Page 6 THE VILLADOM TIMES IV • December 9, 2009 Area Bergen County Prosecutor John L. Molinelli announced the arrest of Curtis Franklin, 44, of Mahwah on charges of sexual assault, criminal sexual contact, and endangering the welfare of a child. The arrest came about as a result of an investigation conducted by members of the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office, Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Unit, under the direction of Acting Chief John Palotta, and the Mahwah Police Department under the direction of Chief James Batelli. The arrest was made Dec. 1 after law enforcement officials learned that Franklin engaged in inappropriate sexual conduct on at least three occasions with a female under the age of 16 at the time. The incidents occurred at a residence in the township about six years ago. The incidents went unreported until Nov. 30, 2009. Franklin met the victim while serving as a volunteer to the youth ministry at the Mahwah Full Gospel Church, where Franklin is currently the assistant pastor. Bail was set by the Honorable Harry G. Carroll at $75,000 with no 10 percent option, no contact with the victim, and the surrender of his passport, after which he was transported to the Mahwah Police Department for pro- Charges filed in assault cases cessing. Arraignment was handled by the Honorable Anthony Gianni, J.M.C. Additional charges against Franklin were filed Dec. 3 after the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office and the Mahwah Police Department learned Franklin had sexually assaulted a second female he met while serving as a volunteer to the youth ministry at the church. This female reported that the assaults began when she was 12 and continued until she was over the age of 16. The victim is now an adult. These incidents occurred at different locations in Mahwah, and were unreported until Dec. 2. Based on the new allegations, Franklin was charged with two counts of sexual assault, one count of criminal sexual contact, and one count of endangering the welfare of a child. Bail on the new complaints was set by Judge Carroll at $150,000 with no 10 percent option, and no contact with the victim. Prosecutor Molinelli states that the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. He thanked the Mahwah police for their assistance. Hearing postponed (continued from page 5) board for an interpretation of the zoning ordinance. Cotz has claimed that the ordinance requiring a setback from the property line became effective in 1977, and his client’s use predates that ordinance and, as far as he knows, there was no prior ordinance requiring that setback. The board will address that issue, but when the board opened the public hearing in October, Cotz was asked why the coops could not be kept away from the property line and he responded that allowing them to be located up to the property line facilitates the use of the coops. He also claimed the coops are frequently moved so they are not structures requiring building permits and they are not prohibited from being within five feet of the lot line. In addition, he claims the location of the coops within five feet of the property line has been allowed historically and that any setback requirement has been ignored for decades. The keeping of fowl on the property also requires a board of health license, and Cotz has acknowledged that even if the zoning board finds that the coop location can remain because they predate the zoning ordinance, he will have to resolve that issue with the board of health. The latest board of health ordinance that regulates the practice of keeping fowl by residents was adopted in February 2008. Under that ordinance, anyone who keeps or maintains live fowl must have a license that must be renewed every year. The ordinance also requires that fowl be kept in a manner that will not result in the giving of offensive odors and will not be dangerous or injurious to the health of the fowl. In addition, the ordinance states that it is unlawful for any person to keep any crowing rooster or screaming or chattering fowl on their property and, according to Mulvey, most of the fowl on Mondejar and DeMarino’s property are roosters. The ordinance also requires that all fowl be confined in coops and runs and the coops must have concrete floors and have a sufficient number of roosts to provide space for each bird. The coops must be kept clean and free of rodent infestation and are subject to periodic inspections by the health officer. In addition, no coops can be located within 50 feet of any dwelling unit, or within 200 feet of any food establishment, or within 100 feet of any property line. However, the ordinance also states that all coops constructed prior to 1976 will not be subject to the previously stated location requirements. Practice makes perfect The Ramsey Rescue Squad recently held a night extrication drill simulating a two-car collision. As always, the participants used the Jaws of Life to evacuate the ‘victims.’ A big snow storm can be both inconvenient and dangerous to your health. We have a machine in stock to suit your needs, from electric shovels to powerful 10.0 HP models. Talk to us...We’ll sell you the right size for the job, at the right price. WHY TAKE CHANCES? Model # PR8ES27