Firm pays
money owed
to township
By dave benjamin
Staff Writer
MANALAPAN — One of two companies charged by the township with theft of services has paid its bill, but charges will stand for Charcon USA.
Township officials are still waiting for Charcon, of Toms River, to contact Chief Financial Officer Phil Del Turco to make arrangements to pay its $4,533.85 bill.
The charge is for police services provided in December 2002, which the firm had contracted for with the township. Charcon USA and Knipfing Asphalt Solutions, Colts Neck, were each sent certified letters by Manalapan requesting payment for those services.
"Knipfing indicated that it was a clerical oversight," Del Turco said, adding that after a story about the township’s complaints appeared in the Aug. 20 News Transcript, representatives of Knipfing Asphalt Solutions contacted him and paid Manalapan the bill of $1,536.40 plus interest.
Del Turco said it may not be necessary to proceed with a court hearing for Knipfing Asphalt Solutions because the firm paid the bill and the interest.
"I’m satisfied with the principal and also [that] they did provide the interest," he said.
Del Turco said that with regard to Knipfing Asphalt Solutions, the charges of theft of service, a felony, are expected to be dropped.
"I’ve already contacted the county to remand that court case back to the municipal level, where I am going to request that the charges be dropped," he said.
Charcon USA, however, has still not responded to requests to make payment for $4,533.85 worth of services rendered by the Manalapan Police Department.
"I haven’t heard a thing," said the CFO. "Apparently, they are not responding, but somebody accepted our certified mail."
It is expected that a court date will be set for Charcon either in state Superior Court, Freehold, or in municipal court if the case is remanded to Manalapan. It is possible that the case could be heard in another community’s municipal court.
On Sept. 2, Daniella Trancho, Manal-apan’s municipal court administrator, told the News Transcript that it could take several weeks before either or both cases are remanded back to municipal court from the county, where the cases were first transferred weeks ago.
"We probably wouldn’t get it back until later in the month, anyway," said Trancho. "It would be up to finance [to decide] what they want to do."
Trancho said that since Knipfing paid the township, the township can request a dismissal.
"If it’s going to be worked out, we’ll keep it here," she said. "If it’s going to go to trial and there [is any chance there] would be a conflict, then it will be transferred to someplace else."
At the present time, both complaints are still being reviewed by the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office.
Del Turco previously explained that firms working on projects in the township sometimes hire off-duty Manalapan police officers to direct traffic at their work sites. That is how the charges for the police services are incurred.