WEST AMWELL: Kayaking bail jumper given more jail time

Former West Amwell resident Steven Pieczynski, who was convicted in March of jumping bail and escaping to Canada with use of a kayak, has been given additional jail time on burglary and theft charges.
Mr. Pieczynski had previously been sentenced on third-degree bail jumping and received four years in state prison.
Superior Court Judge Stephen B. Rubin sentenced Mr. Pieczynski on July 17 to two additional five-year prison terms to be served concurrently. However, the five-year sentence is to be served in addition to the previous four-year bail-jumping sentence.
According to Prosecutor Anthony P. Kearns III, "Mr. Pieczynski pleaded guilty to burglary and theft in 2012 and fled the country before sentencing. Mr. Pieczynski entered Canada illegally on Sept. 29, 2012,using a kayak launched from Lewiston, New York, on the Lower Niagara River. After crossing the river, he made his way to the greater Toronto area."
Detectives eventually tracked down Mr. Pieczynski, and on Oct. 23,2012, members of the Toronto Police Service Fugitive Squad, the Integrated Border Enforcement Team, the Ontario Provincial Police and the Canada Border Services Agency arrested Mr. Pieczynski at the home of a woman he met on the Internet. He was extradited back to the United States.
Upon his return to Hunterdon County, Mr. Pieczynski pleaded not guilty to the bail-jumping charge and faced a trial by jury. On March 12, the jury returned a guilty verdict in the case. The state was represented at trial by Assistant Prosecutor Anthony Anastasio.
Detectives originally arrested Mr. Pieczynski on Oct. 20, 2011. Police from Newtown, Pennsylvania, suspected Mr. Pieczynski in a burglary in that jurisdiction after the victims posted their vacation plans on Facebook, Mr. Kearns said.
According to the prosecutor, Mr. Pieczynski was Facebook "friends" with the victims and neighbors saw his vehicle near the victim’s residence on the evening of the burglary. Detectives arrested him after finding proceeds from the burglary in his residence during the execution of a search warrant. Additional proceeds discovered in the residence during that search warrant led detectives to additional victims and resulted in additional burglary charges for Mr. Pieczynski.
The additional burglaries occurred when Mr. Pieczynski targeted his neighbors during the power outages following Hurricane Irene, police said.