A CASE OF ‘BIG, BAD WOLVES’?
Saga of Woman’s Escape From Her Alleged Abductor Thrusts Rural Bass River into Sudden Media Spotlight
Videotaped Drama at Gas Station, Subsequent Arrest of Suspect Brings Praise for Heroic Attendants and Quick Actions of State Police
By Bill Bonvie Staff Writer
BASS RIVER—The reported year-long, cross-country kidnapping of a woman by a drifter with a somewhat bizarre background that ended when the woman fled from a room in a Bass River Township house where the couple had been staying to a nearby service station and with her alleged abductor being subsequently jailed on a number of charges has brought some unexpected attention to this rural community, along with some reassuring statements from two of its officials.
Southampton Township Neighborhood Up in Arms After Pack of Four Wolfdog ‘Puppies’
Seen on the Prowl There Over President’s Day Weekend Following Last Year’s Incidents of Wolfdogs Having Allegedly Killed Livestock, Pets; Mayor Vows ‘More Permanent’ Relief
Owner of Puppies Calls Them ‘Absolutely Incredibly Sweet’ and ‘Very Loving Creatures’
By D ouglas D. M elegari Staff WriterSOUTHAMPTON—A pack of four wolfdog “puppies” observed roaming freely throughout a Southampton Township neighborhood on multiple occasions this past President’s Day weekend, on the heels of purported incidents last year involving as many as eight “wolfdogs” that were seen on the prowl in the same neighborhood with unsubstantiated reports that livestock and
pets were killed at the time of their escape, is now leading to loud calls for action to be taken at the local government level, as well as by the owner of the animals, which happens to be the same person involved in both the recent matter as well as those from last year.
Township Administrator and Clerk Kathleen D. Hoffman previously described to this newspaper that some of the wolfdogs involved in last year’s incidents, reportedly
coming from a residence in the 500 block of New Road, “had to be surrendered” and that at least two of them “were given back to the breeder.” The breeder of the dogs involved in last year’s incidents, who claimed to live out of state, told locals at the time she was “working on solutions now.”
New Jersey State Police also reportedly told concerned residents the animals had since been “rehomed.”
See WOLFDOGS/ Page 6
Arrested on Feb. 7 shortly after attempting to enter the Conoco service station at 5601 U.S. Route 9 in the village of New Gretna was James W. Parrillo, Jr., 57, who had been using the alias “Brett Parker” when his alleged victim first reportedly encountered him at a New Mexico gas station, gave him a ride to Arizona, and entered into what she claimed was at first a consensual relationship with him in California before he became physically abusive, made threats to kill her family, took possession of her phone and credit cards, and “refused to allow her to make contact with her family.”
In a video since aired by several TV outlets and made available online, Parrillo is shown attempting to enter the station where the woman had taken refuge, then leaving on a bicycle after he found the door locked.
See ABDUCTOR/ Page 7
Second Bid Received to Improve Washington Twp.’s Municipal Parking Lot Rejected, Followed by Recommendation to ‘Break Scope of Project Apart’
By D ouglas D. M elegari Staff Writer WASHINGTON—Asecond round of Request for Proposals (RFPs) on a proposed, long-sought project to expand the parking lot for the Washington Township Municipal Building, with the scope of work also said to include adding some basic amenities such as flag poles, pavers and park benches, again resulted in a lone bidder and a bid for the project that the municipality’s mayor said he just “can’t justify.”
This time, according to Township Engineer Kevin Dixon, there were “four perspective bidders,” or four individuals who approached the municipality for bid specifications/packages, but by close of a Feb. 2 deadline, “one bid was received” for $175,840.
As previously reported by this newspaper, former township committeeman Barry Cavileer, in recognizing that there is currently little parking at the building that used to be the township’s original Green Bank School, had tried to set the project in motion back in 2016 when he was on the governing body. It then ran into obstacles with the Burlington County Planning Board and Pinelands Commission, ones that were finally ironed out last year.
In January, Barry Cavileer’s wife, Barbara, who in the past has expressed her frustration with the pace of projects in town such as this one, quipped, “it has only been seven years” and that “I want it done before he dies!”
“Barry, I like it (what is proposed), but I can’t justify spending $175,000 on a parking lot,” declared Mayor Daniel James during the Washington Township Committee’s Feb. 7 meeting, while looking at the Cavileers, who were in attendance at the session.
The former committeeman replied that he “understood” the circumstances at hand.
Dixon recommended to the township committee that should the governing body wish to continue to pursue the project, it should “break the scope apart,” but maintained that ultimately the governing body “has to make the decision” and it is a “business decision” that has to be made.
One of the reasons the township engineer said he believes the project, as proposed, generated so few bids from area contractors is “we really do have different projects” that are part of the proposed scope of work, and it does not simply entail paving.
For example, he said, the scope of work that was advertised proposed installation of three flag poles and park benches.
In light of the municipality having a Qualified Purchasing Agent (QPA), which allows the municipality to award contracts of $44,000 or less without having to go out to bid, Dixon declared it “would be a really good idea to break the scope down into certain elements that come under the bid threshold.”
“We could break this into sections because we really have discrete elements in this thing, like the flags, pavers and benches,” added Dixon, suggesting those items can likely be separated from the proposed electric, underground and paving work. “… They can be broken up and negotiated with subcontractors and we can see how we do at least and see where they (the quotes) come in at.”
Given the identified items of work potentially entail different areas, it was the township engineer’s further recommendation that the governing body “split these out” of the original scope of work and “call different subcontractors.”
It is “most economical,” Dixon declared, to do elements of the project “a piece at a time, over time,” and that “maybe twice a year” the township committee could “put a
contract out” for some of the intended work, or maybe it could even do it “every couple of months depending on the budget.”
Dixon suggesting “maybe paving the parking spaces” as a starting point “that way we have paved parking,” calling it the “fundamental” aspect of the project, and then after that, the governing body, he maintained, could “come back” and “run a conduit for future electric” to make way for improved lighting, etc.
The township engineer noted he had approached Arawak Paving Company, a company that was recently awarded a contract to repave Old Church Road in town for $91 a ton, about “a few extra tons for you” or tacking on the municipal parking lot to its bid for the road project, due to commence in the spring, but that the company, so far, “won’t touch it,” with the engineer explaining he wasn’t surprised by the response of the firm because what is proposed is “so small, so little” to them as “their business model is to set the paver and go” and that “they like to get into a job, put as much tonnage down as they can and just go to the next job” with things such as curbing and drainage work “not a sweet spot for their business.”
However, Dixon said attempting to get Arawak to do the paving of the municipal parking lot at 2436 Route 563 “still might be an option” if the firm “doesn’t have to do the whole thing,” or would only be responsible for the paving aspect of the proposed project.
Otherwise, his advice to the governing body is to contact “smaller paving companies” that may find the paving that would take about two trucks worth’ of asphalt “more economical.”
The township engineer also suggested that the township committee review the number of flag poles (the proposal called for three to be purchased and installed) and other items it had planned to purchase and install, with it revealed each flag pole was quoted as costing $12,000 a piece, while a single park bench came in around $3,500.
“I just couldn’t believe a park bench is $3,500,” James declared.
By doing the project in piecemeal, it was Dixon’s belief that items “can be purchased cheaper and installed for less.”
“Unfortunately, I wish I had better news,” Dixon declared. “But it is not a total surprise, although I thought we might do better. But, really, if we did better than $150,000, I would have been surprised. You have to make the decision.”
The township committee subsequently added a resolution onto its meeting agenda “rejecting” the bids for the proposed municipal parking lot project, with the item
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Washington
Township Committee has concurred with a recommendation of the New Jersey Department of Agriculture (NJDA) to have approximately 691 acres of land that the municipality is responsible for, comprising five separate blocks, treated for gypsy moths later this spring after an infestation was found through a survey to be continuing in those areas.
That is in addition to some 243 acres of state land (mostly state forest) within those five blocks, in Washington, that the NJDA has identified for treatment.
One of those blocks, according to a handout provided to this newspaper, has been recommended for a “double application” of Bacillus thuringiensis (B.t.), or the “biological insecticide” used by both the NJDA and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) to combat the moth, bringing the total acreage to be sprayed in town to 934 acres, 739 of which the township will have to foot the bill.
Participation in the NJDA’s Gypsy Moth Aerial Suppression Program is “voluntary,” but the Washington Township Committee decided during its Feb. 7 meeting to participate for the second, consecutive year, with the NJDA again requesting assistance from the U.S. Forest Service to “possibly provide up to a 50 percent reimbursement of spray costs” to participating towns.
The NJDA wrote to the municipality that the “anticipated treatment cost” for the municipal portion of affected areas “could range” this year from $55 to $60 per acre.
Washington’s decision to participate in this year’s program came after a surprise 2021 outbreak resulted in thousands of trees being defoliated in both Washington and
neighboring Woodland townships, with blame for the outbreak cast by Woodland on Washington’s “refusal to spray” that year, though Washington denied ever receiving a recommendation for treatment in 2021.
While treatment occurred in 2022, both Washington and Woodland still saw pockets of defoliation last year, with residents in Washington calling for additional treatments and areas to be added to the program’s list. The latest NJDA Egg Mass Survey, according to a document provided to this newspaper, found that more treatment is in fact needed in Washington (as well as in Woodland, as a previous story in this newspaper highlighted, with the Woodland Township Committee previously agreeing to participate in this year’s Gypsy Moth Aerial Suppression Program as a result).
The NJDA is recommending that 58 acres be sprayed on County Route 563 in Washington, near County Route 679, while another 48 acres be treated on the county highway, closer to County Route 542.
The latter is the area targeted for a “recommended double application.”
The state is also recommending that 178 acres be sprayed along a stretch of Bulltown Road, an area where residents have previously reported their observations of trees being defoliated by the insect, including what was previously described as a “very historic, white oak tree.”
Another area recommended for treatment by the state includes Island Road, Old Church Road and Maxwell Street, comprising 513 acres.
The final area recommended for spraying in Washington includes portions of Cedar Lane and Turtle Creek Road.
Horace Somes, a resident of Turtle Creek Road, who also operates Wading River
By D ouglas D. M elegari Staff WriterMEDFORD LAKES—What had been the routine, bi-annual awarding of numerous contracts for chemical treatments to Medford Lakes Borough’s Wastewater Treatment Plant was anything but routine this time around in early 2023 as “the cost for some of these chemicals has risen dramatically” due to inflation and corresponding “volatility,” to the point that the borough felt it was best to only award one-year contracts this time.
Sodium Hypochlorite 15 Percent Bleach (used for disinfection of the treated water) was bid last month at $5.99 per gallon by Miracle Chemical Company, while Coyne Chemical bid at $7.05 per gallon.
Sodium Bisulfite 38 Percent (used to remove any residual Hypochlorite from the treated water before it enters the stream) was bid last month at $6.49 per gallon by Miracle Chemical Company, while Coyne Chemical bid at $6.63 per gallon.
Coyne Chemical last month was the lone bidder to provide Liquid Ammonium Sulfate (a settling aid) to the borough at $4.31 per gallon, in addition to both Granular Polyelectrolyte (used as a coagulant and settling aid), also at $4.31 per gallon, and Emulsion Polyelectrolyte at $24.38 per gallon.
Environmental Operating Solutions was the lone bidder wishing to furnish the borough with a carbon source for wastewater denitrification, using what is known as Micro C1000 (put in the aeration tank for denitrification for removal of nitrates), which placed a bid last month at $6.75 per gallon.
Medford Lakes Borough Council voted unanimously on Jan. 25 to award the one-
year contracts to each “lowest responsible bidder.”
When the borough last awarded contracts for these chemicals back in November 2020, the lowest responsible bidders at the time bid Sodium Hypochlorite 15 Percent Bleach at $2.21 per gallon, Sodium Bisulfite 38 Percent at $2.80 per gallon, Liquid Ammonium Sulfate at $4.67 per gallon, and Micro C1000 at $4.48 per gallon.
According to a later email forwarded to this newspaper from Borough Wastewater Superintendent Brian Grant, the price for Sodium Hypochlorite went up 171 percent per gallon this year, the price for Sodium Bisulfate went up 131 percent per gallon this year, the price per dry ton for Liquid Aluminum Sulfate went up 228 percent this year, and the cost per ton for Micro C1000 went up 51 percent this year.
Additionally, the cost of Ammonium Sulfate, added to the clarifier effluent to inhibit the formation of disinfection byproducts, went up 61 percent per gallon this year, while Emulsion Polymer, used for conditioning the sludge for dewatering and disposal at the county’s Composting Facility, went up 7 percent per gallon this year.
“Unfortunately, the cost for some of these chemicals has risen dramatically and there is really nothing we could do about that,” said Mayor Dr. Gary Miller as council awarded the newest contracts. “We are going to have to find a way to take care of that. We met with the Wastewater Treatment Plant superintendent to flush this out a little bit. It is an issue we are facing now, and that we are going to be facing in the future, I fear. I don’t know the answer (to this), but we are
Southampton Township Woman with Ties to Wolfdog Escape Controversy Arrested for Allegedly Practicing Law Without License, Defrauding Victims
By D ouglas D. M elegari
Staff Writer
SOUTHAMPTON—As a Southampton Township neighborhood was reeling from a pack of wolfdog “puppies” that had escaped from a residence in the 500 block of New Road over President’s Day weekend, on the first day after the holiday, investigators reportedly “executed a search warrant” on the home as part of a separate investigation being conducted by the Evesham Township Police Department into a woman who lives there, who was allegedly “practicing law without a license and was defrauding victims.”
According to a Feb. 22 press release from Evesham Police announcing the execution of a search warrant and charges that have since been filed against the woman, Rebecca Cronin, “AKA” Rebecca Shugars, authorities learned that individuals were hiring Cronin to “provide legal services on their behalf,” but yet she is “not licensed in the State of New Jersey or any other state as a lawyer, nor has she attended and graduated from law school.”
Additionally, authorities said they determined that Cronin was allegedly “stealing money from her employer,” with the amount taken “in excess of $100,000.”
Lt. Dan Burdette, a spokesman for Evesham Police, declined to release the name of the employer because they are considered a “victim of a crime.” Cronin, on her LinkedIn profile page, states she is a “senior paralegal at law office,” but no other details are provided. A purported screenshot of Cronin sharing a help wanted advertisement for an “attorney” for a Camden County criminal defense firm was circulating on social media as of press time.
Burdette revealed to this newspaper that the investigation into Cronin commenced back in September 2022 with a “report of the suspect stealing money from her employer” and “the employer being the victim contacted us to investigate the theft.” The search warrant was executed at Cronin’s residence on Feb. 21.
It is there, police said, “where evidence
of these crimes was seized, and Cronin was arrested.” As for how many known victims there are in which Cronin purportedly misrepresented that she was a lawyer, Burdette responded “we are working to identify as many victims as possible” and that “right now, we have multiple victims.”
Cronin, according to Evesham Police, was lodged in Burlington County Jail. She faces charges of third-degree practicing law without a license, third-degree theft by deception and fourth-degree forgery.
Readers of the Pine Barrens Tribune may recall that Cronin, posting on Facebook last year as Rebecca “Shugs,” had defended last year’s escapes of a pack of wolfdogs from her New Road residence, and that residents were abuzz by her having posted what some found to be an intimidating shot of some of those wolfdogs standing on a raised platform in a backyard, watching after what appears to be a puppy, in addition to another post that suggested that after the wolfdogs were treated to “presents,” or kiddie pools, they proceeded to “break-in and destroy the house while gone for only a short amount of time,” with an accompanying picture showing markings of some sort on a kitchen stove.
The day before her Feb. 21 arrest, Alex Shugars, previously known as Rebecca Shugars significant other, found himself defending against another escape from the residence during President’s Day weekend of wolfdogs, but reportedly the animals at issue this time around are a different set, or “puppies” as he put it. “Authorities,” according to Southampton Mayor Michael Mikulski, are involved in the latest wolfdog matter (see separate story).
As word spread of Cronin’s arrest, neighbors posted online, “now we know why the cops were at their house yesterday.”
“This investigation in ongoing, anyone with information, and/or has been victimized by Cronin (AKA Shugars), is asked to contact the Evesham Police Department at 856-983-1116 or Detective Halpern at HalpernJ@eveshampd.org,” Evesham Police noted.
Prompt
for ‘Patience with Government’ at Evesham Council Session
By Bill B onvie Staff Writer
EVESHAM—Following an internal squabble over changes in legal representation and service providers that characterized its first two meetings of 2023, the Evesham Township Council, during its Feb. 8 session turned its attention to an apparent postpandemic slowdown that has reportedly impeded the progress the township had hoped to make in a number of areas.
“Please have patience with government because as you can hear tonight it can take a year to two years to get things done, and the cost of everything can really have an impact,” was how Councilwoman Heather Cooper, the township’s former deputy mayor, summed up the problem in addressing residents who either attended or viewed the session.
Cooper was referring to reports by municipal employees of inordinate delivery delays that have hampered routine maintenance of facilities and headway in making renovations.
In a Department of Public Works open facilities update, for example, Assistant Superintendent of Municipal Public Property and Services David Pfeiffer told the council that it had taken over a year for just one of the two vehicles the township had ordered to arrive and that his department was “still waiting on an automated sanitation vehicle ordered in 2021,” the vendor being “unable to give us an updated time status on that.” As for two other vehicles ordered in 2022, he contended, “it will probably be another year before we see those.”
Noting that all such equipment needs to be “custom ordered,” Pfeiffer then described how “the vendors keep telling me dates and it never happens.”
“Unfortunately, with the way the world is right now, products are hard to get, materials are hard to get and labor to build the products is scarce at times, so, yeah, it’s taken a while to get some of these vehicles,” he added.
In addition, Pfeiffer noted, playground equipment will now have to be replaced at Little Mill Park due to parts for the existing facilities no longer being available.
Township Engineer Tim Staszewski also informed the council of a similar problem affecting the status of pedestrian beacons planned for three intersections on Crown Royal parkway in the Kings Grant section of the township, which were part of a list of proposed improvements for that neighborhood presented by resident Rosemary Bernardi.
“Ms. Bernardi alluded to pedestrian beacons,” Staszewski said. “There were
hopeful that will get done this spring.”
But according to current projections, he maintained, lighting just those three intersections would cost from $125,000 to $150,0000, and the amount now earmarked for them is $20,000.
“You can get something done for that,” Staszewski contended, “But really, it depends on the location. If we can do it solar powered, that is a lot less impact.”
Hard wiring it, by contrast, would likely cost a lot more, since it would require coordination with the electric company, “so depending on where that is could really drive costs one way or another.”
The engineer also pointed out that current budget limitations would be a factor in how far and how fast the township can go about improving that stretch of road, noting that it had asked for a million dollars from the state Department of Transportation in fiscal year 2022 to repave it from Yarmouth to Pineview and had been awarded only a quarter of that amount.
“So, what is getting paved under this project is the southbound lane, the inner lane of the Rice Elementary School side,” he said.
He also noted that the “contractors are looking to do that work around April 10, “which would coincide with spring break for Rice, so hopefully we’re not impacting the elementary school too much there.”
For the next phase of the project, he said, the township is expecting to receive a grant of $220,000 and has about $500,000 in capital put aside, “so we’re going as far as we can.”
But he acknowledged that “there are still sections of Crown Royal Parkway that will not be addressed at this time, adding, “It’s quite a long stretch of road.”
Right now, the engineer explained, “the roadway paving itself is the base” of the bidding on any contract, with required amenities such as stormwater drains, curb ramps and ADA compliance giving “flexibility” to the process.
One thing Staszewski said he hopes to do is to look into painting bicycle lanes green as an alternate traffic-calming measure.
“There are about 100,000 square feet of bicycle lanes out there now, so you can just do the math at a dollar or two a square foot,” he said. “That could be a big-ticket item.”
But potentially, he added, the township “could get 50 cents or so a square foot for that, so maybe the cost benefit is a little bit better as an alternate” and “at least we’ll get a cost to see what flexibility we have there.”
In another traffic-related matter, Police Chief Walt Miller reported that his department had conducted two speeding
EVESHAM—A 45-year-old Marlton
man pled guilty Feb. 16 to driving under the influence of alcohol and causing the death of a Mount Laurel man during a high-speed collision on Hainesport Road last summer in Mount Laurel Township, according to a press release from the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office.
Desmond Newberry pled guilty to first-degree aggravated manslaughter in exchange for 13 years in state prison, the prosecutor’s office reported in announcing the plea agreement.
Judge Philip E. Haines scheduled sentencing for April 19.
It was on Sept. 3, 2022, when officers from the Mount Laurel Police Department were dispatched to Hainesport Road, in the area of the Cucina Carini restaurant, for a report of a motor vehicle collision just after 8 p.m.
The investigation, according to the prosecutor’s office, determined that Glenn Keen, the owner of the restaurant, was pulling out of the parking lot when he was struck by a vehicle traveling westbound being
driven by Newberry.
Keen, who was reportedly pulled from his “burning vehicle” by civilians prior to the arrival of police, was airlifted to Temple University Hospital, where he later died.
Newberry was extricated from his vehicle by the Mount Laurel Fire Department and transported to Cooper University Hospital, in Camden, with minor injuries. Charges were filed against him four weeks after the crash, the prosecutor’s office said.
An “event data recorder” from Newberry’s BMW revealed he was traveling at 126 mph just prior to striking Keen’s Ford SUV.
Newberry, according to the prosecutor’s office, did not dispute in court that his blood alcohol concentration was .256 immediately following the collision – more than three times the threshold to determine drunk driving in New Jersey.
It was disclosed at the plea proceeding that Newberry had been charged and pled guilty to drunk driving on two previous occasions.
PEMBERTON—A 55-year-old Pemberton
Township woman was sentenced Feb. 15 to eight years in state prison for driving while impaired and causing the death of a teenage motorist in late 2021 during a head-on collision that occurred after she had been drinking at a bar in the Browns Mills section of Pemberton.
Wanda Sprague reached a plea agreement with the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office in September, and subsequently pled guilty that month to one count of aggravated manslaughter.
According to a press release from the prosecutor’s office, Sprague was sentenced by Superior Court Judge Philip E. Haines as a “second-degree offender.”
It was around 9:15 p.m. on Dec. 16, 2021, that officers from the Pemberton Township Police Department were dispatched to the area of Lakehurst Road and Rancocas Lane for a report of a motor vehicle collision.
An investigation into the crash, according to the prosecutor’s office, determined that the headlights on Sprague’s Chrysler 300 were not illuminated when she crashed head on into a Nissan Sentra being driven by Kayla Bowen, 17, also of Pemberton Township.
Bowen was pronounced dead at the scene.
The investigation further determined that Sprague had been consuming alcohol prior to the crash at the Country Lakes Pub and Grill, and reached a speed exceeding 90 mph prior to the collision.
Her blood alcohol concentration following the crash was .188, more than twice the legal limit.
Sprague, when she pled guilty, reportedly told the court that she had no recollection of the collision. She has had several surgeries, according to the prosecutor’s office, and appeared Feb. 15 for sentencing in a wheelchair.
WOLFDOGS
(Continued from Page 1)
New complaints had not been heard since that time, that is until Feb. 18 when a local wrote in an area Facebook group, “Please use caution on Ridge Rd., between New and Retreat – State PD and owners are out trying to catch four wolfdogs.”
That post, which the author later recognized spiraled “out of control,” generated some 480 comments, as well as spurred more than a half-dozen posts in other local social media groups, including replies from Alex Shugars, who acknowledged that the dogs seen traversing primarily the Ridge Tree section of Southampton this past holiday weekend were wolfdog “puppies” that he has had “for a few weeks shy of a year,” maintaining that “they are NOT the black ones that kept escaping before” and that he “took back the black dogs that kept escaping.”
When someone specifically asked Shugars whether the puppies observed from Feb. 18 to Feb. 20 in the Ridge Tree neighborhood “are your dogs,” he replied, in part, “yes, my dog(s)” and reiterated “I took the TWO black ones back to the breeder.”
“The ones I have now are registered with the township and are completely legal,” he added.
Shugars called the “puppies” now at issue “absolutely incredibly sweet” and “very loving creatures,” and emphasized that they are only “puppies,” adding they “just turned a year old” and therefore are “still learning.”
“If anyone who has an open mind wants to meet them and see they aren’t the ‘dangerous,
big, bad wolf,’ I would be happy to let you,” Shugars declared. “It can be arranged. And I can teach you about them.”
However, as was pointed out to the owner, puppies will ultimately become adult wolfdogs.
“Why the hell did you get puppies when you know they can escape your yard?” asked one man. “You do not have the ability to contain them and you are setting yourself and your neighbors up for more drama. Why don’t you get yourself some small lap dogs that can stay in the house? What attracts you to these breeds? Do you like that they get out and kill people’s animals? Just get rid of the dogs and move on with your life. Stop terrorizing your neighbors.”
Shugars’ apparent reassurances that the animals are merely loving creatures did little to quell numerous concerns that the observed puppies potentially pose a threat to both local livestock and pets, as did the adult wolfdogs that had gotten out before, with some charging that they also feared for their safety as human beings, particularly when they are out walking their dogs.
“I know you’re trying to ease minds by sharing that they’re friendly and just puppies, but please try to have some empathy here,” a woman responded. “Saying they’re friendly to humans doesn’t change the fact that they will kill any animal they get the chance to. Saying that they’re just puppies is deeply concerning being that they’re so young and already able to escape and cause harm across your neighborhood.”
And it became apparent that some locals were confused by the situation, not realizing that the dogs observed recently were not the same ones from last year.
However, one man charged of the latest pack to cause a stir that “unfortunately, they have killed another animal,” a report that could not be substantiated as of press time.
When someone pointed out “these are puppies and not the same ones” as last year, someone responded that “well they still killed someone’s animals and they looked just like the others that ran around this area,” adding that “on top of (that), the officer on scene said they were wolfdogs.”
“I saw the dead rabbits with my own eyes,” another person replied.
Additionally, some made remarks that indicated that they were prepared to shoot any wolfdogs that come onto their property in an effort to protect their livestock and pets, with one person even remarking, “loading the 12 gauge.”
“I would never support hurting an animal, but these dogs need to go,” another person said. “Why doesn’t the township make them get rid of them – they could hurt a child?”
Shugars, however, responded that “you would go to jail” for shooting his dogs, while another man retorted, “and my dog gets to live.”
“(If) your dog comes on MY property to kill MY livestock, I’m shooting it, or my livestock guardian dog is coming after it,” yet another person responded. “And I’ll help them with a gun. I DONT CARE, this is NOT right. Self-defense is a VERY legal thing and will play a big role in court with all the evidence against you.”
Ultimately, Shugars declared, “90 percent of you have no idea what you’re talking about” and are “VERY uneducated about wolfdogs.”
“You all spread so many lies about the situation last time around and it blew the hell up on here,” he continued. “One of you jerk o*** even called Child Protective Services on me. These dogs will NOT hurt you. Their instinct is to run away. Let me ask you this though. What would a dog out in the wild eat if we didn’t feed them?
“MOST dog breeds would go after these types of animals. Sorry, your Shih Tzu would probably still try even though they are pathetic. It’s called a prey drive. They can’t tell the difference between one of these animals in a crate outside and one running on the ground. You all spread out my address and where my kids go to school. Get a life. Get off Facebook. Learn about these animals before throwing out your ignorant assumptions because of the ‘big bad wolf’ –cut me a break. Loss of animals will be dealt with civilly. I would highly suggest no one comes on my property like you all did last time. I can’t wait to hear all the crap and lies you people will be spreading on here.”
(A woman who had been known to be Shugars’ significant other was arrested Feb. 21 on separate charges of fraud, see separate story.)
What did spread far and wide was
apparently momentous concern for public and pet safety, with postings of “warnings” that wolfdogs were on the loose “again” even making their way onto a Nextdoor social media group that is for a nearby retirement community of LeisureTowne. Additionally, several commenters questioned the township’s response given that the situation was occurring yet “again” and whether the township committee had been made aware of the issue.
“This is going to happen every day until the dogs are taken away from the owner,” wrote one man. “The owners are irresponsible and in no way deserve to have these dogs on their property. I will take every precaution necessary to protect my dogs and my property, and I urge all my neighbors to do the same because these owners clearly do not give a sh**. I do feel sorry for the wolfdogs because they deserve so much better.”
Others described alleged “negligence” on the part of Shugars, with one person going as far to call the former Marine “a negligent dog owner.”
“To the owner:” said one woman in making a personal plea to Shugars, continuing that, “In all fairness to your dogs and to your community, you should surrender your dogs. People are losing their patience with you, and for a good reason. There is such a great possibility of your dogs getting hit by a car or something worse. They very well may be friendly to humans, but to other animals, they can be lethal. Do the right thing for your dogs and your community because you simply cannot do right by them.”
Southampton Township Mayor Michael Mikulski delivered a “statement” in anticipation of “a lot of questions and concerns about loose dogs” during a wellattended Feb. 21 Southampton Township Committee meeting, with the mayor acknowledging at one point that his phone “blew up” during President’s Day with messages from concerned residents.
“Authorities have been notified,” the mayor said. “Both authorities (the state police and local animal control officer) have been out there. We have been told by authorities that the issue will be resolved by the end of the weekend.”
Mikulski maintained that the public “has to understand” that the township can’t disclose “things we have been specifically told” about the situation because there are “legal proceedings,” except “other than to say that we are very aware of it, and that multiple phone calls have been made to the appropriate authorities.”
“The State Police have been involved multiple times this weekend,” the mayor confirmed, pointing out that the township no longer has its own animal control officer and has come to rely upon the “county” for animal control services, as well as doesn’t have its own police department. “Animal
See WOLFDOGS/ Page 10
The video also shows the woman, whose face is obscured, entering the station and being escorted by its two attendants into an office after they had successfully managed to lock the front door before Parrillo could get inside.
The employees, Jatin Madaan and Jamie Garthaus, were then apprised by the woman of how she had spent a nearly a year being held against her will by Parrillo (whom she knew as Parker) and finally escaped from the nearby residence on County Route 542 where her alleged kidnapper had rented a room at the end of December after they had an argument and he attempted to choke her.
Parrillo was later apprehended on foot, a couple miles west on County Route 542, according to an affidavit of probable cause, and subsequently arrested for hindering his own apprehension. He was then transported to the Tuckerton Barracks, and charged with seven offenses, including committing the first-degree crime of kidnapping by unlawfully confining the victim for a substantial period of time for the purpose of inflicting bodily injury or terrorizing the victim for approximately a year by “physically assaulting, choking and verbally threatening her that if she left, he would kill her and her family.”
He was also charged with aggravated assault, specifically by having tried to choke his victim, which is described as “manifesting extreme indifference to the value of human life.”
In the official report of the incident, the woman’s injuries are described as “marks on
her neck, soreness of her throat.”
In the affidavit of probable cause that was provided to this newspaper by the state Attorney General’s Office, it is also stated that during the course of a recorded video interview, the suspect admitted his actual name wasn’t Brett Parker, but James William Parrillo.
Stories that have circulated in state news media since the episode was first reported have included claims that Parrillo has a long history of outlandish involvements with the law, including being sentenced to a 20-month stint in federal prison for threatening former President Bill Clinton in 1997 (based on a plea agreement) and having been found not guilty by reason of insanity two years prior to that in Florida for holding a group of people at gunpoint on a yacht there, as well as being an object of fear and loathing (under various aliases) among West Coast hikers, at least one of whom posted a video about him. (While these reports appeared in a major newspaper, the Pine Barrens Tribune has not yet been able to verify their validity.)
In Bass River Township, however, local officials have emphasized how expeditiously he was brought to justice.
“I saw the video in the news about the kidnapping of this brave woman,” said Mayor Deborah Buzby-Cope in an email to this newspaper on the morning of Feb. 22. “Just a terrible situation that turned out to have a courageous outcome of her freedom. I want to give credit to Bobby, the owner of the Conoco gas station, and the gas attendant. They quickly responded to the situation and kept her safe and warm inside the station. It’s folks like these that go over and above to help others in time of need. I look at them as true heroes.”
Buzby-Cope also said she wanted to thank the New Jersey State Police, which is the de facto law-enforcement agency for the municipality, for their fast response in apprehending the fugitive.
“Bass River is fortunate in having the Tuckerton State Police patrol our area and keep us safe,” she declared. “We might be a small, quiet town, but when the need arises, we all come together and look out for each other. This is country living!”
Bass River Commissioner, Deputy Mayor and Public Safety Director Louis Bourguignon, in a phone interview, also credited the State Police for their quick and efficient response.
“That is why we have the State Police and that is why we rely on them—they controlled the situation and kept our citizens safe,” Bourguignon told this newspaper. “That is why they’re here 24/7. No matter what kind of call they get, they’re always here. They’re one of the best-trained police forces in New Jersey, and they handle these types of situations all the time. Never doubt their ability. It’s uncanny.”
“Like they always say, if you see something, say, something. Call the State Police. They’ll investigate it, whether you’re right or wrong.”
Bourguignon also wanted to reassure local residents who might have been made apprehensive by the incident that that “there’s no other threat.”
“It’s been taken care of,” he declared.
However, he said he wanted to remind them that something like this “can happen anywhere in the United States” and “it just so happened he stopped off here.”
In a joint press release issued on the day following the incident, however, state Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin and State Police
Superintendent Patrick J. Callahan didn’t mince any words about just how serious they considered the charges against Parrillo, with the release noting he was being held for pretrial detention at Burlington County Jail following a hearing before Superior Court Judge Christopher J. Garringer.
“This is a deeply disturbing case in which the defendant allegedly held a woman against her will for nearly a year, while traveling with her throughout the country, before ending up here in New Jersey where she was able to escape,” wrote Platkin, adding that his office was reaching out to law enforcement “across jurisdictions to identify other people who may have additional information on the defendant.”
Callahan was even more blunt, contending that “the allegations of kidnapping and abuse at the hands of the defendant represent a year-long nightmare endured by the victim,” the latter whom he commended for having exhibited “strength and bravery” and whose escape he described as “nothing short of heroic.”
Also weighing in on the severity of the alleged crime was Pearl Minato, director of the division of Criminal Justice, who maintained that “the allegations, if proven, demonstrate a level of predatory conduct that poses an extreme danger to anyone who crosses paths with this defendant.”
Who Parrillo’s legal counsel might be was not yet evident by this newspaper’s deadline.
According to the press release from the AG’s office, first-degree kidnapping carries a sentence of 15 to 30 years in state prison and a fine of up to $200,000. And that’s in addition to lesser prison terms and fines he might face if convicted on the second- and third-degree counts.
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passing unanimously, with James asserting that “for the scope of that job, there is no way I could justify even $150,000,” and that he will “get together” with the township engineer to discuss the next step(s).
MOTHS
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Tree Farm there, wrote to the township committee in January, urging it to “again take advantage of this state program” as “this should further reduce the current cyclical infestation to an acceptable and tolerable level for a number of years.”
“The treatment that you conducted in response to last year’s outbreak in the Wading River area, did mitigate, but not eliminate the defoliation along both Turtle Creek Road and the adjacent county highway,” wrote Somes in the email copied to this newspaper. “However, large numbers of egg masses have been noted on the Wading River Tree Farm and adjacent properties. This involved oak and pine stands both on and around our farm, and on property of our neighbors –including Turtle Run Campground.”
According to Karen Bacon, deputy clerk
WASTEWATER
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going to explore our options.”
Miller pointed out that buying chemicals and storing them isn’t really a possibility either because “some chemicals don’t have a shelf life where we can do that.”
In light of those rising costs, Borough Clerk Mark McIntosh revealed that “normally we would do two-year contracts for some of these chemicals,” but that for this time around, “most of these contracts have been changed to one-year contracts.”
The borough clerk went on to attribute the rising prices to “volatility” in the market, including rising fuel costs and supply chain issues.
“We all agreed to try to go with one-year contracts to get the best price,” McIntosh said. “If we had gone with two-year contracts, some of these prices would have been much higher.”
Dr. Robert Burton, in a later interview with this newspaper, said that the borough’s
The first round of bidding generated a lone bid for $181,811, which James on Dec. 6 of last year called a “little bit excessive.”
“It is a small job, and it is a lot of money for a small job,” said Dixon on Feb. 7, noting that the lack of bids can probably be viewed as as a “telltale sign” that some sort of change in strategy is needed. “Maybe we break it up and try again.”
of Washington, spraying is expected to begin on or after May 8 through June 8. The windows of opportunity will be from 5:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
“Everyone in the areas affected will be sent a notice,” she said. “There will also be an hour in which they won’t spray, between 7 and 8 a.m., because of kids going to school.”
The NJDA provided a press release to the Pine Barrens Tribune earlier this year announcing that it is “seeking to treat 5,100 acres of residential- and county-owned properties in Burlington, Cape May, and Ocean counties this year to combat the treekilling Lymantria dispar dispar (LDD),” and that moving forward, the state would be referring to the gypsy moth as the LDD, a scientific name given to the insect by the American Entomological Society.
A spokesman for NJDA later revealed portions of Bass River and Southampton townships in Burlington County have also been recommended for spraying this year.
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studies during the past couple years to look at volume, type and number of vehicles, that are speeding, and has shared that information with the township.
Those statistics, Staszewski told the council, are “kind of what dictates the speed limit … so if everybody’s going fast, the study shows the speed limit should be faster than what you think.”
News of a couple of positive developments was reported on two other municipal fronts –the township’s official website and the Indian Spring County Club golf course.
The website has been made a lot more “user friendly,” according to Director of Public Information Zane Clark, with various “adjustments and updates” being made to resources for veterans and disabled individuals, as well as those provided by the Human Rights Advisory Council.
“We’ve cleaned up a lot of the links and resources that were there, we have rearranged them, reformatted them (and) they’re segmented now by locality,” he noted.
Clark added that he had checked out a lot of other municipal websites,” and Evesham’s is now “really quite extensive compared to what is being offered through other townships.”
“So, I think we should be pretty proud of that,” Clark declared.
Another improvement project that the township hopes to complete within the next
eight months is the renovation of the driving range pro shop at the municipally owned links, which Staszewski reported is being replaced by a new and larger building, with more room for both shopping and dining, a food and beverage area and a covered patio with seating on the outside. The driving range will also be enlarged, he said.
Miller also said he was proud to report that one of the members of his department, Justin Mortelliti, had been named Officer of the Year at a recent awards dinner for his heroic actions in having saved the lives of a 7-yearold involved in a pedestrian accident and a child who was choking on food, as well as for having apprehended a suspect in a series of car burglaries at the Brush Hollow residential development.
“On top of all that, he was the main organizer for the Shop with a Cop program that provided Christmas and holiday (gifts) for about 110 kids,” Miller said.
During public comment portion of the meeting, resident Gary Warga, a regular contributor to council meeting discourse, had two criticisms of the township to offer. One was of a resolution the council passed to authorize the replacement of a synthetic turf field – or what he referred to as “plastic grass” –for an amount “not to exceed $554,000.” While acknowledging that real grass would cost the municipality more money, that, he contended is “part of the price we have to pay to get off fossil fuels and go over to more sustainable, renewable sources of energy.”
Warga’s second criticism was of the
wastewater treatment plant deals with “millions and millions” of gallons annually and that “400 something gallons per minute is what it processes.”
“The chemical is used in large quantities, twice a week for 52 weeks a year,” Burton added.
Grant later confirmed that the Medford Lakes Wastewater Treatment Plant had an average daily flow of 0.371 million gallons per day last year, and “the chemicals used in the treatment plant were designed into the process when it was upgraded in 1994.”
The “only contract,” according to the borough clerk, “to remain two-years” is one to provide for “wastewater treatment plant lab analysis,” which was awarded to ALS Global, considered the “most advantageous to the continued safe and compliant operation of the plant.” The firm placed a $3,281 bid, which remained the same from November 2020.
Meanwhile, as previously reported by this newspaper, a project lining the sewage collection system pipes of Medford Lakes Borough is “99 percent complete,” but the
final completion date has been extended a couple of times, with the latest one now set for March 31, 2023. Burton reiterated the March completion date during the Jan. 25 meeting.
However, resident and former councilman Joe Aromando, charged during a subsequent Feb. 8 council session that he was told the reasons behind the couple extensions for project completion is because in an “older part of town” there are “places where gravity and flow have been a problem” and “sewer lines are actually backing up,” in direction contradiction to comments from officials that the delays were simply the result of it being a “big job,” “COVID,” and “they just need more time.”
While pointing out that he was not questioning the lining contractor’s performance and also maintaining he thought they are actually doing a “good job,” the former councilman questioned what “warranties” were in place for “issues that could go wrong,” asserting the workers are “human beings” and when there are issues, “taxpayers are always the ones who end up
footing the bill.” He also called for “reports” to be provided that “spell out what parts have been done successfully” and “what parts have problems.”
“I have no idea about that comment that there were a ‘whole lot of problems,” retorted Burton, noting the borough engineer is always on site when any work is being done “because they are our advocate.”
He further declared that the remark that were “‘whole lot of problems,’” in addition to one about there being purported backups due to gravity issues, “quite honestly, a whole lot of non-sense.”
“Have there been hiccups? I think there have been. With $6 million infrastructure – this town has never seen something that big. When I say ‘hiccups,’ I am talking about little, small issues popping up when you are dealing with an almost 100-year sewer system. The characterization during public comment is not based on any fact.”
That led to Aromando shouting, “He called me a liar!” and protesting the borough manager’s remarks until the latest session adjourned.
MARCH
March 1
Train Rides Through the Woods of New Gretna
Location: Bass River Township
Details: The Woods of New Gretna Park and the New Jersey Shore Live Steam Organization provide train rides for all each Saturday and Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The small steam locomotives, and other trains, wind their way through the beautiful park. The rides are provided by a group of dedicated volunteers who have revitalized the park and laid out the railroad track, based on the historical Tuckerton Railroad. The volunteers maintain the railroad and walking trails, and are constantly expanding them. Riding the trains is free, but donations are very much appreciated. The train rides are outdoors.
March 6
Christine De Pisan & Joan of Arc Program
Location: Vincentown
Details: The Southampton Historical Society is hosting the program, “Christine De Pisan & Joan of Arc – The Woman and the Warrior of the 14th Century”. The great story teller and first-person interpreter, Alisa Dupuy, returns as the world’s first famous feminist, Christine De Pisan, a contemporary of Joan of Arc and the first woman to make a living from her writing. Known for her poetry and feminist prose, Christine will tell you about her life, her work, her admiration for Joan of Arc and her feelings about woman’s role in society. You will learn about writing on vellum (parchment) in Christine’s day. You will also discover the extravagant fashions of the Burgundian court horned headdresses and pointy shoes!
