New Jersey is a unique place. It probably has more toll roads than any other state. If you look closely you will find that there is no toll to enter New Jersey. The toll comes into play when you leave. My theory is that the government in New Jersey is afraid if they charged people to enter the state, nobody would come. Once in the state, no cost is too great to pay in order to leave.
Today I am reporting a grave miscarriage of justice that occurred in Holmdel Township. (A township is a form of municipal government on par with a City, town, or village). The Kenilworth School Superintendent went to the Holmdel High School track (a neighboring school district), on a daily basis, and shit on the school track. Police erected surveillance cameras and caught him in the act. What started as an expression of school spirit was subsequently criminalized by the Holmdel Police. The superintendent was arrested and charged with public defecation, lewdness, and littering. I think the littering was overkill, but that’s me.
The superintendent was booked and released on bond. As part of the booking process, he was photographed (mug shot) and fingerprinted. The story went national and the mug shot was widely disseminated. Due to the publicity, the superintendent was subsequently fired. He is now suing the police for taking his mug shot and releasing it to the press. New-Jersey-superintendent-accused-defecating-daily-on-other-schools-track-resigns-sues-police-for-1 million.
The superintendent’s attorney has indicated the intent to sue the police because the arrest was for a low-level misdemeanor and therefore he shouldn’t have been photographed and fingerprinted. The police also erred when they released the mug shot. Neither complaint is valid. The driving motivation for a mug shot and prints is not the charge, but the fact that it was a “custody arrest.” The “Open Records Act” mandates that basic booking information is subject to release. The police had no choice in the matter.
The supreme court has ruled that “flipping the bird” and other obscene gestures, nude dancing, and flag burning are all forms of protected speech. They would be better off arguing that shitting on the track of a rival school was an expression of school spirit. If they are unhappy with the mug shot, the superintendent need only wait for the release of the surveillance tapes, then the mug shot won’t be so bad.
All is not lost. This arrest can be just the boost the former superintendent needs. Go west, San Francisco is calling. Here is the opportunity to join kindred souls. In San Francisco, he can shit whenever and wherever the mood strikes him. San Francisco is calling!
