Guilty Plea Entered by Former N.B. Teacher
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Your Local Connection OCTOBER 2, 2008 NORTH BRUNSWICK • SOUTH. BRU N $WI CK Guilty plea '** *• entered by ¥ ^ former N.B. teacher Matthew Engelson charged with child endangerment r.n-> BY JENNIFER AMATO Staff Writer f former teacher at North Brunswick Township High School pleaded Aguilty to a charge related to endan- gering the welfare of a child on Sept. 26 in N.J. Superior Court, New Brunswick. " Matthew Engelson, 31, of Lawrenceville, a former psychology •f - . teacher and girls junior varsity soc- cer coach, entered »* -* • a plea of guilty to a one-count accusa- tion charge, prior to grand jury pres- entation, charging him with the sec- ond-degree offense of endangering the welfare of a child, according to Mid- dlesex County Prosecutor Bruce J. Kaplan. Matthew Engelson Engelson faces a maximum of five years' incarceration. As part of the plea, Engelson agreed to sur- render his teaching certificate and will have no contact with the victim, according to the SCOTT FRIEDMAN press release. Shreya Shah, 8, of East Windsor, performs a garba during the celebration of Navratri, the Hindu festival of worship and dance, held by Engelson was initially arrested on Dec. the Indo-Cultural Foundation of Central New Jersey at South Brunswick High School on Friday and Saturday. More photos on page 15. 13, 2007, on charges of sexual misconduct with a 17-year-old student. High school of- ficials had notified the township police de- Man faces manslaughter charge in death of 3-year-old partment that Engelson was exchanging sexually explicit instant messages with a dispatch center Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Retrial of Robert Knutsen that the young boy Brunswick from his home on Adams Lane student by way of computer, according to a begins in Superior Court release from the Middlesex County Prose- — who was Knut- in North Brunswick. cutor's Office in December, although BY JENNIFER AMATO sen's fiancee's son, According to the testimony of Investi- school officials would not comment if the StaffWriter . - and his own god- gator Mark Clements of the Middlesex son—'• was suffer- County Prosecutor's Office, the autopsy re- computer was a personal one or one owned he retrial of Robert Knutsen, a 32- by the school, . n ing from a seizure. port showed that Nikolas had suffered a year-old man from Middletown, and Ventola said broken back and internal bleeding due to The investigation established that the formerly of North Brunswick, who is conversations began in October, and at T that around 10:45 blunt-force trauma less than one hour prior charged with manslaughter and child en- a.m. he arrived on to the 911 call. some point communication by way of cell dangerment in the death of 3-year-old Niko- phone began. The two are believed to have scene and immedi- However, the defense team, led by las Chavez in 2005, began last week in state ately began admin- Robert Honecker and Greg Gargulinski, is engaged in a sexual act in early December, Superior Court, New Brunswick. according to the release.- istering CPR. arguing that an injury suffered just days be- The incident originally occurred on Nov. Henry arrived as fore Nov. 30 could have been aggravated by Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 30, 30,2005, just two months after Nikolas had back-up, , and 2009, before Judge Dennis Nieves. the boy's reported seizure, and therefore turned 3. According to the testimony of Nikolas was trans- could have ultimately led to his death. Engelson remains free on i 150,000 North Brunswick police officers Mark Ven- ported within 20 bail. tola and Scott Henry, a call came in to the Nikolas Chavez minutes to Robert (Continued, on page 23) 2 SENTINEL, October 2,2008 NS " "T. -.->' ->' !" (. .J! ..^L^. •' • i " •:;!•-:•: v - L1 . • ~.f y 'FEITTW-XUL •i -1 JL.2. < \ 111 .' ! .1 I ! W7 IO-1 2' G WHITE '•--"A \t -f\> :rJ $ 95 ONLY $ 0 LARGE EARTH POTS 159 v w/Grass & Mums COCOi^EST BASKETS for 30° EACH 5 OALLON FOTS • LARGE AZALEA5 • BARBERRY • ARBS • BURNING BUSH • QRASSES We Carry MUQOPINE • ASSORTED HOLLY • ROSES • RHODODENDRONS A Large ' * '"--— ""'"» CYPRESS • ASSORTED JUNIPERS & MANY, MANY, MORE Selection ComeVtslt Our Brand Mew Garden Center With The lowest fr^es and Largest Selection In the Area Of All Types Of Plant Material From 1'-3B' of Chiminea 161 Ifimr. 34 • WOLMDEL Corner "Of R.t. 34 M & Roberts Road EOAR, HARDWOOD APPROX. I MILEMpRTO OF 520, NEWMAN SPRING* ROAD & ROOT SVSOLCH OPEN 7' DAYS ? 8 AM - 6 PM, SUTU 9AM-5PM Gift Certificates Available ^4 We Accept Credit Cards www.gmnews.com SENTINEL, October 2, 2008 3 'Lightning Squirrel' bolts onto "TV £**** ""•<" comics scene BY CHRIS CAETANO that didn't come from the Staff Writer • , stories he wrote was the !.. '•» _J-. eaders, prepare to be shocked origin story, which his art by an electrifying new super- team, consisting of pen- hero — one who doesn't re- ciler Victor Cabanelas, R inker Eran Aviani, let- Moving to the beat main static in the face of injustice but is, rather, a resistor to the many evils terer Brant Fowler, cover of the world, conducting himself colorists Ed Davis and NBTHS prepares for band fest Mick Clausen, and editor | Page 11 with courage aijd bravery the whole time. Dustin Archibald, in- i That superhero is none other than sistedon. Lightning Squirrel, a high-flying, It took about 10 years bolt-flinging sciurid who makes the to get "Lightning Squir- world, or at least the suburbs of rel" off the ground, ac- > Clifton, N.J., safe from the terrors of cording to Kipnis, rodent-hating swimmers and bother- because the comic is some dogs. Created by Edison resi- more of a side hobby to \ dent Jeff Kipnis, "Lightning his regular day job. Squirrel," a comic book published by When he was ready to independent studio Ronin Press, find artists and editors, launched its inaugural issue last he began his search on- month, the first of what is promised line, which is how he to be a six-part miniseries. The first issue tel^s of Lightning Entertainment Squirrel's origins as the result of a mad scientist's use of a tesla coil to Check out this week's Just Go! Page 12 prevent squirrels from getting into his birdfeeder. While the device manages to trap his fellows in its electrified grasp, the rodent that will Wheels of steel eventually become Lightning Squii- rel instead gains superpowers that in- Chromes for a Cause clude flight, the ability to toss bolls motorcylce run to benefit of electricity, and human speech. His il ,7 leukemia patient archenemy, established early on, is Swimming Lady, who was taught to Page 6 hate and fear squirrels from an early Lightning Squirrel, created by Edison resident Jeff Kipnis, uses his power age by her mother, who warned that over electricity to make the suburbs safe for rodents everywhere. QUOTE OF THE WEEK they could carry rabies and kill her with but a single bite.. "I'm living proof... that at The book is composed of short son in the process. This long process, them," p the age of 18, we are boys vignettes that, Kipnis said, are which everyone, including Kipnis, The character Lightning Squirrel in men's bodies, and at tne graphic representations of a series of did on their own free time, eventu- also appears in two novels that Kip- age of 21, we're still boys in ally turned into "Lightning Squirrel." men's bodies." short stories he wrote when he and found Ronin, who became the pub- nis published as well as in two ben- his wife, Nany, were dating. He said lisher for "Lightning Squirrel." He 'Thanks to e-mail and the Inter- efit comics that Ronin published, — Paul Pappas that she told him about her two big said that Ronin operates more like a net, we have this international team one to aid survivors of Hurricane Page 17 "paranoid fears." community than a publishing studio. we put together. ... We have each Katrina, "Hope, New Orleans" and "One was squirrels, because of It connects artists and writers across other's home numbers ... but we do the other for the nonprofit Hero Ini- how her mother taught her that they the globe to work on projects to- everything by e-mail; the pages are tiative, which helps comic creators Classified 30 had rabies and she could die, and the gether and critique each other's passed electronically from the unable to work due to health prob- Editorials 8 other was lightning, [because] she work. The team that was eventually artists," said Kipnis. lems. Entertainment 12 was life-guarding at a pool and she assembled to create the first issue ex- "Lightning Squirrel" stories tend Five more issues of the main Real Estate .-. .25 didn't want to get struck by light- emplifies this idea, with all of them to be light and cartoonish, which book, all. inspired from the original Sports 24 ning," said Kipnis. living in different parts of the world, Kipnis noted is a deep contrast with set of stories Kipnis wrote years Kipnis put the two together into a Cabanelas, the penciler, lives in Ar- the darker and more violent direction ago, are set for publication, with the series of short stories for her when gentina, Aviani, the inker, is, in Israel, many mainstream comics seem to be . next one due out sometime in 2009. they first started dating. Each story and Archibald is from Canada. Kip- going today. His stories, he said, can The comic is available for direct, eventually turned, years later, into a nis, David and Clausen, meanwhile, be enjoyed by just about any age purchase at www.indyplanet.com.