Three teens face burglary, assault, restraint charges

Staff Writer

By mark rosman

Three teens face burglary,
assault, restraint charges

Three teen-age boys from Manal-apan were expected to face a state Superior Court judge in Freehold on Monday to answer charges stemming from a June 30 incident in their hometown.

According to Kenneth Keller, deputy first assistant prosecutor with the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office, the July 16 plea conference was scheduled to be held before Judge Eugene A. Iadanza, the presiding Family Court judge.

At the hearing the judge may have accepted a guilty plea from any or all of the boys, Keller said. If any or all of the boys pleaded not guilty to the charges against them, a trial date could be set, he said.

Monday’s hearing took place after the News Transcript deadline.

The three boys were arrested June 30 and charged in connection with a burglary that occurred at a Manalapan home that afternoon in which police said a teen-age girl was restrained.

Police said the juveniles entered a home on Whitehall Way, off Old Queens Boulevard in the Yorktowne development, sometime before officers were called to the scene at 3:47 p.m. A 16-year-old girl was home alone and did not give the three boys permission to enter the home, police said.

Police said that after the boys, ages 16, 15 and 15, all of Manalapan, entered the home, one boy held the girl on her bed while the other two roamed the house. Damage occurred in the kitchen, the family dog was injured, and the contents of a wallet were missing, according to a police report.

Manalapan Police Lt. Louis Moreto said that after the boys left the house, the girl called police at 3:47 p.m. Moreto said one of the 15-year-olds was spotted in the area when officers responded to the scene. An investigation led to the arrest of that youth and the other two boys who were charged in connection with the incident, the officer said.

According to Moreto, the charges are as follows:

• the 16-year-old boy was charged with criminal restraint, simple assault, trespassing and burglary;

• one of the 15-year-old boys was charged with simple assault, trespassing, burglary and criminal mischief.

• the second 15-year-old boy was charged with criminal mischief, theft, burglary and trespassing.

Following their arrests, the three suspects were taken to the Monmouth County Youth Detention Center, Freehold Township.

Keller, of the prosecutor’s office, said two of the boys — the 16-year-old and one of the 15-year-olds — were released from the detention center on July 2. The second 15-year-old was released from the detention center on July 5. All three boys were placed under house arrest, which generally means they are not permitted to leave their home unless accompanied by a parent, Keller said.