Nicholas J. DePue, photo via Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office
Nicholas DePue, the Monmouth Regional High School teacher who was fired last June after he was arrested and charged with second degree Sexual Assault and Endangering the Welfare of a Minor, pleaded guilty today to two counts of second degree Endangering the Welfare of Minor, before Monmouth County Superior Court Judge Josepeh W. Oxley in Freehold, according a report by ace Asbury Park Press reporter Kathleen Hopkins.
DePue admitted sending inappropriate text messages and/or having sexual physical contact with two female Monmouth Regional students, ages 16 and 17.
Three Asbury Park Men were charged with the 2009 murder of Jonelle Melton, a 33 year old Red Bank Middle School teacher.
Democrats Eric Houghtaling and Joann Downeydefeated Republican Assemblywomen Mary Pat Angelini and Caroline Casagrande in the 11th Legislative District. A Democratic SuperPac funded largely by the NJEA spent $1.5 million in the race, including television commercials implying that Angelini is inappropriately profiting from the drug abuse prevention non-profit that she leads.
For all the special interest money spent on behalf of the Democrats, Angelini lost to Downey by only 253 votes and the top vote getter, Houghtaling had only 713 votes more than the low vote getter, Casagrande. Low voter turnout in Republican strongholds Freehold Township and Colts Neck was the difference in the election.
Stacey Weathers, 46, of Tinton Falls, was killed on Saturday afternoon, October 3 when a tree fell onto her Mustang Convertible while she was driving southbound on Rt 34 in Colts Neck. Weathers was the executive director of the New Jersey chapter of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, where she helped raise $7 million to support patients and fund cancer research.
Matthew Kleinstein, 20, of Marlboro Township pleaded guilty to Cyber Harrassment and Endangering the Welfare of a Minor. Kleinstein admitted to “sexting” photos of his genitals via text message and SnapChat to four females, ages 11-13, while he was a camp counselor for the Marlboro Recreation Department during the summer of 2014. Kleinstein was sentenced to PTI for a minimum of one year. His criminal record will be expunged if he sucessfully complete’s the program.
Freeholder John P. Curleyreleased an anonymous letter that alleged improprieties in the County’s pilot Tax Assessment Demonstration Program. Curley called for the suspension of the program and referred the letter to the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office.
Three weeks later, the Asbury Park Press published an expose into potential ethical conflicts that occurred in the implementation of the program. In December, the Monmouth County Tax Board announced that municipalities could opt-out of the program for the 2017 tax year. APP has claimed credit, which arguably should go to Curley, for all actions taken regarding the ADP program since they published the expose.
Dylan Gowan, a 19 year old Highlands man, spent the the night of August 11 and early morning hours of August 12 on a buoy 4 miles off the coast of Sandy Hook after the wave runner he was riding from Brooklyn failed and while the U.S. Coast Guard and the NYPD Marine Unit searched New York Harbor for him via helicopter and boat.
Marissa Procopio, 15, of Atlantic Highlands was struck and killed on July 7 by a hit and run driver on Rt 36 in the Leonardo section of Middletown. Toni Ann Marletta, 49, of Leonardo was arrested and charged with Leaving the Scene of a Fatal Accident, No Insurance, and other Motor Vehicle offenses on July 15. Marletta was released from the custody of the Monmouth County Correctional Institution on August 4 after Judge Francis Vernoia allowed her to post 10% of her 150,000 bail. She remains free on bail pending trial.
The Procopio family filed a wrongful death suit against Marletta in December.
Leo Cervantes, the owner of Chilango’s Mexican Restaurant in Highlands and LaPlaya in Keansburg, was surprised to see himself featured in Governor Chris Christie’s first television commercial of the 2016 GOP presidential race. Cervantes was part of Christie’s Hispanic outreach in the 2013 gubernatorial campaign, but said he never heard from the presidential campaign and that he has not decided who to support for president.
The owner of a Freehold gymnastics facility that caters to teen and pre-teen girls was arrested on Monday and charged with two counts of third degree possession of child pornography, according to Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni.
Ronald L. Charles, 51, of Love Lane in Freehold Township attempted to send multiple images on child pornography from his personal email address, according a tip CyberTip received by the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office Computer Crimes Unit and the New Jersey Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Regional Task Force from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
Tamara Wilson-Seidle was shot and killed in Asbury Park by her ex-husband, Neptune Township Police Sgt Philip Seidle. Philip is awaiting trial on the murder and faces life in prison. Tami’s Legaciesis a facebook community set up to look after the nine Seidle children.
Led by former Monmouth County Clerk M.Claire French, the President, and former Monmouth County Prosecutor John Kaye, the Executive Director, the 200 Club is made up of leaders of business, industry, labor, public service, education and other professions including all of the Chiefs of Police of Monmouth County. Their goal is to provide financial assistance and comfort to families of law enforcement and first responders who are killed or disabled in the line of duty, as well as baccalaureate scholarships for their children.
In 2015, the 200 Club of Monmouth County gave scholarships to 107 children of law enforcement officers and first responders. Additionally, the club contributed generously to the Seidle family; the nine children of Tamara Wilson-Seidle who was killed by her ex-husband, Neptune Township Police Sgt Philip Seidle, in June. Kaye told MMM that the club paid the property taxes on the children’s home and gave them a $12,000 no strings attached check this month.
Christine Giordano Hanlondropped the “Acting” from her title and became Monmouth County Clerk when the NJ Senate unanimously confirmed her nomination to replace M.Claire French. Hanlon was elected to her own five year term on November 3.
U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman cleared Lt. Governor Kim Guadagno in the allegations lodged at her by Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer. Zimmer alleged that Guadagno delivered a message from Governor Chris Christie threatening to withhold Sandy relief funds if Hoboken did not approve a development application by the Rockefeller Group.
Former Manalapan Mayor Andrew Lucaswas sentenced to five years in federal prison for his convictions related to his acquisition of Burke Farm.
David Wildsteinpleaded guilty in the Bridgegate scandal, claiming that the George Washington Bridge lane closures in September of 2013 were political retribution against Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich for failing to endorse Governor Chris Christie’s reelection. Bridget Ann Kelly and Bill Baroni were indicted in the matter.Wildstein’s attorney claimed that Christie knew about the lane closures while they were occurring. Christie claimed that U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman’s indictment announcement cleared the governor of any wrong doing in the matter.
