Grand jury hearing charges
on Manalapan town hall theft
By mark rosman
Staff Writer
MANALAPAN — A grand jury sitting in Freehold is hearing testimony on a case involving the theft of funds from the township finance office.
Monmouth County Prosecutor John Kaye told the News Transcript on May 8 that a grand jury that meets on Mondays had already held several sessions to hear evidence in the case surrounding Jacqueline Matus.
Matus, of Red Bank, was arrested on Aug. 21 and charged with one count of theft. Specifically, she was charged with stealing $3,468 in court funds while working as Manalapan’s assistant treasurer. Police said the theft included $1,500 in cash and $1,968 in checks. She was suspended without pay from her job following her arrest. Matus is free on $20,000 bail.
Kaye said Matus has been offered a target letter that gives her the opportunity to come before the grand jury and tell her side of the story without facing double jeopardy. In effect, that means statements Matus makes before the grand jury would not be able to be used against her if the case went to trial, Kaye said.
The prosecutor noted that the grand jury is under the jurisdiction of the courts and totally independent of his office. He said that after hearing the evidence on this case the grand jury may elect to indict Matus or take no action at all.
"They can do whatever they want," he said.
Kaye said he does not anticipate the state calling James Devereaux, who resigned as Manalapan’s municipal admin-istrator on April 30, as a witness in the Matus case. At the time the theft of funds was reported from the finance office, Devereaux was also in charge of that department.
The prosecutor said it has taken almost a year for the Matus case to come before a grand jury because the former assistant treasurer was charged with a nonviolent crime and has been free on bail since the time of her arrest. Priority in bringing cases before a grand jury is given to people charged with crimes who have not been able to make bail and to people who have been charged with violent crimes, Kaye explained.
Informed of Devereaux’s resignation as Manalapan’s administrator, Kaye said he did not believe it was related to the issues surrounding the finance office.
"I understand he and the Township Committee had some other issues," the prosecutor said.
Kaye said an investigation into the reported theft of cash and checks totaling $101,478 from the township finance office [$3,000 in cash and the remainder in checks] remains open. While investigators from his office have completed their work in the municipal building, Kaye said he is still awaiting the receipt of documents such as bank records.
Messages left by the News Transcript at the office of attorney Steven E. Nelson of Neptune, who is representing Matus, were not returned.