HELP SOUGHT IDENTIFYING COLTS NECK STABBING SUSPECT

The Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office and the Colts Neck Police Department are seeking the public’s help in identifying the man seen in the sketch on the left.

The suspect is wanted for questioning about the stabbing of a 41-year-old Colts Neck woman inside her Bray Street home on Sunday, Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni announced.

A composite sketch is a drawing approximating a suspect’s facial appearance.  Please keep in mind that appearances such as hair styles, beards and moustaches are easily changed. People gain and lose weight.

Anyone who recognizes, believes they recognize the man in the sketch or has any information about this case is asked to call Detective Andrea Tozzi, of the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office at 1-800-533-7443, or Detective Richard Zarrillo, of the Colts Neck Police Department at 732-462-4343.

If you believe you may have information regarding the identification of the person depicted in the sketch, please contact either of the listed detectives whether or not you are 100 percent sure.  All leads will be followed up in an appropriate fashion.

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Former Asbury Park Housing Director Arrested

Mark W. Holmes

Mark W. Holmes, 52 of Lawrence Township (Mercer County), the former Executive Director of the Asbury Park Housing Authority, was arrested yesterday and charged with Second Degree Theft By Deception, according to a statement released by Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher Gramiconni.

The charges allege that Holmes, also a former Mayor and Councilman in Lawrence Township, stole in excess of $75,000 while directing Asbury Park’s 587 public housing units.  The funds came from a $99,897 Department of Labor and Work Force Development grant that was intended to pay for computer training and other marketable skills for the public housing residents.

Additionally, Holmes is charged with using the Housing Authority’s debit card and an American Express for personal expenses of almost $20,000 and for submitting reimbursement vouchers for $3,397.28 in expenses he charged to the American Express card.

The investigation was conducted by the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office of Financial Crimes and Public Corruption Bureau.  Assistant Prosecutor John Loughrey, director of the bureau, is prosecuting the case.

Holmes is currently living in public housing at Golden’s Palace in Freehold.  His bail is $70,000 with a 10% cash option. If convicted, he faces 5-10 years in State Prison.

Official Misconduct was not among the charges listed against Holmes in Gramiconni’s statement. Official Misconduct convictions in New Jersey require minimum imprisonment terms without eligibility for parole.

Holmes resigned his job suddenly in June of 2011.  In July of 2011 the Housing Commissioners asked federal housing officials and the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office to investigate financial mismanagement under Holmes’ watch. Holmes had held the job since late in 2008.

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The Right To Bare Arms, And Then Some

The New York City Police Department has reminded its 34,000 officers than women appearing in public “simply exposing their breasts” have committed no crime, according to a report in The New York Times.

New York’s highest court decided in 1992 the law which prohibited females exposing their breasts below the top of the areola violated the equal protection clauses of the Federal and New York Constitutions.  The equal protection clause is part of the 14th amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

Topless advocate Moira Johston says that baring breasts is a human rights issue and a health issue.  She says public toplessness would reduce the incidents of breast cancer. (Warning, the link features Johnston speaking topless, which is considered nude in New Jersey, but not in New York.)

New Jersey’s courts have taken a different view of female public toplessness.

In September of 2011 the Appellate Division of the New Jersey Superior Court upheld a Spring Lake Borough ordinance that considers female toplessness lewd and indecent.  Affirming a 2001 case, the Court ruled that there is no constitutional right for women to appear topless in public and that and restrictions on the exposure of the female breast are supported by the important governmental interest in safeguarding the public’s moral sensibilities.

As the summer season approaches, female beach goers and roadside rallyers are advised to keep their tops on in New Jersey.

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Prosecutor Seeks Help In Manalapan Car Fire Investigation

Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher Gramiccioni

Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni is asking the public to assist detectives in the investigation of a Manalapan car fire.

Manalapan police and fire departments responded to multiple ‘911’ calls at 4:11 a.m. on Monday, May 12, reporting a car fire at 8 Elisa Court. The fire was quickly extinguished and no injuries were reported. The fire is currently under investigation.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Charles Alaimo from the Manalapan Township Police Department at 732-446-4300 or Detective John Leibfried from the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office at 732-620-4022.

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Former Red Bank Mayor Arrested, Charged With DWI

Ed McKenna, Red Bank Green photo

Edward McKenna, 63, of Red Bank was involved in a one car accident while traveling north in a 2012 black Mercedes-Benz sedan on the Garden State Parkway at 9:50 pm Monday night.  The accident occurred at mile marker 108 in Tinton Falls. He was arrested by the New Jersey State Police and charged with Driving While Intoxicated, according the Sgt. Adam Grossman of the NJSP Public Information Office.

Grossman said that McKenna submitted to a breathalyzer test, but would not disclose the results.  Another law enforcement official familiar with the case said McKenna “blew very high.”

McKenna was the mayor of Red Bank from 1991 through 2006.  He is currently chairman of the New Jersey State Planning Commission.

In March of 2009 McKenna’s car struck a pedestrian in a crosswalk outside of Riverview Medical Center, according to RedBankGreen.  He was cited by the Red Bank Police with failure to yield to a pedestrian.  In October of 2000 he was involved in an accident at mile marker 110 on the Parkway, leaving the scene before police arrived, according to RBG.   McKenna said at the time that he identified himself to the other driver and left after waiting awhile for the police.  Later, the State Police visited his home where his wife told the troopers he had taken a pain killer for his shoulder and was sleeping.

McKenna was not available when we called his law office for comment.  This story will be updated if he calls back.

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Christie Announces His Anti-Violence Program

Keeping New  Jersey SAFE

Building on New Jersey’s already strong guns laws that rank  among the toughest in the country, Governor Chris Christie has a  comprehensive and responsible action plan to help reduce gun violence.   The plan focuses on four distinct areas:

• Responsibly Expanding New Jersey’s  Already Stringent Gun Control Measures
• Making Mental Health Treatment And  Screening Mandatory For Those Who Need It Most, And Making It Easier For  Health Professionals To Order Treatment For Individuals In Crisis
• Addressing The Influence Of Violence  In Video Games On Today’s Youth By Requiring Parental Consent
• Bolstering Criminal Penalties For  Gun-Related Crimes And Reforming Bail Laws To Keep Our Most Violent Offenders  Out Of Our Communities

RESPONSIBLY  EXPANDING NEW JERSEY’S ALREADY STRINGENT GUN CONTROL MEASURES

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Why the Christain Peter story matters…

…and why I wrote it

By Art Gallagher

As a political blogger, I expected that my story about former NFL player and convicted sex offender Christian Peter being on a Christie fund raising committee would be viewed in a political context.   Both Democrats and Republicans asked me, “Why are you taking a shot at Christie?”  “I’m not,” I replied, “I’m taking a shot at Peter.  I am close to a few sexual assault survivors and I am related to recovering alcoholics.  I don’t give sexual predators or addicts any slack.”  “Yeah, right,” they said, “you’re taking a shot at Christie.”  That’s they would be doing.

I confess, if I found out that Peter was on the host committee of a Menendez or Buono fundraiser, my inner partisan blogger would be inclined to make hay with that information.  But I would wait until after the fundraiser.  I would try to get photos taken at the fundraiser of Peter with the candidate and the other politicians present and then wait to use them to strike or counter-strike at the opportune time.  That’s how the game is played, as they say.   But sexual assault and the destructive wake of addiction is not a game for me.

So, my inner political blogger did my friends who will be attending the Christie fundraiser a favor.  Most that of them that I talked to before I published the story had either forgotten about or never knew of Peter’s history of violence against women, even though it was written about just four months ago in the New York Times.  Who would have guessed that my political friends don’t read the New York Times’ sports section?   Now they know about Peter’s history.  They can choose to pose for pictures with him, or have a drink with him, or not, with full knowledge of his history.

That’s part of why I wrote the story, but not the most important reason.

The story I wanted to write about Peter is a tale of how he’s turned his life around.  A tale about his triumph over his demons. About how he’s made amends to the people he has hurt. I wanted to write about how he is making a difference for battered women and how he’s training young athletes not to make the mistakes he’s made.

Read the rest of this entry »

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Report: Divorce negotiations lead to Birdsall Indictments

Birdsall Service Group’s marketing director told his estranged wife that his income wasn’t really as high as reported because his bonuses were reimbursements for campaign contributions. The wife was recording the conversation, according to a Star Ledger report on NJ.com.

It was about a year ago that Philip Angarone Jr., then the marketing director of Birdsall Services Group, met with his estranged wife to discuss how much money he was earning. He said he seemed to be making more than he actually was because of the large number of bonuses he had been collecting.Brunei

The bonuses, Angarone explained, were illegal reimbursements for political contributions he had made on behalf of the company.

What Angarone didn’t know was that his wary wife was secretly recording the conversation.

The Star Ledger says they obtained the information from a confidential affidavit filed in state court last week by the State Attorney General’s Office.  Neither the AG’s Office nor the Court released the document.

Birdsall and seven of its current or former executives were indicted last week for making illegal campaign contributions and filing false documents with the Election Law Enforcement Commission.  The firms assets were seized by the AG, under the authority of an order signed by Monmouth County Assignment Judge Lawrence M. Lawson.  The firm filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy, seeking to have its bank accounts unfrozen in order to meet payroll and perform engineering services under contract.

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Birdsall Engineering’s Assets Seized

The New Jersey Attorney General’s Office has seized the assets of Birdsall Services Group, the Eatontown based  engineering and consulting firm that does did business with Monmouth County and many government entities throughout the state, according to a Star Ledger report on NJ.com.

The firm and seven of it’s executives, including former CEO Howard Birdsall, were indicted on felony pay to play charges on Tuesday.  The indictments allege that the firm and the executives skirted New Jersey’s ELEC regulations by having employees make political contributions below the disclosure threashold, $300, and later reimbursed the employees through bonuses. The scheme enabled the firm to accept government contracts they would have been disqualified for had the company made the political donations directly to the candidates or committees receiving the funds.

Monmouth County Assignment Judge Lawrence M. Lawson signed the order authorizing the state to seize all of the firms assests and to retain the property as evidence in a criminal proceeding subject to permanent forfeiture.

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Prosecutor to investigate leak of Cryan’s emails

Barnes & Noble Nook photo

Sussex County First Assistant Prosecutor Gregory Mueller is launching an investigation into how the New York Post received copies of the salacious email exchages between Assemblyman Joe Cryan and former Corzine staffer Karen Golding, according to a report on NJ.com.  Mueller told the Star Ledger that the emails were sealed by Court Order.

The initial NYPost report said the emails were dropped at a reporter’s doorstep.  The story has since been updated, omitting that information.

Who is going to investigate Cryan using government computers to describe his erections?

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