A 32-year-old New Brunswick man was arrested on a drug charge Aug. 29 on Hamilton Street. Members of the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Organized Crime and Narcotics Task Force and the Franklin Township Police Department Crime Suppression Unit were conducting a “quality of life” detail in the area when they saw Marcelino Ortiz, of Harvey Street, talking to several people …
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The interim priest serving the Catholic Community of St. Matthias will stay on until the criminal probe involving the church’s former spiritual leader is concluded. It was originally thought that Fr. Abraham Orapankal, who assumed the temporary leadership position near the end of 2018 – after the resignation of Fr. Douglas Haefner – would only serve through the summer of …
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A 52-year-old township woman faces four years in state prison after she admitted July 26 to stealing thousands of dollars from a Rutgers University union. Shelby Hyman pleaded guilty to one count of 2nd Degree Misapplication of Entrusted Funds, and admitted that she took money from AFSCME Local 176 for her personal use, according to a press release from the …
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FTPD Youth Academy cadets lead the Pledge of Allegiance during their July 26 graduation ceremony. Twenty of the township’s middle and high school students have a better understanding of what it means to be a police officer, thanks to their week training with the FTPD. The students, raging in grades 7 through 10, spent the week of July 22 going …
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Police are investigating a July 17 shooting on Barker Road that left a township resident wounded. A 9-1-1 call reporting the shooting was received by Franklin Township Police at about 5:29 p.m., according to a press release from the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office. Don’t Miss Out! No other media outlet covering Franklin Township brings you the depth of information presented …
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What was thought at first to be fireworks turned out to be gunshots near a King Road home, and police are turning to the public for help in finding out who was responsible. Franklin Township Police received a 9-1-1 call reporting firework damage to a house in the King Road area at about 6:42 p.m. on July 14, according to …
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Matthew D. Ellery (Photo: Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office.) A Franklin Township police officer could avoid serving jail time for a guilty plea to possession of heroin and driving while intoxicated under a plea deal struck with the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office. Matthew D. Ellery, 29, a township police officer since 2018, plead guilty to the charges on July 12 to …
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Township Manager Robert Vornlocker discusses the ordinance amendment that would create a Public Safety Director’s position overseeing the police department. An ordinance amendment that would replace the Franklin Township Police Chief’s position with a Public Safety Director was unanimously introduced at the July 9 Township Council meeting. The change comes at a time when the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office has …
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The reward for information leading to the indictment of whoever is responsible for the May shooting death of a 30-year-old township man has been increased to up to $3,500. The increase of the reward from Crime Stoppers of Somerset County was announced in a press release from the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office. Don’t Miss Out! No other media outlet covering …
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Shawn Butler. A Hillsborough man already imprisoned for sexually assaulting a child was convicted last month of violating a Meaghan’s Law prohibition while volunteering at a township church’s youth ministry. Shawn Butler, 53, was convicted on May 21 on a single charge of 3rd Degree Prohibited Participation in a Youth Serving Organization, according to a press release from the Somerset …
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The Franklin Reporter & Advocate Eight Villages, One Community
