The judge painted a horrifying picture of what happened during those three days.

TRENTON - Earlier this year, a jury found Don Finney not guilty of seven criminal counts related to what officials say was a repeated, three-day series of assaults on his family.

The jury did convict him of seven less-serious counts, including criminal restraint, aggravated assault, making terroristic threats and child endangerment.

On Friday, a judge sent Finney to prison for more than three decades, saying the 55-year-old's demeanor throughout his trial and proceedings showed he felt he was immune to society's laws and never showed any remorse for his actions.

The official sentence was 33 years.

Among the original 14 charges against Finney were kidnapping, aggravated sexual assault and false imprisonment, which a jury found him not guilty of in February.

The charges stem from an incident in 2012 when prosecutors and the judge said that Finney locked three of four children -- all 8-years-old or younger -- living with him and his then wife in a bedroom and beat and choked their mother for three days, stopping only when he was physically exhausted from the assault.

Man cleared of kidnapping, rape charges

Mercer County Superior Court Judge Pedro J. Jimenez painted a horrifying picture of what happened during those three days.

He said that the events were sent in motion when Finney was disciplining his wife's 3-year-old child with a belt. When the mother told him stop and said that she would divorce him or call the police Finney turned his rage toward her.

After choking his wife for 'about a minute' he lifted her off the ground and threw her to the floor where strangled her for another minute or so. Finney then locked his wife's eldest three children -- 8, 6, and 3-years-old -- in their bedroom.

He then ripped their shared 1-year-old child from his wife's arms, threw the child onto the bed forcefully enough to make the child fall to the floor and then placed the child back on the bed where he proceeded to assault his wife and threaten to kill her.

The abuse continued for three days, the judge said Friday, recounting the case.

Finney restrained his wife in their bedroom and assaulted her so violently that at one point she urinated herself out of fear.

From behind their locked bedroom door, the children could hear the events unfolding.

Wife testifies she was beaten, held captive

Detectives arrived on the third day, arresting Finney and bringing the ordeal to a conclusion.

Finney's former wife did not show up to the sentencing but asked the prosecutor to read from the statement she made after the 2012 arrest. In the statement she said she could barely sleep and feared that after Finney's release he would try to kill her and her children.

When offered the chance to speak on his own behalf Finney said, "I'm sorry."

After merging two of the charges against Finney, the judge issued a sentence one year longer than what prosecutors recommended explaining that he believed Finney had a likelihood to re-offend and was unwilling to lead a productive life.

He also expressed concern that the full psychological impact the events may have on the children cannot be fully know at this time and may not manifest for many years.

Assistant Mercer County Prosecutor Michael Mennuti handled the prosecution.

Greg Wright may be reached at gwright@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @GregTheWright. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Trenton firefighters confined a Hoffman Avenue fire to one apartment after a 30-minute long struggle with the blaze.

TRENTON -- City firefighters battled a one-alarm fire in a second-floor apartment on Hoffman Avenue that displaced a woman and three children Friday afternoon. 

The Trenton Fire Department arrived at the fire at 1:30 p.m. and brought it under control within 30 minutes, Battalion Chief Gus Tackacs said.

File photo

No one was injured in the fire, Tackacs said.

However, two neighbors were advised to remain in their apartment with two firefighters because of smoke in the hallway. 

Firefighters also helped a woman living in an apartment underneath the fire move her belongings and wrap her furniture in plastic to keep it dry after water leaked through the ceiling, Tackacs said. 

Because of the heat, Tackacs said he called an extra fire engine and ladder company to the scene.

"The guys did a great job considering how hot it is," Tackacs said.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation, he said.

Thomas Regan may be reached at tregan@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @Thomas_P_Regan. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

The man was pronounced dead at the scene of the 7:30 p.m. crash Thursday after his vehicle hit a tree.

TRENTON -- Authorities on Friday were working to identify a man killed in a one-vehicle crash Thursday evening on Route 29 near River Drive.

Police spokesman Lt. Stephen Varn said the driver is believed to be a 44-year-old man, but investigators were working to confirm his identity.

The man was pronounced dead at the scene of the 7:30 p.m. crash Thursday after his vehicle hit a tree.

Varn said the man was driving southbound before the crash and witnesses reported his vehicle was traveling at a high rate of speed.

City police Detective Craig Kirk and Mercer County Prosecutor's Office Detective Don Santoro are investigating.

Kevin Shea may be reached at kshea@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter@kevintshea. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

The first round in 2006 helped fund 20 projects across the county

LAWRENCE -- Following the success of the county's "Mercer at Play" program that helped fund parks and recreational projects that might have never come to fruition otherwise, officials on Friday announced that another $6 million would be made available to towns.

The second round comes 10 years after the program was first unveiled in 2006 when, Mercer County Executive Brian Hughes said, recreation projects were often the first to get cut from municipal budgets.

"We wanted to see municipalities step up to the plate and produce and provide active places in their communities where kids could go and play and have the recreation," Hughes said.

"We wanted to see if there was a way we could spur that development again. ... The program was such a success that we are ready and willing to once again make a commitment."

In the first round, the county contributed $6,498,000 toward 20 projects across the county, ranging from new playing fields and courts to pool upgrades and a skate park.

Under the program, interested municipalities must submit a proposal for a recreational facility detailing the scope of the work, the projected costs and a rough construction schedule.

Towns must contribute at least half of a project's total cost. If approved, the county will match the municipality's contribution, dollar-for-dollar: up to $500,000 for townships and up to $300,000 for boroughs.

Leslie Floyd, the county's planning director, said there are benefits to boroughs who choose to partner with neighboring townships on projects. Doing so would make them eligible for up to $500,000, while the amount they need to match drops.

Towns, she said, can also choose to complete a series of smaller projects.

"They can break it up any way that it works for them as long as it's being used for an appropriate purpose," Floyd said.

Friday's announcement was made in Lawrence's Central Park, where Mayor David Maffei laid out the township's vision for an all-inclusive playground that would be accessible to everyone whether they have a disability or not.

"What I'm truly excited about is that all the children will be able to visit this playground and there will be equipment to play on that will meet all needs," he said.

The township is still in the early planning stages, but Maffei said the spot was chosen because of the area's flat ground and its proximity to handicapped-accessible restrooms.

For its portion, the township has set aside some capital improvement funds, but also hopes to solicit contributions from private donors. Township Manager Richard Krawczun said Lawrence doesn't anticipate spending its full $500,000 on the playground, which would leave money available for other projects.

Towns have three years from Friday to apply to the "Mercer at Play" program.

Cristina Rojas may be reached at crojas@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @CristinaRojasTT. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

"Do your job, but don't be a hero," the state PBA said in an alert to officers.

TRENTON - The New Jersey State Policemen's Benevolent Association (PBA) issued a warning to its police officers Friday evening to be mindful of their surroundings, especially off duty.

"Do your job, but don't be a hero," Marc Kover, the PBA's vice president, said in a post on the organizations's Facebook page. "Avoid any situations that are not essential to public safety or the very description of your job during these dangerous times."

"Most importantly, please take all precautions to survive your shift and make it home to your families," it said.

The alert comes in response to the deaths of five police officers in Dallas and the wounding of seven other people - one of whom was a protestor.

The post expressed solidarity with Dallas police officials and concern for New Jersey officers and their loved ones.

Cops, community discuss preventing unrest

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the law enforcement officials in Dallas," the post said.

Amid fears that officers out of uniform could be targeted, Kovar told officers limit wearing police insignia or PBA apparel that would identify them or their family as law enforcement officers.

"We also encourage taking police shields and other police identifying articles off your cars," the post said.

"We're all in this together," the post concluded. "Protect one another and get home safe to your family."

Greg Wright may be reached at gwright@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @GregTheWright. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

These projects have contracts that are worth at least $500,000

TRENTON -- Hundreds of roadwork projects are grinding to a halt Friday at midnight, with Mercer County's 14 largest, most expensive projects representing $19 million in spending.

The shutdown comes after Gov. Chris Christie announced June 30 his plans to shut down nonessential state-funded road projects amid a stalemate with Senate lawmakers over a plan to fund the state's nearly broke Transportation Trust Fund.

Lawmakers slam Christie over shutdown

In Mercer County, there are 14 ongoing projects with contracts that are worth at least $500,000. They range from the reconstruction of North Willow Street in Trenton to bridge replacements and improvements at Trenton-Mercer Airport.

1. Replacement of South Broad Street bridge over Doctors Run; $3,546,793
2. Rehabilitation of Taxiways H, B, F - Phase 3; $2,500,400
3. Rehabilitation of Taxiways H, B, F - Phase 1 & 2; $2,500,000
4. Rehabilitation of Runway 6-24 - pavement, lighting and signing, Phase 1; $2,125,000
5. Airport security fence improvements; $1,377,542
6. Bridge No. 441.21 in Ewing; $1,000,000
7. Replacement of Carter Road bridge over Shipetauken Creek in Lawrence; $1,000,000
8. Trenton Amtrak bridges; $980,000
9. Princeton-Hightstown Road improvements in West Windsor; $799,971
10. Replacement of culvert bridge carrying Cherry Valley Road over Bedens Brook; $785,897
11. Replacement of Maxwell Avenue bridge over Timber Run in Hightstown; $648,168
12. Ferry Street in Trenton; $604,266
13. South Clinton Avenue in Trenton; $585,334
14. Reconstruction of North Willow Street in Trenton; $572,880

Cristina Rojas may be reached at crojas@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @CristinaRojasTT. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Scott Kelly is back to his old self, better actually than his old self.

BRIDGEWATER -- Scott Kelly is back to his old self, better actually than his old self.

A year ago last month he was in his second season of professional baseball with the Atlantic League's Somerset Patriots, playing the infield in the game he's loved since before his high school days at West Windsor-Plainsboro North and The College of New Jersey.

That's when his right hand became swollen and purple.

Scott Kelly 

An ultra sound revealed a blood clot and a diagnosis of Thoracic Outlet Syndrome (TOS). As explained in Wikipedia, "TOS may result from a positional cause; for example by abnormal compression from the clavicle (collarbone) and shoulder girdle on arm movement.''

A rib in the upper right part of his chest was removed, and, in what you could call a poor man's rendition of Frankenstein, he actually throws better now.

"He looks a little more free throwing,'' manager Brett Jodie said about the 25-year-old righty. "His arm strength is better. I had a couple of surgeries when I played, and you kind of retrain your body to where if you had any weakness in your throwing arm or any mechanical flaws, you kind of straighten those things out.

"I do think his throws are cleaner now and I do think he gets his arm up a little bit better, and the ball is coming out of his hand better.''

Kelly missed more than half of last season, and while his throwing has improved, so has another area.

"I think I'm a better person, too. Every experience allows you to have a better understanding for everybody else. The support I received when I was out was amazing. Texts, calls, comments. When you try and do stuff for people,'' he said, "you become a better person.''

He compared his initial return to throwing the ball to a four-year-old, saying maybe three of 50 tosses to a teammate were actually catchable. It was one day at a time for a few months of rehabbing, focusing on the moment while counting down the days until spring training.

"This one was a little different,'' he said about camp, sitting on the top row of the dugout a couple of hours before a recent game. "I knew I'd be all right, and then there was a day when I was, 'You know what? I'm OK. Let's go!' It wasn't so much how I was feeling but more of performing from a baseball aspect. I had to find out on my own.

"It wasn't easy,'' he said. "You can take my rib out but you can't take my love of baseball out.''

The surgery was performed at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York City by Dr. Darren B. Schneider, Director of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery. Helping Kelly return to form were physical therapist Justine DeLuccio, trainer Kevin Wagner and acupuncturist A.J. Adamczyk.

As of Friday July 8, Kelly was batting .259, with eight doubles, 35 runs scored, and leading the team with 25 stolen bases.

"He's doing well,'' Jodie said about Kelly's comeback season. "He hustles everywhere and worked his tail off to get back to where he was. He's a joy to be around, a ball of energy all the time.

"He makes a lot of hustle plays and gets to balls that normal people wouldn't get to. He's swinging well. Overall he's been very solid for us. He's mature beyond his years with trying to gain knowledge being around guys who can help you.''

He especially enjoys chatting with veterans, some of whom played in the Major Leagues. Former Mets outfielder Endy Chavez, now with Bridgeport, was on second base when Kelly walked over to talk about, "The Catch,'' the grab above the top of the wall made in the 2006 NLCS against the Cardinals.

"You realize how surreal it is and think, 'This is really cool.' I appreciate the little things more than ever now,'' he added. "Even like putting the cleats on. And going between the white lines.''

Known as, "The Kid'' when he first made the team, Kelly has gone through a lot to shed that nickname. Jodie, however, continues to refer to Kelly as 206. That was his tryout number.

Maybe it's time to call him Kelly 2.0.

Follow NJ.com on Twitter @njdotcom. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Serge Charles and Ronaldo Exantus were arrested after police say, they interfered with an investigation and resisted arrest.

TRENTON -- Two Trenton men were arrested after allegedly assaulting officers and interfering with an investigation early Sunday morning, police said.

Police received a call at 4 a.m. Sunday morning about a domestic dispute on Dexter Street, police spokesman Lt. Stephen Varn said. When officers arrived, a 25-year-old woman told them her boyfriend, Serge Charles, took her cell phone and keys and would not return them.

Officers found Charles, 27, and while talking with him, they were able to get the woman's phone back, though Charles refused to hand over the keys, Varn said. While police began an investigation, Ronaldo Exantus, 20, started to interfere, Varn said.

Exantus's interference drew a crowd around the officers, Varn said.

Police told Ronaldo to leave, but he refused to listen until officers told him he was under arrest, Varn said. At that point, he began to walk away and officers called for backup.

When backup arrived, the officers told Charles he was also under arrest, but Charles pushed away from officers and ran onto a porch on Dexter Street, Varn said. 

As officers tried to take Charles into custody, Ronaldo returned and stepped in between police and Charles and a struggle ensued, Varn said. During the altercation, police pepper sprayed Charles, who began striking the door and windows on the house, shattering glass.

The scene attracted more of a crowd, Varn said, and Charles entered the front door and slammed it behind him.

Police took Ronaldo into custody and then followed Charles into the house, Varn said. Charles ran out the back before being arrested in the backyard.

Charles was taken to Capital Health Regional Medical Center for small lacerations on his hands and arms, Varn said.

Charles is charged with aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, resisting arrest, hindering apprehension, disorderly conduct and harassment.

Exantus received charges for assault, interfering with the investigation and resisting arrest. 

Thomas Regan may be reached at tregan@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @Thomas_P_Regan. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Quinnizel J. Clark is charged with one count of murder and a firearm in connection with the death of James Dewyer

MANSFIELD -- Authorities have charged a 34-year-old Belleville man with killing a 68-year-old man who was found shot to death in his car in January.

Quinnizel J. Clark 

Quinnizel J. Clark is charged with one count of murder and a firearm in connection with the death of James Dewyer, who was found in his car on Monica Court Jan. 3, the Burlington County Prosecutor's Office announced Monday.

The office said Clark and Dewyer were acquaintances and had spent time together earlier in that day.

Clark then allegedly drove Dewyer's car to the location where it was later found and shot him multiple times before leaving on foot.

Police found Dewyer dead at about 4:15 p.m., sitting in the passenger seat, while checking out a report of an unresponsive person.

Dewyer retired in 2010 from the New Jersey Department of Corrections.

Burlington man found shot to death in car

Clark was apprehended in Maple Shade Friday by the Burlington County Sheriff's Department's Fugitive Unit.

The prosecutor's office has said Dewyer's last known legal address was on Linden Road in Burlington Township, but he has not lived there for a few years.

Dewyer frequently changed addresses, sometimes living in area motels, the prosecutor's office said.

Clark is currently being held in the Burlington County Jail in Mount Holly on $500,000 full cash bail.

Mansfield police detectives and the prosecutor's office's major crimes, crime scene and high-tech crimes units worked the case.

Kevin Shea may be reached at kshea@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter@kevintshea. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

The tolls are subject to passage by the commission's board of directors meeting in September.

EWING -- The cost of crossing the new Scudders Falls Bridge when it opens in three years will be anywhere from 75 cents to $2.60, the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission announced Monday.

The tolls on the new bridge - set to begin in 2019 with the first new span is operable - will vary depending on the cashless system the driver uses, the DRJTBC said.

A passenger vehicle using E-ZPass will be cost $1.25, but a driver without E-ZPass will get a bill for $2.60 in the mail under toll-by-plate system.

And commuters who make at least 16 tolled trips per month using a commission-affiliated E-ZPass tag will pay .75 cents per trip, the DRJTBC said.

"The commission directed staff to tamp down the toll rates for this new bridge as much as possible," Joseph J. Resta, the commission's executive director, said in a statement.

"The $1.25 base E-ZPass toll and 75-cent E-ZPass commuter-discount toll are in keeping with this goal, especially given the scope and complexity of the upcoming bridge replacement project," Resta said.

The tolls are subject to passage by the commission's board of directors meeting in September, following public meetings this summer.

The tolls will be charged for southbound traffic on the new bridge, which carries Interstate 95 from Mercer County to Bucks Cuunty, Pa.

The commission has said the bridge will use an electronic, cashless system that scans E-ZPass tag readers or license plates with high-resolution cameras. 

2 toll increases proposed for Del. River bridges

In January, crews began prep work on the the $328 million project by clearing brush and trees on Pennsylvania side to make way for noise-reducing walls.

Similar work is expected to get underway after Oct. 1 on the New Jersey side near the bridge, its Interstate-95 New approach and the Route 29 interchange.

The bridge replacement project involves a heavily commuted 4.4-mile portion of I-95. The existing span, which opened in 1961, was rated "functionally obsolete."

The project involves:

• Replacing the existing four-lane bridge with a twin span carrying six lanes of through-traffic and three auxiliary lanes
• Overhauling the accident-prone Route 29/175 interchange on the New Jersey side
• Reconfiguring the New Hope-Yardley/Taylorsville Road interchange in Lower Makefield, Pa.
• Making drainage upgrades and other improvements along the approach highway between the Route 29/175 interchange and Bear Tavern Road
• Widening of the Pennsylvania I-95 approach between the Route 332 exit and the bridge by adding another lane and full shoulders in each direction
• Providing a bicycle and pedestrian walkway alongside the main river bridge
• Constructing full inside and outside shoulders on both replacement bridge spans
• Constructing noise-abatement walls along the roads leading to and from the bridge
• Installing an all-electronic "cashless" toll system

Full construction is expected to get underway in early 2017 and will take up to four years to complete.

More precise start and end dates will be determined after the final design work is completed later this year, the DRJTBC has said.

The next public meetings in the Mercer County area about the project and proposed tolls are:

- July 19, West Trenton Volunteer Fire Company, 40 Upper Ferry Rd., West Trenton (Ewing), NJ. Informational project open house at 4:30 p.m.; toll hearing 6 p.m. 

- July 21, 2016, William Penn Middle School, 1524 Derbyshire Rd., Yardley, Pa. Informational project open house 4:30 p.m.; toll hearing 6 p.m. 

More information about the tolls can be found on the DRJTBC website.

Kevin Shea may be reached at kshea@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter@kevintshea. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Few high school students aspire to be teachers thanks in part to seeing how teachers are treated by New Jersey politicians.

It was one of the most depressing headlines we've read lately - and also one of the scariest.

"Who wants to be a teacher? Not many in N.J., study says."

The accompanying story, summarizing findings from the ACT college entrance exam organization, noted that the number of high school students who want to become teachers is diminishing dramatically, both nationwide and in the Garden State.

Just 4 percent of nearly 2 million high school seniors who took the ACT last year said they hoped to enter the teaching field. New Jersey's numbers were similar.

As the pool of talented young people available to guide tomorrow's generation into the future becomes depleted, we face a drastic shortage of teachers not far down the road. Moreover, the study continued, this ominous trend comes as the demand for teachers is expected to increase 14 percent by 2021.

Stop demonizing teachers, governor | Editorial

It's a woeful picture, and pay is only part of it.

In its most recent survey of annual salaries of new college graduates by occupation, Money Magazine ranked teaching dead last at $34,891, light years behind engineering ($64,891) and computer science ($61,321).

And while the median public school salary in New Jersey is higher at $53,404 according to another national survey, bright and accomplished young people could earn far more in private industry over the course of a lifetime.

But as important as that weekly paycheck is, especially in a state with an impossibly high cost of living, there's more at play here.

Most people don't go into teaching for the money. They don't work long hours at home nights and weekends, grading papers and preparing the next day's lesson plans. Most don't spend their own dollars buying school supplies and classroom decorations.

20 N.J. colleges with highest-paid grads

Years ago, teaching was a revered profession, its practitioners held in the highest regard. But as that esteem began to erode, politicians like Gov. Chris Christie took full advantage, declaring open season on teachers and scapegoating them for the state's financial woes.

Rather than praising teachers for their dedication, Christie has repeatedly hurled invective during his famed town hall meetings, treating them and their unions with scorn and derision.

And just like that, professionals who once were honored as givers of knowledge became, in the public's eye, takers of the state's limited resources.

The ACT report recommends a series of changes designed to make teaching more attractive: programs to recruit more students, salaries commensurate with those of recent college graduates in other fields, more robust benefits.

But we also need an attitude overhaul.

That doesn't mean going out and hugging the nearest teacher. It does mean treating the profession with the dignity and appreciation it deserves.

Follow NJ.com/Opinion on Twitter @NJ_Opinion. Find NJ.com Opinion on Facebook.

Our second batch of Mount Rushmore polls - time to vote

We have reached Week 2 of our five-week, 15-team Mount Rushmore project for the summer of 2016, and three new polls launch Tuesday. These polls are for fans, alums and anyone interested to vote and select the four best-ever athletes and coaches to grace a majestic imaginary monument for each school chosen by our users.

Week 2 polls:
• Hightstown
• Kearny
• Verona

These polls will be open till noon on Monday, July 18. You can vote as often as you like, so rally the troops, and even more importantly, learn some great history of the athletes from these N.J. schools by scrolling through the photo galleries, which hold details about the athletes nominated.

Next up in Week 3 are St. Joseph (Metuchen), Pingry and Millville - those polls will launch Tuesday, July 19.

Learn more about how the schools were selected and the project overall in our original Mount Rushmore post.

Week 1 results:
• Bound Brook
• East Brunswick
• Randolph

Jeffrey and Jodi Freeman allege Capital Health and two doctors were negligent during the birth of their son in 2014.

TRENTON -- A Yardley, Pa. couple has filed a medical malpractice suit against Capital Health and two doctors in connection with the death of their newborn son.

According to the suit filed in Mercer County Superior Court, Jeffrey Freeman and his wife Jodi Freeman allege Capital Health Medical Center - Hopewell, and Dr. Robert Berk and Dr. Judith Funches, were negligent during the birth of the couple's son, the second of the their twins born August 21, 2014.

"Jeffrey J. Freeman was present with his wife, Jodi Freeman, throughout labor and was shocked by the critical condition of (the child) at birth," the suit says. "Jeffrey J. Freedman immediately recognized that malpractice and/or negligence had occurred."

The Center for Women's Health, Lawrence OB/GYN Associates, and four registered nurses are also named in the suit.

A Capital Health spokeswoman said the company has not received the lawsuit and said they are unaware of wrongful action and standard protocols were followed.

The Freemans allege during the delivery of the second child that day, hospital staff failed to notice the slow heart rate of the infant.

The suit also claims that doctors and nurses did not respond appropriately to slow heart rate alarms and then improperly tried to deliver the child via vacuum delivery rather than by cesarean section or other methods.

After delivery, the child was transferred to The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia's neonatal intensive care unit with a diagnosis of perinatal asphyxia -- a condition resulting from lack of oxygen -- and reduced blood flow to the brain.

The infant was placed on life support for about two days until the decision was made to withdraw assisted breathing from the newborn, following much discussion, the suit says.

Less than six hours later, the Freeman's newborn was pronounced dead.

The couple seeks monetary compensation under New Jersey's Wrongful Death Statute.

The Capital Health spokeswoman said the company has extensive experience with both routine and complicated deliveries.

The Freeman's lawyer, Michael F. Barrett, referred comment to the suit itself.

Greg Wright may be reached at gwright@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @GregTheWright. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Officers Kenneth Larsen and Daniel Abbatemarco were part of both first aid calls.

HIGHTSTOWN -- Patrol officers equipped with drug-reversal kits saved two people from opioid overdoes in the same work shift Sunday, Hightstown police said.

The first incident occurred at about 9:30 a.m. at the residence of a 37-year-old male.

Officers Kenneth Larsen and Daniel Abbatemarco found the man in cardiac arrest next to evidence of heroin use, police said.

The officers performed CPR and gave him a 2-milligram dose of Nalaxone in his nasal passage, which revived him.

The man was taken to a local hospital and later released, police said.

Heroin down to $2 a bag, official says launching new strategy

At 6:20 p.m. Larsen, Abbatemarco and Officer Philip Esposito responded to another residence and found 26-year-old man outside, unresponsive and gasping for breath, police said.

The officers gave the man oxygen and again administered a 2-milligram dose of Naloxone. The man did not immediately respond, and a local ambulance squad and paramedica, who took him to a local hospital.

The man regained consciousness at the hospital, and is recovering, police said. He also overdosed on heroin.

In October 2014, every police patrol vehicle in Mercer County was equipped with naloxone as part of a program administered by the Mercer County Prosecutor's Office, and funded by money from the state Attorney General's office's drug arrest seizure fund.

Kevin Shea may be reached at kshea@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter@kevintshea. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

The body of 47-year-old Lisa Armstrong was found in a wooded area off Route 206 in Burlington County in 2013.

MOUNT HOLLY -- A Trenton man will spend life in prison for kidnapping, robbing and killing a woman in Tabernacle nearly three years ago.

Terrance J. Patterson, 39 of Trenton, was sentenced to life without parole for the kidnapping, robbery and killing of a 47-year-old Trenton woman in 2013. (Photo provided)
 

Terrance J. Patterson, 39, was sentenced to life in prison without parole for the death of Lisa Armstrong, 47, Trenton, the Burlington County Prosecutor's Office said. 

Patterson, of the 1200 block of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, was convicted on June 1 of executing Armstrong after Patterson and a now-deceased co-defendant took Armstrong from her home on South Cook Avenue, robbed her and then shot her twice in the head in a wooded area along Route 206 in Tabernacle.

Her body was discovered at the scene of the crime on Oct. 7, 2013 by land surveyors.

The co-defendant, 44-year-old Loraine Hawkins, died of cancer shortly after she was arrested and charged with murder in June 2014. Hawkins was said to be Armstrong's sponsor in Narcotics Anonymous.  

Patterson was sentenced by Judge Charles Delehey to life without parole for the murder charge, as well as concurrent sentences of 20 years for robbery and 30 years for kidnapping. 

"The defendant ruthlessly executed Lisa Armstrong in an attempt to conceal the fact that he had robbed her of money," Burlington County Prosecutor Robert Bernardi said in a written statement. "He will never walk the streets again, and he deserves that fate."

Luis Ramos was arrested with drugs after police say he ran at the sight of officers.

TRENTON -- A Trenton man is charged with drug possession and distribution after police say officers found him engaging in what appeared to be a drug transaction with a motorist.

Luis Ramos is charged with drug possession, intent to distribute and for having an open alcoholic beverage. Police photo 

Luis Ramos, 22, was arrested at 7:30 p.m. Monday night after he ran from the scene of the apparent drug deal and onto the porch of a house in the 300 block of Calhoun Street, police spokesman Lt. Stephen Varn said.

Ramos tried to go into the house, but the door was locked, Varn said. 

Officers found Ramos with an open alcoholic beverage, nine grams of marijuana, 10 decks of heroin and a Percocet pill, Varn said.

Ramos is charged with possession of the marijuana, heroin and Percocet pill, distributing drugs, intent to distribute within 1000 feet of a school and intent to distribute within 500 feet of a park and drinking in public. 

Thomas Regan may be reached at tregan@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @Thomas_P_Regan. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Fans get to vote for the players and coaches who deserve to be on the Hightstown Mount Rushmore

HIGHTSTOWN -- Hightstown graduated its 101st senior class in June. It has an athletic tradition that dates back to the roaring 1920s.

There have been some incredible male and female athletes in Hightstown history -- the Rams have a tradition in soccer, track, basketball and softball that goes back decades.

RELATED: View NJ.com's complete Mount Rushmore project

Who are the best of the best? What four athletes or coaches have left a mark on Hightstown? Who brought honor an pride to the school and the community? Who belongs on Hightstown's Mount Rushmore? Fans will have seven days to tell us who they are. Voting closes Monday, July 18, at noon.

Every member of the Hightstown Hall of Fame is on the ballot below as are a few of the more recent Hightstown stars. It is an extensive list!

Fans can click on the photo gallery above to see some of the Hall of Famers an some of the athletes from the last five or six years to shine for the Rams. The photo gallery will tell you what sport the candidates played during their scholastic days.

Disclaimer: We know you take these polls seriously. We do, too. We encourage you to come back and vote often. Please note, the poll will view rapid-fire voting from any individual IP as an attack and will put that IP in a time out.

You can do anything you want within reason to win these polls - make your case in the comments below, use Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+, MySpace, carrier pigeons, telegrams ... whatever you want to get the vote out. BUT any tech-based method designed to rack up votes will be flagged and those votes will be thrown out.

Joe Zedalis may be reached at jzedalis@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @josephzedalis. Like NJ.com HS sports on Facebook.

The city's five projects total $2.8 million

TRENTON -- The city has been forced to suspend five road projects because of Gov. Chris Christie's executive order -- a move Assemblyman Reed Gusciora called "completely unacceptable."

The governor's order called for an "immediate and orderly shutdown" of most work funded by the state transportation trust fund by Friday at midnight.

The five affected projects in Trenton, which total $2.8 million, are:

1. Milling and resurfacing of South Broad Street from Lalor to Liberty streets, including the construction of ADA-compliant ramps, sidewalks, curbs and tree planting/removal; $507,000
2. Reconstruction of North Willow Street from Bank Street to Pennington Avenue, including the construction of ADA-compliant ramps, sidewalks, curbs and tree planting/removal; $572,880
3. Reconstruction of Ferry Street from South Broad to Warren streets, including the construction of ADA-compliant ramps, sidewalks, curbs and tree planting/removal; $604,266
4. Phase 1 reconstruction of South Clinton Avenue from Greenwood Avenue to Dye Street, including the construction of ADA-compliant ramps, sidewalks, curbs and tree planting/removal; $554,075
5. Phase 2 reconstruction of South Clinton Avenue from Dye Street and Cedar Lane, including the construction of ADA-compliant ramps, sidewalks, curbs and tree planting/removal; $634,834

Gusciora (D-Mercer) said older residents and people with disabilities would be the most affected since all of the city's projects included work to make intersections, sidewalks and curb ramps accessible to everyone.

"Stopping work on these projects is equal to stopping work on progress for disabled residents of the city and that's completely unacceptable," he said. "Equal access and safety should be above politics."

Elsewhere in the county, dozens of other projects to replace bridges and resurface roads also came to a halt.

"To think that now, our mindset seems to be, 'Let's kick the can down the road; let's let it deteriorate more' is incredibly frustrating,'" Gusciora said. "We need to address these problems proactively rather than reactively. We need to fix our infrastructure before the inevitable disaster motivates us to take action."

Cristina Rojas may be reached at crojas@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @CristinaRojasTT. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Officials: Town hall construction delayed by builder error

ROBBINSVILLE -- Inspectors were standing inside of the nearly completed Robbinsville municipal building on a sunny day recently when they saw water begin to pour through an interior wall.

When inspectors - and township officials, who were present that day - went searching for the source of the leak, they found a cleaning crew spraying down the stone exterior of the building with a hose.

The liquid was making its way from the walls, thorough a drainage gap and then through the interior walls of the building.

Water intrusion had been puzzling inspectors for months, the discovery that it was coming through the walls -- not the roof -- has setback construction on the much-anticipated Route 33 project.

"The project has been dramatically delayed," Robbinsville Mayor Dave Fried said Tuesday. "Primarily because the builder has used the wrong waterproofing material."

A frustrated Fried said he expected better from the contractors.

Fried said he doesn't expect this delay to increase the cost of the project, but that the city will have to continue spending taxpayer money on rent at their current location.

Municipal building construction underway

Bill Feinberg of Feinberg & Associates P.C., an independent architect hired to periodically oversee design and construction of the project, says it's normal for buildings to have some water seep in during rainstorms, but his inspectors were were finding more water than usual as the project neared completion.

Feinberg says the cause of the leak was fairly easy to find once they knew its origin.

A stain on the wall caught the attention of several inspectors. "We saw some material that was blue in color," Feinberg said.

"We asked the builder to open up the wall," Feinberg said. What he found was immediately apparent to him as improper masonry work.

To create a waterproof seal two compounds are used, both of which react to one another to create a barrier. The compound that was supposed to be used to waterproof the building is black -- not blue.

The mason, hired by contractors Scozzari Builders, submitted paperwork saying he used the correct compound, but "what he submitted as the material to be put in was not the material used," Feinberg said.

Instead, the mason used a visibly different compound that did not chemically react to the separate compound to create a waterproof seal. Instead the blue compound remained in liquid form, allowing water to seep in.

Feinberg says the black compound is also what Scozzari Builders' own inspectors said was used when the company's own on-site investigator signed off on inspection paperwork.

The township has been renting space from local developer Sharbell Development. In 2014, the rental costs were $165,000.

The town's new 15,000-square-foot building - located at 2298 Route 33 - was purchased from Investors Bank in December 2014 for $803,715, after two other locations fell through.

Robbinsville town officials have been without a permanent home since 2006 when the former municipal building found to uninhabitable due to mold.

Scozzari Builders did not respond to requests for comment.

Greg Wright may be reached at gwright@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @GregTheWright. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Darryl Young was approached by officers after police say Young and two others dispersed after noticing law enforcement.

TRENTON -- A Trenton man was arrested and charged with weapon offenses after police say he was found with a handgun at the Prospect Village apartment complex on Monday afternoon, police said.

Darryl Young is charged with weapon possession. Police photo 

Darryl Young, 24, was walking with two other individuals when the group scattered at the sight of officers, police spokesman Lt. Stephen Varn said.

Young changed direction with one of the individuals when officers approached him, Varn said. Young then allegedly tried to shield himself from police by hiding behind the second man while grabbing at his rear pocket.

After further investigation, officers found Young with a loaded handgun and arrested him, Varn said. 

Young is charged with weapons offenses and receiving stolen property.

Thomas Regan may be reached at tregan@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @Thomas_P_Regan. Find NJ.com on Facebook.