He presented a U-Haul driver with a Drug Enforcement Administration identification card, police said

Concerned his Clinton Township tenant was moving out and skipping out on rent, a retired DEA employee pretended to be a police officer so he could find out where exactly his tenant was going, according to township police.

After seeing his tenant load belongings into a U-Haul moving truck Monday, Samir Mikhail, 68, of Bayonne, N.J., allegedly followed the vehicle to the McDonald's parking lot on Center Street. Mikhail presented the driver, a 28-year-old Philadelphia resident, with a Drug Enforcement Agency identification card, according to police.

Mikhail told the driver he was "investigating suspicious activity" involving the truck, according to reports. The driver handed over his driver's license and then called 911.

Hunterdon Democrat PhotoClinton Township police charged a landlord with impersonating an officer Monday.

Mikhail told police his tenant owed him $4,500. So when he saw the U-Haul truck, he attempted to find out where his tenant was moving.

Mikhail worked as a chemist for the DEA for 22 years and used the ID to impersonate an officer, police said. Mikhail also told police he worked for a police department for six years, according to authorities.

Police charged Mikhail with impersonating a law enforcement officer, and the identification card was logged into evidence, according to reports. Authorities notified the DEA, which will be conducting a follow-up investigation, according to police.

A Clinton woman turned herself in for shoplifting cell phone chargers.

Clinton 

• A Clinton woman turned herself in Friday on charges she stole cell phone chargers from a pharmacy in November, according to Clinton police.
  
  Kristi Wertz, 30, turned herself in after police issued a warrant for her arrest, charging her with shoplifting phone charger from a Rite Aid at 37 Old Highway 22 in Clinton.
  Star-Ledger file photo

• Two men were arrested April 13 after police observed them stealing scrap metal, according to reports.
  
  Giuseppe Sutera, 55, and Leon Maslonka, 53, both of Bloomsbury, allegedly took pieces of scrap metal from a fenced in area of STS Auto on Old Highway 22.
  
  They were charged with theft and released on their own recognizance.

Clinton Township

• After misidentifying himself to police, a Bucks County man and his passenger were arrested on warrants and marijuana possession Wednesday.
  
  Clinton Township police stopped William M. Stanley, 20, of Levittown, Pa., for malfunctioning brake lights, according to reports. Stanley told police he was James Issac Stanley, police say.
  
  Police determined this wasn't the case when they searched his information, reports say. After speaking with passenger Russell Norton, 21, also of Levittown, police detected the odor of burnt marijuana and subsequently discovered two glass marijuana pipes containing marijuana residue in the car, according to police. Police also discovered warrants for Norton's arrest out of Ocean City and North Wildwood, reports say.
  
  Both were charged with possession of less than 50 grams of marijuana and drug paraphernalia. Stanley also faces hindering apprehension, operating a motor vehicle while in possession of marijuana, driving without a license, bald tires and maintenance of lamps charges. They were released on their own recognizance.

Franklin Township

• A Linden man was arrested Thursday on various motor vehicle charges after striking a tree in a Wal-mart parking lot.
  
  Janusz Zegaldo, 42, allegedly hit a tree with his 1999 Ford pickup truck in the store's parking lot, then fled, a witness told police. Police found Zegaldo in Readington Township, and charged him with reckless driving, careless driving, failure to keep right, failure to stop at a stop sign, leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident, failure to report a motor vehicle accident and driving with a suspended license. He was released on his own recognizance, pending a court hearing, according to reports.

• A Franklin Township woman reported Wednesday that someone had used her debit card to make purchases without her permission, police say. The card owner told police that thousands of dollars had been spent online without her consent, according to reports.
  
  The incident is under investigation.

• A Holland Township man was issued a summons for careless driving Thursday after a two-car crash on Quakertown Road, according to police.
  
  Christopher Nash, 25, was driving a 2002 Ford pickup west when he struck a 1999 Isuzu truck trying to make a right turn into a private driveway, reports say. Nash's vehicle pushed Kenneth Pratt's truck into a wooden fence and into a field before coming to rest. Pratt, 63, of Franklin Township, was taken to Hunterdon Medical Center for minor injuries, according to police.
  
  Nash was issued a summons for careless driving.

'Doing Clinton Springtime' is scheduled to run noon to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

View full sizeExpress-Times File PhotoThe Clinton Book Shop will host an author reading and signing as part of "Doing Clinton Springtime" this weekend.

Seizing on themes of newness and renewal, organizers of “Doing Clinton Springtime” hope visitors take advantage of this weekend’s two-day event to visit dozens of downtown businesses.

The event is scheduled to run noon to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday and will include a variety of shops, restaurants, salons and other service providers, according to Joan Schaming, event organizer and owner of Balic of Clinton.

“The event is not a street event,” Schaming said, adding that the idea is to draw people inside to experience what each shop has to offer.

A number of businesses new to the downtown area will be participating, including Clinton Guitars, which will offer free guitar restringing lessons. Chocodiem will make chocolate and ask visitors to taste test and offer suggestions, and a new nail salon will sparkle-polish ring fingers for free, Schaming said.

Balic of Clinton will offer a wine tasting and wine aeration demonstration Saturday and “Meet the Winemaker” event Sunday, featuring Bojan Boskovic, of Balic Winery, who will sign bottles of wine.

Organizers held the inaugural “Doing Clinton” event in October with a scaled back version in December. One business that did well with the first event was the Clinton Book Shop.

“We had a lot of success with the children,” shop manager Rob Dougherty said. “The second (one) not so much. The holidays affect events like these.”

Although Friday is not officially part of the weekend, Clinton Book Shop will host author Eloisa James reading from and signing her new memoir “Paris in Love,” and Saturday will include children’s book readings throughout the day, Dougherty said.

“If you want to have a small town, you have to give (people) a reason to come downtown,” he said.

Other activities planned for the weekend include blacksmithing and weaving demonstrations at the Red Mill, children’s art projects at the Hunterdon Art Museum, electric bicycle demonstrations, canoeing on the South Branch of the Raritan River and live music.

Schaming said she’s proud to highlight Clinton’s downtown area with events like this weekend’s “Doing Clinton Springtime.”

“To show it off is really exciting for us,” she said. “I hope it’s nice weather.”

Call Joan Schaming at 908-713-9463 or visit clintonguild.com or the event’s Facebook page for information.

Sentencing is slated for June 22.

A Flemington man pleaded guilty Friday to sexual assault charges, Hunterdon County Prosecutor Anthony Kearns III announced Tuesday.

John Chiles, 52, was convicted of first-degree aggravated sexual assault on a child, according to a release.

Courtesy PhotoThe Hunterdon County Prosecutor's Office said a Flemington man pleaded guilty to sexual assault charges Friday.

Chiles admitted to abusing the child more than 20 years ago in Lambertville, Kearns said. The abuse occurred in a series of encounters between 1983 and 1988, but he was arrested in August, following an investigation by the prosecutor's office Special Victims Unit, according to previous reports.

A Hunterdon County grand jury indicted him on two additional counts excluded from the plea, including a second-degree sexual assault charge and a third-degree endangering the welfare of a child charge, court records say.

"We offer our gratitude to the victim(s) for bringing the facts forward in this case," Kearns said in a prepared statement. "Through their perseverance, and collaboration with our Special Victims Unit, we were able to work together to bring justice to our community."

The plea suggests a 10-year New Jersey State Prison sentence and requires that Chiles register as a sex offender, adhering to Megan's Law. Sentencing is scheduled for June 22. 

The second accident happened minutes after the first accident was cleared, New Jersey State Police report.

View full sizeStar-Ledger File PhotoTwo morning accidents on Interstate 78 East in Hunterdon County backed up traffic, New Jersey State Police report.

Unity Bancorp reversed a loss from the first quarter of 2011, citing cost control and tighter focus on its core market.

Photo Courtesy Unity Bancorp Inc.Unity Bancorp Inc. CEO James Hughes

“The continued improvement in our operating results is the result of our strategic initiatives,” CEO James Hughes said in a statement today.

“We have reduced the portfolio of loans outside our footprint, expanded our in-market business relationships and further reduced our cost of funds. I am extremely optimistic that the repositioning of the company's balance sheet will allow us to further increase our profitability.” 

A man suffered a wound to his arm this morning, reports say.

John Grimm III is listed in critical condition tonight at Capital Health Regional Medical Center in Trenton after the morning explosion at his home.

A 20-millimeter shell exploded at John Grimm III's property on Sandbrook Headquarters Road around 11 a.m., police say.

"It looked like he was making some sort of a lamp out of the shell," township Patrolman Mark Kobner said this afternoon. "He was drilling into one of them. It went off."

"We have reason to believe he's had them for a long time, more than 40 years," he said, adding it's unclear from where Grimm had gotten the shells. "I'm not going into the legality of it yet until we know more about what we have here.

"Right now we're considering him a victim and we're hoping he gets better soon," Kearns said.

"He has sustained significant injuries to his upper body and his upper extremities," Kearns said, noting the garage did not sustain any damage.

"Anyone with any type of ammunition should be extremely careful and clearly you never know, even when you believe it's inert," he said.

Communications Workers of America 1040 union members stood along well-traveled roads outside their workplaces holding signs that urged Gov. Chris Christie's administration to offer a fair contract.

View full sizeExpress-Times Photo | BILL ADAMSMembers of Communications Workers of America Local 1040, protest outside the entrance to the Mountainview Youth Correctional Facility in Clinton Township.

Unionized workers at New Jersey state institutions demonstrated Thursday to call for an end to an impasse that has left them without a contract since July.

Communications Workers of America Local 1040 union members stood along well-traveled roads outside their workplaces holding signs that urged Gov. Chris Christie's administration to offer a fair contract.

The Christie administration proposed wage freezes in the first two years of any new contract, union leaders said, even though workers are already taking a financial hit under new laws that make public employees pay more for pensions and benefits.

Workers were also concerned about the governor’s goal to reduce the number of people that New Jersey places in state institutions.

The state is in the process of closing the 288-bed Sen. Garrett W. Hagedorn Psychiatric Hospital in Lebanon Township and is under a court order to reduce by half the number of patients in institutional care within two years.

“They need to keep us open. They need to keep us funded. They can’t deplete our staff to help developers. … It’s not fair to the residents,” said Bob Simeone, the union leader for 405 workers at the 540-bed Hunterdon Developmental Center, which treats developmentally disabled people in Clinton Township.

Christie spokesman Kevin Roberts said Christie was aware of the demonstrations but wouldn’t discuss specifics of negotiations.

“As with the other labor unions with which the state negotiates, we look forward to having a fair resolution for taxpayers in time,” Roberts said.

At Mountainview Youth Correctional Facility in Clinton Township, where Local 1040 represents about 80 workers, demonstrators along Route 22 held signs that called for a new contract. Other signs — one reading “Governor 1 percent,” another “Governor for the Rich” — cast Christie as concerned only about the wealthy.

Christie “talks about shared sacrifice but so far all I see is them sharing our sacrifice … He’s pitting state workers as the big behemoth but it’s really not the case,” said Mel Allen, the union leader for Mountainview workers.

Union workers said they’re also concerned that the state’s contract offer would allow the Legislature to withhold raises if lawmakers can’t find enough money in the state budget.

The workers also objected to contract language that they said would make it easier for the state to privatize their jobs and criticized a reduction in vacation days and changes to compensate for accumulated sick time.

Tropical Storms Irene and Lee wiped out a dam, two creeks and part of a park. But the borough has received no money to fix the damage.

Express-Times File Photo | BILL ADAMSTropical Storms Irene and Lee destroyed the Milford Dam and wiped out two creeks and part of a borough park. Seven months later, Milford has received little financial help to fix the damage.

Seven months after tropical storms wiped out the Milford Dam, filled two creeks with debris and damaged part of a park, the borough remains without money to repair the damage.

And few are offering help.

“It’s kind of like the economic recession," Councilman Donald Pursell said. "Things start to look better and it’s, ‘Are we coming out of it?’ and then we’re not. At this point, it all hinges on what the government funds can do to help us.”

The borough last month missed out on a National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration grant that would have helped cover the estimated $400,000 to remove the dam.

County, state and federal governments have also had little to offer to the small borough on the banks of the Delaware River, which was among the hardest hit by Tropical Storms Irene and Lee.

In addition to the price tag for the dam, the borough needs money to repair the park, a swath of which was taped off because it was deemed dangerous after the storms.

The borough needs even more money to restore the Hakihokake and Quequacommisacong creeks, which were turned largely to beds of rock after the storms demolished the dam.

Milford Borough Council proposed but then scrapped a plan to raise $400,000 in taxes. Residents complained the tax hike was too high for a borough of little more than 900 people.

The borough continues to seek other grants, but it has yet to receive any money for the damage, Pursell said.

Hunterdon County Freeholders and county engineer John Glynn inspected the creeks, and freeholders have said they don’t plan to take action. Borough officials have also made the N.J. Department of Environmental Protection and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency aware of the damage and neither agency has pledged assistance, Pursell said.

Robert and Charlene White, whose home is along one of the creeks, tried to get help from International Paper, which owns facilities along the creek. They hoped the paper company would make creek restoration a part of cleaning up the Curtis Specialty Papers Superfund site.

But International Paper told the Whites in an email that it has no plans to address the creek upstream from the paper mill.

“We have been reaching out for seven months after our local town was destroyed,” Charlene White said in an email, “and so far, nothing has been restored."

Perhaps not dying in vain, the black bear may help state biologists better understand bear populations.

Express-Times File Photo | JOHNATHAN HARDICK A black bear on June 4 crosses Route 57 in Franklin Township near the Warren County Technical School.

A motorist reported a dead black bear this morning at the side of Interstate 78 in Tewksbury Township, according to New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection authorities.

Discovered about 8:06 this morning on the eastbound shoulder of the highway near mile marker 25.8, the bear will be picked up later today and brought to the DEP.

Animal carcass cleanup is usually a municipal affair, reported to police then animal control officials. When found on a state highway, the Department of Transportation will cart away the creature.

But black bears are different, according to DEP spokesman Larry Ragonese. DEP biologists have a particular interest in the animal.

"Any chance they get to examine a bear, it gives them opportunity to do research," Ragonese said.

This research involves the history of the particular bear, including whether the biologists are familiar with the creature, if it was tagged and its age.

"They are looking for the health of the bears," Ragonese said. "They examine everything, the entire bear. It gives you a little bit of a window into the health of the bear population."

These black bears offer a microcosmic look at its regional counterparts, he said, by possibly revealing diseases or fertility patterns in the populace. By researching the condition of the species, the DEP can more accurately oversee the ecosystem, Ragonese said.

"Our job is to manage the ecosystem," he said. "It's important for us to know what's out there so that we can craft our policies."

Predicting breeding potential can be crucial information in an area of the state where black bears are most prominent. Black bears are present in all 21 counties, but are much more common in the northwest section of the state. The region — Warren, Morris, Sussex, Hunterdon, Passaic, parts of Somerset and Bergen counties — harbors approximately 3,500 black bears, Ragonese said.

Black bears struck by vehicles are reported periodically, Ragonese said. In 2011, 173 hit black bears were reported, compared to 157 in 2010, he said.

Information on the bear on I-78 and the driver was not readily available.

Those who volunteered with Jack Lindsley say he dedicated his life to helping others.

Photo courtesy of Columbia Fire Company No. 4Lindsley served in the U.S. Army in World War II.

When describing Jack Lindsley, people tend to mirror the traits they say he possessed.

Photo courtesy of Columbia Fire Company No. 4Jack Lindsley

At the mention of the Lambertville man's name, Karen Langley, director of volunteer services at Doylestown Hospital, where Lindsley volunteered for 21 years, spoke with excitement.  

"He was one of the happiest, friendliest people I have ever met," Langley said. "He really wanted to make a difference."

Lindsley died Friday at the hospital where he dedicated more than 9,000 hours to delivering and sorting patients' mail. He was 100 years old.

Lindsley had been a fixture of his community. He served Columbia Fire Company No. 4 for 77 years and was an honorary member of countless neighboring companies, including Clinton, High Bridge and East Whitehouse.

For almost 20 years, he served as the Hunterdon County fire marshal and was chief of the Lambertville City Fire Department for three years. He also worked for the U.S. Postal Service in Lambertville for 31 years before retiring in 1976.

A lifelong Lambertville resident, he graduated from Lambertville High School in 1928 and soon after served in the U.S. Army in World War II. He raised a family and is now survived by his daughter, Sandra Lee Huffman, of Lambertville, and three granddaughters. He was part of a number of veterans organizations and was a trustee of Sandy Ridge Community Church in Delaware Township.

Despite his flurry of activities, people could always expect to see Lindsley at fire department functions, especially the company's annual fish fry. Every year for 30 years, Lindsley greeted people at the door, this year being the sole exception, according to Cynthia Strauss, captain of the Columbia company. As the fourth generation of her family to be involved in the organization, Strauss has known Lindsley all 32 years of her life. She described him as an "honorable, volunteer for life" and a "kind, caring soul."

"I've known Jack my whole life," she said. "He was like a family member; our fire company is like a family."

For someone who has dedicated his life to helping others, who was on Normandy Beach on D-Day, who worked to raise a family, Lindsley was always humble, Langley said. Even when he got older, well into his 90s, Lindsley would arrive with a smile, focused on volunteering.

"He didn't want you to do anything special for him because he was 97," she recalled.

Strauss' grandfather, Ron Tillett Sr., 76, who has served the fire company for about 55 years, said Lindsley was universally well-liked in the community. He cited a party thrown at the hospital in November in honor of Lindsley's 100th birthday — more than 200 people came.

"That gives you an idea of the kind of person he was," he said. "He was a good person and I'm really going to miss him...As you think and talk about him, you think of more things he did."

***

Services

Calling hours: Friday, 3 to 5 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. at the Lambertville-New Hope Rescue Squad; and Saturday from 10 a.m. until the start of services.

Funeral services: Saturday, 11 a.m., at the Lambertville-New Hope Rescue Squad, 70 Alexander Ave., Lambertville. Interment will follow at the Amwell Ridge Cemetery, Ringoes.

He allegedly had sexual relations with a victim younger than 16.

Photo courtesy of the Hunterdon County Prosecutor's Office

He faces one count of first-degree aggravated sexual assault.

Express-Times File Photo

A Somerset County man was arrested last week on charges that he sexually assaulted a mentally disabled resident of a Frenchtown nursing home, according to New Jersey State Police.

Sebastian Russo, 70, of Bound Brook, allegedly assaulted the "physically helpless" resident of Valley View Health Care Center on April 22, police said today. The victim's age couldn't immediately be determined, but police said the resident has Down syndrome.

Police couldn't provide Russo's connection to the nursing home — whether a visitor or employee — but said that he isn't a resident of Valley View. Calls to the nursing home weren't immediately returned.

Russo faces one count of aggravated sexual assault, a first-degree crime, and is being lodged at the Hunterdon County jail in lieu of $5,000 bail.

The Hunterdon County company's net income rose 76.5 percent from a year ago.

Express-Times File Photo Foster Wheeler in Union Township reported a first-quarter profit of $40.6 million, or 38 cents a share.

“We maintain the expectation that our earnings per share for the full year of 2012 will be materially higher than they were in 2011, aided by higher volumes and a lower share count,” CEO Kent Masters said in statement today.

“However, as we progress through the year, we also expect that our quarterly earnings will continue to display customary volatility.”

The 19-year-old, who police arrested after a numerous reports of his whereabouts, allegedly stood outside Exxon Research on Route 31 with an assault rifle and wearing a mask.

A Flemington man armed with an assault rifle was arrested at gunpoint today after he was spotted outside a Clinton Township research facility and North Hunterdon High School, according to township police.

Wearing a mask and carrying an M-16 automatic rifle, the 19-year-old stood at the gate to Exxon Research on Route 31, according to reports. When police arrived, a report came that the man was in a car across from North Hunterdon High School.

Security officials told police that the man smashed what appeared to be an M-16 rifle on the ground and discarded it in nearby weeds.

Route 31 traffic was shut down and the high school and Immaculate Conception School were locked down, police said. Police saw the man reaching into the trunk of his car and flailing his arms, according to reports. He was taken into custody at gunpoint, and an automatic rifle and silencer were recovered at the scene, police said.

Earlier, it was reported that the man stopped a driver northbound on Route 31. The man asked for directions, but then reached into the car and grabbed a flashlight, and began questioning the driver about his dogs, according to police.

Police did not immediately release the suspect's name, but said that his motive is unknown and that it appears the man acted alone. At the time of his arrest, the 19-year-old was yelling incoherently, police said.

Authorities say it appears he acted alone. The investigation is ongoing.

The pursuit of a man armed with an automatic rifle in Clinton Township today escalated from a dog-based interrogation to a standoff with township police, authorities say.

Clinton Township police say they began searching for a man later identified as Jamison after a motorist heading north on Route 31 reported an encounter with him. After asking for directions, Jamison reached into the driver's car, grabbed a flashlight in the vehicle and began questioning the driver about his dogs, police report.

The calls took a turn when police were told the man was seen standing outside the gate to Exxon Mobil Research & Engineering Co. along Route 22 East, wearing a mask and carrying a rifle, according to authorities.

Police say they arrived to find the man had moved — stationed in a vehicle across the street from the high school. Exxon Mobil security relayed that he smashed the weapon on the ground before throwing it into nearby weeds, police say.

Police arrested Jamison soon after spotting him reach into the trunk of his car and flail his arms, according to reports. An automatic rifle and silencer were recovered at the scene, police say.

The schools initiated lockdowns about 1:30 p.m. and lifted them in time for regular dismissal, according to Maren Smagala, spokeswoman for the North Hunterdon-Voorhees Regional High School District. She said she didn't recall any similar incidents of threats outside the school.

Kearns, the Hunterdon County prosecutor, said investigators think Jamison acted alone. He said it is doubtful today's incident was related to a mysterious 911 call about a 19-year-old man with an assault rifle March 26 in the area of Hackettstown High School.

"At this point we believe it's an isolated incident, but it remains under investigation," he said.

In the previous incident, a man who identified himself as Kevin McGowan, 19, told Warren County authorities that he planned to kill Hackettstown High School students with an AK-47. The threats closed down the high school, as well as Centenary College, Hatchery Hill Elementary School, St. Mary's Catholic School and Hackettstown Middle School. No arrests have been made in that incident, and the investigation is ongoing. 

Police stopped a 16-year-old driver whose passenger was a 17-year-old who'd consumed alcohol, reports say.

Express-Times File Photo

Franklin Township police in Hunterdon County allege the following in news releases:

• A Clinton man was arrested April 23 after he allegedly threatened and assaulted a 17-year-old, according to Franklin Township police.
  
  Vincent Aiello, 20, told the teen he had a knife and assaulted the 17-year-old outside the Shell Station on Old Highway 22 in Clinton, police report. He then fled, with the teen following him into Franklin Township, police say.
  
  Aiello exited his vehicle on Lower Landsdown Road and threatened the teen, hinting he was in possession of a knife.
  
  He was charged with making terroristic threats and simple assault. He was released on his own recognizance, pending a court hearing.

• While driving with a 17-year-old who'd been drinking alcohol Saturday, a 16-year-old was stopped by police on Route 513 for failure to have headlights on, according to reports.
  
  The driver had a New Jersey learner's permit, which requires the supervision of a licensed driver who is at least 21 years old. The car was stopped at 11:45 p.m., 44 minutes past the curfew set for learner's permit holders.
  
  The driver was charged with driving without a license and failure to have headlights on, police say. The passenger was charged with underage consumption of alcoholic beverages.

• Franklin Township police are investigating a theft of a "large sum of cash" from a township residence Saturday, according to reports.
  
  The suspects gained entry to the home through unlocked doors, police say.

He faces up to 13 years in a New Jersey state prison.

View full sizeCourtesy photoFrank Venable

Authorities say an end is in sight to the four-year investigation into multiple sexual assault allegations against a former Hunterdon County volunteer firefighter and school bus driver.

Frank Venable, 57, of Flemington, pleaded guilty Tuesday to charges relating to six young victims, according to Hunterdon County Prosecutor Anthony P. Kearns III.

Venable pleaded guilty to three counts each of sexual assault and endangering the welfare of a child and one count of criminal sexual contact, according to a news release from the prosecutor's office.

He faces a maximum of 13 years in a New Jersey state prison, and he will also be subject to Megan's Law and parole supervision for life, according to the release.

Venable is already serving a four-year state prison sentence for molesting a 14-year-old boy in 2004. He was arrested in 2008 and convicted in 2011 of aggravated criminal sexual contact and endangering the welfare of child.

Several other boys — who are among the six in this case — came forward after the 2008 arrest, leading to a 15-count indictment alleging sexual abuse of the teen boys in Hunterdon and Ocean counties spanning from 1995 to 2008.

These bi-county cases were consolidated in state Superior Court in Flemington, and sentencing will conclude all pending allegations against Venable, according to the prosecutor's office. Sentencing is scheduled in July.

Venable's history of criminal charges date to 1980, when he was indicted on 21 counts of child abuse and neglect for allegedly allowing Delaware Township boys ages 12 to 16 to view pornographic films on an overnight camping trip. As a result, he was fired from his job as a township bus driver.

He also was a volunteer firefighter for more than 30 years, belonging to both the Raritan Township and Sergeantsville fire companies.

Many have eagerly awaited the conclusion of this investigation, according to the prosecutor's office.

"The victims in this matter have expressed relief and that resolution of this matter offers them some closure," Kearns said in a statement. "The stress of trial on all the victims was of paramount concern to the Hunterdon County Prosecutor's Office."

Experts have determined that the gun was a replica of an M16.

The gun wielded by a 19-year-old Flemington man who caused school lock-downs and a highway shutdown Tuesday was a fake, Hunterdon County Prosecutor Anthony Kearns III announced Wednesday.

A weapons expert from the county's SWAT Team determined that Jonathan Jamison's gun was a replica of an M16 rifle, altered by a genuine silencer and holographic scope, according to a release from the prosecutor's office. Reports Tuesday indicated the weapon collected at the scene appeared to be an automatic rifle.

"Officers had no way of telling that the weapon was not a real firearm," according to a news release.

In the wake of a pursuit on Route 31 that ended with his arrest, Jamison faces various charges, including possession of a firearm for an unlawful purpose and possession of an imitation firearm for unlawful purposes, according to the prosecutor's office.

Jamison's motive is still unknown, but authorities say he acted alone.

"There were no indications that any school was in danger or a target of the perpetrator," Kearns said in a prepared statement.

Police tracked Jamison first from a call reporting a "suspicious man," then a man carrying a rifle on Route 31 in Clinton Township. The initial report came from a motorist who said a man flagged him down on Route 31 at Regional Road, according to Clinton Township police.

The driver told police the man asked him for directions, grabbed a flashlight from his car and began interrogating him about his dogs, police said.

Police later received a call reporting a man wearing a mask and carrying a gun was seen standing outside the gate to Exxon Mobil Research & Engineering Co. along Route 31. At the time, Exxon security officers told police the man had thrown what appeared to be an M16 rifle into nearby weeds, according to reports.

After this second call at about 1:15 p.m., police shut down Route 31 North and launched lock-downs at Clinton Township public schools, North Hunterdon High and Immaculate Conception schools for about 25 minutes, according to reports.

Police were then informed that Jamison was in a vehicle across the street from the high school, police said. Jamison was arrested at gunpoint soon after, according to reports.

In a prepared statement, Kearns praised the collaboration of authorities and those who reported Jamison.

"I would like to commend the motorist for reporting the initial incident promptly to police. This allowed the Clinton Township Police and school administrators to act quickly," he said. "I am thankful to all the school administrators for their professional teamwork heading off a potential crisis."

Jamison is being held in Hunterdon County jail in lieu of $50,000.