HANOVER TOWNSHIP — On Saturday, January 25, Hanover Township Police Officer Ed Zakrzewski responded to Retro Fitness on South Jefferson Road to take a report of theft.
According to the victim, he arrived at the gym and placed his car keys in a unlocked locker in the locker room.
After working out, he responded to the locker room to grab his keys and they were gone. He then went out to his vehicle parked in the lot and found his car open and the keys inside of the vehicle.
Reported missing was his wallet that contained several credit cards and some cash.
Soon after the theft the victim observed several charges on his credit cards in East Hanover.
The surveillance video from the gym will be turned over to the detective bureau for further investigation.
HANOVER TOWNSHIP — Hanover Township Police Officer Michael Byrnes arrested Mr. Damian Negron, 19, Cedar Knolls, Mr. Frank Allen, 20, Morristown, Ms. Aleria Mccall, 20, Morristown and Tenaisha Kennedy, 24, Morristown, for underage consumption and other offenses.
Officer Byrnes was called to Justin Court on Thursday, January 23 for a noise complaint involving four individuals sitting in a car blasting loud music.
Upon arrival, Officer Byrnes located the vehicle and began speaking with the occupants listed above.
After a brief investigation all four were arrested and transported to Hanover Township Police Headquarters for processing.
Ms. Kennedy was charged with disorderly conduct, Ms. Mccall and Mr. Allen were both charged with underage drinking and possession. All three were released to their parents.
Mr. Negron was charged with possession of CDS, drug paraphernalia and underage possession and consumption of alcohol and was transported to the county jail pending his court date.
HANOVER TOWNSHIP — Hanover Township Police Officer Emmanuel Malasig arrested Ms. Carmine Wilde, 58, Whippany, for DWI on Wednesday, January 22.
Ms. Wilde was involved in a one car accident and during the investigation into that accident Officer Malasig detected the odor of an alcoholic beverage.
Ms. Wilde was issued a motor vehicle summonses for DWI, careless driving, failure to possess an insurance card and registration card. She was released pending her court date.
HANOVER TOWNSHIP — Hanover Township Police Officer Megan Pritchard arrested Mr. Lucas Schichtel, 21, Parsippany, for possession of CDS, on Wednesday, January 22.
Mr. Schichtel was originally stopped for a motor vehicle violation when the odor of marijuana was detected.
A search of the vehicle resulted in CDS and paraphernalia being located. Mr. Schichtel was arrested and charged with possession of CDS and drug paraphernalia. He was also issued motor vehicle summonses for CDS in a motor vehicle, failure to inspect and driving with expired license. He was released pending his court date.
The bleachers at Bee Meadow Park, in the Whippany section of Hanover, is tagged with one of more than 20 distinctive "Stoop Kid" signatures recently spotted in town. August 10, 2018 (Photo: Hanover Township Police)
HANOVER TOWNSHIP — Hanover Township Police Officer Eric Prach arrested Mr. Michael Stango, 29, Whippany, charging him with criminal mischief, on Friday, January 17.
Officer Prach had been investigating several criminal mischief (graffiti) incidents involving the word “stoop kid” that had been showing up all over town as well as in Morristown and East Hanover.
Officer Prach had documented over 184 incident involving graffiti using either a black marker or stickers damaging town property since May of 2018. The total cost of damage was estimated to be approximately $10,000.00.
On December 8, 2019, Officer Prach received information that a “Stoop Kid” sticker was recently placed on a garage can in the front of the Dunkin Donuts in East Hanover and a time frame was established for when the sticker was placed there.
After hours of reviewing the surveillance video, an individual was observed driving a work truck, with clear markings, placing what appeared to be the sticker in question on the garbage can. Officer Prach was able to track the truck back to the company and was able to identify the driver of that truck which matched the actor observed in the video.
Mr. Stango was asked to come in for an interview and did so. At the completion of the interview, Mr. Stango was charged with criminal mischief and was released pending his court date.
Morris County Surrogate Heather Darling and newly elected Morris County Freeholder Tayfun Selen
MORRIS COUNTY — Morris County Republican Club members elected Former Chatham Township Mayor Tayfun Selen to fill Heather Darling’s seat on the freeholder board. The election was held at County College of Morris.
Parsippany committee member Andrew Choffo holding up the “Parsippany” sign
In the first round, there were four candidates and Selen earned 192 votes. Bruce Meringolo earned 97 votes. Pequannock councilwoman Melissa Florance-Lynch finished in third with 70 votes, and former Morristown Councilwoman Alison Deeb placed last with 25 votes.
Selen was short one vote in the first round. He needed to win by at least 50% plus one vote. Since he was short, a second round of voting was required. This time Selene faced off with Meringolo.
Assemblywoman BettyLou DeCroce, Selen and Morris County Sheriff James Gannon
Selen defeated Bruce Meringolo in the runoff, beating the former Long Hill committeeman 198 to 171.
Earlier in the morning, Former Pompton Lakes Councilman Christian Barranco dropped his bid and endorsed Selen before the first round of voting.
Selen said “I’m ready to work hard for you, to win elections and grow this party. I am ready to work hard on outreach. I’m ready to be a unifying force,”
“I’m ready to continue to work hard to help win the election and re-elect our president,” continued Selen.
Assemblywoman BettyLou DeCroce said “Tayfun is one of the most dependable people I know. He has been a steadfast supporter of our Republican Party, standing behind our candidates in the toughest of elections. He is a man of great character and integrity; a smart businessman who will be able to put his professional skills to work as a Morris County Freeholder. He will be a true asset!”
Parsippany resident Thomas DeLorenzo and Former Madison Councilman Rob Catalanello dropped out of the race early on, as well as Former Freeholder John Cesaro. Cesaro among public officials was charged in major investigation of political corruption. In December five defendants were charged with taking thousands of dollars in bribes from a cooperating witness in the form of campaign contributions. In return, the defendants allegedly promised the cooperating witness, Matthew O’Donnell, who is a tax attorney, that they would vote or use their official authority or influence to hire or continue to hire his law firm for lucrative government legal work.
Laura Marie Ali, Acting Chair and Peter King, Esq., General Counsel, Morris County Republican Committee, tabulating the results
Selen will replace former Freeholder Heather Darling, who won the seat of Morris County Surrogate in the November General Election. She resigned December 31, 2019 to take the Surrogate seat on January 1, 2020. Selen will be sworn in on Monday, February 10 at 4:00 p.m. at the Morris County Administration Building.
MORRIS COUNTY — Assemblyman Brian Bergen expressed concerns about the costs to be borne by businesses and residents with a new municipal electronic permit process introduced in legislation (A1145) heard at an Assembly Community Development and Affairs Committee hearing in Trenton on Monday.
“I do have some very large concerns. One of the biggest ones is going to be cost. Those costs will ultimately be borne by somebody,” said Bergen (R-Morris) before casting a no vote. “In this case it will not be the municipality so we can get around the unfunded mandate portion, but it will ultimately be either the business or the individual applicant. So somebody will bear the cost of this and we are essentially giving a state agency the ability to determine with a blank check how much that will be and that really scares me.”
The bill would eliminate paper-based building and code review processes and require municipalities to implement a new electronic construction permitting system. It would allow for the collection of fees for three years to defray the costs of implementing the new system.
“Many municipalities already use software systems that handle and track permit fees and inspections. They’ve bought and paid for these things. They’ve made investments. They’ve spent years converting their paper records to digital records within the system that they currently have,” added Bergen.
Bergen urged the bill’s sponsor to consider amending the legislation to allow for more flexibility so that municipalities could choose their own software.
“Municipalities are not cookie cutter. There’s differences by municipality to municipality in how they do things and how they submit things,” said Bergen. “So it’s very difficult to develop a statewide system that can cater to all their individual needs.”
Morris County Surrogate Heather Darling (File Photo)
MORRIS COUNTY — On Wednesday February 5, at 8:30 a.m., the Morris County Surrogate’s Office and Morris County Bar Association will present a special program for attorneys to detail the new Reduced Fee Referral Program being offered in the Surrogate’s Court for wills and guardianship and probate matters.
Morris County Surrogate Heather Darling
The program will offer a general overview of the program, including how attorney’s may participate and qualifications required of attorneys. Surrogate Heather J. Darling strongly recommends that attorneys interested in participating in this program recently introduced by the Surrogate’s Office and Bar Association attend this information session.
It will be held in the County Administration and Records Building at 10 Court Street in Morristown, in the Freeholder Board’s public meeting room on the Fifth floor.
The Reduced Fee Referral Program matches attorneys with residents who cannot afford legal services and do not qualify for free or pro bono legal services. This new program is offered at no cost to the taxpayers of Morris County.
“As a practitioner in the Surrogate’s Court for many years, I am familiar with the difficulties people face in trying to navigate the guardianship or probate processes without legal counsel when necessary legal counsel is unaffordable for them. I am pleased that we were able to work with Jennifer McAndrew Vuotto and the Morris County Bar Association to bring this program to the residents of Morris County,” Darling said.
Matters within the Surrogate’s Office, which are currently included in this program, are wills, guardianship and probate issues.
Guardianship includes a declaration of incapacitation to handle one’s own affairs. It can be a complicated matter for people who had been caregivers without the need for a court intervention.
Probate is another difficult matter for family members once a loved one has passed and grieving survivors learn the difficulty in administering the decedent’s estate.
In New Jersey, Title 3B is the statute which addresses guardianship and probate. The statute can be complex and difficult to navigate without legal training and practice.
“Bottom line, this program will be a way to bridge the gap for those who have been legally left behind,” said Deputy Surrogate Chris Luongo.
To participate in the program, individuals must qualify financially by demonstrating they fall within certain financial criteria, with eligibility limits higher than those of most pro-bono services.
“We want to ensure that as many people as possible have access to counsel as they navigate the court system. There are many litigants who do not qualify for assistance, yet still, have difficulty affording an attorney. Those are the litigants we set out to help and have succeeded in helping the most,” said Vuotto, co-chair of the Morris County Bar Association Reduced Fee Referral Program.
Attorneys who want to participate in the program can apply through the Morris County Bar Association.
County Clerk Ann Grossi with first prize winner Andrea Zeien
Andrea Zeien of Hanover Park Regional High School
MORRIS COUNTY — Morris County Clerk Ann Grossi has announced that Andrea Zeien of Hanover Park Regional High School, Abby Zaplishny of Roxbury High School, and Nathaniel Gallagher of Morris Hills High School are the top three prize winners respectively in the County Clerk’s art contest for the cover of the 2020 edition of the Morris County Manual — the go-to booklet for county and municipal government information.
This year’s 2020 version of the Morris County Manual honors the 100th anniversary of passage of the 19th Amendment, guaranteeing and protecting women’s constitutional right to vote. It represents the 114th year the manual has been published by the Office of the Morris County Clerk.
While its design and content has changed throughout the decades, one thing has remained constant; the manual’s objective is to provide centralized resources for officials and residents concerning their government.
County Clerk Grossi hosted a ceremony this week for the winning entrees, among some 200 cover creations that poured into her Morristown Office from students at 16 high schools across the county. Covers — many filled with patriotic and county historic themes — filled the walls of a county office, where the event occurred.
Winning Entries:
First Prize: Hanover Park Regional High School student Andrea Zeien, who lives in Florham Park, won the $500 first prize for a patriotic cover that featured a recently revamped version of the county seal overlaid on a colorful and historic version of the county map.
Second Prize: Roxbury High School student Abby Zaplishny, who resides in Mount Arlington, won the $300 second prize for a hand-drawn cover that features the county crest.
Third Prize: Morris Hills High School student Nathaniel Gallagher won the third place prize of $100 for his use of the county seal featured on a modern cover.
Students in all Morris County high schools are invited to participate in the contest. Last year’s three art winners for the 2019 County Manual attended Morris Knolls and Morris Hills high schools.
Established 279 years ago to record every conveyance of property within the county, the County Clerk’s Office has progressed to provide an array of additional services, including election responsibilities, officiating over marriages, issuing County and Veteran Identification Cards, accepting Notary Public registrations and administration of oaths, and processing U.S. Passports.
Creating the County Manual also has become an essential task. The 70-page booklet (it also can be found online) is filled with key names and contact information of county freeholders, county government officials, congressional and legislative representatives, members of county authorities, boards and commissions, plus personnel in all 39 municipalities.
The 2020 version of the County Manual will be printed and put on line in the next several weeks.
MORRIS COUNTY — Anthony J. Iacono, president of County College of Morris, has been selected by Child & Family Resources of Morris County as a recipient of its inaugural S.H.I.N.E. Award, recognizing educators whose work and contributions strengthen families and communities.
Anthony J. Iacono, president of County College of Morris
The S.H.I.N.E. (Serves, Help, Inspires, Nurtures and Excels) Award was created to honor those who have made exceptional contributions to support the development of children and inspire students. The other recipients of the inaugural award are Regina Braham, co-designer of a nationally recognized dating violence education and counseling program; and Samantha Kindberg, who as a certified lifeguard has volunteered her time to teach underprivileged children to swim.
“It’s an honor to have been selected for this inaugural award,” said Iacono. “What this award recognizes is the great work of the entire CCM community to provide pathways for individuals to realize their dreams and develop the partnerships to strengthen our communities. We also are grateful to partner with organizations such as Child & Family Resources that work tirelessly each day to build a better future for others.”
Since becoming CCM’s third president in 2016, Iacono has focused on enhancing the college’s role as a community partner to ensure it is assisting as many people as possible with realizing their dreams for a better future. As he likes to note, “Every individual deserves a great education regardless of the circumstances of their birth.”
A community college graduate himself, he is a strong supporter of higher education and its power to transform lives. He has served as an advisor to the United States Department of Education, various national think tanks and educational reform organizations. Currently, he is a member of New Jersey Presidents’ Council, which represents New Jersey’s public, private colleges and universities. He also is a strong supporter and an active member of the New Jersey Council of County Colleges to advance its mission of strengthening and supporting the state’s network of community colleges.
The S.H.I.N.E. Award will be presented to Iacono at the Child & Family Resources Gala on Thursday, February 6, at The Mansion at Mountain Lakes.
