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.
Friday, June 24, 2011
Attempted Murder Charge in W. Deptford Stabbing
PRESS RELEASE
June 23, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
Jacob Rodriguez (DOB 11/9/76) was arrested Wednesday night (6/22) on charges that he attempted to murder his 26-year-old girlfriend by stabbing and slashing her earlier in the evening in the Red Bank Run apartment they shared in West Deptford NJ.
Critically injured in the attack was Brittany L. Hickman, who is in the trauma unit of Cooper Medical Center, Camden. West Deptford police found her semi-conscious and bleeding outside apartment building “R” shortly after 6 p.m. She had sustained multiple knife wounds but was able to reach the door of a neighbor, who made the 911 call.
Rodriguez, who had at least one prior domestic violence incident involving Hickman last year, surrendered through a friend to officers from several law enforcement agencies in Runmemede NJ at 10:16 p.m. He drove away from West Deptford in a Mercury automobile, which police recovered. He is being held in the Gloucester County Jail, Woodbury in default of $200,000 bail on attempted murder and weapons charges.
Two children in the household, a five-year-old son of Hickman’s and a two-year-old daughter who was the child of Hickman and Rodriguez, have been placed through the State Division of Youth and Family Services with relatives.
The incident is being investigated by the West Deptford Police Department and the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office major crimes unit, assisted by the GCPO crime scene and fugitive units.
In the 2010 domestic violence case, West Deptford police charged Rodriguez with stalking and harassment of Hickman on June 23. A temporary restraining order was issued and later withdrawn by Hickman. With Hickman’s concurrence, the charges were remanded to West Deptford municipal court, where they were placed on “hold” 1/18/11 for a six month period and would have been dismissed had no other incidents occurred.
June 23, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
Jacob Rodriguez (DOB 11/9/76) was arrested Wednesday night (6/22) on charges that he attempted to murder his 26-year-old girlfriend by stabbing and slashing her earlier in the evening in the Red Bank Run apartment they shared in West Deptford NJ.
Critically injured in the attack was Brittany L. Hickman, who is in the trauma unit of Cooper Medical Center, Camden. West Deptford police found her semi-conscious and bleeding outside apartment building “R” shortly after 6 p.m. She had sustained multiple knife wounds but was able to reach the door of a neighbor, who made the 911 call.
Rodriguez, who had at least one prior domestic violence incident involving Hickman last year, surrendered through a friend to officers from several law enforcement agencies in Runmemede NJ at 10:16 p.m. He drove away from West Deptford in a Mercury automobile, which police recovered. He is being held in the Gloucester County Jail, Woodbury in default of $200,000 bail on attempted murder and weapons charges.
Two children in the household, a five-year-old son of Hickman’s and a two-year-old daughter who was the child of Hickman and Rodriguez, have been placed through the State Division of Youth and Family Services with relatives.
The incident is being investigated by the West Deptford Police Department and the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office major crimes unit, assisted by the GCPO crime scene and fugitive units.
In the 2010 domestic violence case, West Deptford police charged Rodriguez with stalking and harassment of Hickman on June 23. A temporary restraining order was issued and later withdrawn by Hickman. With Hickman’s concurrence, the charges were remanded to West Deptford municipal court, where they were placed on “hold” 1/18/11 for a six month period and would have been dismissed had no other incidents occurred.
Grant Increased for Fighting Underage Drinking
PRESS RELEASE
June 21, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
The Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office has received its seventh annual renewal of a state grant to enforce a ban on selling alcoholic beverages to minors.
The $24,000 “Cops In Shops” award from the New Jersey Department of Law and Public Safety’s Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control, up from $18,000 last year, will be allocated from June 1, 2011 to May 31, 2012. The program posts trained undercover officers inside participating Gloucester County package goods stores, posing as a customer or employee, or places officers in hidden locations in stores to observe transactions. Police also may work outside the store, watching for adults buying liquor or beer for anyone under age 21. Any would-be purchaser who is underage or an adult purchasing for a minor is subject to arrest.
In 31 operations under the previous grant, there were 45 arrests on 53 charges of illegally buying alcoholic beverages and other offenses. In the past six years, 326 persons have been arrested on 488 charges, including drunk driving, outstanding warrants, drug possession and possession of open containers of alcoholic drinks.
“We have a great partnership between our liquor retailers and law enforcement to address underage drinking,” said Gloucester County Prosecutor Sean F. Dalton. “This program is not just about making arrests, but was developed to prevent serious tragedies from occurring when you mix alcohol with young individuals.”
June 21, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
The Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office has received its seventh annual renewal of a state grant to enforce a ban on selling alcoholic beverages to minors.
The $24,000 “Cops In Shops” award from the New Jersey Department of Law and Public Safety’s Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control, up from $18,000 last year, will be allocated from June 1, 2011 to May 31, 2012. The program posts trained undercover officers inside participating Gloucester County package goods stores, posing as a customer or employee, or places officers in hidden locations in stores to observe transactions. Police also may work outside the store, watching for adults buying liquor or beer for anyone under age 21. Any would-be purchaser who is underage or an adult purchasing for a minor is subject to arrest.
In 31 operations under the previous grant, there were 45 arrests on 53 charges of illegally buying alcoholic beverages and other offenses. In the past six years, 326 persons have been arrested on 488 charges, including drunk driving, outstanding warrants, drug possession and possession of open containers of alcoholic drinks.
“We have a great partnership between our liquor retailers and law enforcement to address underage drinking,” said Gloucester County Prosecutor Sean F. Dalton. “This program is not just about making arrests, but was developed to prevent serious tragedies from occurring when you mix alcohol with young individuals.”
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Man Pleads to 2 NJ Bank Robberies, Attempted Disarming
PRESS RELEASE
June 20, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
Thomas A. Struss, (DOB 9/4/75) a former West Deptford NJ resident, pleaded guilty today (6/20) to committing two bank robberies in Gloucester County NJ within days of each other in July 2010, and admitted he attempted to disarm a Gloucester County sheriff’s officer at Underwood-Memorial Hospital in Woodbury NJ in August 2010.
Under terms of a negotiated plea, the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office will recommend that Struss, currently serving a three-year state prison sentence for narcotics possession, be sentenced to ten years in New Jersey state prison. He will be ineligible for parole until he serves 85 percent of the sentence, and will be subject to five years of parole supervision after leaving prison.
Superior Court Judge Walter L. Marshall Jr. accepted the pleas and set sentencing for Aug. 1.
Struss admitted he entered a TD Bank office in Mantua NJ on 7/22/10, threatened a teller that he would use a deadly weapon and fled with $922. He acknowledged doing the same at a TD Bank office in West Deptford NJ where more than $2,000 was taken from a teller. No weapon was shown in either robbery. West Deptford and Mantua police identified Struss from bank office camera images and prior law enforcement contacts by distinctive pointed tattoos on his neck. He was arrested at his residence in St. Regis Court in West Deptford on 7/28/10.
Struss also admitted that he attempted to gain control of a Gloucester County sheriff’s officer’s service weapon during a scuffle at Underwood-Memorial Hospital when officers escorted him there for treatment of an injury on 8/11/10.
June 20, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
Thomas A. Struss, (DOB 9/4/75) a former West Deptford NJ resident, pleaded guilty today (6/20) to committing two bank robberies in Gloucester County NJ within days of each other in July 2010, and admitted he attempted to disarm a Gloucester County sheriff’s officer at Underwood-Memorial Hospital in Woodbury NJ in August 2010.
Under terms of a negotiated plea, the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office will recommend that Struss, currently serving a three-year state prison sentence for narcotics possession, be sentenced to ten years in New Jersey state prison. He will be ineligible for parole until he serves 85 percent of the sentence, and will be subject to five years of parole supervision after leaving prison.
Superior Court Judge Walter L. Marshall Jr. accepted the pleas and set sentencing for Aug. 1.
Struss admitted he entered a TD Bank office in Mantua NJ on 7/22/10, threatened a teller that he would use a deadly weapon and fled with $922. He acknowledged doing the same at a TD Bank office in West Deptford NJ where more than $2,000 was taken from a teller. No weapon was shown in either robbery. West Deptford and Mantua police identified Struss from bank office camera images and prior law enforcement contacts by distinctive pointed tattoos on his neck. He was arrested at his residence in St. Regis Court in West Deptford on 7/28/10.
Struss also admitted that he attempted to gain control of a Gloucester County sheriff’s officer’s service weapon during a scuffle at Underwood-Memorial Hospital when officers escorted him there for treatment of an injury on 8/11/10.
Williamstown NJ Drowning
PRESS RELEASE
June 18, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
A 1 ½ year-old boy drowned in an in-ground swimming pool at 124 Hemlock Drive in the Forest Hills section of Williamstown NJ this morning (6/18), The drowning is believed to be accidental.
A 911 call was placed from the home at 11:11 a.m. after a teenage uncle of the child spotted him through a window of the home, floating in the pool. A family friend administered CPR to the child until emergency medical workers arrived. The boy, Kanye Wright, was transported to Kennedy Memorial Hospital in Washington Township NJ and was pronounced dead there at 12:15 p.m.
According to an investigation by the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office, the boy and his father, Waydale Wright, who reside in Glassboro, were at the Williamstown home of the boy’s grandmother. Kanye’s mother was at work. Waydale Wright was in the front yard, working on a vehicle he planned to sell. The grandmother had asked the boy’s two teenage uncles, ages 14 and 16, to look after him while she showered. Interviews indicated each uncle believed the other was watching Kanye. Apparently the boy left the house and made his way to the fenced pool, where the gate had been left open.
June 18, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
A 1 ½ year-old boy drowned in an in-ground swimming pool at 124 Hemlock Drive in the Forest Hills section of Williamstown NJ this morning (6/18), The drowning is believed to be accidental.
A 911 call was placed from the home at 11:11 a.m. after a teenage uncle of the child spotted him through a window of the home, floating in the pool. A family friend administered CPR to the child until emergency medical workers arrived. The boy, Kanye Wright, was transported to Kennedy Memorial Hospital in Washington Township NJ and was pronounced dead there at 12:15 p.m.
According to an investigation by the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office, the boy and his father, Waydale Wright, who reside in Glassboro, were at the Williamstown home of the boy’s grandmother. Kanye’s mother was at work. Waydale Wright was in the front yard, working on a vehicle he planned to sell. The grandmother had asked the boy’s two teenage uncles, ages 14 and 16, to look after him while she showered. Interviews indicated each uncle believed the other was watching Kanye. Apparently the boy left the house and made his way to the fenced pool, where the gate had been left open.
Appeals Court Denies PTI for Would-be Drug Dealer
PRESS RELEASE
June 15, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
Andrew J. Mendolia, of Glassboro, today lost an appeal of his 2009 rejection from Gloucester County’s pre-trial intervention program, which was based on his admitted possession of heroin and cocaine with intent to sell them when a police officer stopped him driving through West Deptford.
Mendolia (DOB 9/11/84), subsequently pleaded guilty Jan. 29, 2010 to third degree conspiracy to manufacture, distribute or dispense heroin or cocaine and was sentenced to two years on probation.
The Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office objected to Mendolia’s admission to PTI, which results in dismissal of a criminal charge after the defendant completes requirements such as community service or therapy. In a brief arguing against his participation in the program, Assistant Prosecutor Joseph Enos and GCPO intern Benjamin Teris cited a police report that said Mendolia “provided a written statement as to his intentions to sell the drugs to friends in Glassboro.”
“The facts of this case specifically mention the word “sell,’ not merely ‘share’ or distribute,’ the brief said. The defendant’s history also showed no personal drug use problems, the GCPO attorneys said. Therefore, the prosecutor’s opposition to PTI for Mendolia was “a rational decision,” they said.
The appeals court concurred, saying Mendolia “was involved in the distribution of cocaine for personal gain,” rather than to support an addiction.
June 15, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
Andrew J. Mendolia, of Glassboro, today lost an appeal of his 2009 rejection from Gloucester County’s pre-trial intervention program, which was based on his admitted possession of heroin and cocaine with intent to sell them when a police officer stopped him driving through West Deptford.
Mendolia (DOB 9/11/84), subsequently pleaded guilty Jan. 29, 2010 to third degree conspiracy to manufacture, distribute or dispense heroin or cocaine and was sentenced to two years on probation.
The Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office objected to Mendolia’s admission to PTI, which results in dismissal of a criminal charge after the defendant completes requirements such as community service or therapy. In a brief arguing against his participation in the program, Assistant Prosecutor Joseph Enos and GCPO intern Benjamin Teris cited a police report that said Mendolia “provided a written statement as to his intentions to sell the drugs to friends in Glassboro.”
“The facts of this case specifically mention the word “sell,’ not merely ‘share’ or distribute,’ the brief said. The defendant’s history also showed no personal drug use problems, the GCPO attorneys said. Therefore, the prosecutor’s opposition to PTI for Mendolia was “a rational decision,” they said.
The appeals court concurred, saying Mendolia “was involved in the distribution of cocaine for personal gain,” rather than to support an addiction.
Glassboro Man Faces Up to 20 Yrs on Cocaine, Weapons Conviction
PRESS RELEASE
June 17, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
Marcus Coley (DOB 6/17/73) of the Gateway Apartments, Glassboro was convicted in a jury trial today (6/17) of second-degree possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, possession with intent to distribute in a school zone and possession of dum-dum bullets.
As a result of prior convictions- two for drug distribution and one for illegal weapons possession- Coley is eligible for an extended prison sentence as if he had been convicted of a first-degree crime. The first-degree sentencing range is 10 to 20 years. Coley’s bail was revoked pending sentencing at the request of Assistant Gloucester County Prosecutor Alec Gutierrez, assisted in trial by Senior Assistant Paul Colangelo.
The charges resulted from execution of a search warrant by Glassboro police and the Gloucester County Special Weapons and Tactics team at Coley’s residence on April 16, 2009 in which a half-ounce of crack cocaine and seven hollow-nose bullets were seized. The residence was within 1,000 feet of the J. Harvey Rogers elementary school. During a three-day trial, the defense attempted to raise questions about whether Coley actually was in possession of the cocaine, some of which was found in his pants pockets.
June 17, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
Marcus Coley (DOB 6/17/73) of the Gateway Apartments, Glassboro was convicted in a jury trial today (6/17) of second-degree possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, possession with intent to distribute in a school zone and possession of dum-dum bullets.
As a result of prior convictions- two for drug distribution and one for illegal weapons possession- Coley is eligible for an extended prison sentence as if he had been convicted of a first-degree crime. The first-degree sentencing range is 10 to 20 years. Coley’s bail was revoked pending sentencing at the request of Assistant Gloucester County Prosecutor Alec Gutierrez, assisted in trial by Senior Assistant Paul Colangelo.
The charges resulted from execution of a search warrant by Glassboro police and the Gloucester County Special Weapons and Tactics team at Coley’s residence on April 16, 2009 in which a half-ounce of crack cocaine and seven hollow-nose bullets were seized. The residence was within 1,000 feet of the J. Harvey Rogers elementary school. During a three-day trial, the defense attempted to raise questions about whether Coley actually was in possession of the cocaine, some of which was found in his pants pockets.
4 Yrs NJSP for Mother of Malnourished Infant
PRESS RELEASE
June 17, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
Leah Bozarth (DOB 4/7/89), of Pittsgrove NJ was sentenced today to four years in New Jersey state prison after pleading guilty to second-degree child endangerment, causing her 15-month old son to be malnourished in 2009 while investigators found pizza boxes and cigarette cartons in her former Monroe Township NJ home.
Though Superior Court Judge M. Christine Allen-Jackson called the crime “particularly heinous” and the victim “particularly vulnerable,” she sentenced Bozarth in the range of a third-degree offense, owing to the defendant’s lack of a prior criminal record and her willingness to follow state Division of Youth and Family Service conditions to reunite with her son, now living with her parents.
Assistant Gloucester County Prosecutor Staci Scheetz asked for a longer imprisonment, saying “this was a very young child who was neglected and not fed. This child was completely dependent on Miss Bozarth and its father.” The child, weighing 15 pounds when found as a result of an anonymous call to DYFS, had “serious medical and developmental harm,” Scheetz said. She also cited a DYFS worker’s discovery of pizza boxes, cigarette cartons and fast food containers in the home. “There was certainly sufficient money for those items,” Scheetz said.
Child endangerment charges are still pending against the infant’s biological father, Peter Morselander (DOB 2/14/85), of Glassboro.
June 17, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
Leah Bozarth (DOB 4/7/89), of Pittsgrove NJ was sentenced today to four years in New Jersey state prison after pleading guilty to second-degree child endangerment, causing her 15-month old son to be malnourished in 2009 while investigators found pizza boxes and cigarette cartons in her former Monroe Township NJ home.
Though Superior Court Judge M. Christine Allen-Jackson called the crime “particularly heinous” and the victim “particularly vulnerable,” she sentenced Bozarth in the range of a third-degree offense, owing to the defendant’s lack of a prior criminal record and her willingness to follow state Division of Youth and Family Service conditions to reunite with her son, now living with her parents.
Assistant Gloucester County Prosecutor Staci Scheetz asked for a longer imprisonment, saying “this was a very young child who was neglected and not fed. This child was completely dependent on Miss Bozarth and its father.” The child, weighing 15 pounds when found as a result of an anonymous call to DYFS, had “serious medical and developmental harm,” Scheetz said. She also cited a DYFS worker’s discovery of pizza boxes, cigarette cartons and fast food containers in the home. “There was certainly sufficient money for those items,” Scheetz said.
Child endangerment charges are still pending against the infant’s biological father, Peter Morselander (DOB 2/14/85), of Glassboro.
Swedesboro Man Arrested in Assault that Paralyzed Victim
PRESS RELEASE
June 17, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
Interagency cooperation and use of technology led to the arrest Thursday (6/16) of Aaron Cook (DOB 5/25/76), of 214 Second Street, Swedesboro NJ on charges of second-degree aggravated assault on a 29-year-old Woodbury man who suffered a broken neck that left him paralyzed.
The attack occurred along Kings Highway in Woolwich Township NJ on June 9 when the victim arranged to meet Cook, who he believed had stolen tattooing equipment from him.
According to the criminal charges, the assailant grabbed the victim around the neck, lifted him off his feet, and threw him to the ground, head first. The victim’s girlfriend found him and called Woolwich police, who contacted the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office for assistance in locating the assailant, known to the victim only by the first letter of his first name. Through the GCPO fugitive unit, the name of the suspect was determined and an arrest warrant was issued. Several residences where Cook might be living were identified, though no long-term address was known since Cook had recently been released from federal prison. Data from an automated license plate reader system installed on some municipal police cars in recent years identified where a car belonging to a female acquaintance of Cook’s had been seen in the past week.
On Thursday afternoon, Cook was arrested by Woodbury police while a passenger in the female acquaintance’s car on North Broad Street. He is being held in the Gloucester County Jail in default of $75,000 bail.
Investigating the case were detectives T.J. Daniels of the Woolwich police, the GCPO fugitive unit and Agent Bill Donovan of the GCPO.
“This arrest would not have been possible without the outstanding cooperation and communication between the Woolwich and Woodbury police departments and the GCPO,” said Prosecutor Sean F. Dalton.
June 17, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bernie Weisenfeld- PIO
Interagency cooperation and use of technology led to the arrest Thursday (6/16) of Aaron Cook (DOB 5/25/76), of 214 Second Street, Swedesboro NJ on charges of second-degree aggravated assault on a 29-year-old Woodbury man who suffered a broken neck that left him paralyzed.
The attack occurred along Kings Highway in Woolwich Township NJ on June 9 when the victim arranged to meet Cook, who he believed had stolen tattooing equipment from him.
According to the criminal charges, the assailant grabbed the victim around the neck, lifted him off his feet, and threw him to the ground, head first. The victim’s girlfriend found him and called Woolwich police, who contacted the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office for assistance in locating the assailant, known to the victim only by the first letter of his first name. Through the GCPO fugitive unit, the name of the suspect was determined and an arrest warrant was issued. Several residences where Cook might be living were identified, though no long-term address was known since Cook had recently been released from federal prison. Data from an automated license plate reader system installed on some municipal police cars in recent years identified where a car belonging to a female acquaintance of Cook’s had been seen in the past week.
On Thursday afternoon, Cook was arrested by Woodbury police while a passenger in the female acquaintance’s car on North Broad Street. He is being held in the Gloucester County Jail in default of $75,000 bail.
Investigating the case were detectives T.J. Daniels of the Woolwich police, the GCPO fugitive unit and Agent Bill Donovan of the GCPO.
“This arrest would not have been possible without the outstanding cooperation and communication between the Woolwich and Woodbury police departments and the GCPO,” said Prosecutor Sean F. Dalton.
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