TWO RECENT BIAS INTIMIDATION/HATE CRIME CASES

December 17, the Grand Jury indicted Scott Cooney, 45, of Lakewood on one count of Bias Intimidation in the 4th degree for his Anti Gay and Anti Semitic harassment of his neighbors in Lakewood.

The indictment stems from the August 13, 2014 arrest of Cooney.  On August 10, 2014, the victims reported to Lakewood PD that they had been victimized by Cooney for several months.  They alleged that Cooney had on many occasions verbally harassed and threatened them in the past.  They alleged further that at approximately 1:30 pm on the 10th they observed Cooney on their front yard using what appeared to be a lead pipe to carve something into their lawn.  The victims, not wanting to provoke a confrontation, stayed safely within their home.  Once Cooney departed they went outside to find that he had carved a swastika into the lawn.  The victims took a photo and immediately responded to the Lakewood Police Department.  Lakewood Police Detective Leroy Marshall conducted the investigation that subsequently led to the arrest.

December 19th, David Smith III, 25, of Little Egg Harbor entered a guilty plea to one count of Bias Intimidation in the 4th degree and one count of Resisting Arrest in the 3rd degree for his racial slurs and harassment of an African American male who was walking by his house in 2012 in Little Egg Harbor, which caused a physical altercation with both the victim and police when they arrived. Smith is facing up to 270 days in the Ocean County Jail, with probation, anger management, substance abuse counseling and community service. His sentence is pending.

Both cases are being prosecuted by Assistant Prosecutor Heidi Tannenbaum-Newman.

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