By Philip Sean Curran, Staff Writer
Criminal sexual contact with a minor charges were thrown out against a Princeton man three months ago, but the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office said the case remains “open.”
More than a year has passed since Maximillian Shane was arrested on allegations involving him and a 16-year-old girl in February 2012.
Princeton Borough police and the prosecutor’s office investigated what authorities said was an “incident,” ultimately resulting in Mr. Shane, a massage therapist, being charged Feb.16 with four counts of fourth-degree criminal sexual contact.
At the time, authorities released scant details; Borough Police waited until March before even revealing Mr. Shane’s arrest.
A check of state Superior Court records last week showed that Judge Gerald J. Council dismissed the matter Dec. 6 because of what authorities called a “delay in prosecution.”
”The prosecutor’s office asked for several extensions, which were not granted, in order to gather further evidence so that a complete case could be presented to a grand jury,” said Casey A. DeBlasio, a spokeswoman for Mercer County Prosecutor Joseph L. Bocchini Jr., in an email last week. She said the case is “open.”
”There is no generic timeline,” she said when asked about when a decision will be made to charge him. “A decision will be made to charge after all of the necessary information is gathered and reviewed.”
She did not elaborate on what “necessary information” meant.
A message left Friday at Mr. Shane’s Princeton massage business was not returned. His defense lawyer, Kim Otis, declined to comment Friday about the case.
Mr. Shane, 49, identified by a police as a resident of Mt. Lucas Road, was a member last year on the Joint Recreation Board; he took a voluntary leave of absence amid the controversy. His term on the board ended at the end of 2012 with consolidation. He was not reappointed in January.

