http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/new-jersey/denville/ Denville, NJ News http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/new-jersey/denville/content/b7f1b359a5cd47a5bea949f7bbaeea42.html METUCHEN Pitching it as part economic stimulus property tax relief and infrastructure improvement Gov Jon S Corzine announced 7875 million worth of transportation grants to 372 New Jersey municipalities FridayThe state projects a 12 billion shortfall in this year's state budget Corzine said among the last things he'll cut are items that create jobsWe don't want to take things out of the budget that are jobcreators and ultimately revenuegeneratorsCorzine saidProjects are ready for construction Corzine said adding there are 300 more ready to go if the federal government provides states with funding http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/new-jersey/denville/content/0e1fd06f7bec94c9a817b565f615af2a.html A Denville police officer trapped inside an accelerating Mustang Bullitt decided he had only one option left: Shoot the driver That was the story Thursday from Morris County Prosecutor Robert A Bianchi as he described the events that ended with Officer Richard Byrne shooting to death Ruben Walter Martinez in June http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/new-jersey/denville/content/92b6f0b89a63898f69537f8188bc41dd.html Authorities investigating a fatal shooting by police have pursued 70 witness statements reconstructed the accident compiled toxicology and forensic reports and are working the case daily they saidMeanwhile a lawyer representing the family of Ruben Martinez who was shot by a Denville police officer following a traffic stop on June 26 said a notice of intent to sue might be filed before the conclusion of the county prosecutor's investigationThe lawyer Scott Leonard said the family would have up to 90 days after the shooting to file a claim notice with the Denville municipal clerk He added that if the investigation is not completed within three months a claim notice likely would be filed to preserve the family's right to sue based upon the final report even though the family is not committed to filing a suitWe have 90 days from June 26 to do itLeonard said adding that he hopes the investigation will conclude before the threemonth deadlineAuthorities have said police tried to stop Martinez for speeding and reckless driving and a chase ensued until he crashed his Mustang into a backyard pool Somewhere in between he was shot five times The prosecutor's office is investigating what led to the shootingMore than 70 witness statements and other investigative leads are being pursued Morris County Prosecutor Robert A Bianchi said in a statement released Wednesday The statements are being transcribed for review by the legal and investigative team he saidThis investigation has moved forward in a far greater and rapid pace than we had initially anticipatedBianchi said In order to conduct an investigation of this nature competently we have to move methodically and with surgical precision and in painstaking detailBianchi said that as of Wednesday:The accident reconstruction is completeToxicology reports have been received but will not be made public until the conclusion of the investigationThe video from the Denville Police vehicles has been extensively reviewed and will be publicly released when it is determined that the release will not affect the integrity of the investigationSeveral followup witness interviews are ongoingNecessary records from the Denville Police Department are being reviewedMembers of the Prosecutor's Office legal staff are reviewing all relevant attorney general useofforce guidelines legal issues and training standards for police officers on the use of forceDenville police records are being reviewed and other expert reports are pending Bianchi said He added that the case is being worked on daily He will prepare a final report and deliver it to the state attorney general he saidLeonard whose Leonard Leonard law firm has offices in Morristown and Springfield said last week that the firm will be investigating whether Denville police violated policies and procedures relating to making a traffic stopMartinez 21 a 2005 graduate of Morris Knolls High School was shot five times by Officer Richard ByrneBianchi confirmed last week that Martinez'parents at their request were shown videos from two police cruisers at the scene of the shooting Darryl Saunders another lawyer for the family declined to discuss either video in detail but indicated that neither captured the entire incidentByrne who suffered an injured shoulder in the confrontation had not returned to work as of July 9 Denville Police Chief Christopher Wagner said last week Wagner could not be immediately reached on WednesdayByrne is a 14year Denville police officer who had never before fired his weapon in the line of dutyWe recognize our duty to the community to share the facts and circumstances surrounding the death of Mr Martinez and we will do so only when it is determined that it will not have the capacity to taint the investigatory processBianchi saidThis ensures the integrity of the investigation by ensuring that witnesses are not tainted by reports released to the public and allows the Martinez family and Officer Byrne the opportunity to ask questions of concern before the matter becomes public http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/new-jersey/denville/content/657fa9a512295a0842aa626bdac87210.html Videos from two police cruisers at the scene of a fatal police shooting June 26 have been shown to the parents of Ruben Martinez the 21yearold motorist shot five times and killed by a Denville police officer following a traffic stop authorities confirmed WednesdayFrom the inception of this case we have been keeping the family apprised as they are a party of interestMorris County Prosecutor Robert Bianchi said in a statementBianchi declined to discuss what either video showedFamily attorney Darryl Saunders said he viewed two police cruiser videos with Martinez'father Ruben Martinez of Laredo Texas and mother Maureen Miles of Rockaway Township at the prosecutor's office July 2 Saunders indicated that neither captured the entire confrontationIt does not show everything that occurred that nightsaid Saunders who declined to elaborateBianchi confirmed that two videos were shown first to Saunders and later to Saunders and the parents after the family attorney indicated they would want to see themIn the presence of our victim witness staff who were present to offer support the videos were shownBianchi said in his statementBianchi's office is investigating the fatal shooting of Martinez by Denville Police Officer Richard Byrne a 14year veteran who had never before fired his weapon in the line of dutyNo charges have been filedByrne who sustained an injured shoulder in the confrontation has not returned to work Police Chief Christopher Wagner said WednesdayA funeral service for Martinez a 2005 Morris Knolls High School graduate was held last SaturdaySaunders said that a second law firm Leonard Leonard which has offices in Morristown and Springfield has been retained by the familyWe have been retained by the family to investigate a civil rights actionsaid Scott Leonard a partner in the firmWe're obviously investigating whether the conduct of the Denville police department violated the policies and procedures for effectuating a traffic stopLeonard saidBianchi in his statement sought to explain why authorities have said little in public about what happened just before during and after the shootingI have committed to the family and police as well as the community that a full fair and impartial investigation will take placeBianchi saidTo do this correctly and not rush to judgment takes time and we have to await the results of toxicology autopsy and other expert and investigative reports Although we have asked for certain reports to be rushed this process still takes timeBianchi saidI appreciate the patience of the family police and community while we move forward with our investigation which in reality has accomplished a considerable amount in a short period of timeBianchi saidSaunders said he was satisfied with the pace of the investigationWhat we need to know is what happened that night We will not know until the prosecutor completes his investigationSaunders said http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/new-jersey/denville/content/62b22d16d1408ce108f9e0656691b1b8.html MORRISTOWN NJ AP Relatives of a man shot five times and killed by a Denville police officer after a traffic stop have seen videos from two police cars http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/new-jersey/denville/content/f31131b68cdc27ea547b02b0edff26ed.html The state Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed a prostitution indictment against a Denville woman finding that her 1989 conviction for solicitation was wrongly used against her in 2005 to secure the indictmentThe state's highest court by a 61 vote ruled in favor of accused escort Caitlin Ryerson 56 who has defended herself for years though she is not an attorneyRyerson formerly used the name Janet Gelman under which she was indicted by a Morris County grand jury in 2005 for allegedly engaging in prostitution with an undercover police officer on March 19 2004 at the Hilton Garden Inn in Rockaway TownshipThe Supreme Court's ruling centered on whether Ryerson's 1989 petty disorderly persons conviction under a former prostitution statute qualified as a prior offense that could be used to raise the 2004 prostitution allegation from a disorderly persons offense to a more serious fourthdegree offense Because of ambiguous language in the current prostitution statute the court said noRyerson's conviction for a petty disorderly personsoffense 19 years ago in Parsippany resulted in 130 in fines and costs In 1999 the statute was amended to say engaging in prostitution is a disorderly personsoffense except that a second or further conviction for such an offenseconstitutes a fourthdegree crime punishable by up to 18 months in jailZeroing in on precise language Ryerson convinced the Supreme Court that the terminology such an offenserefers only to prior disorderly personsoffenses and therefore barred her 1989 conviction for a petty disorderly personsoffense from being used to elevate the new chargeA Superior Court judge in March 2006 agreed with Ryerson's logic and dismissed the indictment but an appeals court panel sided with the county prosecutor's office and reinstated it The Supreme Court's ruling again dismisses the indictment but the court said the state is free to prosecute Ryerson on the initial disorderly persons charge from 2004The prosecutor's office had argued that the petty disorderly persons offense under the old statute was the functional equivalentof a disorderly persons offense under current law The office contended that Ryerson's interpretation would allow a person convicted years ago of prostitution to wipe the slate cleanwhen the possibility of enhanced charging arose The Supreme Court found that both Ryerson and the prosecutor's office had plausible interpretations of the statute but that it was compelled to dismiss the indictment because of the ambiguous languageRyerson said she welcomes the chance to continue fighting the nowdowngraded charge Robyn D'Onofrio a spokeswoman for the prosecutor's office said the case would be sent back to municipal courtI think this is a victory for women's rightsRyerson said They'd never indict a man for this kind of thing There is a dual penalty system in New Jersey and I'm going to argue it is a violation of the Constitution's equal protection clauseProsecutor Robert A Bianchi said: This was a 2004 case that predates this administration As the court noted this was a difficult question of statutory construction which it characterized as a 'clash'of reasonable interpretationsIn March 2004 an undercover officer called the Pink Garter escort agency and made arrangements with Ryerson to meet with a woman named Cindythe next night at the Hilton Garden Inn The officer canceled a few minutes later because Ryerson's questions made him believe she suspected he was a police officer But Ryerson showed up at the hotel the next night anyway and asked for identification and advance payment of 150 When the officer asked the price of a particular sex act Ryerson decided to leave and was arrested in the hotel by a waiting task forceNo sex acts had occurred between her and the undercover officer http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/new-jersey/denville/content/85b2a7989ff9b988b3e1f58540f551a3.html The initial traffic stop that ended with the fatal shooting of a motorist by police in Denville last Thursday was for speeding and reckless driving authorities revealed MondayThey released few other details at a news conference but said more than 20 detectives and six attorneys from the Morris County Prosecutor's Office are working on the investigation It will be thorough and there is no deadline for a resolution they saidIt's going to take as long as it takesFirst Assistant Prosecutor Thomas A Zelante said at a 4:30 pm news conferenceRuben Martinez 21 a 2005 graduate of Morris Knolls High School was shot five times and killed by Denville Police Officer Richard Byrne after a seemingly routine traffic stop Authorities continued to say little on Monday about what they believed happened just before during and after the incidentWe will only issue conclusions once all the facts are secured and only after all relevant witnesses have been interviewedcounty Prosecutor Robert Bianchi said in a statement Bianchi who was not at the news conference is overseeing the investigationThis ensures the integrity of the investigation by ensuring that witnesses are not tainted by reports released to the public and allows the Martinez family the opportunity to ask questions of concern before the matter becomes publicBianchi saidBianchi confirmed that investigators have seen a video from Byrne's vehicle but he declined to discuss what it showedBianchi pledged to release the video to the public when it is determined that the release of the information will not taint or affect the integrity of the investigationAuthorities have also completed an accident reconstruction he saidCapt Jeff Paul of the Prosecutor's Office said Monday that a report of a vehicle that was speeding and being driven recklessly was what prompted Byrne to pursue and pull over Martinez He declined to elaborate on the alleged moving violationsInvestigators also are reviewing evidence recovered from the accident scene Denville police records witness testimonies and all relevant state attorney general guidelines on use of force legal issues and training standards for police officers on the use of forceWe will not rush to judgment until all of the facts available are gathered and analyzed and we will issue findings based upon an unbiased set of facts and not upon supposition rumors or with sympathy bias or prejudice to any interested partyBianchi saidFuneral arrangements for Martinez were still pending Monday eveningThe attorney for the Martinez family Darryl Saunders declined to comment Monday on the investigation or any potential litigation He did say however that he has been in touch with Bianchi on a daily basis since the family was informed of Martinez's death on Thursday morning He met with the prosecutor briefly Thursday and on Monday he saidThe prosecutor is handling the case in a professional mannerSaunders saidHe has kept the family up to speed and we are very grateful for that The prosecutor needs time to do a complete and thorough investigationSaunders saidSaunders of East Brunswick said he is a friend of Martinez's mother Maureen Miles and that he knew Ruben wellRuben was a friend of minehe said I just want for the family to go through this process without being in the glare of the media to let them grieve in peace in the privacy of their own home My clients need space to mourn their lossFriends said that Martinez who was living in Laredo Texas was in New Jersey to attend his younger brother's graduation from Morris Knolls High School last ThursdayAuthorities said Byrne pulled him over at 2:14 am in the area of Franklin Road and Route 46 East At some point the officer fired five shots and all five bullets struck Martinez they saidMartinez's black Ford Mustang GT crashed through a fence and hit an aboveground swimming pool at Geraldine Court and Franklin Road about 150 yards from where Byrne's police cruiser remainedMartinez was pronounced dead less than a hour later at St Clare's HospitalDenvilleMartinez's autopsy and toxicology reports are still pending Bianchi said http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/new-jersey/denville/content/695abac95412b741ad27ff54a064159d.html MORRISTOWN NJ AP Investigators have examined video from a Denville patrol car to see what happened when a police officer shot a motorist to death