Info blackout irks parent near site of alleged assault
BY KATHY BARATTA
Staff Writer

MANALAPAN - A resident who lives in the vicinity of the Southfield Estates development on Craig Road said more questions were raised than answered during a television newscast last week concerning the alleged assault of a township youngster.

Local and county law enforcement officials have had little to say about the alleged incident.

On the night of Nov. 2, WABC-TV, New York, reported that law enforcement authorities were investigating an assault of a township girl.

A person who answered the phone in the WABC newsroom on Nov. 3 told the News Transcript the station had been informed of the investigation through a paging service and dispatched a helicopter to fly over the scene. He had no further information about the incident.

Over the weekend, Monmouth County First Assistant Prosecutor Peter E. Warshaw Jr. told the News Transcript the Prosecutor's Office is "investigating an incident that involves an alleged assault upon a juvenile." He added, "No one has said sexual."

Warshaw declined to say if the alleged victim is male or female.

According to Karen Bava, who lives near Southfield Estates, the little information being released is a source of concern and irritation for residents who live in the area of the alleged incident, which has been rumored to have taken place in the vicinity of the Southfield Estates subdivision near Century Way and Craig Road.

Bava contacted the News Transcript and said that as a parent she was concerned and angry with how authorities were handling the matter as it relates to alerting the community about the nature of the incident. She said the fact that a TV station broadcast the report made it incumbent upon local law enforcement authorities to "disseminate information to the community in order to put a rest to the rumors that have been swirling about."

Bava said other residents with whom she has spoken share her concern over the lack of information available.

"I am outraged this community doesn't know what's going on," she said.

Bava said she is not looking for authorities to release anyone's name, age or even the details of the alleged incident. She said parents want "our law enforcement to give us the information we need to keep our children safe. To let us know if there is in fact a situation we need to be aware of."

Concerned about the three days this week when Manalapan schools will close early, Bava said parents should be able to rely on police to reassure them, but that instead of being reassuring, the information offered by police is only adding to the confusion.

Bava said she had expected the school district might send home some information with students. According to her, at least one teacher discussed the incident with students and referred to the alleged incident as the rape of a young girl.

She said her exasperation at not receiving anything from the school district was exacerbated when she called police in order to get details about something that had been reported on TV and "had everyone talking."

Bava said an officer with whom she spoke told her he could only confirm there had been an incident, that it was being investigated by the prosecutor's office and that police were not allowed to release information or comment on the matter.

"He told me his hands were tied," Bava said, adding that she was unable to get the officer to comment on the nature of the incident.

However, said Bava, the officer did tell her police would be stepping up patrols in the area and also that it was his recommendation that parents walk their children to and from the school bus stop.

Bava said she found it frustrating and troubling that the police department, "the [people] we look at to disseminate the proper information, their hands are tied. That's just not acceptable."

Bava said she believes that by not being forthcoming with the facts of the matter, law enforcement authorities are contributing to the worry that is being fed by rumors. She said the rumors will continue until a definitive statement is made about the incident under investigation.

On Nov. 3, Manalapan police Capt. Lou Moreto said he could not comment on the matter.

Moreto confirmed what Bava said the officer with whom she had spoken told her - once the prosecutor's office gets involved in an investigation that agency immediately becomes the lead agency and all information must come from that office. He said police are not permitted to make any comment about the incident.

Manalapan Police Chief Stuart Brown said he sympathizes with Bava, but said Moreto had neatly outlined why indeed the department's "hands are tied."

"I sympathize with her concerns but I'm not even in a position to answer them for her right now, our hands are tied," the chief said. "Unfortunately, there is a pecking order. Much as I would like to address her concerns, I can't."