigation and prosecution technology. CSI support managers for South Jersey offices are James Mannion and Richard Norcross.
All 22 Gloucester County police departments- two have merged since the program began- and the Rowan University Security Department now transmit documents needed for prosecutions with the tap of a keyboard.
Today, “the only way reports come into our office is through the Infoshare system, saving the municipalities postage,” Salvati said. Previously, reports were mailed, hand-carried and sometimes faxed to the GCPO “if they weren’t too bulky,” she said.
When the PARIS program was initiated in 2005, then New Jersey Secretary of State Regina L. Thomas compared it to the state’s first records preservation law in 1760. PARIS represents “an advancement as important today as the construction of the first fireproof vaults to protect New Jersey’s colonial archives was nearly 250 years ago,” Thomas said in an article published by a Web site that reports developments in government technology.
Documents related to criminal cases must still be copied onto paper to be shared with defense attorneys in the pre-trial “discovery” process, but “the next phase is to put all the discovery onto a disc and send it out,” said Prosecutor Dalton.
GCPO assistant prosecutors appreciate the efficiency of the Infoshare system. While ushering in “an era of digitized discovery,” Infoshare eliminates the time-consuming steps of copying, packaging and mailing documents, said AP Joseph Brook, who prosecutes computer crimes.
“It has been said that justice delayed is justice denied,” said Brook. “The Infoshare system brings more immediacy and fights unnecessary delay as the Prosecutor’s Office continues its mission to administer justice for its constituency.”
On the document-generating side- the municipal police departments- Infoshare saves paper-transfer time that is better spent on the street, said West Deptford Chief Craig Mangano. “Even for the smallest of cases, there can be a considerable amount of documents,” said Chief Mangano. Infoshare “streamlines the process of document transfer for our criminal cases.”
November 21, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
For most of the history of criminal investigations in Gloucester County and elsewhere, law enforcement has generated file cabinets of paper, originating with police departments, turned over to the county prosecutor’s office and then shared as required with defense attorneys.
But for the past three years, the paperwork involved in police reports, Miranda forms, photographs, hand-written witness statements and other records has been turned into digital documents- a computer transformation that the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office has been a state leader in accomplishing.
The traditional paper records flow “was labor-intensive and also expensive with respect to supplies,” said Gloucester County Prosecutor Sean F. Dalton.
Under what is called the Infoshare system, only the original criminal complaint signed at police departments is still required to be in paper form. “Everything else is sent electronically,” said Dalton. “And when something gets mislaid, we are easily able to retrieve it.”
The digitization program, including the purchasing of scanners and software for records administrators and laptops and training for all GCPO assistant prosecutors, was funded by a state Public Archives and Records Infrastructure Support (PARIS) grant included in New Jersey’s 2004-05 budget. The PARIS program was itself funded by a document filing fee collected by county clerks.
This was a project that our former First Assistant Prosecutor, Steve Sand, spearheaded with Jannan Salvati of the Prosecutor’s Office and Michelle Everly of the county Information technology Department,” said Dalton. “Their commitment was critical, especially when it came to teaching people a new way of doing their job, which is never easy.”
“I started with three major municipalities,” said Salvati, who manages Infoshare within the GCPO. “It was West Deptford, Mantua and Glassboro.”
“The scanners were all set up. I taught them how to do the scanning, everything they had to do to get the reports up to us. We stayed with that to work out all the bugs for probably about eight months. Then we slowly started adding new municipalities until about a year ago.”
Assisting the GCPO and other county prosecutor’s offices statewide was CSI Technology Group, of Keasbey NJ. The 20-year-old firm specializes in criminal investigation and prosecution technology. CSI support managers for South Jersey offices are James Mannion and Richard Norcross.
All 22 Gloucester County police departments- two have merged since the program began- and the Rowan University Security Department now transmit documents needed for prosecutions with the tap of a keyboard.
Today, “the only way reports come into our office is through the Infoshare system, saving the municipalities postage,” Salvati said. Previously, reports were mailed, hand-carried and sometimes faxed to the GCPO “if they weren’t too bulky,” she said.
When the PARIS program was initiated in 2005, then New Jersey Secretary of State Regina L. Thomas compared it to the state’s first records preservation law in 1760. PARIS represents “an advancement as important today as the construction of the first fireproof vaults to protect New Jersey’s colonial archives was nearly 250 years ago,” Thomas said in an article published by a Web site that reports developments in government technology.
Documents related to criminal cases must still be copied onto paper to be shared with defense attorneys in the pre-trial “discovery” process, but “the next phase is to put all the discovery onto a disc and send it out,” said Prosecutor Dalton.
GCPO assistant prosecutors appreciate the efficiency of the Infoshare system. While ushering in “an era of digitized discovery,” Infoshare eliminates the time-consuming steps of copying, packaging and mailing documents, said AP Joseph Brook, who prosecutes computer crimes.
“It has been said that justice delayed is justice denied,” said Brook. “The Infoshare system brings more immediacy and fights unnecessary delay as the Prosecutor’s Office continues its mission to administer justice for its constituency.”
On the document-generating side- the municipal police departments- Infoshare saves paper-transfer time that is better spent on the street, said West Deptford Chief Craig Mangano. “Even for the smallest of cases, there can be a considerable amount of documents,” said Chief Mangano. Infoshare “streamlines the process of document transfer for our criminal cases.”
DUI defendant loses appeal;claimed he wasn't driving
PRESS RELEASE
November 16, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
A state appeals court today (11/16) affirmed the drunk-driving conviction of a Gibbstown NJ man who claimed he wasn’t driving his car when it crashed into another vehicle in Deptford NJ, even though he was found on foot near the collision with his car’s keys in his pocket.
But if he was the driver, Desmond M. Clayton (DOB 5/5/80) contended, he wasn’t drunk at the time of the crash, even though his blood-alcohol level tested at .18 a short time later.
The guilty finding in the 11/22/09 crash earned Clayton a six-month jail sentence and a 10-year driver’s license suspension because of prior DUI convictions. The municipal court conviction was upheld by Superior Court Judge Walter L. Marshall Jr. and Clayton then filed the appeal decided today.
The appeals court supported Judge Marshall’s findings based on “strong circumstantial evidence.” Clayton “smelled of alcohol, His eyes were bloodshot and watery. He had possession of his car keys,” said an appeal brief by Assistant Gloucester County Prosecutor Margaret Cipparrone.
November 16, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
A state appeals court today (11/16) affirmed the drunk-driving conviction of a Gibbstown NJ man who claimed he wasn’t driving his car when it crashed into another vehicle in Deptford NJ, even though he was found on foot near the collision with his car’s keys in his pocket.
But if he was the driver, Desmond M. Clayton (DOB 5/5/80) contended, he wasn’t drunk at the time of the crash, even though his blood-alcohol level tested at .18 a short time later.
The guilty finding in the 11/22/09 crash earned Clayton a six-month jail sentence and a 10-year driver’s license suspension because of prior DUI convictions. The municipal court conviction was upheld by Superior Court Judge Walter L. Marshall Jr. and Clayton then filed the appeal decided today.
The appeals court supported Judge Marshall’s findings based on “strong circumstantial evidence.” Clayton “smelled of alcohol, His eyes were bloodshot and watery. He had possession of his car keys,” said an appeal brief by Assistant Gloucester County Prosecutor Margaret Cipparrone.
Suspect arrested in fatal 11/10 Wash. Twp. stabbing
PRESS RELEASE
November 11, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld-PIO
Officers with the Gloucester County Prosecutor's fugitive unit, assisted by local police and K-9 teams, at about 10 a.m. this morning (11/11) arrested 42-year-old Mark Holloway, no known address, as a suspect in the fatal stabbing of 43-year-old Kim Barnum about 8 p.m. Friday night in the victim's apartment on Fries Mill Road in the Birches section of Washington Township, Gloucester County NJ.
Charges of first-degree murder and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose were signed this aftenoon and bail was set at $1 million. Holloway, who initially was held on other outstanding arrest warrants, has been placed in the Gloucester County Jail, Woodbury NJ. A Search warant will be requested for a location where it is believed the weapon used in the attack on Barnum can be found.
Sgt. Barry Johnson, supervisor of the GCPO fugitive unit, took Holloway into custody without incident in an abandoned trailer in the Colonial Estates mobile home park off the Black Horse Pikein Monroe Township, Gloucester County NJ. Johnson was working with officers from Monroe and K-9 teams from Monroe and the Gloucester County Sheriff's Department.
Investigators believe Holloway fled from his mother's car last night after she drove him drom Barnum's apartment enroute to deliver him to police. Along with New Jersey State Police and police from surrounding districts and a K-9 unit on the ground, the search in a wooded are of Monroe township last night included a Philadelphia Police helicopter with thermal imaging equipment. This morning, members of the GCPO fugitive unit focused on places where Holloway frequented, including Colonial Estates.
Holloway was transported to the Gloucester County Justice Complex in Woodbury for booking and possible questioning. He and Barnum, who lived alone in her apartment unit, had a history of domestic violence. An sutopsy on the victim by the Gloucester County Medical Examiner this morning determined there were multiple stab wounds consistent with a long, thin knife blade. The two most significant wounds were to a lung and the aorta.
Washington and Monroe townships have handled previous domestic violence incidents involving Holloway and Barnum, the most recent in April, with injuries to both. At that time, Barnum declined to have a temporary restraining order issued against Holloway.
"This offense underscores the importance for all victims of domestic violence to seek assistance," Gloucester County Prosecutor Sean F. Dalton said of the county's second homicide this year, both the result of domestic violence. "We are pleased at the quick apprehension as a result of the work of our fugitive unit, working with the New Jersey State Police, teh US Marshal's Fugitive Task Force in Camden as well as local police departments." The GCPO crime scene and major crimes units also responded to the murder scene.
November 11, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld-PIO
Officers with the Gloucester County Prosecutor's fugitive unit, assisted by local police and K-9 teams, at about 10 a.m. this morning (11/11) arrested 42-year-old Mark Holloway, no known address, as a suspect in the fatal stabbing of 43-year-old Kim Barnum about 8 p.m. Friday night in the victim's apartment on Fries Mill Road in the Birches section of Washington Township, Gloucester County NJ.
Charges of first-degree murder and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose were signed this aftenoon and bail was set at $1 million. Holloway, who initially was held on other outstanding arrest warrants, has been placed in the Gloucester County Jail, Woodbury NJ. A Search warant will be requested for a location where it is believed the weapon used in the attack on Barnum can be found.
Sgt. Barry Johnson, supervisor of the GCPO fugitive unit, took Holloway into custody without incident in an abandoned trailer in the Colonial Estates mobile home park off the Black Horse Pikein Monroe Township, Gloucester County NJ. Johnson was working with officers from Monroe and K-9 teams from Monroe and the Gloucester County Sheriff's Department.
Investigators believe Holloway fled from his mother's car last night after she drove him drom Barnum's apartment enroute to deliver him to police. Along with New Jersey State Police and police from surrounding districts and a K-9 unit on the ground, the search in a wooded are of Monroe township last night included a Philadelphia Police helicopter with thermal imaging equipment. This morning, members of the GCPO fugitive unit focused on places where Holloway frequented, including Colonial Estates.
Holloway was transported to the Gloucester County Justice Complex in Woodbury for booking and possible questioning. He and Barnum, who lived alone in her apartment unit, had a history of domestic violence. An sutopsy on the victim by the Gloucester County Medical Examiner this morning determined there were multiple stab wounds consistent with a long, thin knife blade. The two most significant wounds were to a lung and the aorta.
Washington and Monroe townships have handled previous domestic violence incidents involving Holloway and Barnum, the most recent in April, with injuries to both. At that time, Barnum declined to have a temporary restraining order issued against Holloway.
"This offense underscores the importance for all victims of domestic violence to seek assistance," Gloucester County Prosecutor Sean F. Dalton said of the county's second homicide this year, both the result of domestic violence. "We are pleased at the quick apprehension as a result of the work of our fugitive unit, working with the New Jersey State Police, teh US Marshal's Fugitive Task Force in Camden as well as local police departments." The GCPO crime scene and major crimes units also responded to the murder scene.
Investigation ongoing in Marine's '92 murder in logan
PRESS RELEASE
November 10, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
The 1992 murder of a Marine Gunnery Sergeant stationed in Philadelphia is receiving new attention.
The Gloucester County (NJ) Prosecutor’s Office is working with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service Cold Case Homicide Unit to solve the 19-year-old slaying.
It was just after Veterans Day 1992, in the early morning of Nov. 14, that Gunnery Sergeant James Sutton’s family found him shot to death in his Logan Township, Gloucester County NJ home.
The 41-year-old career Marine lived with his wife and seven-year-old daughter on Arrowood Place in Logan Township and was assigned to the Fourth Marine Corps District in Philadelphia PA.
“While many years have passed since Sgt. Sutton’s murder, time and technology can help in the investigation of ‘cold’ cases,” said GCPO Det. Joan Krucinski, who is working the case with NCIS Special Agent Kaylyn Deuker.
“The passage of time can help, in that relationships change over the years, and people with information sometimes become more willing to share knowledge than when first interviewed,” Det. Krucinski said.
“And as we review a years-old homicide, we are always interested in anyone who knew the victim” the detective said. “Some people may not even know they have critical information.”
“In addition, forensic methods have progressed over the years, allowing us to retest old physical evidence and acquire new information,” said Det. Krucinski.
Krucinski also said the NCIS, which investigates unsolved crimes involving Marines and Navy personnel is an effective ally in the Sutton case. Since the NCIS cold case unit was formed in 1995, it has solved 61 murders.
“I never knew James, but to me he is a real person, and he deserves our best effort to find the person responsible for his death,” said Agent Deuker. “The motto of the NCIS cold case unit comes from a quote by Voltaire: ‘To the living we owe respect. To the dead we owe the truth.’ We intend to determine the truth about what happened to James Sutton.”
Krucinski and Dueker are the third team of investigators to work on Sutton’s murder, the first two pairs having retired. And that is another aspect of cold case work that can lead to a perpetrator. “Families and loved ones should know that in this office and at the NCIS, cold cases do not sit on a shelf in a basement. They are next to the desk of one investigator and the next one. Each of us in law enforcement come to an unsolved case with our own perspective, studying what has been done and looking for the unexplored,” Det.Krucinski said. “Persistence and ‘fresh eyes’ is how we eventually find killers.”
Reports about the ongoing investigation of Sutton’s murder will appear in the Navy Times and Marine Times publications, in print and online.
Anyone with information regarding this investigation should call Det. Krucinski at (856) 384-5609 or e-mail her at jkrucinski@co.gloucester.nj.us. Tips can also be sent to the GCPO major crimes unit e-mail address: mcu@co.gloucester.nj.us.
November 10, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
The 1992 murder of a Marine Gunnery Sergeant stationed in Philadelphia is receiving new attention.
The Gloucester County (NJ) Prosecutor’s Office is working with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service Cold Case Homicide Unit to solve the 19-year-old slaying.
It was just after Veterans Day 1992, in the early morning of Nov. 14, that Gunnery Sergeant James Sutton’s family found him shot to death in his Logan Township, Gloucester County NJ home.
The 41-year-old career Marine lived with his wife and seven-year-old daughter on Arrowood Place in Logan Township and was assigned to the Fourth Marine Corps District in Philadelphia PA.
“While many years have passed since Sgt. Sutton’s murder, time and technology can help in the investigation of ‘cold’ cases,” said GCPO Det. Joan Krucinski, who is working the case with NCIS Special Agent Kaylyn Deuker.
“The passage of time can help, in that relationships change over the years, and people with information sometimes become more willing to share knowledge than when first interviewed,” Det. Krucinski said.
“And as we review a years-old homicide, we are always interested in anyone who knew the victim” the detective said. “Some people may not even know they have critical information.”
“In addition, forensic methods have progressed over the years, allowing us to retest old physical evidence and acquire new information,” said Det. Krucinski.
Krucinski also said the NCIS, which investigates unsolved crimes involving Marines and Navy personnel is an effective ally in the Sutton case. Since the NCIS cold case unit was formed in 1995, it has solved 61 murders.
“I never knew James, but to me he is a real person, and he deserves our best effort to find the person responsible for his death,” said Agent Deuker. “The motto of the NCIS cold case unit comes from a quote by Voltaire: ‘To the living we owe respect. To the dead we owe the truth.’ We intend to determine the truth about what happened to James Sutton.”
Krucinski and Dueker are the third team of investigators to work on Sutton’s murder, the first two pairs having retired. And that is another aspect of cold case work that can lead to a perpetrator. “Families and loved ones should know that in this office and at the NCIS, cold cases do not sit on a shelf in a basement. They are next to the desk of one investigator and the next one. Each of us in law enforcement come to an unsolved case with our own perspective, studying what has been done and looking for the unexplored,” Det.Krucinski said. “Persistence and ‘fresh eyes’ is how we eventually find killers.”
Reports about the ongoing investigation of Sutton’s murder will appear in the Navy Times and Marine Times publications, in print and online.
Anyone with information regarding this investigation should call Det. Krucinski at (856) 384-5609 or e-mail her at jkrucinski@co.gloucester.nj.us. Tips can also be sent to the GCPO major crimes unit e-mail address: mcu@co.gloucester.nj.us.
GC corrections officer charged with misconduct
PRESS RELEASE
November 9, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
Thomas C. Hahn (DOB 1/6/79), an officer with the Gloucester County Department of Corrections, was charged Nov. 4 with complicity, conspiracy and misconduct in a Sept. 14, 2011 aggravated assault on a Gloucester County Jail inmate, by arranging for another inmate to attack him.
Specifically, Hahn moved the 20-year-old inmate who was attacked to a location within the Woodbury NJ jail “with the purpose to injure” him and then refused to stop the subsequent assault, according to the criminal complaint. The victim has been moved to another facility. As indicated by the aggravated assault charge, he suffered injuries in the attack, which did not involve weapons.
Bail was set for Hahn at $25,000 cash, which he posted.
An investigation into the incident by the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office is continuing.
November 9, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
Thomas C. Hahn (DOB 1/6/79), an officer with the Gloucester County Department of Corrections, was charged Nov. 4 with complicity, conspiracy and misconduct in a Sept. 14, 2011 aggravated assault on a Gloucester County Jail inmate, by arranging for another inmate to attack him.
Specifically, Hahn moved the 20-year-old inmate who was attacked to a location within the Woodbury NJ jail “with the purpose to injure” him and then refused to stop the subsequent assault, according to the criminal complaint. The victim has been moved to another facility. As indicated by the aggravated assault charge, he suffered injuries in the attack, which did not involve weapons.
Bail was set for Hahn at $25,000 cash, which he posted.
An investigation into the incident by the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office is continuing.
Sentence affirmed in Mullica Hill beting of woman
PRESS RELEASE
November 9, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
A state appeals court today upheld a five year New Jersey state prison sentence for David W. Hill (DOB 5/29/61), convicted of assaulting a woman he shared a Mullica Hill, Gloucester County NJ apartment with on July 27, 2008.
Appellate judges dismissed Hill’s claim of an excessive sentence without comment. The panel also found that the trial judge correctly permitted any cross-examination of Hill to include his eight-year-old record of convictions for aggravated assault and unlawful possession of a weapon, saying they were “not so remote in time” that they could not be offered to impeach his credibility, “particularly in light of the intervening convictions for hindering apprehension in 2006, making harassing communications in 2007 and hindering apprehension in 2008.”
In the domestic violence incident, the victim testified Hill punched her at least five times in one eye, causing her to be hospitalized with bone fractures around the eye.
The sentence imposed by Superior Court Judge Walter L. Marshall on Aug. 31, 2010 “was judicious and not excessive,” Assistant Gloucester County Prosecutor Margaret A. Cipparrone wrote in a brief.
November 9, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
A state appeals court today upheld a five year New Jersey state prison sentence for David W. Hill (DOB 5/29/61), convicted of assaulting a woman he shared a Mullica Hill, Gloucester County NJ apartment with on July 27, 2008.
Appellate judges dismissed Hill’s claim of an excessive sentence without comment. The panel also found that the trial judge correctly permitted any cross-examination of Hill to include his eight-year-old record of convictions for aggravated assault and unlawful possession of a weapon, saying they were “not so remote in time” that they could not be offered to impeach his credibility, “particularly in light of the intervening convictions for hindering apprehension in 2006, making harassing communications in 2007 and hindering apprehension in 2008.”
In the domestic violence incident, the victim testified Hill punched her at least five times in one eye, causing her to be hospitalized with bone fractures around the eye.
The sentence imposed by Superior Court Judge Walter L. Marshall on Aug. 31, 2010 “was judicious and not excessive,” Assistant Gloucester County Prosecutor Margaret A. Cipparrone wrote in a brief.
$67K restitution, 5 yrs probation in travel agent theft
PRESS RELEASE
November 4, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
Facing more than a dozen customers in court, Ellis Hester (DOB 7/18/56), of 1236 Mt. Vernon Ave., Gibbstown NJ was sentenced today to five years on probation and ordered to repay them $67,380 in deposits for a June 2011 Mediterranean cruise they never took because Hester, as a travel agent, kept their money.
Hester pleaded guilty Aug. 15 to a charge of theft.
The restitution to 20 customers is “a conglomeration of $3,369 to each of the victims,” Assistant Gloucester County Prosecutor Joseph Brook said.
Superior Court Judge Walter L. Marshall Jr., upping Hester’s monthly restitution order from the defendant’s proposed $300 to $400, reminded him that two missed payments would violate his probation and may put him in jail. The repayment schedule will be reviewed later “so the maximum amount can be paid to the victims,” the judge said. Hester’s lawyer said he remains “gainfully employed.”
The customers, some of whom had used Hester’s Deva Travel agency in Monroe Township NJ for years, said they felt betrayed and embarrassed, since long-time customers persuaded trusting friends to take the cruise with them. Some were retirees who took on extra work to pay for the trip and others were looking forward to their first travel abroad, they said.
Hester did not explain the reason for the theft but said he felt “real bad” about it.
November 4, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
Facing more than a dozen customers in court, Ellis Hester (DOB 7/18/56), of 1236 Mt. Vernon Ave., Gibbstown NJ was sentenced today to five years on probation and ordered to repay them $67,380 in deposits for a June 2011 Mediterranean cruise they never took because Hester, as a travel agent, kept their money.
Hester pleaded guilty Aug. 15 to a charge of theft.
The restitution to 20 customers is “a conglomeration of $3,369 to each of the victims,” Assistant Gloucester County Prosecutor Joseph Brook said.
Superior Court Judge Walter L. Marshall Jr., upping Hester’s monthly restitution order from the defendant’s proposed $300 to $400, reminded him that two missed payments would violate his probation and may put him in jail. The repayment schedule will be reviewed later “so the maximum amount can be paid to the victims,” the judge said. Hester’s lawyer said he remains “gainfully employed.”
The customers, some of whom had used Hester’s Deva Travel agency in Monroe Township NJ for years, said they felt betrayed and embarrassed, since long-time customers persuaded trusting friends to take the cruise with them. Some were retirees who took on extra work to pay for the trip and others were looking forward to their first travel abroad, they said.
Hester did not explain the reason for the theft but said he felt “real bad” about it.
Deptford woman sentenced in son's murder
PRESS RELEASE
November 3, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
Martina Harding (DOB 12/13/65), was sentenced today to 22 years in New Jersey state prison after pleading guilty Sept. 26 to first-degree aggravated manslaughter in a 2007 fatal knife attack on her six-year-old son in the family’s 727 Dartmouth Road home in Deptford Township NJ.
Superior Court Judge Walter L. Marshall Jr. said the negotiated plea recommended by Trial Chief Mary Pyffer of the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office was a reasonable resolution to an “extremely tragic” incident. Harding will serve 85 percent of the sentence- 18 years, 8 months and 15 days- before she is considered for parole. Upon release, she will be subject to five years of parole supervision.
As part of the plea agreement, Harding withdrew the defense of not guilty by reason of insanity, previously filed with the court.
In the Dec. 22 incident, six year-old Jarod Harding’s throat was slashed and he died shortly after he was transported to Underwood-Memorial Hospital in Woodbury NJ. The attack in the living room of the home, using a kitchen knife, was witnessed by Harding’s nine-year-old daughter. She and Martina Harding’s husband, Christian, were not injured, but the defendant inflicted a cut to her own neck as well.
At sentencing, Christian Harding read a statement, asking for both mercy that would allow his daughter to some day see her mother outside of prison, and for justice on behalf of Jarod Harding, whose death, he said, came at the hands of “the person who had given him life.”
Martina Harding also addressed the court briefly, saying she lives with the memory of her actions Dec. 22 “every day.”
Avoiding a trial in which eyewitness testimony would have been required by the daughter, who has been adopted by relatives and is now living in another state, was a key consideration in plea negotiations in the case. Differing psychiatric opinions
on Harding’s mental state at the time of the slaying was another determinative factor in resolving the case.
“Asking Martina Harding’s daughter, who continues to have affection for her mother, to recite before a courtroom of strangers one of the most traumatic events a child could experience, weighed heavily in our thinking about how to prosecute this defendant,” said Trial Chief Pyffer.
Harding, who initially was placed in the Ann Klein Center, a state psychiatric hospital, is currently being held in a county women’s detention facility in default of $500,000 bail. She was credited in her sentencing for the 1,412 days she has been in custody.
At her Sept. 26 plea hearing, Harding was questioned by one of her attorneys, Fred Last. She acknowledged that in December 2007 she had been depressed for some time, had attempted suicide and was suicidal the day the of her son’s killing. She agreed with Last’s suggestion that she felt “it would be better off if the children came with you” and that she had acted to “carry that out” with Jarod, by cutting him with a knife.
Questioned by Pyffer, Harding agreed that she was clear-thinking the day of her plea despite taking several medications for pain and depression. She also said she was satisfied with her representation by experienced attorneys Last and Jeffrey Wintner over the past four years. Harding agreed with Pyffer’s characterization that, even though she did not intend to kill him, by inflicting two 1 ½ inch deep cuts to her son’s neck, “you were pretty sure-almost certain- that he would pass.” Her statement conformed with the manslaughter charge of “recklessly” causing death “under circumstances that manifest extreme indifference to the value of life” and Judge Marshall accepted the plea.
November 3, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
Martina Harding (DOB 12/13/65), was sentenced today to 22 years in New Jersey state prison after pleading guilty Sept. 26 to first-degree aggravated manslaughter in a 2007 fatal knife attack on her six-year-old son in the family’s 727 Dartmouth Road home in Deptford Township NJ.
Superior Court Judge Walter L. Marshall Jr. said the negotiated plea recommended by Trial Chief Mary Pyffer of the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office was a reasonable resolution to an “extremely tragic” incident. Harding will serve 85 percent of the sentence- 18 years, 8 months and 15 days- before she is considered for parole. Upon release, she will be subject to five years of parole supervision.
As part of the plea agreement, Harding withdrew the defense of not guilty by reason of insanity, previously filed with the court.
In the Dec. 22 incident, six year-old Jarod Harding’s throat was slashed and he died shortly after he was transported to Underwood-Memorial Hospital in Woodbury NJ. The attack in the living room of the home, using a kitchen knife, was witnessed by Harding’s nine-year-old daughter. She and Martina Harding’s husband, Christian, were not injured, but the defendant inflicted a cut to her own neck as well.
At sentencing, Christian Harding read a statement, asking for both mercy that would allow his daughter to some day see her mother outside of prison, and for justice on behalf of Jarod Harding, whose death, he said, came at the hands of “the person who had given him life.”
Martina Harding also addressed the court briefly, saying she lives with the memory of her actions Dec. 22 “every day.”
Avoiding a trial in which eyewitness testimony would have been required by the daughter, who has been adopted by relatives and is now living in another state, was a key consideration in plea negotiations in the case. Differing psychiatric opinions
on Harding’s mental state at the time of the slaying was another determinative factor in resolving the case.
“Asking Martina Harding’s daughter, who continues to have affection for her mother, to recite before a courtroom of strangers one of the most traumatic events a child could experience, weighed heavily in our thinking about how to prosecute this defendant,” said Trial Chief Pyffer.
Harding, who initially was placed in the Ann Klein Center, a state psychiatric hospital, is currently being held in a county women’s detention facility in default of $500,000 bail. She was credited in her sentencing for the 1,412 days she has been in custody.
At her Sept. 26 plea hearing, Harding was questioned by one of her attorneys, Fred Last. She acknowledged that in December 2007 she had been depressed for some time, had attempted suicide and was suicidal the day the of her son’s killing. She agreed with Last’s suggestion that she felt “it would be better off if the children came with you” and that she had acted to “carry that out” with Jarod, by cutting him with a knife.
Questioned by Pyffer, Harding agreed that she was clear-thinking the day of her plea despite taking several medications for pain and depression. She also said she was satisfied with her representation by experienced attorneys Last and Jeffrey Wintner over the past four years. Harding agreed with Pyffer’s characterization that, even though she did not intend to kill him, by inflicting two 1 ½ inch deep cuts to her son’s neck, “you were pretty sure-almost certain- that he would pass.” Her statement conformed with the manslaughter charge of “recklessly” causing death “under circumstances that manifest extreme indifference to the value of life” and Judge Marshall accepted the plea.
Body ID will rely on DNA matching
PRESS RELEASE
November 2, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
The identification of a badly-burned body found in a house on fire in Washington Township, Gloucester County NJ last Friday (10/28) is now expected to take several months as investigators have turned to DNA matching in their efforts to confirm the man’s name.
The male body was found in the living room of a house at 133 Berlin-Cross Keys Road. Fingerprint impressions could not be obtained because of the condition of the body and a forensic dentist did not find a match of the man’s dental impressions with available records. A tattoo of initials on the man has provided one clue as to his possible identity. DNA from the corpse will now be matched against a national database by a laboratory, which is expected to take several months.
The cause of the fire in the long-vacant house, which was known to be frequented by squatters, remains under investigation.
November 2, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
The identification of a badly-burned body found in a house on fire in Washington Township, Gloucester County NJ last Friday (10/28) is now expected to take several months as investigators have turned to DNA matching in their efforts to confirm the man’s name.
The male body was found in the living room of a house at 133 Berlin-Cross Keys Road. Fingerprint impressions could not be obtained because of the condition of the body and a forensic dentist did not find a match of the man’s dental impressions with available records. A tattoo of initials on the man has provided one clue as to his possible identity. DNA from the corpse will now be matched against a national database by a laboratory, which is expected to take several months.
The cause of the fire in the long-vacant house, which was known to be frequented by squatters, remains under investigation.
PTI rejection affirmed for drug-selling ex-CVS worker
PRESS RELEASE
November 2 , 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
A former CVS pharmacy employee who was arrested on charges of stealing and selling prescription medicines today lost an appeal of her rejection from the Gloucester County pretrial intervention program, which could have resulted in eventual dismissal of her charges.
A state appeals court found that there was no abuse of discretion on the part of the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office in opposing the admission of Elizabeth A. Powell to the PTI program in 2008. Powell (DOB 11/21/79), of Vineland,, who worked as a pharmacy technician in a Franklin Township, Gloucester County NJ pharmacy, subsequently pleaded guilty to third-degree drug distribution and was sentenced to two years on probation. CVS managers discovered the theft.
The GCPO contended Powell was ineligible for PTI because, even though her drug-selling in her Vineland hometown lasted only four months, it ended only because of her arrest; she was not motivated by an addiction and she did not fully cooperate with police, refusing to disclose the buyers of pills she sold. She sold mostly Vicodin, Powell told police. Senior Assistant County Prosecutor Paul Colangelo said Powell profited “to the tune of almost $8,000.” in what he called a “pattern of antisocial behavior.”
Colangelo “felt a diversion ( into PTI) would send the wrong message” about how such offenses are handled, Assistant Prosecutor Joseph Enos wrote in a brief
opposing Powell’s appeal. PTI allows defendants who meet certain conditions, such as performing community service, to have their charges dismissed.
Gloucester County Prosecutor Sean F. Dalton said the decision “recognizes that drug dealers come from all walks of life, but have the common denominator of financial profit and disregard for the lives they destroy in the process.”
November 2 , 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
A former CVS pharmacy employee who was arrested on charges of stealing and selling prescription medicines today lost an appeal of her rejection from the Gloucester County pretrial intervention program, which could have resulted in eventual dismissal of her charges.
A state appeals court found that there was no abuse of discretion on the part of the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office in opposing the admission of Elizabeth A. Powell to the PTI program in 2008. Powell (DOB 11/21/79), of Vineland,, who worked as a pharmacy technician in a Franklin Township, Gloucester County NJ pharmacy, subsequently pleaded guilty to third-degree drug distribution and was sentenced to two years on probation. CVS managers discovered the theft.
The GCPO contended Powell was ineligible for PTI because, even though her drug-selling in her Vineland hometown lasted only four months, it ended only because of her arrest; she was not motivated by an addiction and she did not fully cooperate with police, refusing to disclose the buyers of pills she sold. She sold mostly Vicodin, Powell told police. Senior Assistant County Prosecutor Paul Colangelo said Powell profited “to the tune of almost $8,000.” in what he called a “pattern of antisocial behavior.”
Colangelo “felt a diversion ( into PTI) would send the wrong message” about how such offenses are handled, Assistant Prosecutor Joseph Enos wrote in a brief
opposing Powell’s appeal. PTI allows defendants who meet certain conditions, such as performing community service, to have their charges dismissed.
Gloucester County Prosecutor Sean F. Dalton said the decision “recognizes that drug dealers come from all walks of life, but have the common denominator of financial profit and disregard for the lives they destroy in the process.”
Clementon woman convicted of Woodbury rental subsidy theft
PRESS RELEASE
October 28, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
Lanese Gerachis (DOB 7/17/85), of La Cascata Apartments in Clementon NJ, has been convicted of theft by receiving a federal housing subsidy for the indigent worth $5,200, then subletting the Woodbury NJ apartment she rented to another tenant.
The guilty finding on a charge of third-degree theft was returned by a jury late Thursday (10/27). Superior Court Judge M. Christine Allen-Jackson scheduled sentencing for Jan. 13, 2012. Assistant Gloucester County Prosecutor Temperance Williamson said the theft conviction may result in a prison sentence because Gerachis has two prior assault convictions in Camden County NJ.
The subletting scheme continued for about six months, between March 2009 and September 2009, the two-day trial showed. At that time, the tenant of Gerachis in the Woodlake apartments attempted to divert her $550 monthly rental to an unpaid electric bill for the unit. Gerachis then sought to evict the tenant and her children and Woodbury police filed the theft charges.
October 28, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
Lanese Gerachis (DOB 7/17/85), of La Cascata Apartments in Clementon NJ, has been convicted of theft by receiving a federal housing subsidy for the indigent worth $5,200, then subletting the Woodbury NJ apartment she rented to another tenant.
The guilty finding on a charge of third-degree theft was returned by a jury late Thursday (10/27). Superior Court Judge M. Christine Allen-Jackson scheduled sentencing for Jan. 13, 2012. Assistant Gloucester County Prosecutor Temperance Williamson said the theft conviction may result in a prison sentence because Gerachis has two prior assault convictions in Camden County NJ.
The subletting scheme continued for about six months, between March 2009 and September 2009, the two-day trial showed. At that time, the tenant of Gerachis in the Woodlake apartments attempted to divert her $550 monthly rental to an unpaid electric bill for the unit. Gerachis then sought to evict the tenant and her children and Woodbury police filed the theft charges.
NJ Killer loses another try for shorter sentenfe
PRESS RELEASE
October 28, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
In another attempt to overturn rulings that affirmed his 25-year aggravated manslaughter sentence, resulting from the 1998 fatal shooting of a man at a Logan Township NJ Holiday Inn, Kyle Ransome (DOB 4/24/78), of Penns Grove NJ was again rejected today by an appellate court .
Ransome, who this time wrote his own 35-page legal brief, saying his last appeal lawyer was ineffective, argued that the sentencing judge in June 2001 mistakenly imposed an excessive prison term for his conviction in the shooting of 23-year-old Richard Nichols, of Salem NJ during a birthday party brawl at the Logan hotel. The sentence should have been 20 years, Ransome maintained.
The sentence has twice been affirmed on appeals, said Assistant Gloucester County Prosecutor Joseph Enos in an answering brief. “He has attacked it as being excessive and now attacks it as unsound. He cannot attack it as being illegal,” Enos wrote. Ransome claimed his sentence was unjust based on “only one solitary contact with the court” before the shooting. But that was a guilty plea to selling drugs in a school zone, for which he received probation, then he violated probation by getting a gun and killing Nichols, Enos repeatedly stated in his brief.
The appeals court, calling Ransome’s submission “a stealth second application for post-conviction relief,” said the convicted killer didn’t submit the required lower-court order from which he was appealing. “We decline to address Ransome’s claims in the face of his blatant disregard for our rules of procedure,” it said.
October 28, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
In another attempt to overturn rulings that affirmed his 25-year aggravated manslaughter sentence, resulting from the 1998 fatal shooting of a man at a Logan Township NJ Holiday Inn, Kyle Ransome (DOB 4/24/78), of Penns Grove NJ was again rejected today by an appellate court .
Ransome, who this time wrote his own 35-page legal brief, saying his last appeal lawyer was ineffective, argued that the sentencing judge in June 2001 mistakenly imposed an excessive prison term for his conviction in the shooting of 23-year-old Richard Nichols, of Salem NJ during a birthday party brawl at the Logan hotel. The sentence should have been 20 years, Ransome maintained.
The sentence has twice been affirmed on appeals, said Assistant Gloucester County Prosecutor Joseph Enos in an answering brief. “He has attacked it as being excessive and now attacks it as unsound. He cannot attack it as being illegal,” Enos wrote. Ransome claimed his sentence was unjust based on “only one solitary contact with the court” before the shooting. But that was a guilty plea to selling drugs in a school zone, for which he received probation, then he violated probation by getting a gun and killing Nichols, Enos repeatedly stated in his brief.
The appeals court, calling Ransome’s submission “a stealth second application for post-conviction relief,” said the convicted killer didn’t submit the required lower-court order from which he was appealing. “We decline to address Ransome’s claims in the face of his blatant disregard for our rules of procedure,” it said.
Monday, October 24, 2011
Prescription Drug Collection Saturday
PRESS RELEASE
October 24, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
Law enforcement agencies throughout Gloucester County and New Jersey will again be accepting drop-offs of expired or unwanted prescription medications on Saturday (10/29) in what is now a three-year effort to rid homes of potentially dangerous drugs that are diverted from their intended use and abused.
All Gloucester County police departments, the county sheriff’s Office and the Rowan University Police Department will staff collection locations for “Operation Take Back New Jersey” from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Collection locations can be found by going to the Web site www.dea.gov and clicking on the “Got Drugs?” banner.
Last April, Americans turned in 188 tons of prescription medicines at nearly 5,400 sites.
More than seven million Americans abuse prescription drugs, according to a 2009 federal survey. A majority of those drugs come from family or friends, some taken without permission from medicine cabinets.
Federal regulations are now being drafted to implement the Secure and Responsible Drug Disposal Act of 2010, allowing individuals and long-term care facilities to surrender prescriptions drugs to authorized entities. Until the rules are in place, the US Drug Enforcement Administration plans to partner with local agencies on additional take-back events.
“Prescription drugs that relieve pain have become the drug of choice to abuse, especially with young people,” said Gloucester County Prosecutor Sean F. Dalton. “Please take advantage of Saturday’s opportunity to make your homes and communities safer by placing unwanted medicines in responsible hands.”
“It is important that parents are aware of what is inside their medicine cabinets and to safely dispose of potentially dangerous prescription medicine,” said Gloucester County Freeholder-Director Robert M. Damminger. “Take a few minutes to drop off unused, unwanted or expired medicines to law enforcement officials in your town.”
October 24, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
Law enforcement agencies throughout Gloucester County and New Jersey will again be accepting drop-offs of expired or unwanted prescription medications on Saturday (10/29) in what is now a three-year effort to rid homes of potentially dangerous drugs that are diverted from their intended use and abused.
All Gloucester County police departments, the county sheriff’s Office and the Rowan University Police Department will staff collection locations for “Operation Take Back New Jersey” from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Collection locations can be found by going to the Web site www.dea.gov and clicking on the “Got Drugs?” banner.
Last April, Americans turned in 188 tons of prescription medicines at nearly 5,400 sites.
More than seven million Americans abuse prescription drugs, according to a 2009 federal survey. A majority of those drugs come from family or friends, some taken without permission from medicine cabinets.
Federal regulations are now being drafted to implement the Secure and Responsible Drug Disposal Act of 2010, allowing individuals and long-term care facilities to surrender prescriptions drugs to authorized entities. Until the rules are in place, the US Drug Enforcement Administration plans to partner with local agencies on additional take-back events.
“Prescription drugs that relieve pain have become the drug of choice to abuse, especially with young people,” said Gloucester County Prosecutor Sean F. Dalton. “Please take advantage of Saturday’s opportunity to make your homes and communities safer by placing unwanted medicines in responsible hands.”
“It is important that parents are aware of what is inside their medicine cabinets and to safely dispose of potentially dangerous prescription medicine,” said Gloucester County Freeholder-Director Robert M. Damminger. “Take a few minutes to drop off unused, unwanted or expired medicines to law enforcement officials in your town.”
Sewell Man Admits Theft in Solar Panel Job
PRESS RELEASE
October 17 , 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
Albert R. Coccia Jr. (DOB 11/1/69) of 24 Marni Ct., Sewell NJ pleaded guilty today (10/17) to a charge of theft by failure to make required disposition of funds, admitting he received a $12,000 deposit to install solar panels on the roof of a Deptford home in 2009 and never did the installation.
As a result of the negotiated plea to the third-degree crime, Assistant Gloucester County Prosecutor Joseph Brook will recommend that Coccia be sentenced to probation, with the number of years to be at the sentencing judge’s discretion, and that he make restitution to the victim.
“You did accept a check for $12,000?” asked Superior Court Judge M. Christine Allen-Jackson. “That is correct, yes,” said Coccia. “We never got to put the system in.” Coccia said state delays in the way rebate forms were to be filed held up the job. He also said codefendant Matthew J. Milano, of Philadelphia, was an independent contractor for Solar World, Coccia’s firm, and did not have control of the funds received.
Judge Allen-Jackson scheduled sentencing for Dec. 16.
October 17 , 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
Albert R. Coccia Jr. (DOB 11/1/69) of 24 Marni Ct., Sewell NJ pleaded guilty today (10/17) to a charge of theft by failure to make required disposition of funds, admitting he received a $12,000 deposit to install solar panels on the roof of a Deptford home in 2009 and never did the installation.
As a result of the negotiated plea to the third-degree crime, Assistant Gloucester County Prosecutor Joseph Brook will recommend that Coccia be sentenced to probation, with the number of years to be at the sentencing judge’s discretion, and that he make restitution to the victim.
“You did accept a check for $12,000?” asked Superior Court Judge M. Christine Allen-Jackson. “That is correct, yes,” said Coccia. “We never got to put the system in.” Coccia said state delays in the way rebate forms were to be filed held up the job. He also said codefendant Matthew J. Milano, of Philadelphia, was an independent contractor for Solar World, Coccia’s firm, and did not have control of the funds received.
Judge Allen-Jackson scheduled sentencing for Dec. 16.
Armed Robbery Conviction, 18 year Sentence Affirmed
PRESS RELEASE
October 12 , 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
A New Jersey appeals court today (10/12) affirmed the 2008 armed robbery conviction and 18-year prison sentence of Richard R. Gardner (DOB 9/22/81), of Glassboro NJ, rejecting defense claims of judicial error and prosecutorial misconduct at Gardner’s trial.
While also upholding Gardner’s conviction for possession of a weapon by a felon, the appellate judges ordered a resentencing of the defendant to merge guilty verdicts on conspiracy, theft, assault and weapons possession counts into the armed robbery conviction. The total 18-year sentence remains unchanged.
Gardner and co-defendant Omar Rhodes (5/6/82), of Elmer NJ, were charged with threatening a 40-year-old man with a knife and punching him in the face before robbing him of cash in Franklinville NJ on May 3, 2006. The victim identified the license tag of the getaway car in a 911 call moments after the incident.
“Our case was not a case where ‘egregious’ errors deprived the defendant of a fair trial,” Assistant Gloucester County Prosecutor Joseph Enos wrote in a brief submitted to the appeals panel. “In our case, the person who committed the robbery was convicted. That’s a just result.”
Claims that the judge allowed impermissible testimony and the prosecutor elicited prejudicial comments from a witness were found to be “unpersuasive” and “unobjectionable,” the appeals court wrote.
October 12 , 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
A New Jersey appeals court today (10/12) affirmed the 2008 armed robbery conviction and 18-year prison sentence of Richard R. Gardner (DOB 9/22/81), of Glassboro NJ, rejecting defense claims of judicial error and prosecutorial misconduct at Gardner’s trial.
While also upholding Gardner’s conviction for possession of a weapon by a felon, the appellate judges ordered a resentencing of the defendant to merge guilty verdicts on conspiracy, theft, assault and weapons possession counts into the armed robbery conviction. The total 18-year sentence remains unchanged.
Gardner and co-defendant Omar Rhodes (5/6/82), of Elmer NJ, were charged with threatening a 40-year-old man with a knife and punching him in the face before robbing him of cash in Franklinville NJ on May 3, 2006. The victim identified the license tag of the getaway car in a 911 call moments after the incident.
“Our case was not a case where ‘egregious’ errors deprived the defendant of a fair trial,” Assistant Gloucester County Prosecutor Joseph Enos wrote in a brief submitted to the appeals panel. “In our case, the person who committed the robbery was convicted. That’s a just result.”
Claims that the judge allowed impermissible testimony and the prosecutor elicited prejudicial comments from a witness were found to be “unpersuasive” and “unobjectionable,” the appeals court wrote.
Rowan Class Reports on '07 Farrell Murder
PRESS RELEASE
October 11, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
As the fourth anniversary of the unsolved murder of Rowan University sophomore Donald Farrell III approaches, a class of 10 university journalism students is looking at his life and death on their campus.
Their semester of research and writing will eventually form the content of a Web site about Farrell and perhaps stir some social media exchanges about the slaying, helping to keep attention on a case still under investigation, by detectives from the Rowan Police Department and the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office.
“Our goal for the class is pretty simple,” said adjunct instructor Amy Z. Quinn. “We’re telling Donny’s story.”
Farrell, a 19-year-old from Morris County NJ was walking with friends on Old Heston Road near Rowan’s Triad Apartments on the Saturday night of Homecoming Weekend, Oct. 27, 2007. He was approached by four or five males who asked for directions to a party. In what detectives believe was a random act, Farrell suffered blows to the head and neck. The assailants fled with his wallet. He died the next day from a ruptured artery in the neck.
Meeting with the students last month, GCPO and Rowan officers still working on the case said it has taken on a personal quality, from knowing the victim and continuing contacts with his family. “It’s a case we want solved,” said Rowan Det. Kevin Fenall.When fresh tips come in, current work is put aside and the new leads are investigated, Fennal said.
Former interview subjects are re-interviewed “just to keep it out there,” said GCPO Lt. Langdon Sills. They have worked with several other counties and the FBI’s Violent Crimes task Force, he added, and several experts were called on to enhance a convenience store video of one suspect. The officers tracked down more than 20 North Jersey/New York stores that sold the distinctive Coogie hoodie the suspect wore.
“We’ve done a lot,” Sills told the students. “It’s not enough, but we’re not going to stop.”
“We will continue to actively pursue this case until the persons responsible are held accountable for their actions,” said Gloucester County Prosecutor Sean F. Dalton. “The more Donnie’s story is told, the better our chances of receiving information that will help solve this case and bring his family some sense of closure.”
Anyone with information about participants in the attack that caused the death of Donald Farrell III is asked to phone the GCPO at (856) 384- 5604, the Rowan PD at (856) 256-4564 or leave an anonymous tip by texting GLOTIP plus the message and CRIMES (274637). A $100,000 reward has been offered for information leading to arrest and conviction in the case.
October 11, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
As the fourth anniversary of the unsolved murder of Rowan University sophomore Donald Farrell III approaches, a class of 10 university journalism students is looking at his life and death on their campus.
Their semester of research and writing will eventually form the content of a Web site about Farrell and perhaps stir some social media exchanges about the slaying, helping to keep attention on a case still under investigation, by detectives from the Rowan Police Department and the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office.
“Our goal for the class is pretty simple,” said adjunct instructor Amy Z. Quinn. “We’re telling Donny’s story.”
Farrell, a 19-year-old from Morris County NJ was walking with friends on Old Heston Road near Rowan’s Triad Apartments on the Saturday night of Homecoming Weekend, Oct. 27, 2007. He was approached by four or five males who asked for directions to a party. In what detectives believe was a random act, Farrell suffered blows to the head and neck. The assailants fled with his wallet. He died the next day from a ruptured artery in the neck.
Meeting with the students last month, GCPO and Rowan officers still working on the case said it has taken on a personal quality, from knowing the victim and continuing contacts with his family. “It’s a case we want solved,” said Rowan Det. Kevin Fenall.When fresh tips come in, current work is put aside and the new leads are investigated, Fennal said.
Former interview subjects are re-interviewed “just to keep it out there,” said GCPO Lt. Langdon Sills. They have worked with several other counties and the FBI’s Violent Crimes task Force, he added, and several experts were called on to enhance a convenience store video of one suspect. The officers tracked down more than 20 North Jersey/New York stores that sold the distinctive Coogie hoodie the suspect wore.
“We’ve done a lot,” Sills told the students. “It’s not enough, but we’re not going to stop.”
“We will continue to actively pursue this case until the persons responsible are held accountable for their actions,” said Gloucester County Prosecutor Sean F. Dalton. “The more Donnie’s story is told, the better our chances of receiving information that will help solve this case and bring his family some sense of closure.”
Anyone with information about participants in the attack that caused the death of Donald Farrell III is asked to phone the GCPO at (856) 384- 5604, the Rowan PD at (856) 256-4564 or leave an anonymous tip by texting GLOTIP plus the message and CRIMES (274637). A $100,000 reward has been offered for information leading to arrest and conviction in the case.
Man Sentenced in Glassboro Armed Robberies
PRESS RELEASE
October 7, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
Marq D. Peet (DOB 1/27/91) of Mt. Royal, was sentenced today (10/7) to five years in state prison for two armed robberies he admitted committing with a BB gun in Glassboro in September 2010.
“This is a classic tragedy of impulse and impetuousness,” Assistant Gloucester County Prosecutor Joseph Brook said after an aunt Peet lived with told the sentencing judge his first indictable offense was tied to the “bad influence” of older acquaintances.
Peet was arrested shortly after the 9/2/10 robbery at gunpoint of a man near the Landmark restaurant in Glassboro and, minutes later, the robbery of two men in the parking lot of a nearby convenience store. Wallets and cell phones were taken.
Peet’s lawyer argued for leniency based on the argument that his use of a pellet gun did not contemplate a serious threat. Judge M .Christine Allen-Jackson disagreed. Victims faced with an unknown firearm “could have had a heart attack,” the judge said.
Peet will have to serve four years, three months and one day on the second-degree robbery charge he pleaded guilty to on July 25 before he can seek parole. Jail time since his arrest is deducted. Charges against a codefendant, Tyreek James, of Mt. Royal, were dismissed today. Peet testified James was not present during the robberies.
October 7, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
Marq D. Peet (DOB 1/27/91) of Mt. Royal, was sentenced today (10/7) to five years in state prison for two armed robberies he admitted committing with a BB gun in Glassboro in September 2010.
“This is a classic tragedy of impulse and impetuousness,” Assistant Gloucester County Prosecutor Joseph Brook said after an aunt Peet lived with told the sentencing judge his first indictable offense was tied to the “bad influence” of older acquaintances.
Peet was arrested shortly after the 9/2/10 robbery at gunpoint of a man near the Landmark restaurant in Glassboro and, minutes later, the robbery of two men in the parking lot of a nearby convenience store. Wallets and cell phones were taken.
Peet’s lawyer argued for leniency based on the argument that his use of a pellet gun did not contemplate a serious threat. Judge M .Christine Allen-Jackson disagreed. Victims faced with an unknown firearm “could have had a heart attack,” the judge said.
Peet will have to serve four years, three months and one day on the second-degree robbery charge he pleaded guilty to on July 25 before he can seek parole. Jail time since his arrest is deducted. Charges against a codefendant, Tyreek James, of Mt. Royal, were dismissed today. Peet testified James was not present during the robberies.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Monroe Man Admits Weapons Possession as Felon
PRESS RELEASE
September 19, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
Terrance M. Barnum (DOB 12/9/71), of 1729 Glassboro Rd., Monroe Township pleaded guilty today (9/19) to a second-degree weapons offense that prohibits persons convicted of certain crimes from possessing a firearm.
As a result of his plea, Assistant Gloucester County Prosecutor Dana Anton will recommend that Barnum be sentenced to five years in New Jersey state prison. Superior Court Judge Walter L. Marshall Jr. accepted the plea and scheduled sentencing for Jan. 6, 2012. Judge Marshall admonished the defendant, who requested a delay in the sentencing date to attend to a personal matter, that the penalty would be more severe if further violations of law occurred.
Barnum was arrested during execution of a search warrant 6/17/10 at his residence in which a 12-gauge shotgun and two handguns were found in his bedroom, in addition to a small quantity of cocaine. In the course of his plea today, Barnum acknowledged to AP Anton that he had a prior drug distribution conviction, which makes it illegal for him to have a weapon. Barnum had convictions in 2000 and 1994 for narcotics distribution
September 19, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
Terrance M. Barnum (DOB 12/9/71), of 1729 Glassboro Rd., Monroe Township pleaded guilty today (9/19) to a second-degree weapons offense that prohibits persons convicted of certain crimes from possessing a firearm.
As a result of his plea, Assistant Gloucester County Prosecutor Dana Anton will recommend that Barnum be sentenced to five years in New Jersey state prison. Superior Court Judge Walter L. Marshall Jr. accepted the plea and scheduled sentencing for Jan. 6, 2012. Judge Marshall admonished the defendant, who requested a delay in the sentencing date to attend to a personal matter, that the penalty would be more severe if further violations of law occurred.
Barnum was arrested during execution of a search warrant 6/17/10 at his residence in which a 12-gauge shotgun and two handguns were found in his bedroom, in addition to a small quantity of cocaine. In the course of his plea today, Barnum acknowledged to AP Anton that he had a prior drug distribution conviction, which makes it illegal for him to have a weapon. Barnum had convictions in 2000 and 1994 for narcotics distribution
Two Arrested in Woodbury After Attempt to Run Down Officer
PRESS RELEASE
September 17 , 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
Gilbert D. Graham (DOB 1/5/92), of Paulsboro and Daniel Dockendorff (DOB9/17/91), of Woodbury were arrested in a stolen vehicle in the West End of Woodbury early Saturday after the halted vehicle was shifted into reverse toward a Woodbury police officer, who fired three shots, which struck the suspects’ vehicle.
No one was struck or injured by the shots. The 1 a.m. Saturday (9/17) incident remains under investigation by the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office, as is routine with all police-involved shootings in the county. The GCPO has made the required notice of the incident to the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office.
An initial investigation by a GCPO detective, working with Woodbury police officer, determined the following:
The incident began with Woodbury police officers Albert Anderson and Brian Beckett in pursuit of a Nissan Xterra SUV reported stolen two hours earlier in Woodbury by a Woodbury pizza delivery driver. The SUV crashed into another vehicle at West Street and South Jackson St. Officer Anderson left his cruiser and was positioned on the driver’s side of the crashed vehicle. Officer Beckett left his patrol car and was at the rear of the stolen SUB when it began to move in reverse toward him. Anderson fired three shots from his service weapon, all of them striking the Nissan SUV. Numerous other officers from Woodbury and surrounding jurisdictions had converged at the scene.
Both suspects are charged with two counts of aggravated assault on a police officer; oen count of eluding apprehension; one count of receiving stolen property. Bail for Graham was set at $50,000. Bail is $25,000 for Dockendorff. Both are in the Gloucester County Jail in default of bail.
Officers Anderson and Beckett were taken to Underwood-Memorial Hospital in Woodbury. Beckett was released and Anderson remained overnight.
September 17 , 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
Gilbert D. Graham (DOB 1/5/92), of Paulsboro and Daniel Dockendorff (DOB9/17/91), of Woodbury were arrested in a stolen vehicle in the West End of Woodbury early Saturday after the halted vehicle was shifted into reverse toward a Woodbury police officer, who fired three shots, which struck the suspects’ vehicle.
No one was struck or injured by the shots. The 1 a.m. Saturday (9/17) incident remains under investigation by the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office, as is routine with all police-involved shootings in the county. The GCPO has made the required notice of the incident to the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office.
An initial investigation by a GCPO detective, working with Woodbury police officer, determined the following:
The incident began with Woodbury police officers Albert Anderson and Brian Beckett in pursuit of a Nissan Xterra SUV reported stolen two hours earlier in Woodbury by a Woodbury pizza delivery driver. The SUV crashed into another vehicle at West Street and South Jackson St. Officer Anderson left his cruiser and was positioned on the driver’s side of the crashed vehicle. Officer Beckett left his patrol car and was at the rear of the stolen SUB when it began to move in reverse toward him. Anderson fired three shots from his service weapon, all of them striking the Nissan SUV. Numerous other officers from Woodbury and surrounding jurisdictions had converged at the scene.
Both suspects are charged with two counts of aggravated assault on a police officer; oen count of eluding apprehension; one count of receiving stolen property. Bail for Graham was set at $50,000. Bail is $25,000 for Dockendorff. Both are in the Gloucester County Jail in default of bail.
Officers Anderson and Beckett were taken to Underwood-Memorial Hospital in Woodbury. Beckett was released and Anderson remained overnight.
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Monroe Man Faces 5 Yrs NJSP for Exhibiting Child Porn
PRESS RELEASE
September 9, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
Ian M. Rowand (DOB 5/24/70) of 26 Library St., Williamstown pleaded guilty today (9/9) to second-degree endangering the welfare of a child, admitting that he had nude pictures of children on his home computer that were capable of being accessed by others.
In fact, that is what a Monroe Township police detective did in the course of an investigation on April 15, 2010.
As a result of his plea, Assistant Gloucester County Prosecutor Joseph Brook will recommend that Rowand be sentenced to five years in New Jersey state prison and be subject to the conditions and restrictions of Megan’s Law for sex offenders. He must also pay $1,800 in fines that fund sex offender treatment and sexual assault nurse examiner services. Superior Court Judge M. Christine Allen-Jackson scheduled sentencing for Nov. 4.
Rowand, who has been in jail since his 6/22/10 arrest, was initially hesitant to plead guilty. His attorney said his client wanted more time to consider the matter. AP Brook pointed out that he’d handled a similar endangering case against Rowand in 2007 that resulted in a three-year prison sentence, and the defendant had another endangering conviction in 2005 that put him in jail for 364 days. Those convictions make Rowand eligible for an extended prison term of 10 to 20 years as a persistent offender if he refused to plead guilty and was convicted in a trial, Brook said. With that, Rowan entered his plea.
September 9, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
Ian M. Rowand (DOB 5/24/70) of 26 Library St., Williamstown pleaded guilty today (9/9) to second-degree endangering the welfare of a child, admitting that he had nude pictures of children on his home computer that were capable of being accessed by others.
In fact, that is what a Monroe Township police detective did in the course of an investigation on April 15, 2010.
As a result of his plea, Assistant Gloucester County Prosecutor Joseph Brook will recommend that Rowand be sentenced to five years in New Jersey state prison and be subject to the conditions and restrictions of Megan’s Law for sex offenders. He must also pay $1,800 in fines that fund sex offender treatment and sexual assault nurse examiner services. Superior Court Judge M. Christine Allen-Jackson scheduled sentencing for Nov. 4.
Rowand, who has been in jail since his 6/22/10 arrest, was initially hesitant to plead guilty. His attorney said his client wanted more time to consider the matter. AP Brook pointed out that he’d handled a similar endangering case against Rowand in 2007 that resulted in a three-year prison sentence, and the defendant had another endangering conviction in 2005 that put him in jail for 364 days. Those convictions make Rowand eligible for an extended prison term of 10 to 20 years as a persistent offender if he refused to plead guilty and was convicted in a trial, Brook said. With that, Rowan entered his plea.
Glassboro Man Gets 8 Yrs for Felon Possessing Gun
PRESS RELEASE
September 9, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
David L. Carr (DOB 7/25/56), of 63 Williams St., Glassboro was sentenced today to eight years in New Jersey state prison for his conviction on possession of a weapon by a convicted person.
In imposing the sentence on the second-degree crime, Superior Court Judge Walter L. Marshall Jr. cited Carr’s extensive criminal record in New Jersey and Georgia dating back to 1982. His last Superior Court conviction was for unlawful possession of a weapon in 1995.The only sentencing factor favoring a non-prison sentence was Carr’s need for kidney dialysis, the judge noted. Carr must serve five years of the term before he is eligible for parole.
A trial jury found car guilty of the weapons offense 7/29/11. The rifle was found during execution of a search warrant at Carr’s residence 3/20/09 as part of a narcotics investigation. In addition to Carr, two women were arrested and less than a half-ounce of crack cocaine was retrieved from a toilet in a bathroom where the women were found. The rifle was found in a closet in Carr’s bedroom and ammunition was in close proximity to the weapon, Judge Marshall noted.
The jury acquitted Carr of narcotics possession and distribution charges, after which Assistant Gloucester County Prosecutor presented evidence of prior convictions that prohibited Carr from possession of a firearm.
September 9, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
David L. Carr (DOB 7/25/56), of 63 Williams St., Glassboro was sentenced today to eight years in New Jersey state prison for his conviction on possession of a weapon by a convicted person.
In imposing the sentence on the second-degree crime, Superior Court Judge Walter L. Marshall Jr. cited Carr’s extensive criminal record in New Jersey and Georgia dating back to 1982. His last Superior Court conviction was for unlawful possession of a weapon in 1995.The only sentencing factor favoring a non-prison sentence was Carr’s need for kidney dialysis, the judge noted. Carr must serve five years of the term before he is eligible for parole.
A trial jury found car guilty of the weapons offense 7/29/11. The rifle was found during execution of a search warrant at Carr’s residence 3/20/09 as part of a narcotics investigation. In addition to Carr, two women were arrested and less than a half-ounce of crack cocaine was retrieved from a toilet in a bathroom where the women were found. The rifle was found in a closet in Carr’s bedroom and ammunition was in close proximity to the weapon, Judge Marshall noted.
The jury acquitted Carr of narcotics possession and distribution charges, after which Assistant Gloucester County Prosecutor presented evidence of prior convictions that prohibited Carr from possession of a firearm.
DHS Projects Protect Industry, Residents, Responders
PRESS RELEASE
September 8, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
Critical Gloucester County industries, the county’s residents and the men and women who are sent to the scenes of disasters first, all have become better protected through homeland security projects undertaken in the decade since Sept. 11, 2001.
The training and equipment ranging from surveillance cameras to newly-available industrial locations for SWAT team drills is especially needed in Gloucester County, which has been identified as having a high number of potential private-sector targets for terrorists. The county is home to two oil refineries, chemical plants and soon a new cargo shipping port on the Delaware River.
A total of $6.88 million in federal Department of Homeland Security funding for safety features such as a marine patrol boat and automated license plate readers to help police on patrol detect stolen vehicles and fugitives has largely been channeled through the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office, after assessing needs and preparing applications for DHS funds.
“There has been a significant upgrade in our preparedness for critical incidents,” said Gloucester County Prosecutor Sean F. Dalton. “We have received tremendous cooperation from businesses which operate much of what is considered the
county’s critical infrastructure. While public funding for various projects and equipment is vital, our security upgrades would not have been possible without the relationship we’ve built between law enforcement and the private sector in the years since 9-11.”
Solvay Solexis, Inc., a polymer manufacturer in West Deptford, spent about $1 million immediately after 9-11 to upgrade security on its own, and soon after had additional surveillance cameras installed at Homeland Security expense, company human resources manager Charles Jones said. “DHS installed the perimeter cameras looking outward to protect the facility’s buffer zone,” he said. “The cameras were focused on surveillance around the perimeter of the facility.” The cameras were again upgraded in 2010 as part of an infrastructure protection grant from the DHS.
“The Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office is our liaison to the DHS and thankfully we have the people in the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office available to help us obtain the grants and coordinate the projects,” Jones said.
The means to detect dangers quickly has been part of the county’s upgrades. Approximately 100 security cameras focused on private and public facilities now transmit images through a new microwave system directly to a 9-1-1 emergency management center.
On the water, the DHS-funded 2008 acquisition of a 20-foot Zodiac inflatable patrol boat has added to preparedness on the Delaware River. The shallow-draft watercraft, powered by a 115 HP outboard engine, supplements larger Coast Guard and New Jersey Marine Police vessels along Gloucester County’s 26 miles of shoreline, occupied by more than a dozen critical infrastructure sites. The Zodiac can also be trailered to other waterways to assist in emergencies.
And in an effort to improve preparedness for acts of terrorism and other catastrophic events, Prosecutor Dalton in 2004 formed a public-private partnership of law enforcement and private industry security officials. Initially comprised of Gloucester County members, it expanded in 2005 to include counterparts in Salem County. Praised by state and federal counter-terrorism and law enforcement officials for creating new working relationships, the Gloucester-Salem Security Initiative has met monthly since its founding.
New Jersey Office of Homeland Security & Preparedness Director Charles McKenna spoke of the need for public-private cooperation during a 2010 meeting of the Security Initiative and the Camden Corporate Watch.
“If we’re going to be truly effective, we not only have to share with law enforcement, but we have to share with the private sector,” \McKenna said. The reason: “More than 80 percent or more of the critical infrastructure in this state is in the hands of the private sector,” he said. “We recognize the private sector as a strategic partner in helping us complete our mission.”
One of the byproducts of the Gloucester-Salem initiative is the opening of industrial plant sites to the county SWAT and Emergency Response teams to practice responses to active shooter and other incidents in a real-life setting. The SWAT (Special Weapons and Tactics) unit also has benefited from DHS grants to acquire an armored personnel truck and a camera-equipped robot that are used in high-risk incidents such as hostage-takings and barricaded individuals.
At Prosecutor Dalton’s direction, GCPO personnel also conducted training of most non-law enforcement municipal and county workers who are traveling during their workdays, encouraging them to recognize and report suspicious activities. The “Gloucester County On Patrol” program is intended to sharpen the observation skills of workers and encourage them to report what they see on their vehicle radios.
September 8, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
Critical Gloucester County industries, the county’s residents and the men and women who are sent to the scenes of disasters first, all have become better protected through homeland security projects undertaken in the decade since Sept. 11, 2001.
The training and equipment ranging from surveillance cameras to newly-available industrial locations for SWAT team drills is especially needed in Gloucester County, which has been identified as having a high number of potential private-sector targets for terrorists. The county is home to two oil refineries, chemical plants and soon a new cargo shipping port on the Delaware River.
A total of $6.88 million in federal Department of Homeland Security funding for safety features such as a marine patrol boat and automated license plate readers to help police on patrol detect stolen vehicles and fugitives has largely been channeled through the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office, after assessing needs and preparing applications for DHS funds.
“There has been a significant upgrade in our preparedness for critical incidents,” said Gloucester County Prosecutor Sean F. Dalton. “We have received tremendous cooperation from businesses which operate much of what is considered the
county’s critical infrastructure. While public funding for various projects and equipment is vital, our security upgrades would not have been possible without the relationship we’ve built between law enforcement and the private sector in the years since 9-11.”
Solvay Solexis, Inc., a polymer manufacturer in West Deptford, spent about $1 million immediately after 9-11 to upgrade security on its own, and soon after had additional surveillance cameras installed at Homeland Security expense, company human resources manager Charles Jones said. “DHS installed the perimeter cameras looking outward to protect the facility’s buffer zone,” he said. “The cameras were focused on surveillance around the perimeter of the facility.” The cameras were again upgraded in 2010 as part of an infrastructure protection grant from the DHS.
“The Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office is our liaison to the DHS and thankfully we have the people in the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office available to help us obtain the grants and coordinate the projects,” Jones said.
The means to detect dangers quickly has been part of the county’s upgrades. Approximately 100 security cameras focused on private and public facilities now transmit images through a new microwave system directly to a 9-1-1 emergency management center.
On the water, the DHS-funded 2008 acquisition of a 20-foot Zodiac inflatable patrol boat has added to preparedness on the Delaware River. The shallow-draft watercraft, powered by a 115 HP outboard engine, supplements larger Coast Guard and New Jersey Marine Police vessels along Gloucester County’s 26 miles of shoreline, occupied by more than a dozen critical infrastructure sites. The Zodiac can also be trailered to other waterways to assist in emergencies.
And in an effort to improve preparedness for acts of terrorism and other catastrophic events, Prosecutor Dalton in 2004 formed a public-private partnership of law enforcement and private industry security officials. Initially comprised of Gloucester County members, it expanded in 2005 to include counterparts in Salem County. Praised by state and federal counter-terrorism and law enforcement officials for creating new working relationships, the Gloucester-Salem Security Initiative has met monthly since its founding.
New Jersey Office of Homeland Security & Preparedness Director Charles McKenna spoke of the need for public-private cooperation during a 2010 meeting of the Security Initiative and the Camden Corporate Watch.
“If we’re going to be truly effective, we not only have to share with law enforcement, but we have to share with the private sector,” \McKenna said. The reason: “More than 80 percent or more of the critical infrastructure in this state is in the hands of the private sector,” he said. “We recognize the private sector as a strategic partner in helping us complete our mission.”
One of the byproducts of the Gloucester-Salem initiative is the opening of industrial plant sites to the county SWAT and Emergency Response teams to practice responses to active shooter and other incidents in a real-life setting. The SWAT (Special Weapons and Tactics) unit also has benefited from DHS grants to acquire an armored personnel truck and a camera-equipped robot that are used in high-risk incidents such as hostage-takings and barricaded individuals.
At Prosecutor Dalton’s direction, GCPO personnel also conducted training of most non-law enforcement municipal and county workers who are traveling during their workdays, encouraging them to recognize and report suspicious activities. The “Gloucester County On Patrol” program is intended to sharpen the observation skills of workers and encourage them to report what they see on their vehicle radios.
Final 2 in 4-Man Home Invasion Gang Sentenced
PRESS RELEASE
August 29, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
The final two defendants of four men who pleaded guilty to taking part in a home invasion robbery spree in February and March 2010 were sentenced today.
Occupants of three homes in Monroe Township, Gloucester County NJ and Winslow Township Camden County were robbed at gunpoint of jewelry, electronic equipment and a credit card.
Harvey Green (DOB 8/10/88),of Bridgeton, who pleaded guilty to participating in all three home invasions, was sentenced by Superior Court Judge M. Christine Allen-Jackson to six years in New Jersey state prison. Judge Allen-Jackson sentenced Darius Coleman (DOB 9/3/88), of Millville, to five years. Coleman admitted involvement in the robberies, but only as a passenger in a vehicle during one of them. The four were arrested speeding away from one of the homes.
Codefendant Tyler Conant (DOB 10/25/90), of Williamstown was sentenced May 16 to seven years in prison and Dequan Gilmore was sent to state prison July 22 for seven years. All defendants must serve 85 percent of their prison terms before seeking parole. Assistant Gloucester County Prosecutor Joseph More represented the State in all four cases.
August 29, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
The final two defendants of four men who pleaded guilty to taking part in a home invasion robbery spree in February and March 2010 were sentenced today.
Occupants of three homes in Monroe Township, Gloucester County NJ and Winslow Township Camden County were robbed at gunpoint of jewelry, electronic equipment and a credit card.
Harvey Green (DOB 8/10/88),of Bridgeton, who pleaded guilty to participating in all three home invasions, was sentenced by Superior Court Judge M. Christine Allen-Jackson to six years in New Jersey state prison. Judge Allen-Jackson sentenced Darius Coleman (DOB 9/3/88), of Millville, to five years. Coleman admitted involvement in the robberies, but only as a passenger in a vehicle during one of them. The four were arrested speeding away from one of the homes.
Codefendant Tyler Conant (DOB 10/25/90), of Williamstown was sentenced May 16 to seven years in prison and Dequan Gilmore was sent to state prison July 22 for seven years. All defendants must serve 85 percent of their prison terms before seeking parole. Assistant Gloucester County Prosecutor Joseph More represented the State in all four cases.
4 Yrs NJSP for Harrison Man in 2 CVS Robberies
PRESS RELEASE
August 19, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
After his lawyer said his client “has recognized that his drug addiction is what brought him before this court,” Howard D. Lopez (DOB 4/20/81) of Harrison Township, Gloucester County NJ was sentenced today to four years in New Jersey state prison for his admitted robbery of painkiller pills from two CDS drug stores in July 2010.
The “brutally honest” Lopez, with an “extremely supportive” family, has “significant tools to be successful” in controlling his addiction, said defense attorney James Leonard.
Lopez pleaded guilty 6/30/11 to robbery of CVS stores in Franklin and Harrison townships on 7/19/10 and 7/28/10. After threatening employees, he took ocycodone pills from each store. He was arrested 8/10/10. Lopez must serve 85 percent of his sentence before he is eligible for parole and will be placed on parole for three years after prison, Superior Court Judge Walter L. Marshall Jr. said, noting that Lopez’ record of eight arrests and three municipal court convictions meant he “needs deterrence.”
August 19, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
After his lawyer said his client “has recognized that his drug addiction is what brought him before this court,” Howard D. Lopez (DOB 4/20/81) of Harrison Township, Gloucester County NJ was sentenced today to four years in New Jersey state prison for his admitted robbery of painkiller pills from two CDS drug stores in July 2010.
The “brutally honest” Lopez, with an “extremely supportive” family, has “significant tools to be successful” in controlling his addiction, said defense attorney James Leonard.
Lopez pleaded guilty 6/30/11 to robbery of CVS stores in Franklin and Harrison townships on 7/19/10 and 7/28/10. After threatening employees, he took ocycodone pills from each store. He was arrested 8/10/10. Lopez must serve 85 percent of his sentence before he is eligible for parole and will be placed on parole for three years after prison, Superior Court Judge Walter L. Marshall Jr. said, noting that Lopez’ record of eight arrests and three municipal court convictions meant he “needs deterrence.”
Friday, August 19, 2011
Fugitive Gets Mexican Prison for Franklin NJ Auto Assault
PRESS RELEASE
August 19, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
Juan Bautista (DOB 3/17/81), formerly of Bridgeton, NJ has been sentenced to 6 ½ years in a Mexican prison for critically injuring a Franklin Township, Gloucester County NJ woman in a 2003 drunk driving collision in Franklinville and presenting a false driver’s license afterward, according to a California justice official who assisted in securing Bautista’s December 2010 arrest as a fugitive in Mexico.
A judge in the Mexican state of Puebla convicted and sentenced Bautista on July 4 to 2 1/2 years in prison for causing grave bodily injury to 21-year-old Christina Applegate in the crash on Sept., 16, 2003, said Special Agent Val Jiminez, of the California Attorney General’s Foreign Prosecution and Law Enforcement Unit. A four-year prison sentence was imposed for using a false public document and a $6,000 fine was assessed, Jiminez said. The sentences are to be served consecutively with no parole.
In determining the sentence for causing injury to Applegate, the judge “considered that the perpetrator did not plan to cause the accident,” Jiminez said.
Jiminez said the Mexican federal prosecutor is appealing the sentence for injuring Applegate, who has been in a coma since the crash. The prosecutor “feels it’s not enough time,” he said. Such appeals “are usually pretty favorable” but may take several months, Jiminez said. Bautista remains in custody without bail.
After his Gloucester County NJ indictment for aggravated assault and assault by auto, Bautista, an illegal alien from Mexico living in Bridgeton at the time of the crash, failed to appear at a court hearing on the charges on June 4, 2004. He had been released on $35,000 bail Sept. 24, 2003. A warrant was issued for his arrest. Efforts to locate Bautista in the South Jersey region were unsuccessful and the investigation into his whereabouts turned to Mexico.
Bautista’s arrest in Mexico Dec. 16, 2010 was the result of lengthy efforts by the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office fugitive unit, working with Agent Jiminez’ California office, which translated the entire GCPO criminal file on Bautista into Spanish and submitted it to Mexican authorities. The Mexican government issued a warrant for Bautista’s arrest on the Franklinville NJ case in September 2010.
At the urging of Applegate’s family and friends and the GCPO, the “America’s Most Wanted” television show broadcast a segment on Bautista in 2006. The report included a dramatization of Christina Applegate’s life. Recently married, she was an aspiring race car driver and was well-liked by co-workers at a WaWa convenience store in Franklinville.
The crash occurred within sight of Applegate’s workplace as she attempted to turn her Ford Mustang onto Swedesboro Road from Delsea Drive. Bautista was driving an SUV at a high rate of speed in the opposite direction on Delsea Drive and struck the Applegate vehicle. Two passengers in the Bautista vehicle were also injured and he was charged with separate assault by auto counts for them.
The prison sentence “is close to what Mr. Bautista would have received had he stood trial in New Jersey,” said Gloucester County Prosecutor Sean F. Dalton. “We are very appreciative of the California and Mexican authorities and certainly support the Mexican prosecutor’s effort to increase the sentence.”’
“I also want to give a special thanks to retired Sgt. Tim O’Brien of the GCPO fugitive unit for his efforts in making this prosecution possible, and to Assistant Prosecutor Laurie Cimino, who shepherded this case through our legal system and assisted in its preparation for transfer to Mexico.”
August 19, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
Juan Bautista (DOB 3/17/81), formerly of Bridgeton, NJ has been sentenced to 6 ½ years in a Mexican prison for critically injuring a Franklin Township, Gloucester County NJ woman in a 2003 drunk driving collision in Franklinville and presenting a false driver’s license afterward, according to a California justice official who assisted in securing Bautista’s December 2010 arrest as a fugitive in Mexico.
A judge in the Mexican state of Puebla convicted and sentenced Bautista on July 4 to 2 1/2 years in prison for causing grave bodily injury to 21-year-old Christina Applegate in the crash on Sept., 16, 2003, said Special Agent Val Jiminez, of the California Attorney General’s Foreign Prosecution and Law Enforcement Unit. A four-year prison sentence was imposed for using a false public document and a $6,000 fine was assessed, Jiminez said. The sentences are to be served consecutively with no parole.
In determining the sentence for causing injury to Applegate, the judge “considered that the perpetrator did not plan to cause the accident,” Jiminez said.
Jiminez said the Mexican federal prosecutor is appealing the sentence for injuring Applegate, who has been in a coma since the crash. The prosecutor “feels it’s not enough time,” he said. Such appeals “are usually pretty favorable” but may take several months, Jiminez said. Bautista remains in custody without bail.
After his Gloucester County NJ indictment for aggravated assault and assault by auto, Bautista, an illegal alien from Mexico living in Bridgeton at the time of the crash, failed to appear at a court hearing on the charges on June 4, 2004. He had been released on $35,000 bail Sept. 24, 2003. A warrant was issued for his arrest. Efforts to locate Bautista in the South Jersey region were unsuccessful and the investigation into his whereabouts turned to Mexico.
Bautista’s arrest in Mexico Dec. 16, 2010 was the result of lengthy efforts by the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office fugitive unit, working with Agent Jiminez’ California office, which translated the entire GCPO criminal file on Bautista into Spanish and submitted it to Mexican authorities. The Mexican government issued a warrant for Bautista’s arrest on the Franklinville NJ case in September 2010.
At the urging of Applegate’s family and friends and the GCPO, the “America’s Most Wanted” television show broadcast a segment on Bautista in 2006. The report included a dramatization of Christina Applegate’s life. Recently married, she was an aspiring race car driver and was well-liked by co-workers at a WaWa convenience store in Franklinville.
The crash occurred within sight of Applegate’s workplace as she attempted to turn her Ford Mustang onto Swedesboro Road from Delsea Drive. Bautista was driving an SUV at a high rate of speed in the opposite direction on Delsea Drive and struck the Applegate vehicle. Two passengers in the Bautista vehicle were also injured and he was charged with separate assault by auto counts for them.
The prison sentence “is close to what Mr. Bautista would have received had he stood trial in New Jersey,” said Gloucester County Prosecutor Sean F. Dalton. “We are very appreciative of the California and Mexican authorities and certainly support the Mexican prosecutor’s effort to increase the sentence.”’
“I also want to give a special thanks to retired Sgt. Tim O’Brien of the GCPO fugitive unit for his efforts in making this prosecution possible, and to Assistant Prosecutor Laurie Cimino, who shepherded this case through our legal system and assisted in its preparation for transfer to Mexico.”
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Body of Maple Shade NJ Woman in Car in Mantua Creek
PRESS RELEASE
August 15, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld-PIO
Gloucester County rosecutor's Office
The body of a woman identified as a 55-year-old Maple Shade NJ resident was found Monday afternoon in a partially submerged car that was discovered by a boater in the Mantua Creek off Berkley Road in East Greenwich Township NJ.
The woman, Connie Oman Burns, of 123 Frederick Avenue, was reported missing by her two sisters shortly after 12 noon on Monday. They had last spoken to her by telephone Sunday afternoon when she told them she was in Cherry Hill and planned to attend a family party in Maple Shade that afternoon. At 4:13 p.m. Sunday, South Harrison Towhship police received a report of a vehicle driving erratically on Monroeville Road. From information reported to police, it was determined the car was registered to Ms. Burns. Police were unable to locate the vehicle.
An East Greenwich Township resident who was fishing from a boat in the Mantua Creek about a quarter-mile from a Berkley Road boat ramp saw a vehicle partially above the surface of the water at 1:10 p.m. Monday. East Greenwich police responded to his 911 call and at the same time learned of the missing persons report regarding Ms. Burns. Assisted by equipment from the New Jersey State Police and the Malaga NJ Fire Company, the 2009 Ford Focus was raised to the surface and brought to the Berkley Road boat ramp. A woman's body was in the driver's seat of the car in a seat belt. Through body markings, she was identified as Ms. Burns.
An autopsy by the Gloucester County Medical Examine's Office is scheduled for Tuesday morning. Investigators also plan to search the shoreline of the creek on Tuesday in an effort to determine where the car entered the water.
August 15, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld-PIO
Gloucester County rosecutor's Office
The body of a woman identified as a 55-year-old Maple Shade NJ resident was found Monday afternoon in a partially submerged car that was discovered by a boater in the Mantua Creek off Berkley Road in East Greenwich Township NJ.
The woman, Connie Oman Burns, of 123 Frederick Avenue, was reported missing by her two sisters shortly after 12 noon on Monday. They had last spoken to her by telephone Sunday afternoon when she told them she was in Cherry Hill and planned to attend a family party in Maple Shade that afternoon. At 4:13 p.m. Sunday, South Harrison Towhship police received a report of a vehicle driving erratically on Monroeville Road. From information reported to police, it was determined the car was registered to Ms. Burns. Police were unable to locate the vehicle.
An East Greenwich Township resident who was fishing from a boat in the Mantua Creek about a quarter-mile from a Berkley Road boat ramp saw a vehicle partially above the surface of the water at 1:10 p.m. Monday. East Greenwich police responded to his 911 call and at the same time learned of the missing persons report regarding Ms. Burns. Assisted by equipment from the New Jersey State Police and the Malaga NJ Fire Company, the 2009 Ford Focus was raised to the surface and brought to the Berkley Road boat ramp. A woman's body was in the driver's seat of the car in a seat belt. Through body markings, she was identified as Ms. Burns.
An autopsy by the Gloucester County Medical Examine's Office is scheduled for Tuesday morning. Investigators also plan to search the shoreline of the creek on Tuesday in an effort to determine where the car entered the water.
6 Yrs NJSP in Gun Wounding of Man in Woodbury
PRESS RELEASE
August 15, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
Robert M. Edwards (DOB 10/14/91), of 117 S. Carlton St., Lindenwold NJ was sentenced today to six years in New Jersey state prison for aggravated assault in the wounding of a 39-year-old Deptford NJ man during an altercation on Franklin Street in Woodbury NJ on March 18, 2010.
Edwards, who pleaded guilty to the assault May 31, must serve 85 percent of the prison term before he is eligible for parole, Superior Court Judge M. Christine Allen-Jackson said. The sentence will be concurrent with a three-year state prison sentence imposed in Camden County in May for a narcotics offense.
The victim told police he was in a physical altercation with an unknown ma on Franklin Street who pointed a handgun at him, and he was able to grab the barrel and push it away as it fired. A shot grazed his shoulder. Based on witness statements, Edwards was arrested a short time later on East Center St., Woodbury
August 15, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
Robert M. Edwards (DOB 10/14/91), of 117 S. Carlton St., Lindenwold NJ was sentenced today to six years in New Jersey state prison for aggravated assault in the wounding of a 39-year-old Deptford NJ man during an altercation on Franklin Street in Woodbury NJ on March 18, 2010.
Edwards, who pleaded guilty to the assault May 31, must serve 85 percent of the prison term before he is eligible for parole, Superior Court Judge M. Christine Allen-Jackson said. The sentence will be concurrent with a three-year state prison sentence imposed in Camden County in May for a narcotics offense.
The victim told police he was in a physical altercation with an unknown ma on Franklin Street who pointed a handgun at him, and he was able to grab the barrel and push it away as it fired. A shot grazed his shoulder. Based on witness statements, Edwards was arrested a short time later on East Center St., Woodbury
Monroe NJ Travel Agent Pleads to Theft
PRESS RELEASE
August 15, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
Ellis Hester (DOB 7/18/56), of 1236 Mt Vernon Ave., Gibbstown NJ pleaded guilty today to third degree theft by illegal retention, acknowledging that as a travel agent, he took more than $67,000 in deposits for a June 2011 Mediterranean cruise from 19 customers and did not use all the money for the intended purpose.
In a plea agreement, Assistant Gloucester County Prosecutor Joseph Brook will recommend that Hester, owner of the Deva Travel office in Monroe Township, Gloucester County NJ, be sentenced to five years on probation and be ordered to pay $67,380 in restitution to the victims.
Informed by Hester’s lawyer that he is currently employed. Superior Court Judge M. Christine Allen-Jackson said she would make it a condition of sentencing that he continue working in order to repay the money. Judge Allen-Jackson scheduled sentencing for Oct. 28.
Specifically, Hester pleaded guilty to one count of theft, that being from customer Denise Hall in the amount of $3,369. “You took from her the same amount you took from everybody?” Assistant Prosecutor Brook asked. Hester said he did.
August 15, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
Ellis Hester (DOB 7/18/56), of 1236 Mt Vernon Ave., Gibbstown NJ pleaded guilty today to third degree theft by illegal retention, acknowledging that as a travel agent, he took more than $67,000 in deposits for a June 2011 Mediterranean cruise from 19 customers and did not use all the money for the intended purpose.
In a plea agreement, Assistant Gloucester County Prosecutor Joseph Brook will recommend that Hester, owner of the Deva Travel office in Monroe Township, Gloucester County NJ, be sentenced to five years on probation and be ordered to pay $67,380 in restitution to the victims.
Informed by Hester’s lawyer that he is currently employed. Superior Court Judge M. Christine Allen-Jackson said she would make it a condition of sentencing that he continue working in order to repay the money. Judge Allen-Jackson scheduled sentencing for Oct. 28.
Specifically, Hester pleaded guilty to one count of theft, that being from customer Denise Hall in the amount of $3,369. “You took from her the same amount you took from everybody?” Assistant Prosecutor Brook asked. Hester said he did.
Deptford Man Gets 7 yrs NJSP in Stabbing
PRESS RELEASE
August 12, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
Brian S. Kramer (DOB 12/24/85) of 715 Glenside Ave., Deptford NJ was sentenced today to seven years in New Jersey state prison for stabbing a 46-year-old Deptford man at a 3/27/10 baby shower at the defendant’s residence, and he and a codefendant face thousands of dollars in restitution for injuries to the victim of the knife attack and to another man assaulted at the shower
Kramer pleaded guilty to aggravated assault on the victim, who he believed was abusive to his cousin, who was having the baby shower. The victim, who was cut in the chest, sustained a collapsed lung and a broken rib, was the ex-boyfriend of the cousin’s mother, Kramer’s aunt. Kramer lived with the aunt.
“This was an unprovoked stabbing,” Assistant Gloucester County Prosecutor Staci Scheetz said. “The defendant does have an extensive criminal history, dating back to his juvenile years,” Kramer had 30 charges in 23 juvenile incidents and five Superior Court convictions as an adult, she said.
Medical bills for both victims were extensive, Scheetz said. The other victim, who was kicked and punched after throwing Kramer’s hat into a fire, is seeking $8,891 in restitution, she said. Codefendant Timothy Lockhart (DOB 12/10/61), of 245 Amherst St., Deptford, pleaded guilty 7/11/11 to aggravated assault in the incident and both defendants are expected to share in any restitution order. An Oct. 10 restitution hearing was scheduled by Superior Court Judge M. Christine Allen- Jackson, who also said Kramer won’t be eligible for parole for 5 years, ll months.
August 12, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
Brian S. Kramer (DOB 12/24/85) of 715 Glenside Ave., Deptford NJ was sentenced today to seven years in New Jersey state prison for stabbing a 46-year-old Deptford man at a 3/27/10 baby shower at the defendant’s residence, and he and a codefendant face thousands of dollars in restitution for injuries to the victim of the knife attack and to another man assaulted at the shower
Kramer pleaded guilty to aggravated assault on the victim, who he believed was abusive to his cousin, who was having the baby shower. The victim, who was cut in the chest, sustained a collapsed lung and a broken rib, was the ex-boyfriend of the cousin’s mother, Kramer’s aunt. Kramer lived with the aunt.
“This was an unprovoked stabbing,” Assistant Gloucester County Prosecutor Staci Scheetz said. “The defendant does have an extensive criminal history, dating back to his juvenile years,” Kramer had 30 charges in 23 juvenile incidents and five Superior Court convictions as an adult, she said.
Medical bills for both victims were extensive, Scheetz said. The other victim, who was kicked and punched after throwing Kramer’s hat into a fire, is seeking $8,891 in restitution, she said. Codefendant Timothy Lockhart (DOB 12/10/61), of 245 Amherst St., Deptford, pleaded guilty 7/11/11 to aggravated assault in the incident and both defendants are expected to share in any restitution order. An Oct. 10 restitution hearing was scheduled by Superior Court Judge M. Christine Allen- Jackson, who also said Kramer won’t be eligible for parole for 5 years, ll months.
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Aunt of Drowned Monroe NJ Boy Charged
PRESS RELEASE
August 10 , 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
Felicia Tucker (DOB 3/22/85) of 1446 12th Avenue in Monroe Township NJ, has been charged with second-degree endangering of a child in connection with the death by drowning of her 2 ½ year-old nephew, who she was looking after when he left the house on the evening of August 1 and who eventually was found in a nearby lake.
Tucker was arrested Tuesday (8/9) and released on her own recognizance.
The complaint by the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office said Tucker, who shared the Victory Lakes home with the boy’s family, was responsible for his care at the time of the offense and caused him to be an endangered child “by allowing him to leave the residence and drown.” The boy, who investigators were told was autistic, was found by Tucker and a friend in a lake near the house in three feet of water. Tucker called police after finding the front door open and the boy missing. After nearly two hours on a respirator at Kennedy Memorial Hospital in Washington Township, NJ, he was pronounced dead shortly after 11 p.m. on 8/1/11.
August 10 , 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
Felicia Tucker (DOB 3/22/85) of 1446 12th Avenue in Monroe Township NJ, has been charged with second-degree endangering of a child in connection with the death by drowning of her 2 ½ year-old nephew, who she was looking after when he left the house on the evening of August 1 and who eventually was found in a nearby lake.
Tucker was arrested Tuesday (8/9) and released on her own recognizance.
The complaint by the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office said Tucker, who shared the Victory Lakes home with the boy’s family, was responsible for his care at the time of the offense and caused him to be an endangered child “by allowing him to leave the residence and drown.” The boy, who investigators were told was autistic, was found by Tucker and a friend in a lake near the house in three feet of water. Tucker called police after finding the front door open and the boy missing. After nearly two hours on a respirator at Kennedy Memorial Hospital in Washington Township, NJ, he was pronounced dead shortly after 11 p.m. on 8/1/11.
Clayton NJ Little League Official Charged With Theft
PRESS RELEASE
August 10, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
Joseph A. Schlosser (DOB 8/29/63) of 603 South Broad St., Clayton has been charged with theft of more than $22,000 from the Clayton Little League over a two-year period while he was the organization’s treasurer.
Schlosser was arrested by the Clayton Police Department late Tuesday and posted the required 10 percent of his $2,500 bail. He is charged with third-degree theft of $22,732.35. It is alleged the offense occurred between September 2008 and May 2011. The charges resulted from a two-month investigation by the Clayton PD and the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office major crimes unit.
The missing funds came to light in late spring after vendors to the children’s baseball league reported non-payment of bills and some checks bouncing. At that time, Schlosser, an auto mechanic and father of a Little Leaguer, was relieved of his treasurer’s duties. He had held an ATM card which it was learned had been used to make unauthorized withdrawals. It was also discovered that Schlosser had moved the Little League bank account from an institution where the league president had access to it, to another bank where only he could monitor the funds.
August 10, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
Joseph A. Schlosser (DOB 8/29/63) of 603 South Broad St., Clayton has been charged with theft of more than $22,000 from the Clayton Little League over a two-year period while he was the organization’s treasurer.
Schlosser was arrested by the Clayton Police Department late Tuesday and posted the required 10 percent of his $2,500 bail. He is charged with third-degree theft of $22,732.35. It is alleged the offense occurred between September 2008 and May 2011. The charges resulted from a two-month investigation by the Clayton PD and the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office major crimes unit.
The missing funds came to light in late spring after vendors to the children’s baseball league reported non-payment of bills and some checks bouncing. At that time, Schlosser, an auto mechanic and father of a Little Leaguer, was relieved of his treasurer’s duties. He had held an ATM card which it was learned had been used to make unauthorized withdrawals. It was also discovered that Schlosser had moved the Little League bank account from an institution where the league president had access to it, to another bank where only he could monitor the funds.
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Mullica Hill NJ Man Pleads to W. Deptford NJ Armed Robbery
PRESS RELEASE
August 8, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
Brian Moxley (DOB 2/20/88), of 374 Mullica Hill Rd., Mullica Hill pleaded guilty today (8/8) to the Jan. 16, 2011 armed robbery of a West Deptford truck stop where he worked part-time.
Moxley and his wife Kellye Moxley (2/10/90), of the same address, were both charged with robbery of the Crown Point Truck Stop’s convenience store. Brian Moxley was accused of using a BB gun to demand cash while Kellye Moxley was the alleged driver of the getaway car. The robbery netted $710 but the employee Moxley confronted recognized him as a co-worker. The Moxleys were arrested the same day by West Deptford police. Both claimed to have drug-addiction problems.
In a plea agreement, Assistant Gloucester County Prosecutor Temperance Williamson will recommend that Brian Moxley be sentenced as a second-degree offender to five years in New Jersey state prison, serving 85 percent of the term before he is eligible for parole. Superior Court Judge M. Christine Allen-Jackson scheduled sentencing for Oct. 21.
First-degree complicity to commit robbery charges against Kellye Moxley are pending
August 8, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
Brian Moxley (DOB 2/20/88), of 374 Mullica Hill Rd., Mullica Hill pleaded guilty today (8/8) to the Jan. 16, 2011 armed robbery of a West Deptford truck stop where he worked part-time.
Moxley and his wife Kellye Moxley (2/10/90), of the same address, were both charged with robbery of the Crown Point Truck Stop’s convenience store. Brian Moxley was accused of using a BB gun to demand cash while Kellye Moxley was the alleged driver of the getaway car. The robbery netted $710 but the employee Moxley confronted recognized him as a co-worker. The Moxleys were arrested the same day by West Deptford police. Both claimed to have drug-addiction problems.
In a plea agreement, Assistant Gloucester County Prosecutor Temperance Williamson will recommend that Brian Moxley be sentenced as a second-degree offender to five years in New Jersey state prison, serving 85 percent of the term before he is eligible for parole. Superior Court Judge M. Christine Allen-Jackson scheduled sentencing for Oct. 21.
First-degree complicity to commit robbery charges against Kellye Moxley are pending
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Glassboro Man Pleads to Child Porn Possession, Distribution
PRESS RELEASE
August 3, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
George R. Mander (DOB 10/16/57) of 10 Morris Terrace, Glassboro NJ faces 11 ½ years in New Jersey state prison after pleading guilty to possession and distribution of computer images showing children engaged in sex acts.
Mander, a supervisor for a pharmaceutical products distributor, who was arrested on the charges 4/7/09, entered guilty pleas to pre-indictment accusations on the offenses on Monday (8/1). Both are forms of the crime of child endangerment. The pleas and penalties were negotiated by Assistant Gloucester County Prosecutor Joseph Brook. Superior Court Judge M. Christine Allen-Jackson schedule sentencing for Dec. 2.
Under the plea agreement, Mander would be sentenced to the maximum penalty of 10 years in New Jersey state prison for second-degree child pornography distribution and 18 months for third-degree possession of the images. The sentences would be served consecutively.
The charges resulted from an investigation by the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s High-Tech Crimes unit, in which a laptop and other digital media belonging to Mander were examined. The analysis found thousands of images of prepubescent children engaged in sex acts.
August 3, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
George R. Mander (DOB 10/16/57) of 10 Morris Terrace, Glassboro NJ faces 11 ½ years in New Jersey state prison after pleading guilty to possession and distribution of computer images showing children engaged in sex acts.
Mander, a supervisor for a pharmaceutical products distributor, who was arrested on the charges 4/7/09, entered guilty pleas to pre-indictment accusations on the offenses on Monday (8/1). Both are forms of the crime of child endangerment. The pleas and penalties were negotiated by Assistant Gloucester County Prosecutor Joseph Brook. Superior Court Judge M. Christine Allen-Jackson schedule sentencing for Dec. 2.
Under the plea agreement, Mander would be sentenced to the maximum penalty of 10 years in New Jersey state prison for second-degree child pornography distribution and 18 months for third-degree possession of the images. The sentences would be served consecutively.
The charges resulted from an investigation by the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s High-Tech Crimes unit, in which a laptop and other digital media belonging to Mander were examined. The analysis found thousands of images of prepubescent children engaged in sex acts.
10 Yrs NJSP in 2 NJ Bank Robberies, Attempted Disarming
PRESS RELEASE
August 1, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
Thomas A. Struss (DOB 9/4/75), a former West Deptford NJ resident, was sentenced today (8/1) to 10 years in New Jersey state prison for each of two bank robberies he admitted committing in July 2010.
Struss received the same sentence for his guilty plea to an attempted disarming of a Gloucester County sheriff’s officer at Underwood-Memorial Hospital in Woodbury NJ while being treated for an injury 8/10/11.
Under terms of a plea agreement with the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office, Struss, who is currently serving a prison sentence for narcotics possession, will serve the 10-year sentences concurrently with each other. He will not be eligible for parole before completing 85 percent of the sentence.
Struss, who Superior Court Judge Walter L. Marshall Jr. noted had 18 juvenile adjudications for crimes and an adult record that included convictions for burglary, drug possession, aggravated assault and a prior bank robbery, admitted robbing the TD Bank on Rt. 45 in West Deptford on 7/25/11 and The Bank on Bridgeton Pike on 7/26/11. A total of nearly $3,000 was taken. He was arrested at his St. Regis Court residence 7/28/10 after a Mantua police officer identified Struss through distinctive neck tattoos that appeared on images a bank security camera captured.
August 1, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
Thomas A. Struss (DOB 9/4/75), a former West Deptford NJ resident, was sentenced today (8/1) to 10 years in New Jersey state prison for each of two bank robberies he admitted committing in July 2010.
Struss received the same sentence for his guilty plea to an attempted disarming of a Gloucester County sheriff’s officer at Underwood-Memorial Hospital in Woodbury NJ while being treated for an injury 8/10/11.
Under terms of a plea agreement with the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office, Struss, who is currently serving a prison sentence for narcotics possession, will serve the 10-year sentences concurrently with each other. He will not be eligible for parole before completing 85 percent of the sentence.
Struss, who Superior Court Judge Walter L. Marshall Jr. noted had 18 juvenile adjudications for crimes and an adult record that included convictions for burglary, drug possession, aggravated assault and a prior bank robbery, admitted robbing the TD Bank on Rt. 45 in West Deptford on 7/25/11 and The Bank on Bridgeton Pike on 7/26/11. A total of nearly $3,000 was taken. He was arrested at his St. Regis Court residence 7/28/10 after a Mantua police officer identified Struss through distinctive neck tattoos that appeared on images a bank security camera captured.
Glassboro Man Guilty of Gun Possession by Felon
PRESS RELEASE
July 29, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
David L. Carr (DOB 7/25/56), of Glassboro, was convicted by a Gloucester County jury today of possession of a rifle by a felon, a second-degree crime that will imprison him for at least five years and as many as ten years.
The rifle was found during execution of a search warrant at Carr’s 53 South Academy St. residence in Glassboro on March 20, 2009. In addition to Carr, two women were arrested and less than a half-ounce of crack cocaine in plastic bags was retrieved from a toilet in a bathroom where the women were found. The rifle for which Carr was convicted was found in a closet in Carr’s bedroom. Assistant Gloucester County Prosecutor Joseph More stressed the location of the weapon when the defense raised questions about its ownership.
The jury in Carr’s three-day trial acquitted him on charges of possession of a controlled dangerous substance, possession of CDS with intent to distribute and distribution of CDS within 500 feet of public housing.
The weapons offense on which Carr was convicted was based on prior offenses which prohibited him from owning a firearm. The most recent crime was his 1995 conviction for fourth-degree unlawful possession of a weapon.
Superior Court Judge Walter L. Marshall Jr, continued Carr’s bail, in light of the defendant’s medical condition, and scheduled sentencing for Sept. 9.
July 29, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
David L. Carr (DOB 7/25/56), of Glassboro, was convicted by a Gloucester County jury today of possession of a rifle by a felon, a second-degree crime that will imprison him for at least five years and as many as ten years.
The rifle was found during execution of a search warrant at Carr’s 53 South Academy St. residence in Glassboro on March 20, 2009. In addition to Carr, two women were arrested and less than a half-ounce of crack cocaine in plastic bags was retrieved from a toilet in a bathroom where the women were found. The rifle for which Carr was convicted was found in a closet in Carr’s bedroom. Assistant Gloucester County Prosecutor Joseph More stressed the location of the weapon when the defense raised questions about its ownership.
The jury in Carr’s three-day trial acquitted him on charges of possession of a controlled dangerous substance, possession of CDS with intent to distribute and distribution of CDS within 500 feet of public housing.
The weapons offense on which Carr was convicted was based on prior offenses which prohibited him from owning a firearm. The most recent crime was his 1995 conviction for fourth-degree unlawful possession of a weapon.
Superior Court Judge Walter L. Marshall Jr, continued Carr’s bail, in light of the defendant’s medical condition, and scheduled sentencing for Sept. 9.
Prosecutors' School Safety Conference Theme: Cyber-bullying
PRESS RELEASE
July 27, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
This year’s Southern New Jersey Prosecutors School Safety and Security Conference will focus on the sometimes deadly consequences of bullying, particularly when it spreads on-line, which was the keynote speaker’s tragedy.
Previously limited to educators and law enforcement officials from seven South Jersey counties, the fifth annual conference on Aug. 17 will be open to the general public. Admission is free. Pre-register at cyberbullying@co.gloucester.nj.us.
“The goal of this conference is to safeguard our children by raising awareness regarding on-line activities that can change lives and sometimes have deadly consequences,” said Gloucester County Prosecutor Sean F. Dalton. “A collaborative approach involving law enforcement, educators, community leaders, parents and, most importantly, students, is needed to accomplish this.”
Conference speakers will include New Jersey Attorney General Paula Dow and John P. Halligan, who speaks across the country about the 2003 suicide of his 13-year-old son Ryan a silent victim of taunts and insults in school and on-line when the Halligan family lived in Vermont. The tragedy led to a Vermont bullying prevention law in 2004. New Jersey’s anti-bullying law, considered the nation’s toughest when enacted in January, requires schools to publicly report incidents and permits expulsion of offenders. It takes effect in the coming school year.
In addition, Sgt. Steve LaPorta of the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office will speak about the unforeseen consequences of “sexting,” a popular activity in which a teenager’s nude or semi-nude images are transmitted electronically. Sgt. LaPorta for the past seven years has investigated a variety of online crimes that target young people.
The Aug. 17 conference, to run from 8:30 a.m. to noon, will be held in the TD Bank Performing Arts Center at Washington Township High School, Hurffville-Cross Keys Rd, Sewell. A continental breakfast will be served and registration held from 8 a.m. to 8:30 a.m.
Sponsors are the prosecutor’s offices of Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, Salem, Cumberland, Salem and Cape May counties.
July 27, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
This year’s Southern New Jersey Prosecutors School Safety and Security Conference will focus on the sometimes deadly consequences of bullying, particularly when it spreads on-line, which was the keynote speaker’s tragedy.
Previously limited to educators and law enforcement officials from seven South Jersey counties, the fifth annual conference on Aug. 17 will be open to the general public. Admission is free. Pre-register at cyberbullying@co.gloucester.nj.us.
“The goal of this conference is to safeguard our children by raising awareness regarding on-line activities that can change lives and sometimes have deadly consequences,” said Gloucester County Prosecutor Sean F. Dalton. “A collaborative approach involving law enforcement, educators, community leaders, parents and, most importantly, students, is needed to accomplish this.”
Conference speakers will include New Jersey Attorney General Paula Dow and John P. Halligan, who speaks across the country about the 2003 suicide of his 13-year-old son Ryan a silent victim of taunts and insults in school and on-line when the Halligan family lived in Vermont. The tragedy led to a Vermont bullying prevention law in 2004. New Jersey’s anti-bullying law, considered the nation’s toughest when enacted in January, requires schools to publicly report incidents and permits expulsion of offenders. It takes effect in the coming school year.
In addition, Sgt. Steve LaPorta of the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office will speak about the unforeseen consequences of “sexting,” a popular activity in which a teenager’s nude or semi-nude images are transmitted electronically. Sgt. LaPorta for the past seven years has investigated a variety of online crimes that target young people.
The Aug. 17 conference, to run from 8:30 a.m. to noon, will be held in the TD Bank Performing Arts Center at Washington Township High School, Hurffville-Cross Keys Rd, Sewell. A continental breakfast will be served and registration held from 8 a.m. to 8:30 a.m.
Sponsors are the prosecutor’s offices of Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, Salem, Cumberland, Salem and Cape May counties.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Wash. Twp. Man Admits Glassboro Armed Robbery
PRESS RELEASE
July 25, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
Marq Peet (DOB 1/27/91) of Dorado Ave., Washington Township NJ pleaded guilty today (7/25) to first-degree armed robbery of a man outside the Landmark Americana Bar in Glassboro NJ on Sept. 2, 2010.
Peet was using a pellet gun “in a way that made (the victim) believe it was a deadly weapon,” he acknowledged when questioned by Assistant Gloucester County Prosecutor Joseph Brook. “I showed it to him and demanded he give me his money,” Peet said. He took a wallet with $30 to $40 and a cell phone.
Under terms of a negotiated plea, Brook will recommend Peet be sentenced to five years in New Jersey State prison and be ineligible for parole for 85 percent of the term. Sentencing was scheduled for Sept. 30.
Peet also said today a man he told police was with him during the robbery, codefendant Tyreek R. James, of Mt. Royal, was not present and knew nothing about the crime. Charges against James are expected to be dismissed at Peet’s sentencing.
July 25, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
Marq Peet (DOB 1/27/91) of Dorado Ave., Washington Township NJ pleaded guilty today (7/25) to first-degree armed robbery of a man outside the Landmark Americana Bar in Glassboro NJ on Sept. 2, 2010.
Peet was using a pellet gun “in a way that made (the victim) believe it was a deadly weapon,” he acknowledged when questioned by Assistant Gloucester County Prosecutor Joseph Brook. “I showed it to him and demanded he give me his money,” Peet said. He took a wallet with $30 to $40 and a cell phone.
Under terms of a negotiated plea, Brook will recommend Peet be sentenced to five years in New Jersey State prison and be ineligible for parole for 85 percent of the term. Sentencing was scheduled for Sept. 30.
Peet also said today a man he told police was with him during the robbery, codefendant Tyreek R. James, of Mt. Royal, was not present and knew nothing about the crime. Charges against James are expected to be dismissed at Peet’s sentencing.
Glassboro man Gets 14 Yrs for Cocaine,Weapons Convictions
PRESS RELEASE
July 25, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
Marcus L. Coley (DOB 6/17/73) of the Gateway Apartments, Glassboro was sentenced today to an extended term of 14 years in New Jersey state prison following his June 17 conviction for possession of cocaine with intent to distribute in a Glassboro school zone and possession of hollow-point bullets.
Although the cocaine conviction was a second-degree crime, Coley was sentenced as a first-degree offender because of three prior felonies- two for drug-dealing- since 1995. Since then, “the defendant has essentially lived his life in the criminal justice system,” said Assistant Gloucester County Prosecutor Alex Gutierrez, who presented the State’s case in Coley’s trial.
In addition to 13 years for the guilty verdict on drugs, Superior Court Judge M. Christine Allen-Jackson sentenced Coley to 364 days for possession of the prohibited bullets, which she noted was a “separate and distinct offense.” Coley is ineligible for parole for the first six years of his sentence.
Judge Allen-Jackson said her sentence took into account Coley’s tearful plea today to consider that he has four small children and suffers from heart disease that he believes will shorten his life.
The charges resulted from execution of a search warrant at Coley’s home April 16, 2009 in which a half-ounce of crack cocaine and seven hollow-point bullets were seized. The home is near the J. Harvey Rogers elementary school.
“This sentence will help keep the neighborhood around this elementary school safe, thanks to the efforts of law enforcement,” said Gloucester County Prosecutor Sean F. Dalton.
July 25, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
Marcus L. Coley (DOB 6/17/73) of the Gateway Apartments, Glassboro was sentenced today to an extended term of 14 years in New Jersey state prison following his June 17 conviction for possession of cocaine with intent to distribute in a Glassboro school zone and possession of hollow-point bullets.
Although the cocaine conviction was a second-degree crime, Coley was sentenced as a first-degree offender because of three prior felonies- two for drug-dealing- since 1995. Since then, “the defendant has essentially lived his life in the criminal justice system,” said Assistant Gloucester County Prosecutor Alex Gutierrez, who presented the State’s case in Coley’s trial.
In addition to 13 years for the guilty verdict on drugs, Superior Court Judge M. Christine Allen-Jackson sentenced Coley to 364 days for possession of the prohibited bullets, which she noted was a “separate and distinct offense.” Coley is ineligible for parole for the first six years of his sentence.
Judge Allen-Jackson said her sentence took into account Coley’s tearful plea today to consider that he has four small children and suffers from heart disease that he believes will shorten his life.
The charges resulted from execution of a search warrant at Coley’s home April 16, 2009 in which a half-ounce of crack cocaine and seven hollow-point bullets were seized. The home is near the J. Harvey Rogers elementary school.
“This sentence will help keep the neighborhood around this elementary school safe, thanks to the efforts of law enforcement,” said Gloucester County Prosecutor Sean F. Dalton.
7 Yrs NJSP for Millville Man in Gloucester/Camden Home Invasions
PRESS RELEASE
July 22, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
Dequan Gilmore (DOB 9/23/91), of 311 East Oak Ave., Millville NJ was sentenced today to seven years in New Jersey state prison for his admitted participation in three armed home invasion robberies in Monroe and Winslow townships NJ in February and March 2010.
Under the 6/3/11 guilty plea negotiated with Assistant Gloucester County Prosecutor Joseph More, Gilmore must serve 85 percent of the sentence before he can seek parole, Superior Court Judge M. Christine Allen Jackson said.
The robberies were Feb. 15, 2010 at a South Main St. residence in Williamstown, March 3, 2010 at a Whitehall Rd. residence in Williamstown and at a Chews Landing Rd. home in Winslow. The intruders, wielding a shotgun and handgun, took jewelry, video game consoles and a credit card.
A codefendant in the March 3 robberies, Tyler Conant (DOB 10/25/90), of Williamstown, was sentence 5/16 to seven years in state prison. Codefendant Harvey Green (DOB 8/10/88), of Bridgeton, who pleaded guilty to the three home invasions, is to be sentenced to six years in state prison July 29. Darius Coleman (DOB 9/3/88) of Millville, has pleaded guilty to the two Monroe robberies and is scheduled to be sentenced to five years in state prison Aug. 5.
July 22, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
Dequan Gilmore (DOB 9/23/91), of 311 East Oak Ave., Millville NJ was sentenced today to seven years in New Jersey state prison for his admitted participation in three armed home invasion robberies in Monroe and Winslow townships NJ in February and March 2010.
Under the 6/3/11 guilty plea negotiated with Assistant Gloucester County Prosecutor Joseph More, Gilmore must serve 85 percent of the sentence before he can seek parole, Superior Court Judge M. Christine Allen Jackson said.
The robberies were Feb. 15, 2010 at a South Main St. residence in Williamstown, March 3, 2010 at a Whitehall Rd. residence in Williamstown and at a Chews Landing Rd. home in Winslow. The intruders, wielding a shotgun and handgun, took jewelry, video game consoles and a credit card.
A codefendant in the March 3 robberies, Tyler Conant (DOB 10/25/90), of Williamstown, was sentence 5/16 to seven years in state prison. Codefendant Harvey Green (DOB 8/10/88), of Bridgeton, who pleaded guilty to the three home invasions, is to be sentenced to six years in state prison July 29. Darius Coleman (DOB 9/3/88) of Millville, has pleaded guilty to the two Monroe robberies and is scheduled to be sentenced to five years in state prison Aug. 5.
9th Class of GCPO Summer Interns
PRESS RELEASE
July 12, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
Tomorrow (7/13), 25 Gloucester County high school students will learn what it’s like to be a bike patrol officer and why they shouldn’t take another route that could put them in prison.
The teenagers are in their second week of a month-long summer internship with the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office. This is the ninth such group in a program intended to expose young people to the law enforcement and criminal justice systems, by spending two weeks at the Gloucester County Police Academy in Deptford NJ and two weeks at the GCPO offices in Woodbury NJ.
In their final days at the academy, the teenagers will get familiar with the purposes of bicycle patrols and meet with a female New Jersey state prison inmate who is part of the state Corrections Department’s Project P.R.I.D.E. The prison education program was developed to spread awareness of the prison system in the outside community through inmates telling their life stories.
At the offices of the GCPO, the students will learn about crime scene investigations and trial procedures, tour the county jail, experience the Cooper Trauma Center in Camden where many crime victims are treated and visit the Constitution Center in Philadelphia and the Tolerance Center in New York City.
July 12, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
Tomorrow (7/13), 25 Gloucester County high school students will learn what it’s like to be a bike patrol officer and why they shouldn’t take another route that could put them in prison.
The teenagers are in their second week of a month-long summer internship with the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office. This is the ninth such group in a program intended to expose young people to the law enforcement and criminal justice systems, by spending two weeks at the Gloucester County Police Academy in Deptford NJ and two weeks at the GCPO offices in Woodbury NJ.
In their final days at the academy, the teenagers will get familiar with the purposes of bicycle patrols and meet with a female New Jersey state prison inmate who is part of the state Corrections Department’s Project P.R.I.D.E. The prison education program was developed to spread awareness of the prison system in the outside community through inmates telling their life stories.
At the offices of the GCPO, the students will learn about crime scene investigations and trial procedures, tour the county jail, experience the Cooper Trauma Center in Camden where many crime victims are treated and visit the Constitution Center in Philadelphia and the Tolerance Center in New York City.
2 Charged, 1 Sought in 5/9 Deptford Bank Robbery
PRESS RELEASE
July 14, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
In a cooperative investigation by the FBI Violent Offender Task force, the Deptford Township (NJ) Police Department and the Gloucester County (NJ) Prosecutor’s Office fugitive unit, two men were charged today (7/14) with armed robbery of The Bank on Park Avenue in Deptford NJ on May 9, 2011 in which an Uzi-style submachine gun was used by one of two masked men.
One of the suspects, Dwayne Tribbett (DOB 5/20/80), whose last address was 1026 Lippincott Ave., Woodbury NJ, remains at large.
The other accused in the robbery is Warren Christopher Davis (DOB 5/29/80), of 1256 Octagon Rd., Camden NJ. He is under arrest.
Both men are charged by Deptford police with first-degree robbery, first-degree conspiracy to commit robbery and third-degree theft over $10,000. Davis also is charged with second-degree unlawful possession of a weapon; second-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose; second-degree certain persons not to have a weapon; fourth-degree possession of a large capacity ammo magazine and fourth-degree pointing a firearm at another. Bail for both was set today at $200,000.
Davis has been in the Gloucester County Jail since his July 1 arrest in Camden on a bench warrant for failure to appear for a June 15 court hearing in Woodbury on a criminal restraint charge in Paulsboro. Davis also had outstanding arrest arrants
for failure to make child support payments and car theft in Philadelphia. Officers of the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force and the GCPO fugitive unit arrested Davis.
The investigation leading to today’s charges utilized leads developed from several informants. Locating Davis, who has lived in Camden and Gloucester counties, was challenging, since he apparently believed he was being sought for the bank hold-up.
Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Dwayne Tribbett is asked to contact Sgt. Barry Johnson of the GCPO fugitive unit at (856) 548-5485 or provide an anonymous text message. Text GLOTIP and the message and 274637.
July 14, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
In a cooperative investigation by the FBI Violent Offender Task force, the Deptford Township (NJ) Police Department and the Gloucester County (NJ) Prosecutor’s Office fugitive unit, two men were charged today (7/14) with armed robbery of The Bank on Park Avenue in Deptford NJ on May 9, 2011 in which an Uzi-style submachine gun was used by one of two masked men.
One of the suspects, Dwayne Tribbett (DOB 5/20/80), whose last address was 1026 Lippincott Ave., Woodbury NJ, remains at large.
The other accused in the robbery is Warren Christopher Davis (DOB 5/29/80), of 1256 Octagon Rd., Camden NJ. He is under arrest.
Both men are charged by Deptford police with first-degree robbery, first-degree conspiracy to commit robbery and third-degree theft over $10,000. Davis also is charged with second-degree unlawful possession of a weapon; second-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose; second-degree certain persons not to have a weapon; fourth-degree possession of a large capacity ammo magazine and fourth-degree pointing a firearm at another. Bail for both was set today at $200,000.
Davis has been in the Gloucester County Jail since his July 1 arrest in Camden on a bench warrant for failure to appear for a June 15 court hearing in Woodbury on a criminal restraint charge in Paulsboro. Davis also had outstanding arrest arrants
for failure to make child support payments and car theft in Philadelphia. Officers of the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force and the GCPO fugitive unit arrested Davis.
The investigation leading to today’s charges utilized leads developed from several informants. Locating Davis, who has lived in Camden and Gloucester counties, was challenging, since he apparently believed he was being sought for the bank hold-up.
Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Dwayne Tribbett is asked to contact Sgt. Barry Johnson of the GCPO fugitive unit at (856) 548-5485 or provide an anonymous text message. Text GLOTIP and the message and 274637.
New Charges in W. Dept Stabbing
PRESS RELEASE
July 6, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
Jacob Rodriguez (DOB 11/9/76), of the Red Bank Run apartment complex in West Deptford NJ today (7/6) was charged with two counts of endangering the welfare of a child, stemming from a June 22 knife attack that critically injured his 26-year-old girlfriend, who is the mother of two children.
Rodriguez, who had an intermittent relationship with Brittany L. Hickman for about five years, had been living with her for about four weeks when the stabbing occurred in their apartment in the “R” building of the complex. After sustaining multiple wounds on her arms, legs and torso, she was able to reach the door of a neighbor’s unit before collapsing. Her five-year-old son and a two year-old daughter, who is also Rodriguez’ child, were in the couple’s apartment. They were not physically harmed. Hickman remains in Cooper Medical Center, Camden. She is no longer in the intensive care unit. The children were placed with a relative.
Rodriguez fled from the apartment and was arrested on attempted murder and weapons charges in Runnemede NJ the night of the stabbing. Today’s charges accuse him of endangering the children by leaving them “alone and unattended” after stabbing their mother, “leaving her incapacitated and unable to care” for them. Rodriguez remains in the Gloucester County Jail in default of $200.000 bail. He was denied a bail reduction last week, The bail now covers the endangering charges filed by the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office.
July 6, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
Jacob Rodriguez (DOB 11/9/76), of the Red Bank Run apartment complex in West Deptford NJ today (7/6) was charged with two counts of endangering the welfare of a child, stemming from a June 22 knife attack that critically injured his 26-year-old girlfriend, who is the mother of two children.
Rodriguez, who had an intermittent relationship with Brittany L. Hickman for about five years, had been living with her for about four weeks when the stabbing occurred in their apartment in the “R” building of the complex. After sustaining multiple wounds on her arms, legs and torso, she was able to reach the door of a neighbor’s unit before collapsing. Her five-year-old son and a two year-old daughter, who is also Rodriguez’ child, were in the couple’s apartment. They were not physically harmed. Hickman remains in Cooper Medical Center, Camden. She is no longer in the intensive care unit. The children were placed with a relative.
Rodriguez fled from the apartment and was arrested on attempted murder and weapons charges in Runnemede NJ the night of the stabbing. Today’s charges accuse him of endangering the children by leaving them “alone and unattended” after stabbing their mother, “leaving her incapacitated and unable to care” for them. Rodriguez remains in the Gloucester County Jail in default of $200.000 bail. He was denied a bail reduction last week, The bail now covers the endangering charges filed by the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office.
New Charges in W. Dept Stabbing
PRESS RELEASE
July 6, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
Jacob Rodriguez (DOB 11/9/76), of the Red Bank Run apartment complex in West Deptford NJ today (7/6) was charged with two counts of endangering the welfare of a child, stemming from a June 22 knife attack that critically injured his 26-year-old girlfriend, who is the mother of two children.
Rodriguez, who had an intermittent relationship with Brittany L. Hickman for about five years, had been living with her for about four weeks when the stabbing occurred in their apartment in the “R” building of the complex. After sustaining multiple wounds on her arms, legs and torso, she was able to reach the door of a neighbor’s unit before collapsing. Her five-year-old son and a two year-old daughter, who is also Rodriguez’ child, were in the couple’s apartment. They were not physically harmed. Hickman remains in Cooper Medical Center, Camden. She is no longer in the intensive care unit. The children were placed with a relative.
Rodriguez fled from the apartment and was arrested on attempted murder and weapons charges in Runnemede NJ the night of the stabbing. Today’s charges accuse him of endangering the children by leaving them “alone and unattended” after stabbing their mother, “leaving her incapacitated and unable to care” for them. Rodriguez remains in the Gloucester County Jail in default of $200.000 bail. He was denied a bail reduction last week, The bail now covers the endangering charges filed by the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office.
July 6, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
Jacob Rodriguez (DOB 11/9/76), of the Red Bank Run apartment complex in West Deptford NJ today (7/6) was charged with two counts of endangering the welfare of a child, stemming from a June 22 knife attack that critically injured his 26-year-old girlfriend, who is the mother of two children.
Rodriguez, who had an intermittent relationship with Brittany L. Hickman for about five years, had been living with her for about four weeks when the stabbing occurred in their apartment in the “R” building of the complex. After sustaining multiple wounds on her arms, legs and torso, she was able to reach the door of a neighbor’s unit before collapsing. Her five-year-old son and a two year-old daughter, who is also Rodriguez’ child, were in the couple’s apartment. They were not physically harmed. Hickman remains in Cooper Medical Center, Camden. She is no longer in the intensive care unit. The children were placed with a relative.
Rodriguez fled from the apartment and was arrested on attempted murder and weapons charges in Runnemede NJ the night of the stabbing. Today’s charges accuse him of endangering the children by leaving them “alone and unattended” after stabbing their mother, “leaving her incapacitated and unable to care” for them. Rodriguez remains in the Gloucester County Jail in default of $200.000 bail. He was denied a bail reduction last week, The bail now covers the endangering charges filed by the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office.
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Prosecutor Backs Mentoring Group
PRESS RELEASE
July 6, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
Gloucester County Prosecutor Sean F. Dalton on Tuesday (7/5) presented a check for $500 to members of the four-year-old Concerned Black Men of Gloucester County to support a summer mentoring program for teenage boys from the City of Woodbury.
“You’re filling a void,” Dalton told Robert Green, of Wenonah, Tracy McMillan of Westville and Julius Farmer of Woodbury, who have planned a summer of academic and life skills mentoring and field trips to museums, ball games and to the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office. The group hopes to attract up to 25 boys between the ages of 10 and 16.
“The fact that you’re taking them on these trips and so forth is just great, in addition to being good role models,” said Dalton, who drew the donation from seized drug investigation funds.
Green, a Mobil retiree, said the group began with ten men in 2007 and now numbers five. “We were all retired men and not everyone was enthusiastic enough to hang with it,” he said. He has, an undiscouraged Green said. “I have a large family. I’m from a large family. We worked in the Sunday schools. Kids have been part of my life all of my life. That’s what God left me here for, to mentor kids.”
Anyone interested in supporting the group can contact Green at (856) 415-1789 or write him at199 Linden St., Wenonah 08090 or P.O. box 372, Woodbury 08096.
July 6, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
Gloucester County Prosecutor Sean F. Dalton on Tuesday (7/5) presented a check for $500 to members of the four-year-old Concerned Black Men of Gloucester County to support a summer mentoring program for teenage boys from the City of Woodbury.
“You’re filling a void,” Dalton told Robert Green, of Wenonah, Tracy McMillan of Westville and Julius Farmer of Woodbury, who have planned a summer of academic and life skills mentoring and field trips to museums, ball games and to the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office. The group hopes to attract up to 25 boys between the ages of 10 and 16.
“The fact that you’re taking them on these trips and so forth is just great, in addition to being good role models,” said Dalton, who drew the donation from seized drug investigation funds.
Green, a Mobil retiree, said the group began with ten men in 2007 and now numbers five. “We were all retired men and not everyone was enthusiastic enough to hang with it,” he said. He has, an undiscouraged Green said. “I have a large family. I’m from a large family. We worked in the Sunday schools. Kids have been part of my life all of my life. That’s what God left me here for, to mentor kids.”
Anyone interested in supporting the group can contact Green at (856) 415-1789 or write him at199 Linden St., Wenonah 08090 or P.O. box 372, Woodbury 08096.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
33 Yrs NJSP in Greenwich NJ Child Sex Abuse
PRESS RELEASE
July 1, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
Michael L. Pavlyik (DOB 9/16/70), a former resident of Greenwich Township, Gloucester County NJ was sentenced today to 33 years in New Jersey state prison on seven counts of sexually assaulting and endangering his stepdaughter, starting when she was eight years old and continuing for more than two years.
Pavlyik was convicted of all crimes charged in a jury trial that ended 4/1/11. He was found guilty of committing sexual intercourse, multiple acts of oral sex, fondling the victim and showing pornographic material to her on a home computer. He was arrested on the charges by the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office in March 2007. He has been in jail since his conviction, his bail revoked.
Pavlyik also was found guilty of possessing an explosive device- a nine-inch tube filled with black powder- found in his former 180 Harmony Rd. residence.
Praising the courage of the victim for coming forward and noting that the defendant remains remorseless over what he called “horrible acts,” Superior Court Judge Walter L. Marshall Jr. rejected defense requests to sentence Pavlyik as if the primary offenses were second-degree (5-10 yrs) rather than first degree (10-20 yrs). He also ruled that at least one consecutive sentence was in order on the three first-degree sexual assault counts because of the time frame in which the crimes occurred, and he imposed the sentence in that fashion- two 18-year terms that run concurrently and a consecutive 15 year term, for a total of 33 years.
“These clearly are separate crimes occurring at separate times over a period of at least three years,” the judge said. He noted that while the oral sex crimes occurred close in time to each other, the sexual intercourse for which he imposed 15 years was entirely separate.
Pavlyik must serve 85 percent of the 33 year term before being considered for parole. Upon release he will be subject to 15 years of supervision and the conditions of Megan’s Law for sex offenders.
Pavlyik additionally was sentenced to concurrent eight year terms on four second-degree sexual assault counts and five years each for the obscene material and explosive device convictions. Judge Marshall ordered $1795.79 in restitution for victim counseling costs.
The incidents took place while the stepdaughter, who testified in Pavlyik’s trial, visited her biological mother in Greenwich Township. She lives in Maryland with her biological father.
Prior to sentencing, Judge Marshall denied a motion for a new trial, saying the rulings he made in Pavlyik’s trial were appropriate.
Senior Assistant Gloucester County Prosecutor Audrey Curwin, who presented the case against Pavlyik, read a letter from the victim about the “torture” of her experiences and her self-blame, but also about her resilience. “I’ve been through hell and I’m still trying to find my way back,” she wrote. Her father also spoke, asking the court to consider his daughter’s life “has been turned upside down.”
Curwin had argued for consecutive sentences, saying “this was not something which was an act of aberrant behavior” in a limited time span. “These were ongoing physical sexual assaults upon a child for years.”
July 1, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
Michael L. Pavlyik (DOB 9/16/70), a former resident of Greenwich Township, Gloucester County NJ was sentenced today to 33 years in New Jersey state prison on seven counts of sexually assaulting and endangering his stepdaughter, starting when she was eight years old and continuing for more than two years.
Pavlyik was convicted of all crimes charged in a jury trial that ended 4/1/11. He was found guilty of committing sexual intercourse, multiple acts of oral sex, fondling the victim and showing pornographic material to her on a home computer. He was arrested on the charges by the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office in March 2007. He has been in jail since his conviction, his bail revoked.
Pavlyik also was found guilty of possessing an explosive device- a nine-inch tube filled with black powder- found in his former 180 Harmony Rd. residence.
Praising the courage of the victim for coming forward and noting that the defendant remains remorseless over what he called “horrible acts,” Superior Court Judge Walter L. Marshall Jr. rejected defense requests to sentence Pavlyik as if the primary offenses were second-degree (5-10 yrs) rather than first degree (10-20 yrs). He also ruled that at least one consecutive sentence was in order on the three first-degree sexual assault counts because of the time frame in which the crimes occurred, and he imposed the sentence in that fashion- two 18-year terms that run concurrently and a consecutive 15 year term, for a total of 33 years.
“These clearly are separate crimes occurring at separate times over a period of at least three years,” the judge said. He noted that while the oral sex crimes occurred close in time to each other, the sexual intercourse for which he imposed 15 years was entirely separate.
Pavlyik must serve 85 percent of the 33 year term before being considered for parole. Upon release he will be subject to 15 years of supervision and the conditions of Megan’s Law for sex offenders.
Pavlyik additionally was sentenced to concurrent eight year terms on four second-degree sexual assault counts and five years each for the obscene material and explosive device convictions. Judge Marshall ordered $1795.79 in restitution for victim counseling costs.
The incidents took place while the stepdaughter, who testified in Pavlyik’s trial, visited her biological mother in Greenwich Township. She lives in Maryland with her biological father.
Prior to sentencing, Judge Marshall denied a motion for a new trial, saying the rulings he made in Pavlyik’s trial were appropriate.
Senior Assistant Gloucester County Prosecutor Audrey Curwin, who presented the case against Pavlyik, read a letter from the victim about the “torture” of her experiences and her self-blame, but also about her resilience. “I’ve been through hell and I’m still trying to find my way back,” she wrote. Her father also spoke, asking the court to consider his daughter’s life “has been turned upside down.”
Curwin had argued for consecutive sentences, saying “this was not something which was an act of aberrant behavior” in a limited time span. “These were ongoing physical sexual assaults upon a child for years.”
Man Sought in Heights Shooting Arrested in Phila.
PRESS RELEASE
July 1, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
Joseph Evola, (DOB 10/4/68) formerly of Lumberton NJ, wanted in connection with the shooting and wounding of a Woodbury Heights NJ man outside his home on Monday (6/27), has been arrested in Philadelphia.
The 2:45 p.m. arrest Thursday (6/30) at a pizza shop at 2461 Grant Ave. in Northeast Philadelphia was by members of the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s fugitive unit and members of the U.S. Marshal’s Fugitive Task Force in Camden. It was without incident. Evola was not carrying a weapon.
Evola is charged with two counts of aggravated assault- one with a deadly weapon, unlawful possession of a handgun, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, theft and eluding police. Evola fled from the scene of the shooting on Park Avenue in Woodbury Heights in a vehicle stolen in Philadelphia, which he crashed at a Gloucester City NJ exit of Route 676. He then fled from the crashed car.
Bail for Evola was set at $75,000 on the New Jersey charges. He is being held in Philadelphia on a fugitive warrant pending an extradition hearing.
The 52-year-old victim was wounded in the thigh and a finger by a shot fired from a 9 mm handgun. He was treated at Cooper Medical Center in Camden and released the evening of the shooting. The incident occurred when the victim left his home to investigate his son’s report of a stranger in a car outside the residence.
“We are pleased to get this dangerous individual off the streets, thanks to the outstanding work of the U.S. Marshals, the Woodbury Heights Police Department and the GCPO fugitive unit,” said Prosecutor Sean F. Dalton.
July 1, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
Joseph Evola, (DOB 10/4/68) formerly of Lumberton NJ, wanted in connection with the shooting and wounding of a Woodbury Heights NJ man outside his home on Monday (6/27), has been arrested in Philadelphia.
The 2:45 p.m. arrest Thursday (6/30) at a pizza shop at 2461 Grant Ave. in Northeast Philadelphia was by members of the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s fugitive unit and members of the U.S. Marshal’s Fugitive Task Force in Camden. It was without incident. Evola was not carrying a weapon.
Evola is charged with two counts of aggravated assault- one with a deadly weapon, unlawful possession of a handgun, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, theft and eluding police. Evola fled from the scene of the shooting on Park Avenue in Woodbury Heights in a vehicle stolen in Philadelphia, which he crashed at a Gloucester City NJ exit of Route 676. He then fled from the crashed car.
Bail for Evola was set at $75,000 on the New Jersey charges. He is being held in Philadelphia on a fugitive warrant pending an extradition hearing.
The 52-year-old victim was wounded in the thigh and a finger by a shot fired from a 9 mm handgun. He was treated at Cooper Medical Center in Camden and released the evening of the shooting. The incident occurred when the victim left his home to investigate his son’s report of a stranger in a car outside the residence.
“We are pleased to get this dangerous individual off the streets, thanks to the outstanding work of the U.S. Marshals, the Woodbury Heights Police Department and the GCPO fugitive unit,” said Prosecutor Sean F. Dalton.
Harrisonville NJ Man Pleads to CVS Robberies
PRESS RELEASE
June 30, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
Howard D. Lopez (DOB 4/20/81) of Harrison Township NJ pleaded guilty today (6/30) to robbing two CVS drug stores of painkiller pills in July 2010.
In a plea agreement, Assistant Gloucester County Prosecutor Joseph More will recommend Lopez be sentenced to four years in New Jersey state prison for each robbery, the terms to run concurrently. He will be ineligible for parole for 85 percent of the term (3 years, four months) and be subject to three years of parole supervision after prison.
Superior Court judge Walter L. Marshall Jr. scheduled sentencing for Aug. 19. Lopez has been held in the Gloucester County Jail in default of $100,000 bail since his 8/10/10 arrest.
In his guilty pleas, Lopez acknowledged he threatened employees of CVS stores in Franklin and Harrison townships, Gloucester County NJ on 7/19/10 and 7/28/10. His lawyer asked whether he told store workers he “would do bodily harm to them if they did not comply with giving him oxycodone pills” and Lopez said he did. He left with pills in both cases, he said.
June 30, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
Howard D. Lopez (DOB 4/20/81) of Harrison Township NJ pleaded guilty today (6/30) to robbing two CVS drug stores of painkiller pills in July 2010.
In a plea agreement, Assistant Gloucester County Prosecutor Joseph More will recommend Lopez be sentenced to four years in New Jersey state prison for each robbery, the terms to run concurrently. He will be ineligible for parole for 85 percent of the term (3 years, four months) and be subject to three years of parole supervision after prison.
Superior Court judge Walter L. Marshall Jr. scheduled sentencing for Aug. 19. Lopez has been held in the Gloucester County Jail in default of $100,000 bail since his 8/10/10 arrest.
In his guilty pleas, Lopez acknowledged he threatened employees of CVS stores in Franklin and Harrison townships, Gloucester County NJ on 7/19/10 and 7/28/10. His lawyer asked whether he told store workers he “would do bodily harm to them if they did not comply with giving him oxycodone pills” and Lopez said he did. He left with pills in both cases, he said.
Deptford Man Faces 7 Yrs NJSP in Stabbing
PRESS RELEASE
June 27, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
Brian S. Kramer (DOB 12/24/85) of 715 Glenside Ave., Deptford NJ pleaded guilty today to second-degree aggravated assault in a knife attack on a 46- year-old Deptford man at a baby shower at the defendant’s residence.
In a negotiated plea, Assistant Gloucester County Prosecutor Staci Scheetz will recommend that Kramer be sentenced to seven years in New Jersey State prison. Under the plea agreement, he will be ineligible for parole for nearly six years and will be subject to three years of parole supervision upon release from prison. Superior Court Judge M. Christine Allen-Jackson accepted the plea and scheduled sentencing for Aug. 12. He remains in the county jail in default of $50,000 bail.
In his plea, Kramer said the victim “was beating up on my little sister and a fight broke out” on 3/27/10. The victim sustained a laceration to the chest, a broken rib and a collapsed lung. Kramer was arrested at the scene. The victim was identified as the ex-boyfriend of Kramer’s aunt, who considers Kramer her son. The sister Kramer alluded to is his cousin, who was having the baby shower.
A codefendant in the case, Timothy Lockhart (DOB 12/10/61) of 245 Amherst St., Deptford is charged with aggravated assault for allegedly striking another man at the party who sustained a broken eye socket. Lockhart has a court hearing Tuesday (6/28).
June 27, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
Brian S. Kramer (DOB 12/24/85) of 715 Glenside Ave., Deptford NJ pleaded guilty today to second-degree aggravated assault in a knife attack on a 46- year-old Deptford man at a baby shower at the defendant’s residence.
In a negotiated plea, Assistant Gloucester County Prosecutor Staci Scheetz will recommend that Kramer be sentenced to seven years in New Jersey State prison. Under the plea agreement, he will be ineligible for parole for nearly six years and will be subject to three years of parole supervision upon release from prison. Superior Court Judge M. Christine Allen-Jackson accepted the plea and scheduled sentencing for Aug. 12. He remains in the county jail in default of $50,000 bail.
In his plea, Kramer said the victim “was beating up on my little sister and a fight broke out” on 3/27/10. The victim sustained a laceration to the chest, a broken rib and a collapsed lung. Kramer was arrested at the scene. The victim was identified as the ex-boyfriend of Kramer’s aunt, who considers Kramer her son. The sister Kramer alluded to is his cousin, who was having the baby shower.
A codefendant in the case, Timothy Lockhart (DOB 12/10/61) of 245 Amherst St., Deptford is charged with aggravated assault for allegedly striking another man at the party who sustained a broken eye socket. Lockhart has a court hearing Tuesday (6/28).
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Woodbury Heights NJ Man Shot, Wounded Outside Home
PRESS RELEASE
June 27, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
A 52-year-old Woodbury Heights NJ man was shot and wounded in the leg and hand outside his Park Avenue home about 9:24 Monday night, after which the unknown assailant fled in a stolen car that he crashed at a Route 676 exit in Gloucester City.
The gunman, who used a 9 mm handgun, fled from the crashed car and is still being sought. He is described as a white male, in his 30s, about six feet tall and about 180 pounds. He was said to be wearing black shorts and a white tank top.
The vehicle he fled in, pursued by Woodbury Heights police, was a black sedan stolen in Pennsylvania.
The victim, who was shot through a thigh and also struck in a finger by a single shot, was treated at Cooper Medical Center in Camden and released.
The shooting occurred after the victim’s son noticed a man he did not recognize in a car outside the Park Avenue residence and informed his father. The victim, shot when he went outside to investigate, told police he did not recognize the gunman’s voice.
Anyone with information about the incident can contact Det. Stacie Lick of the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office at (856) 384-5608 or use the GCPO’s anonymous text messaging system. Text GLOTIP, the message and CRIMES.
June 27, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
A 52-year-old Woodbury Heights NJ man was shot and wounded in the leg and hand outside his Park Avenue home about 9:24 Monday night, after which the unknown assailant fled in a stolen car that he crashed at a Route 676 exit in Gloucester City.
The gunman, who used a 9 mm handgun, fled from the crashed car and is still being sought. He is described as a white male, in his 30s, about six feet tall and about 180 pounds. He was said to be wearing black shorts and a white tank top.
The vehicle he fled in, pursued by Woodbury Heights police, was a black sedan stolen in Pennsylvania.
The victim, who was shot through a thigh and also struck in a finger by a single shot, was treated at Cooper Medical Center in Camden and released.
The shooting occurred after the victim’s son noticed a man he did not recognize in a car outside the Park Avenue residence and informed his father. The victim, shot when he went outside to investigate, told police he did not recognize the gunman’s voice.
Anyone with information about the incident can contact Det. Stacie Lick of the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office at (856) 384-5608 or use the GCPO’s anonymous text messaging system. Text GLOTIP, the message and CRIMES.
Deptford Man Faces 7 Yrs NJSP in Stabbing
PRESS RELEASE
June 27, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
Brian S. Kramer (DOB 12/24/85) of 715 Glenside Ave., Deptford NJ pleaded guilty today to second-degree aggravated assault in a knife attack on a 46- year-old Deptford man at a baby shower at the defendant’s residence.
In a negotiated plea, Assistant Gloucester County Prosecutor Staci Scheetz will recommend that Kramer be sentenced to seven years in New Jersey State prison. Under the plea agreement, he will be ineligible for parole for nearly six years and will be subject to three years of parole supervision upon release from prison. Superior Court Judge M. Christine Allen-Jackson accepted the plea and scheduled sentencing for Aug. 12. He remains in the county jail in default of $50,000 bail.
In his plea, Kramer said the victim “was beating up on my little sister and a fight broke out” on 3/27/10. The victim sustained a laceration to the chest, a broken rib and a collapsed lung. Kramer was arrested at the scene. The victim was identified as the ex-boyfriend of Kramer’s aunt, who considers Kramer her son. The sister Kramer alluded to is his cousin, who was having the baby shower.
A codefendant in the case, Timothy Lockhart (DOB 12/10/61) of 245 Amherst St., Deptford is charged with aggravated assault for allegedly striking another man at the party who sustained a broken eye socket.
June 27, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
Brian S. Kramer (DOB 12/24/85) of 715 Glenside Ave., Deptford NJ pleaded guilty today to second-degree aggravated assault in a knife attack on a 46- year-old Deptford man at a baby shower at the defendant’s residence.
In a negotiated plea, Assistant Gloucester County Prosecutor Staci Scheetz will recommend that Kramer be sentenced to seven years in New Jersey State prison. Under the plea agreement, he will be ineligible for parole for nearly six years and will be subject to three years of parole supervision upon release from prison. Superior Court Judge M. Christine Allen-Jackson accepted the plea and scheduled sentencing for Aug. 12. He remains in the county jail in default of $50,000 bail.
In his plea, Kramer said the victim “was beating up on my little sister and a fight broke out” on 3/27/10. The victim sustained a laceration to the chest, a broken rib and a collapsed lung. Kramer was arrested at the scene. The victim was identified as the ex-boyfriend of Kramer’s aunt, who considers Kramer her son. The sister Kramer alluded to is his cousin, who was having the baby shower.
A codefendant in the case, Timothy Lockhart (DOB 12/10/61) of 245 Amherst St., Deptford is charged with aggravated assault for allegedly striking another man at the party who sustained a broken eye socket.
Friday, June 24, 2011
W. Deptford Officer Becomes GCPO Det.
PRESS RELEASE
June 24, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
Brandon Cohen, a seven year-veteran of the West Deptford Township (NJ) Police Department, has been sworn in as a detective with the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office.
Cohen, whose father retired as principal of West Deptford High School, will be assigned to the GCPO fugitive unit.
A West Deptford detective for the past 18 months, Cohen “comes highly recommended and has had an outstanding law enforcement career,” said Prosecutor Sean F. Dalton at a swearing-in ceremony Monday (6/20).
The prosecutor told Cohen he’s joining a group of investigators for whom “the mission is the most important thing,” who work well together and with other agencies. “I know you will teach us something and these guys will teach you some things as well,” he said.
GCPO Chief of Investigators Fred Suter said he once conducted a test of Cohen’s professionalism when he happened to be in West Deptford on police work and was invited to “mess with the new guy.” Suter said he got into the back of a cruiser and pretended to be an arrested subject. “I tried pushing all the buttons to see how he would react. He had a couple of good lines he came back with, but he was professional all the time. Several years later, I can see your reputation precedes
you, as a talented investigator and quality law enforcement officer.” Suter also thanked West Deptford Chief Craig Mangano for a “cooperative working relationship” with the GCPO.
June 24, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
Brandon Cohen, a seven year-veteran of the West Deptford Township (NJ) Police Department, has been sworn in as a detective with the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office.
Cohen, whose father retired as principal of West Deptford High School, will be assigned to the GCPO fugitive unit.
A West Deptford detective for the past 18 months, Cohen “comes highly recommended and has had an outstanding law enforcement career,” said Prosecutor Sean F. Dalton at a swearing-in ceremony Monday (6/20).
The prosecutor told Cohen he’s joining a group of investigators for whom “the mission is the most important thing,” who work well together and with other agencies. “I know you will teach us something and these guys will teach you some things as well,” he said.
GCPO Chief of Investigators Fred Suter said he once conducted a test of Cohen’s professionalism when he happened to be in West Deptford on police work and was invited to “mess with the new guy.” Suter said he got into the back of a cruiser and pretended to be an arrested subject. “I tried pushing all the buttons to see how he would react. He had a couple of good lines he came back with, but he was professional all the time. Several years later, I can see your reputation precedes
you, as a talented investigator and quality law enforcement officer.” Suter also thanked West Deptford Chief Craig Mangano for a “cooperative working relationship” with the GCPO.
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