Nearly 50 casino union workers say they expect to be arrested Friday evening after blocking the entrance to the Tropicana Casino and Resort as part of a protracted contract dispute

Mel Evans/AP PhotoAtlantic City casino unions plan to be arrested as part of a civil disobedience act.

ATLANTIC CITY — A card in the famous Monopoly game, based on the street names of Atlantic City, reads, "Go directly to jail."

That's just what this gambling resort's main casino workers union has in mind.

Nearly 50 casino union workers say they expect to be arrested Friday evening after blocking the entrance to the Tropicana Casino and Resort as part of a protracted contract dispute.

Local 54 of the Unite-HERE union calls the demonstration an act of civil disobedience, and says it will cooperate with police once its members are placed under arrest for blocking traffic.

"They will take the cuffs," said Bob McDevitt, the union's president, who said he will be among those who will be arrested.

Following a rally on the Boardwalk, the union members plan to march along the side of the casino onto Pacific Avenue and sit down in the roadway, blocking the main entranceway to the casino-hotel. McDevitt, who has already notified city police of the union's plans, said officers will direct the union members to leave the roadway, and they will refuse, leading them to be arrested.

Once the union members are placed under arrest, they will cooperate with officers and leave the roadway under their own power without forcing officers to drag or carry them away, McDevitt said.

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"This is going to be about 10 minutes of street theater," he said. Rodio predicted the protest would have "no effect at all" on the casino's operations Friday night.

The casino has not signed a contract with the union since it expired last September. The main sticking point is the Tropicana's cancellation of employee pensions in favor of direct cash payments.

The dispute began earlier this year when the Tropicana declared an impasse in contract talks with the union. Both sides have dug in their heels over the casino's insistence that it will end traditional employee pension plans in favor of making direct cash payments to the workers.

Rodio says that because billionaire Carl Icahn purchased the casino at a bankruptcy sale, he does not have to assume future liabilities for the Tropicana's portion of a pension fund Rodio says is underfunded by at least $1.3 billion. He says the union wants continued payments to a fund that has been "egregiously mismanaged" and is "at critical status."

McDevitt says the demonstration is just the first step in what he promises will be an escalating campaign of pressure against the Tropicana if the contract impasse continues.

Related coverage:

• Atlantic City casino union pushing vote on how Revel and others can terminate workers

The teens beat and robbed the man before leaving him in the road where he was run over by a car and died hours later

New Jersey CourtsThe Passaic County Courthouse.

PATERSON — Two northern New Jersey teens have been sentenced to 10 years in a youth detention facility for beating and robbing an immigrant father of four who was left in the road and run over.

The Record of North Jersey reports neither 14-year-old nor 16-year-old Latrayous Frederick had anything to say in court in Paterson at their sentencing Thursday.

Under a plea agreement, they were charged as adults and will remain incarcerated until at least when they turn 18.

The pair and a third teen admitted they had been at a party when they decided to rob someone.

They said they targeted Antonio Chiroy because the 31-year-old native of Guatemala appeared intoxicated.

He was left unconscious in the road, where a car ran over him and he died hours later.

More Paterson news

Group claims the federal American with Disabilities Act negates the 1977 law allowing towns to charge for handicapped spaces

Star-Ledger file photoAn advocacy group is suing Passaic over charging for handicapped parking spaces like the ones pictured in this file photo from Newark.

PASSAIC — An advocacy group is suing the city of Passaic for charging disabled residents for handicapped parking spaces, according to a report on NorthJersey.com.

Passaic is charging a $50 annual handicapped parking fee under a 1977 state law.

DIAL Inc., a non-profit representing disabled residents in Essex and Passaic counties, is challenging the fee, claiming the federal 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act negates the earlier state law. The group also names the state of New Jersey in the suit filed in Superior Court, according to the report.

The lawsuit states that while the state updated its statutes in 1991 — saying it is unlawful to impose a surcharge on a person with disabilities — the state did not strike down the 1977 law.

The city and state Attorney General's office had no comment, the website reports.

More Passaic news

A Hillside man was sentenced to 20 years in prison today for aggravated assault, stemming from a 2009 incident in which he struck police officers with a vehicle

View full sizeFuquan Stribling in a photo from the Union County Prosecutor's Office

HILLSIDE — A Hillside man was sentenced today to 20 years in prison for striking a police officer with a vehicle in 2009.

Fuquan Stribling, 29, was found guilty of four counts of aggravated assault and related charges following a jury trial in March, said Union County Prosecutor Theodore J. Romankow.

On March 30, 2009, Hillside Police officers Ryan Cruz and Bryan Arrington were searching for car thieves when they spotted a red two-door Honda in a darkened alley behind Liberty Avenue around 1:45 a.m. They saw Stribling who fit a suspect description, Romankow said.

The officers approached Stribling who was engaging in sexual activity with a woman outside of the vehicle. When he saw the police, Stribling jumped into the car and drove forward, knocking down Cruz, who had stepped in front to read the license plate, prosecutors said.

Officer Arrington then opened fire, prosecutors said, when Stribling put the car in reverse and back into drive several times. The struggle continued until the Honda struck a second vehicle.

It was later revealed that Stribling was not the person wanted in connection with the car thefts, Romankow said. He had left his girlfriend’s house in Newark earlier in the evening with the woman’s car and picked up another woman from Hillside who was with him at the time of the incident. Stribling was intoxicated, according to blood tests taken at the time. A urine screen later revealed he also had drugs in his system.

The officers provided Stribling with medical attention at the scene and he was later transferred to University Hospital where he underwent treatment for numerous gunshot wounds and other injuries, prosecutors said. None of the officers were seriously harmed.

At today's sentencing, Assistant Prosecutor Robert Vanderstreet called Stribling a "violent and serious offender" with verified gang ties and asked Judge Mega to impose an extended term.

Stribling's attorney argued against that seeing as neither officer was seriously injured in the incident in which Stribling was shot at 31-35 times.

Judge Robert Mega said the fact that officers were uninjured was not a compelling reason for a more minor sentence.

Stribling must serve at least 85 percent of the 20 years, or about 17 years, before he is eligible for parole.

Related coverage:

• Hillside man found guilty of 10 charges including assault, eluding arrest after 2009 police showdown

• Shooting victim says Hillside police response unprovoked

• Probes continue in Union County police shootings

Authorities began the investigation after company officials discovered the illicit material and contact police

Police photoEast Brunswick Boy Scout leader Phil Rogozenski.

EAST BRUNSWICK — A Boy Scout leader from East Brunswick faces charges alleging he had child pornography on his computer at work, police said today.

Phil Rogozenski, 49, was arrested Thursday at his job at Bristol-Meyers Squibb in North Brunswick after an investigation turned up the pornography on the computer, Middlesex County Prosecutor Bruce Kaplan said in a joint statement with North Brunswick Police Director Kenneth McCormick.

Authorities began the investigation after company officials discovered the illicit material and contacted police, Kaplan said.

Rogozenski, a senior manager for automation at the company and an assistant scout master with Boy Scout Troop 132 in East Brunswick, was charged with a fourth-degree crime of possession of child pornography, authorities said. Bail was set at $5,000.

Rogozenski, when reached at his home today, declined to comment.

Authorities are asking anyone with information about this case to call Investigator Torrisi of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office at (732) 745-3600, or Detective Ambrosino of the North Brunswick Police Department at (732) 545-3200.

More Middlesex County news

“If this (the shooting) doesn’t cry out for deterrence, I don’t know what does,” said Superior Court Judge N. Peter Conforti,

Frances Micklow/The Star-LedgerMichael Stabile, owner of Wild West City in Byram, appears in court for sentencing in connection with the accidental shooting of a cowboy actor at the park in 2006. Stabile appears with his defense attorney Charles Lorber at the Sussex County Courthouse in Newton today.

NEWTON — A judge agreed Friday that strict gun regulations should continue at a Western-themed amusement park where a cowboy actor was shot six years ago, but delayed imposing a fine on the park until next month.

"If this (the shooting) doesn’t cry out for deterrence, I don’t know what does," said Superior Court Judge N. Peter Conforti, sitting in Newton.

The judge added he needed more financial information about Western World Corp., the corporate owner of the Wild West City theme park, before he could impose a fine and delayed sentencing until July 20.

Both Sussex County First Assistant Prosecutor Gregory Mueller and Charles Lorber, the attorney representing park owner Michael Stabile, said Western World’s assets should be preserved for Scott Harris, now 43, the cowboy actor who was shot in the forehead during a skit at the theme park on July 7, 2006.

"Western World had a $1 million policy, Scott’s damages far exceed that," Mueller told the judge. Harris was partially paralyzed in the shooting.

As part of a plea bargain agreement, Stabile, 62, pleaded guilty in April to a single gun charge — unlawful possession of a handgun without a carry permit.

Conforti could fine Western World up to $45,000 as part of the deal. Since the shooting, all live ammunition or guns that can shoot live ammo have been banned from the park.

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The skit ended tragically when Harris, playing the part of frontier lawman Wyatt Earp, was shot by a 17-year-old actor who loaded his .22-caliber handgun with live bullets instead of blanks.

The bullets had been left in a locker room by another cowboy actor who brought two boxes of ammunition to the park, one containing blanks and the one containing lives rounds, which the cowboy re-enactor had fired at a shooting range earlier in the day.

Harris is expected to file a civil lawsuit against Stabile and his Wild West City corporations after the criminal case is resolved.

Related coverage:

• Criminal charges against Sussex County theme park dismissed in accidental shooting case

• Theme park owner files appeal in accidental shooting case, delaying trial

• Slow recovery for cowboy actor shot in head at Sussex County Wild West theme park

Superior Court Judge Robert Reed issued a written opinion today that rejected Locane's attorneys argument that the boxes

View full sizeAristide Economopoulos/The Star-LedgerActress Amy Locane, left, looks at Ellen Torregrossa-O'Connor, one of her two attorneys during today's hearing. Actress Amy Locane appears before Judge Robert Reed for a hearing to schedule her trial on drunk driving and manslaughter charges stemming from a June 27, 2010 car crash.

SOMERVILLE — "Black box" information will be allowed as evidence into the trial of actress Amy Locane on charges stemming from her 2010 accident that killed a Montgomery woman and badly injured her husband.

Superior Court Judge Robert Reed issued a written opinion Friday that rejected Locane’s attorney’s argument that the boxes, known as event-data recorders, that are found on each vehicle and provide data such as speeds and throttle positions, are too untested to be credible as evidence.

Reed concluded "the scientific reliability of event data recorder evidence is generally accepted within the automobile industry (the scientific community)" and will be admissible at Locane’s trial.

However, the judge said, the prosecutor’s plans to call an expert to interpret the box’s data must be confined to what caused the accident and, saying the expert "is not qualified to offer opinion testimony as to the defendant’s guilt."

Somerset County Assistant Prosecutor Matthew Murphy wants to call engineer Richard Ruth as an expert witness to testify about the information in the data recorder found in Locane’s vehicle.

Locane, a 40-year-old Hopewell Township resident, is best known for a one-season turn on television’s "Melrose Place."

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She is charged with aggravated manslaughter and assault by auto in the crash between her Chevrolet Tahoe and a Mercury Milan that was driving into a driveway in Montgomery in June 2010. The collision resulted in the death of Helene Karen Zucker Seeman, and critically injured her husband, Fred, who was driving.

Locane’s attorney, Blaire Zwillman told the judge he and his co-counsel, Ellen Torregrossa-O’Connor, have not decided whether to appeal the judge’s ruling.

Reed set September 10 as a tentative trial date.

Related coverage:

• As 'Melrose Place' actress awaits trial, prosecutors want 'black box' recordings put into evidence

• Judge: Ex-'Melrose Place' actress's intoxicated statements permissible in upcoming trial

• 'Melrose Place' actress was so drunk, her cognitive skills may have been 'severely compromised' on night of fatal crash, expert says

• Miranda hearing to resume in case of Melrose Place actress, two defense witnesses expected to testify

• 'Melrose Place' actress accused in fatal Montgomery drunken driving crash is released on $50K bail

Police say the bandit was seen lingering in the area of the Amboy Express gasoline station

View full sizeEdison Police DepartmentEdison police are appealing for the public's help in identifying a suspect, pictured here, in a May 31 service station robbery.

EDISON — Edison police are appealing for the public's help in identifying a suspect in a May 31 service station robbery.

Police say the bandit was seen lingering in the area of the Amboy Express gasoline station, 100 Amboy Ave., for about an hour before he approached an attendant about 6:46 p.m., pulled out at least portion of a handgun and demanded money.

After the worker complied, the robber fled towards Fifth Street, police said.

Police are distributing a photograph showing a male in gray pants and a dark coat with a red hood.

Authorities ask that anybody with information about him call Detective Lisa Cimmino at (732) 248-7529.

More Middlesex County news

Eric Pereira, 22, of Jackson, must serve at least five years and eleven months before being eligible for parole

Google MapsA map of the Garden State Parkway in Aberdeen, where a Middletown man was killed in a three-car crash.

MONMOUTH COUNTY — A drunk driver who caused an accident that killed a Middletown father of five and injured three others on the Garden State Parkway was sentenced today to seven years in prison, authorities said.

Eric Pereira, 22, of Jackson, must serve at least five years and eleven months before being eligible for parole, Monmouth County Prosecutor Peter Warshaw said in a statement.

Pereira was returning home after working at a wedding in Bergen County April 2, 2011 and was later found to have a blood alcohol level of double the legal limit, Warshaw said.

Going nearly 90 mph on the Parkway near Aberdeen, Pereira swerved from the left lane to the right lane, hitting a minivan from behind, Warshaw said.

The minivan, driven by Kevin Donnelly, 43, went out of control and careened across three lanes of traffic before hitting a divider and flipping into the express lanes, where it was struck by a passing car, said Warshaw.

Donnelly died from his injuries at the scene, Warshaw said. The victim's fiancee, a 42-year-old Keansburg woman, another passenger and the driver of the oncoming car suffered serious injuries.

Related coverage:

• Jackson man charged with vehicular homicide in Parkway crash that killed Middletown man

• Garden State Parkway 3-car crash kills Middletown man, injures 2 others

A citizen tipped off authorities that in addition to having weapons and explosives, he was selling them, Kearns said. Donovan’s motives for stockpiling the weapons were not clear, he said.

RARITAN TOWNSHIP — A man believed to be stockpiling and selling assault weapons, ammunition and explosives in his Raritan Township townhouse was arrested yesterday, authorities said.

James Patrick Donovan, 37, was arrested without incident after leaving his home on Haddenford Drive about noon, said county Prosecutor Anthony Kearns.

Inside his townhome, police found “numerous” weapons, including several assault rifles, a “significant” amount of ammunition and homemade explosive devices, Kearns said.

A citizen tipped off authorities that in addition to having weapons and explosives, he was selling them, Kearns said. Donovan’s motives for stockpiling the weapons were not clear, he said.

Donovan was charged with several counts of unlawful possession of weapons, unlawful possession of an assault firearm, certain persons not to possess firearms, and possession of anabolic steroids, authorities said.

In 1996, records show, Donovan pleaded guilty to several drug charges. He was being held at the Hunterdon County Jail on $100,000 bail, said Kearns.

Related Articles

• 'High risk search warrant' draws police, SWAT teams in Flemington

The heavily censored list, which runs 229 pages, was quietly released under the U.S. Freedom of Information Act to the Associated Press

View full sizeAFP PHOTO/Jewel SamadA member of the U.S. Secret Service scans an area in Owings Mills, Maryland, on June 12, 2012 before the arrival of President Barack Obama to attend campaign events. The U.S. government has revealed details of serious allegations against Secret Service agents and officers since 2004, including claims of involvement with prostitutes, leaking sensitive information, publishing pornography, sexual assault, illegal wiretaps, improper use of weapons and drunken behavior.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. government has revealed details of serious allegations against Secret Service agents and officers since 2004, including claims of involvement with prostitutes, leaking sensitive information, publishing pornography, sexual assault, illegal wiretaps, improper use of weapons and drunken behavior. It wasn’t immediately clear how many of the accusations have been confirmed.

The heavily censored list, which runs 229 pages, was quietly released under the U.S. Freedom of Information Act to the Associated Press and other news organizations following the Secret Service prostitution scandal that erupted in April in Colombia. It describes accusations filed against Secret Service employees with the Homeland Security Department’s inspector general.

Some of the accusations occurred as recently as last month. In many cases, the government noted that some of the claims were resolved administratively, and others were being formally investigated.

The new disclosures of so many serious accusations lend weight to concerns expressed by Congress that the prostitution scandal exposed a culture of misconduct within the Secret Service. Secret Service Director Mark Sullivan apologized for the incident during a hearing in May but insisted that what happened in Colombia was an isolated case.

Secret Service officials did not immediately respond Friday to questions about the accusations.

Sen. Susan Collins, a Maine Republican who has been investigating the Colombia scandal said while some of the allegations were "unfounded or frivolous," others appear to be legitimate and that "adds to my concern about apparent misconduct by some of the personnel of this vital law enforcement agency."

"The key question is whether these incidents indicate a larger cultural problem," Collins said yesterday.

Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.) said Friday an investigation by the Secret Service’s inspector general is continuing and the public should withhold judgment until that review is complete.

The complaints included an alleged sexual assault reported in August 2011. In the heavily censored entry, an employee was accused of pushing a woman who also worked for the agency onto a bed during a work trip. The employee "got on top of (censored) attempting to have sex," even though the woman "told (censored) ‘no’ several times." The entry noted that supervisors described the accused as "a conscientious and dependable employee." The incident was closed with an "administrative disposition" in February.

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They also included an anonymous complaint in October 2003 that a Secret Service agent "may have been involved with a prostitution ring," noting that two telephone numbers belonging to the agent, whose name was censored and who has since retired, turned up as part of an FBI investigation into a prostitution ring. In addition, in 2005, an employee was reported to the Washington field office for being arrested on a charge of solicitation in a park. Documents do not reveal the outcome of that case.

In 2008, an on-duty uniform division officer was arrested in a Washington prostitution sting. The officer, who was driving a marked Secret Service vehicle at the time, was placed on administrative leave, the records show. Sullivan said during the May hearing that the officer was later fired.

Some of the allegations were obviously spurious, such as a complaint in August 2010 that a Secret Service agent had performed experiments and implanted stimulators in a citizen’s brain. The list also included dozens of complaints about fraudulent e-mails that circulate widely on the Internet and appear to come from the Secret Service.

A dozen Secret Service officers, agents and supervisors were implicated in the Colombia scandal and eight have been forced out of the agency. At least two employees are fighting to get their jobs back.

Related coverage:

• Secret Service to assign chaperones on some trips in wake of prostitution scandal

• Amid Secret Service prostitution scandal, some call for greater female presence in the agency

• Alleged Secret Service prostitution scandal expected to bring more firings

• Secret Service scandal involving prostitutes leads to agents being sent home from Colombia

Local 54 of the Unite-HERE union termed the actions a campaign of civil disobedience aimed at getting the casino to resume payments to a pension plan it unilaterally terminated earlier this year after declaring an impasse in contract talks.

Andrew Mills/The Star-LedgerUnion members were arrested after protesting against ongoing disputes with management at Atlantic City's Tropicana Casino

Local 54 of the Unite-HERE union termed the actions a campaign of civil disobedience aimed at getting the casino to resume payments to a pension plan it unilaterally terminated earlier this year after declaring an impasse in contract talks.

"We're sitting down to stand up to Tony Rodio!" said Donna DeCaprio, secretary of the union, referring to the Tropicana's president.

At 6 p.m., several hundred demonstrators marched off the Boardwalk, around the side of the casino and streamed onto Pacific Avenue, the main drag along which the Boardwalk casinos have their main entrances. They wandered out into an intersection, bringing traffic to a halt, then sat down in the roadway, led by Paul Smith, a cook at the Taj Mahal Casino Resort who was wearing black and white-striped jail garb for his anticipated arrest.

www.trumptaj.comThe Trump Taj Mahal Hotel & Casino Atlantic City, NJ

"I think it's disgusting what they're doing to these poor people," he said shortly before his arrest. "We have a billionaire coming in trying to ruin workers' lives and take away their pension and break the law by trying to force an unfair contract down their throats."

Carl Icahn bought the Tropicana out of bankruptcy court in 2010. As a new owner, the Tropicana says, he was not obligated to assume the pension liabilities of previous owners to a fund that is underfunded, by some estimates, by as much as $1.5 billion. The casino instead said it would give employees cash payments equal to what their pension allotments would have been, or deposit that money into their 401(k) accounts.

The union fought that decision and got the National Labor Relations Board to issue unfair labor practice complaints against the Tropicana.

Union president Bob McDevitt said 50 of his union members were arrested and quickly released on summonses charging them with disobeying a police order and blocking a roadway. Police later said there were 49 arrests.

McDevitt had conferred with police before the protest and agreed to have the union members leaving peacefully under their own power once police officers placed them under arrest.

After the demonstrators had sat in the street for about 10 minutes, police began tapping each one on the shoulder, prompting them to stand up, be handcuffed with plastic cuffs, and walked to a sheriff's office bus for transportation to an off-site processing area. A huge cheer went up when the first busload of protesters pulled away from the casino.

One of those who was arrested was Rodney Mills, a waiter at the Tropicana's buffet for 19 years.

"You've gotta stand for something," he said. "You can't just let the company take over and just sit back and take it. I'm not a fan of a contract they imposed that nobody agreed to."

Tropicana president Tony Rodio said the demonstration, which lasted about 30 minutes, barely affected the casino.

"Inside the building, you can't even tell this is going on," he said as he watched the arrests from the curb. "Frankly, I'm embarrassed for them. This is just silly."

Rodio said the casino is more determined than ever that its contributions to the old pension plan are over.

"There is absolutely zero — and please emphasize the word 'zero' — chance that we are going to stay in that pension plan," he said.

Rodio burst out laughing when asked if he was concerned the union may eventually call a strike against the Tropicana.

"If they strike, in the first day, such a large percentage of them will cross the picket line it won't even be funny," he said.

The dispute is rapidly shaping up as a test of wills between the casino and the powerful union, which brought the resort to its knees with a 2004 strike.

The Tropicana and Revel, which opened in April, are the only two of Atlantic City's 12 casinos that do not have current contracts with Local 54.

Until now, both sides had been working hard to achieve labor peace, saying that a strike would cause far greater damage now than it did seven years ago, when Atlantic City's revenues were near their height. During the past five years, Atlantic City's casino revenues have fallen from $5.2 billion to $3.3 billion last year. Thousands of jobs have disappeared, as well.

McDevitt says the demonstration is just the first step in what he promises will be an escalating campaign of pressure against the Tropicana if the contract impasse continues.

"This is the first; it will not be the last," he said. "We're going to keep ratcheting things up until they agree to a fair contract and save the pensions our employees worked so hard for."

Senate committee to try to pass bill to make it easier to get a vehicular homicide charge

Andrew Mills/The Star-LedgerUnder legislation being considered today, drivers who talk or text may be subject to harsher penalties.

TRENTON — New Jersey lawmakers may soon make it easier to convict drivers of vehicular homicide or assault by auto when they kill or injure someone while talking or texting.

The measure is due to go before the Appropriations Committee today.

Lawmakers say it's very difficult to hold drivers criminally accountable when they kill or injure someone while talking or texting. They can, though, be sued for damages in civil court.

The Assembly's Law and Public Safety Committee recently approved the bill. And a Senate panel approved a similar measure last month.

Earlier this year, a state Senate panel voted to increase fines for texting and talking while driving. Repeat offenders would also face a driver's license suspension and points against their driving record.

Related coverage:

• Editorial: Get the message: Don't text drivers

• N.J. Assembly advances bill increasing penalties for drivers who kill or injure someone while texting, driving

22-year-old allegedly confessed to slaying woman and her mother in Lancaster County, Pa.

Wildwood policeA Pennsylvania man arrested in Wildwood allegedly killed a woman and her mother in Pennsylvania last week.

WILDWOOD — A man who allegedly killed a woman and her mother inside the central Pennsylvania home they shared is in custody in Cape May County after police say he confessed to the killings.

Authorities say 22-year-old Gary Charles Gerlach was arrested at a Wildwood hotel on Sunday, two days after the bodies of 22-year-old Makenzie Hess and her mother, Mona, were found at a home in Lancaster County.

A police affidavit says Gerlach confessed to the killings and shared specific details about the scene with detectives.

District Attorney Craig Stedman says Gerlach had been living in the family's Upper Leacock Township home.

An autopsy is set for today.

Gerlach remains jailed in New Jersey. Online court records don't list an attorney for him.

More Cape May County news

Three men were injured in two separate incidents within a few blocks of one another

Google MapsTwo men were shot on Garfield Avenue and another on North 7th Street in Paterson Sunday.

PATERSON — Police in Paterson are investigating three shootings that occurred within five minutes early Sunday morning, according to a report on northjersey.com.

One of the victims was shot in his right arm and shoulder. The second victim was shot in the left hip and the third victim was hit in his right upper arm. None of the names have been released and authorities said they do not know if the incidents are related, according to the report.

The three victims were taken to St. Joseph's Regional Medical Center, where one remains hospitalized. The two other victims have been released.

More Paterson news

A teacher is accused of having her 24 students hit the accused class bully, allegedly instructing them to 'Hit him!' and 'Hit him harder!'

Google MapsSalinas Elementary School in San Antonio, where a teacher is accused of having her students line up and hit the accused class bully as punishment.

SAN ANTONIO — A Texas teacher has been fired and stands accused of enacting some harsh justice on one of her second grade students, according to a report by ABC News.

Aiden Neely, 6, the accused class bully, reportedly told his mother, Amy Neely, he was hit twice by each of his classmates following instruction from his teacher.

The boy claims 24 other students at Salinas Elementary School, near San Antonio, Texas, delivered him two blows each.

The incident is said to have taken place in May but the boy’s mother said she was only made aware of it weeks ago. A teacher who witnessed the alleged assault reported it two weeks after it occurred.

According to the police report, in an effort to show the boy "why bullying is bad" the teacher told the youngsters to "Hit him!" and "Hit him harder!"

The police report also states that some of the youngsters did not want to take part but only did so because they feared what would happen if they didn’t.

The boy’s mother said this was her first time hearing of her son being referred to as a bully and told KENS-TV, she hopes the teacher never works in a classroom again.

The district spokesman, Steve Linscomb who announced the teacher’s firing said, "Doing something that's this far off the charts, doing what they feel like is teaching (students) a lesson; we're not going to tolerate that."

The small dog died when hit by a car, authorities say suspect was angry her car was blocked Watch video

Jennifer Brown/The Star-LedgerHaniyyah Barnes, accused of throwing a Shih Tzu into the street during a dispute over a parking space, leaves Superior Court in Newark this morning.

NEWARK — The Newark woman charged with throwing a 2-year-old Shih Tzu into oncoming traffic because she was angry the dog's owner had blocked her car in, pleaded not guilty today to animal cruelty and related charges.

Haniyyah Barnes, 25, appeared for the first time in Superior Court in Newark this morning, clad in an orange blouse, tan pants and brown shoes. Her mother and another woman accompanied her.

She will next appear in court on July 30.

The 4-pound dog, named Honey Bey, died when a car hit it that night, on Aug. 27, 2011, after prosecutors say Barnes had grabbed the canine by the throat inside the owner's home on Fabyan Place, and tossed it into the road.

A grand jury indicted Barnes last week on charges of animal cruelty, burglary, criminal mischief and theft, the Essex County Prosecutor's Office.

In a brief comment outside the courthouse, Barnes told reporters, "I really have nothing to say except I'm not guilty." When asked about allegations that she was intoxicated at the time of the incident, she repeated her not guilty contention.

Prosecutors do not dispute the allegations that Barnes may have been drunk at the time, but no toxicology test was administered and she is not charged with an alcohol-related offense, said Assistant Prosecutor Michele Miller.

The dog's owner, who is 32, had a standing agreement to let Barnes and her mother park their car in the driveway of her home, prosecutors said. On that August night, however, the owner's car had been blocking Barnes' vehicle, authorities said. Apparently irate, Barnes kicked in the door to the woman's home then assaulted and threatened her, prosecutors said.

Essex County Prosecutor's OfficeHoney Bey, a 2-year-old Shih Tzu, was killed on Aug. 27, 2011.

When Honey Bey began barking, prosecutors say Barnes grabbed the animal, ran outside and threw it into traffic. A Newark police officer who happened to be patrolling that day, witnessed the crime, prosecutors say, and arrested Barnes.

If convicted, Barnes faces up to 10 years in prison on the second-degree burglary charge and five years for the third-degree animal cruelty count.

The Newark woman remains free on $35,000 bail.

Related coverage

• Newark woman accused of breaking into home, tossing dog into oncoming traffic over parking dispute

Arthur Morgan III of Eatontown has been in jail on $10 million bail since his arrest in San Diego in November

WALL — A Monmouth County man was indicted today in Freehold on charges that he murdered his two-year-old daughter by tossing her into a creek while she was strapped in her car seat.

Arthur Morgan III of Eatontown has been in jail on $10 million bail since his arrest in San Diego in November.

Authorities say that after failing to return Tierra Morgan-Glover to her mother, from whom he was estranged, he tossed the child into a creek at a park in Wall Township, then fled the state.

An autopsy determined the child was alive when she hit the water.

In addition to murder charge, Morgan is charged with interference with custody and child endangerment.

Related coverage:

• Prosecutor: N.J. man weighed down toddler's car seat with car jack to ensure death

• Father of Tierra Morgan-Glover to appear in court to answer charge he killed his daughter

• Father charged with killing toddler Tierra Morgan-Glover to be returned to N.J.

• N.J. toddler's murder prompts state review of domestic abuse guidelines

The former Rutgers student received 10 days off his sentence for good behavior as per state regulations, according to Warden Edmond Cicchi

NORTH BRUNSWICK — Former Rutgers student Dharun Ravi is expected to be released from the Middlesex County jail in North Brunswick on Tuesday morning, having completed 20 days of his 30-day sentence for spying on his former roommate during an intimate encounter with another man in their dorm room.

Ravi received 10 days off his sentence for good behavior as per state regulations, according to Warden Edmond Cicchi.

Ravi was convicted in March of multiple second-degree bias counts for training his webcam on his roommate, fellow Rutgers freshman Tyler Clementi, in September 2010 and then tweeting about what he saw and inviting others to watch a planned second encounter.

Days after the incident, Clementi, 18, committed suicide by jumping off the George Washington Bridge. Ravi, 20, was not charged with causing Clementi's death.

Ravi faced up to 10 years in prison on the second-degree bias counts, but Superior Court Judge Glenn Berman sentenced him to 30 days in the county jail, three years probation and 300 hours of community service.

The Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office filed an appeal of Berman's sentence days after he delivered it, arguing the sentence did not fit state sentencing guidelines that called for a state prison term for second-degree convictions.

Ravi's attorney, Steven Altman, filed an appeal of his client's convictions last week, challenging the constitutionality of the bias intimidation law under which the Plainsboro man was convicted.

Altman is also challenging Ravi's conviction for invasion of privacy, hindering his own apprehension and tampering with evidence.

Both appeals could take upwards of two years before a three-judge panel acts.

Related coverage:

• Dharun Ravi files notice of intent to appeal conviction in Rutgers webcam spying case

• Dharun Ravi says goodbye to family, reports to jail

• Judge in Dharun Ravi case says he couldn't justify sending ex-Rutgers student to jail for long time

Assemblyman Charles Mainor called for hearings on the issue, saying the report raises "serious questions about the Christie administration's ability to properly oversee these facilities"

Star-Ledger fileAn exterior view of the Hope Hall halfway house in Camden. A New York Times investigation into New Jersey's halfway houses found a number of problems.

TRENTON — In response to a newspaper report documenting widespread escapes and other problems at the state's halfway houses, Gov. Chris Christie today directed the state Department of Corrections to inspect the facilities and an assemblyman called for hearings on the issue.

“While many of the disturbing accounts reported in today’s New York Times documenting lax oversight and accountability in some of New Jersey’s halfway houses took place prior to this administration, we have an obligation to ensure the community placements program is effectively and safely operating today," according to a statement issued by the governor's office.

"This administration takes its responsibility to properly administer this program very seriously which is why we have increased monitoring of halfway houses with enhanced site visits, fines for noncompliance and a new inspection monitoring system that has led to a dramatic decrease in the number of walkaways under this administration."

Department of Corrections Commissioner Gary Lanigan will set up inspections and report violations as well as recommendations to Deborah Gramiccioni, the governor's deputy chief of staff for policy, the governor's office said.

Also today, Assemblyman Charles Mainor (D-Hudson), chairman of the law and public safety committee, called for hearings on the issue, saying the report raises "serious questions about the Christie administration’s ability to properly oversee these facilities."

“No one disagrees with the intention of helping people re-enter society as productive citizens," Mainor said in a statement, "but when escapes, gang activity, drugs and sexual abuse are widespread, something is terribly wrong and unacceptable. Public safety is paramount, as should be the welfare of employees and inmates trying to make their lives better, but those goals seem to have fallen by the wayside."

During a 10-month investigation, the newspaper found the state's halfway houses had "mutated into a shadow corrections network," where drugs, gang activity, and violence often go unchecked. Roughly 5,100 inmates have escaped from the state's privately run halfway houses since 2005, the newspaper reported. By contrast, the state's prisons had three escapes in 2010 and none in the first nine months of 2011, the last period for which the state provided figures.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Related coverage:

• N.J. halfway houses see 5,100 escapes since 2005, report says