Wyckoff June 8, 2011 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • Page 11 Officials mull options as attorney faces charges by John Koster Wyckoff officials have made no decision as to how to react to misconduct charges filed against Zoning Board Attorney Harold P. Cook for activities unrelated to his work for Wyckoff. Mayor Kevin Rooney and former Mayor Rudy Boonstra pointed out that Cook is not a township employee, but a private contractor retained by an autonomous Wyckoff body, the zoning board of adjustment, and that the charges filed against Cook by the state’s Supreme Court Advisory Committee on Judicial Conduct were not related to his professional conduct doing work for Wyckoff, where he has been regarded as capable. “He’s an outstanding land use attorney and has given in the Wyckoff Zoning Board excellent counsel for the past 12 or 14 years that I have known him,” said Boonstra, a former chairman of the zoning board and the governing body’s present liaison to that board. “It is not the mayor and township committee who make A 46-year-old Paterson man employed by a firm that provides school custodial services has been arrested and charged with the theft of electronic equipment from the Wyckoff schools and selling that equipment on the streets of Paterson. On May 26, school officials at the Washington Elementary School reported the theft of electronic equipment. A teacher reported that a $1,200 camcorder was missing and appeared to have been taken from a locked cabinet. The teacher then set up a video surveillance system to cover the cabinet where the theft occurred. The next day, a man was photographed opening the cabinet and removing a $200 camera. Wyckoff Patrolman Peter Goodman investigated the initial complaint, and determined that the thief appeared to be a custodian. Later in the day, Wyckoff Detective Sergeant Custodian charged with equipment theft Joseph Soto and Detective Michael Musto confronted the suspect, and brought him to police headquarters for further questioning. He was subsequently charged with two counts of theft, and is now under investigation for another theft reported at the Wyckoff school. The investigation reportedly determined that the man had sold the two stolen cameras on the streets of Paterson for $50 each. He was released on his own recognizance and the complaints have been referred to the Bergen County Superior Court. Many teachers and parents had objected to the concept of outsourced custodial jobs when it was proposed as a cost-cutting move a few years ago. Objectors argued that those custodians employed directly by the Wyckoff Board of Education had been properly screened. J. KOSTER the decision of whether to continue to retain him; it must be done by the zoning board,” said Mayor Rooney. The decision would have to take place at a formal meeting of the zoning board, the only body that has the power to decide whether to retain or dismiss its attorney. Rooney and Boonstra declined to comment on the allegations against Cook, who is also a magistrate in four suburban Passaic County municipalities. Cook’s law office in North Haledon was contacted and Cook was offered a chance to comment personally, but had not done so at press time. The charges against Cook are that he has been sued personally and in his capacity as a member of more than 40 limited liability companies in 43 cases in state Superior Court, which was said to have compromised his position as a judge, and that he had failed to report his involvement in lawsuits, which were said to have violated judicial canons. The complaint states that Cook’s wages as a judge in Haledon, North Haledon, Ringwood, and Wanaque were being garnished in an attempt by litigants to recover damages after lawsuits against Cook were decided in the litigants’ favor. The complaint said Cook has been uncooperative with opposing counsel, had failed to return telephone calls or provide requested documents, and at one point had transferred his residence at Beach Haven to his wife’s name for $1. Wyckoff officials were surprised by the extensive list of allegations. On May 31, at 8:26 a.m., the Wyckoff police responded to reports that a young man at Fairview Place had been injured in a fall from a bicycle. A 24-year-old Wyckoff man who appeared to be intoxicated was found with injuries to his face and hands, and the Wyckoff ambulance was dispatched to the scene. Another 24-year-old man was found sleeping in the same house at Fairview Place. When Sergeant Kenneth Brown attempted to awaken him and ascertain his condition, the man struck Sergeant Brown in the face and clawed at him with his fingernails. The man in the bed was arrested and charged with aggravated assault on a police officer, possession of marijuana, and possession of narcotics parapherna- Township police announce recent arrests lia. The complaints have been referred to Superior Court. At the end of the same day, at 11:10 p.m., Sergeant Michael Ragucci observed a vehicle stopped in the middle of the road at the intersection of Caldwell Drive and Cedar Hill Avenue. The 25-year-old Ridgewood man in the vehicle was arrested for DWI after a breath test. He was also charged with failure to keep right, reckless driving, and obstructing traffic. He faces an appearance in Wyckoff Municipal Court. On May 24, a 20-year-old Hawthorne man was pulled over after being clocked on radar as doing 79 miles per hour on Route 208. The man was found to be in possession (continued on page 26)  LUKE NEEDS A GOOD HOME  Adorable, loving 2½ year old male pedigreed dachshund available for modest donation to Ramapo Bergen Animal Shelter to the right family in Northwest Bergen County. Neutered, all shots. Call 201-612-1825 6-8-11 joan/janine RonRizzo2x2(6-8-11) 2 x 2” Rev1