NJ-Law-Garces & Grabler | New Jersey News
NEWARK — An 18-year-old man wanted in connection with a shooting last month in Newark was arrested at his uncle’s home in Georgia last week, authorities said.
Quawee Starks…Douglas County Sheriff’s Office
Quawee Starks waived extradition at bond hearing Friday after the Douglas County Fugitive unit took him into custody in Lithia Springs, Ga. on Thursday. Authorities in Georgia received a Crime Stoppers tip, the Douglas County Sheriff’s office said. Read Full Story
MINEOLA, N.Y. — In what police are describing as a crime of opportunity, a wanted man with a criminal history dating nearly 15 years entered a front door that had been left open at a New York
Hofstra University student Andrea Rebello was killed when a home invader held her hostage and police broke in and shot her accidentally during the rescue attempt. Courtesy Facebook
home near Hofstra University.
A short time later, the intruder, Dalton Smith, and a 21-year-old college junior, Andrea Rebello, were both dead. The two were killed early Friday by a Nassau County police officer who fired eight shots at the masked man, hitting him seven times but also accidentally hitting Rebello once in the head, Nassau County homicide squad Lt. John Azzata said Saturday.
Smith was holding Rebello in a headlock and pointing a gun at her head before he turned his gun at the officer, Azzata said, prompting the shooting.
“He kept saying, ‘I’m going to kill her,’ and then he pointed the gun at the police officer,” Azzata said.
A loaded 9 mm handgun with a serial number scratched off was found at the scene, police said.
Nassau County Police Commissioner Thomas Dale said he had traveled to Rebello’s Tarrytown, N.Y., home to explain to Rebello’s parents what happened.
“I felt obligated as a police commissioner and as a parent to inform them as soon as all the forensic results were completed,” Dale said.
Dalton Smith, 30, broke into the off-campus home, police say and held 21-year-old Andrea Rebello at gunpoint. Smith was killed by police gunfire which also struck and killed Rebello.
The veteran police officer, who was not identified, has about 12 years of experience on the Nassau County police force and previously spent several years as a New York City police officer, Dale said.
The officer is currently out on sick leave. He will be the focus of an internal police investigation once the criminal investigation is completed, which is standard police procedure in any officer-involved shooting, the commissioner said.
The shooting came just days before the school’s commencement ceremonies, which are scheduled for Sunday. Read Full Story
MONTCLAIR — A man and woman found shot to death in a township park “had a dating relationship,” according to a statement issued today by Acting Essex County Prosecutor Carolyn Murray.
Acting Essex Prosecutor Carolyn Murray, pictured in this file photo, identified the dead couple found in a Montclair Park. Aristide Economopoulos/The Star-Ledger
Shanae Q. Howard, 24, of Orange and Brandon Brown, 26, of Montclair were found dead at Canterbury Park shortly after 10 p.m. Thursday, police said. They were declared at 10:40 p.m.
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TRENTON – As motorists take to the roads this Memorial Day holiday, the Division of Highway Traffic Safety is urging everyone to buckle up. Beginning on May 20, law enforcement officials will be out in full force, taking part in the 2013 national Click It or Ticket seat belt enforcement mobilization and cracking down on motorists who are not belted.
“As we kick-off the busy summer driving season it’s important that everyone buckles up every time they go out, both day and night – no excuses,” said Division of Highway Traffic Safety Acting Director Gary Poedubicky. “Officers throughout New Jersey are prepared to ticket anyone who is not wearing their seat belt.”
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 52 percent of the 21,253 passenger vehicle occupants killed in 2011 were not wearing their seat belts at the time of the crash. Deaths involving seat belt nonuse are more prevalent at night than during the daytime. According to NHTSA, 62 percent of the 10,135 passenger vehicle occupants killed in 2011 during the overnight hours of 6 p.m. to 5:59 a.m. were not wearing their seat belts at the time of the crash.
In 2011, seat belts saved an estimated 11,949 lives nationwide according to NHTSA. While this year’s Click It or Ticket enforcement mobilization runs from May 20 through June 2, officers are out enforcing seat belt laws year-round.
“Seat belts save thousands of lives every year, but far too many motorists are still not buckling up, especially at night when the risk of getting in a crash is even greater,” said Poedubicky. “We want everyone to have a safe summer, but it requires an important step on the part of motorists – clicking that seat belt.”
One hundred and twenty four agencies received $4,000 each to run the seatbelt enforcement checkpoints and saturation patrols. Last year, 86 percent of New Jersey police agencies, or 425 of 493, participated in the Click It or Ticket campaign. The mobilization ran from May 21 to June 3 and resulted in 29,307 seat belt citations. Police officers also wrote 981 child restraint and 4,951 speeding citations, and made 861 DWI arrests.
Legislation passed in 2010 made it a secondary offense for adults over the age of 18 to ride unbuckled in the back seat of a motor vehicle. The law allows police to issue a summons and fine of $46 to unrestrained adults in the back seat when the car they are riding in is pulled over for another violation. The state’s primary seat belt law requires all motorists and passengers in the front seat, including passengers under the age of 18, to wear a seat belt or be securely buckled in a car seat, or face a $46 fine. This ticket is issued to the driver.
For a list of all the agencies receiving grants for the Click It or Ticket crackdowns, please go to: www.nj.gov/oag/hts/downloads/CIOT_2013_Grant_Recipients.pdf
| For Immediate Release: |
For Further Information:
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| May 17, 2013 Office of The Attorney General - Jeffrey S. Chiesa, Attorney General Division of Criminal Justice - Elie Honig, Director |
Media Inquiries- Peter Aseltine 609-292-4791 Citizen Inquiries- 609-984-5828 |
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Suliaman Kamara, 31, of Newark, a former Newark police officer, pleaded guilty to third-degree theft by deception
TRENTON – Attorney General Jeffrey S. Chiesa announced that a Newark police officer pleaded guilty today to falsely reporting to police that his vehicle had been stolen and fraudulently collecting $10,791 from the company that insured the vehicle.
Suliaman Kamara, 31, of Newark, a former Newark police officer, pleaded guilty to third-degree theft by deception before Superior Court Judge Julie Marino in Somerset County. Under the plea agreement, he faces a sentence of up to 364 days in the county jail. He forfeited his job as a Newark police officer and is permanently barred from employment as a law enforcement officer. He also must pay full restitution. Judge Marino scheduled sentencing for Kamara for Aug. 23.
Deputy Attorney General Veronica Allende took the guilty plea for the Division of Criminal Justice Corruption Bureau. Sgt. Lisa King led the investigation for the State Police Official Corruption North Unit. Senior Special Investigator Charles Citera of Liberty Mutual Insurance Company’s Special Investigative Unit provided valuable assistance in the investigation.
Kamara filed a report with the Newark Police Department on Feb. 23, 2009, falsely stating that his 2003 GMC Yukon had been stolen. He subsequently filed a claim for the purported theft with Liberty Mutual Insurance Company, which paid him a total of $10,791, including $9,744 for the vehicle, $477 for property he reported stolen inside the vehicle, and $570 for a rental car. Nearly three years later, a representative of Liberty Mutual spotted the vehicle outside Kamara’s residence and alerted authorities. The State Police located the 2003 GMC Yukon, bearing a license plate from another vehicle, parked outside of Kamara’s residence on March 14, 2012, and executed a search warrant, confirming that it was the vehicle he reported stolen.
Kamara was a Newark Police Officer at the time he filed the false police report and insurance claim.
The sentence in this case will run concurrently with a federal sentence Kamara faces in connection with his May 8 guilty plea to a charge that he conspired with a woman to fraudulently obtain more than $60,000 in benefits under the federal Section 8 public housing assistance program. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 12 on that charge, and faces up to five years in federal prison.
