Mike Derer / AP file

A driver talks on a cellphone while driving in Newark, N.J., on Feb 28, 2008, a day before a state law banning the use of hand-held devices went into effect.

New Jersey lawmakers are considering a bill that would require drivers to hand over their cell phones along with their licenses and registrations when talking to police after a car accident. 

The bill, proposed by state Sen. James Holzapfel, would give police the right to thumb through the phone’s history of calls and text messages without a warrant, under the pretense of assessing whether or not the phone was in use during the accident.

Afterwards, officers would be required to return cellphones to their users.

If passed, the bill would be the first of its kind. A similar bill failed in Hawaii in 2009.

The legislation, which is aimed to cut down on reckless accidents due to distractions while driving, states: “whenever an operator of a motor vehicle has been involved in an accident resulting in death, bodily injury or property damage, a police officer may confiscate the operator’s hand-held wireless telephone if the officer has reasonable grounds to believe that the operator was operating a hand-held wireless telephone while driving.”

According to the Department of Law and Public Safety’s most recent annual report, there were approximately 10,000 motor vehicle crashes attributed to cell-phone use in New Jersey from 2008-2010. The state prohibits talking on a cell phone unless the driver is using a hands-free device. 

Cathleen Lewis, the Director of Public Affairs and Government Relations for AAA, said targeting cell phones may not go far enough. 

“Obviously, distracted driving is a huge concern, and it continues to grow every day, but it is not limited to use of cell phones, it is other cognitive distractions as well,” Lewis said. “I think if we are going to better talk about how to tackle distracted driving, we have to talk about it in its totality — distractions could be phones, GPS or entertainment devices in cars.”

AAA New Jersey released a study Wednesday revealing that voice-activated car technologies, including the use of hands-free cellphone devices, dangerously undermine the attention of the driver, making it harder for them to keep their eyes on the road. 

Such distractions led to 3,331 deaths and an additional 387,000 injuries nationwide in 2011, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

To fight distractions, 41 states have banned texting while driving; 11 states have banned hand-held cellphone use all together.  

Udi Ofer, Executive Director of the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey (ACLU) knows that making sure our roads are safe and drivers are not distracted while on the road is an important goal, but does not support the senator’s bill. 

“There are many things government can and should do to educate about the dangers of texting while driving or talking on cellphone.But, what government can’t do is say ‘just because we think you may have potentially used your cellphone during an unfortunate crash, that is not enough to seize the phone, take it away from you, and go through your phone records’” he said.

Ofer and the ACLU are concerned that if legislators pass one law allowing the government to infringe on the right to privacy, that it will be a slippery slope. 

“I think it’s important to keep in mind the greater principle at stake, this is about our privacy and rights. As Americans one of our most cherished rights is the right to be left alone, privacy, and this bill would greatly damage that constitutional right,” Ofer said. 

The ACLU is confident that the bill will not pass. Holzapfel was not available for comment. 

Newark Mayor Cory Booker officially announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate at a news conference in New Jersey on Saturday.

Booker, 44, will run to fill the seat vacated by the death of Sen. Frank Lautenberg, who died on Monday of viral pneumonia.

“Democracy is not a spectator sport,” Booker said at the event. “Now as much as at any time we must bring people together, we must get actually into the complicated, difficult, messy arena and take on the difficult challenges.”

The Democratic primary will be held in August, and Representatives Frank Pallone and Rush Holt are also expected to enter.

Related:

• NJ Sen. Lautenberg dies at 89

Kena Betancur / Getty Images

People walk along the broadwalk in Seaside Heights, New Jersey on the first weekend of New Jersey beaches re-opening to the public, Sunday.

President Obama travels to New Jersey on Tuesday for a progress report on the state's recovery from Superstorm Sandy that on the surface appears remarkable but which hides deep and lingering pain.

Sandy caused about $40 billion worth of damage when it wrecked the Jersey shore in October, killing dozens of people, forcing thousands of residents to flee and destroying nearly 350,000 homes.

Much of the tourist-magnet shoreline itself raced back to business in time to open for the Memorial Day holiday Monday. But you don't have to go far to find long-lasting scars that will take years to heal.

"Life for the tourists — when they come down — they're not going to notice any change from last year to this year," Michael Corbally, a member of the Point Pleasant Beach City Council, told NBC News. But "for the homeowners, it's very unfortunate."

Homeowners say insurance money has been slow to arrive. Developers claim that remapping of flood zones threatens to slow rebuilding. And small businesses that cater to the shore's $19 billion tourist industry are struggling.

New Jersey has 130 miles of coastline, drawing 59 million tourists a year.

Marilyn Schlossbach, a restaurateur who runs several eateries in the area, said progress was real but slow.

"We're not trying to build a mansion here and retire," Schlossbach told NBC News. "We're trying to get back to work."

For Gov. Chris Christie, Obama's visit will rekindle an unlikely political bromance that struck up when Christie — a fiscally conservative Republican who's widely believed to be considering a White House campaign in 2016 — put aside political differences and praised Obama's response to the crisis in the weeks after the storm.

Christie took flak from fellow Republicans for traveling around the state with Obama late last year.

But, in an interview on NBC's TODAY on Friday ahead of Obama's visit, he insisted that "emergencies are a totally different thing."

"Americans help other Americans when we're in trouble, and that's always been what this country has been about," Christie said. 

"You can't experience it unless you're here and see for yourself, and he's the president of the United States," Christie said. "If he wants to come and see the people of New Jersey, I'm the governor and I'll be here to welcome him."

It will be the second unusual pairing for Christie during his efforts to promote the region. Earlier his month, he was joined on the boardwalk by Britain's Prince Harry, who praised "that great American spirit" while touring the reconstructed zone.

Obama's visit may also give the president the opportunity for a political respite after a stormy few weeks on Capitol Hill.

With Congress away for the Memorial Day break, the Jersey trip - and its message of recovery - is less likely to be overshadowed by discussion of the IRS controversy, the killing of four Americans at the consulate in Benghazi, Libya, and media leaks.

On Sunday, he traveled to Oklahoma to view more weather damage - this time from the deadly tornado that killed 24 people on May 20. 

The president has sought to portray his administration as being quick and effective at responding to natural disasters, Reuters reported, in contrast to his predecessor, George W. Bush, whose administration was criticized for its handling of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans in 2005.

Slideshow: Recovering after Sandy

Mario Tama / Getty Images

Residents of the Northeast are still picking up the pieces after Superstorm Sandy.

Launch slideshow

A White House official said Obama and Christie would view the recovery efforts from Sandy, including preparations by local businesses ahead of the important summer tourist season. 

"The president ... will visit with families and business owners who have shown such resilience in the face of the destructive storm, highlight the extensive rebuilding efforts to date, and underscore his administration's ongoing commitment to stand with the impacted communities as the important work of recovery continues," the White House official told Reuters.

NBC News' Alastair Jamieson and Reuters contributed to this report.

Related:

2013 Atlantic hurricane season forecast to be 'above normal,' 'possibly extremely active'

Gov. Christie boosts Jersey Shore with Memorial Day weekend road trip

Sandy-damaged boardwalk reopens

This story was originally published on Tue May 28, 2013 3:44 AM EDT

Nearly 30 New Jersey bars and restaurants have been accused of filling top-shelf liquor bottles with lower-quality hooch, including one establishment that allegedly passed off caramel-colored rubbing alcohol as scotch, state officials said Thursday.

The rotgut roundup, dubbed “Operation Swill,” targeted 29 establishments and involved more than 100 investigators, Attorney General Jeffrey Chiesa and Division of Alcohol and Beverage Control Director Michael Halfacre said.

The investigators seized about 1,000 opened bottles of premium liquors like Tanqueray gin, Johnny Walker Black scotch and Smirnoff vodka on Wednesday.

“This alleged scheme is a dishonest ruse to increase profits, and it is a slap in the face to the consumer,” Chiesa said in a news release. “Consumers should have the peace of mind knowing that they will get what they spent their hard-earned money on every single time – no exceptions.”

A customer of the Blackthorn Restaurant in Parsippany, one of the establishments named by authorities, said she thinks she was always served the poison she picked.

“I see them pour it,” Danielle Ferrazzano told NBC New York. “There’s my Captain and Coke, whatever it is I drink. I was fine with it. I never suspected anything.”

“Operation Swill” began after the state began receiving an influx of complaints about beverages that might have been mislabeled, Halfacre said, and got a boost when an informant with industry knowledge came forward in the fall.

AP Photo / Julio Cortez

Funnels confiscated during an investigation dubbed "Operation Swill," in which 29 bars and restaurants in New Jersey are accused of putting cheap booze in premium brand liquor bottles and selling it, are seen during a news conference, Thursday, May 23, 2013, in Trenton, N.J.

Investigators took covert drink samples from the establishments in the course of the year-long probe, which included 13 TGI Friday's restaurants, authorities said.

The accusations were “isolated to one group of franchised restaurants,” TGI Friday's corporate offices said.

“If accurate, they would represent a violation of our company’s values and our extensive bar and beverage standards which are designed to deliver the highest guest experience in our restaurants,” the company said in a statement. “We have zero tolerance for actions that undermine the trust of our guests and call into question the reputation we have built up over the past 48 years.”

The president of the Briad Group, which operates the 13 TGI Friday's franchises, called the allegations “troubling and surprising.”

“We have already begun our own investigation to learn if any of these allegations are true. If they are, we will take immediate steps to correct any issues that may have led to less than a 100 percent quality experience for our guests,” Briad president Rick Barbrick said in a statement, according to the Star-Ledger.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

A roller coaster that was plunged into the Atlantic Ocean after Super Storm Sandy ripped through the Jersey Shore last October and became a symbol of the devastation was being demolished Tuesday afternoon.

The partially submerged Jet Star coaster was once a popular destination at Casino Pier, an amusement park in Seaside Heights, N.J. But when Sandy ravaged the Jersey shoreline, destroying parts of the pier, the coaster tumbled into the ocean.

Watch live video at NBCNewYork.com

Footage recorded at the scene showed demolition crews beginning to rip apart what remains of the former thrill ride. The crews are expected to use barges in the water and on-shore equipment to dismantle and uproot the coaster, Casino Pier spokeswoman Toby Wolf told NBC New York.

The demolition will take roughly two days to complete, Wolf said.

Casino Pier has reportedly asked Weeks Marine, the construction and dredging company hired to tear down Jet Star, to salvage a piece of the fallen coaster, which park officials intend to install as part of a planned Sandy memorial, according to NBC New York.

Prince Harry, who earlier Tuesday visited the storm-battered towns of Mantoloking and Seaside Heights with New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie at his side, said that he saw the “American spirit” manifested in the coastal region's recovery from natural disaster.

The prince is scheduled to appear in New York City on Tuesday evening to promote British trade and a community baseball program.

Mel Evans / AP

Investigators wearing protective clothing talk under a tent in Trenton, N.J., on Sunday.

Three children are safe after a 36-hour standoff with an armed man in Trenton, N.J., ended early Sunday, state law enforcement officials said.

But the bodies of a woman, presumed to be home owner Carmelita Stevens, 44 -- the mother of the children -- and a young boy, presumed to be her 13-year-old son, were found decomposing in the home, police revealed at a Sunday morning press conference.

The hostage taker, identified as Gerald "Skip" Murphy,  38, was also killed during the rescue, officials said. He was not believed to have been related to any of the children.

The freed children, a 4-year-old boy, and 16- and 18-year-old girls, were being treated at a local hospital.

Lt. Steve Varn of Trenton Police said the hostage situation ended shortly before 5 a.m. ET, adding that the area around the home where it took place is now secure.

Police were alerted to the situation on Grand Street in Trenton at 2:47 pm on Friday, officials said.

Cops had received a call from a relative of Stevens, saying she hadn't been seen her for a "long period of time" and that her two daughters had not been in school for 12 days, said Mercer County Prosecutor Joseph L. Bocchini Jr. at the Sunday news briefing.

When officers arrived at the Stevens home, they didn't get a response when they knocked on the door, so made a forced entry through a rear door, Bocchini said. When they entered the residence, they immediately smelled the stench of a rotting corpse, and could see maggots, he said.

Upstairs, they found Murphy had barricaded himself inside the house with “multiple” hostages, saying he had a gun and explosives.

When police officers secured the rest of the premises, they discovered a 19-year-old man in the basement, also Stevens' son, who said he hadn't seen his mothers or sisters since mid April.

Homes in the surrounding area were also evacuated as a precautionary measure as hostage negotiators spent nearly two days communicating with Murphy, officials said. Food and bottled water was passed through an upstairs window for the children.

But, noting what NJ State Police Col. Rick Fuentes called Murphy's "deteriorating state of mind," officers eventually made an entry into the room where the hostages were being held, and a single shot was fired at the suspect as he made a violent move toward one of the children.

Murphy, who had warrants for not registering as a sex offender, and a rap sheet that included assault, robbery, weapons and child endangerment charges, was taken to a hospital where he was later pronounced dead.

Officials said it was too early to determine exactly when Stevens and the young boy had been killed, but said that they were in a state of decomposition.

Trenton police were supported by state police and FBI as well as the city’s arson and bomb and canine units, Varn said.

NBC News' Justin Kirschner and Alastair Jamieson contributed to this report.

This story was originally published on Sun May 12, 2013 10:52 AM EDT

Family Photo

Carolyn and Major John E. Jackson

A U.S. Army major and his wife from Pennsylvania are accused of abusing their three foster children — force-feeding them hot sauce, withholding water, and breaking their bones, according to U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman.

In one instance, according to court documents, the couple even made one of their biological children stand guard to make sure the foster children would not be able to quench their thirst with water from the toilet.

The wife was arrested this morning and husband John Jackson surrendered to authorities at their home in Mount Holly, New Jersey.

John E. Jackson, 37, is a U.S. Army major, formerly with the Picatinny Arsenal Installation in Morris County, N.J. Jackson and his wife, Carolyn Jackson, 35, are charged in a 17-count indictment.

"Carolyn and John Jackson are charged with unimaginable cruelty to children they were trusted to protect," Fishman said in a statement.

READ: The entire indictment

According to court documents, the Jacksons have three biological children and had three foster children who they adopted. The indictment alleges that the parents agreed to use "disciplinary and child-rearing techniques that were neglectful and cruel" on their adopted children, and that they physically assaulted all six children. One of their adopted children died in May of 2008.

Federal prosecutors outline a story of physical and emotional abuse, primarily against the adopted children.

The alleged abuse occurred for almost five years, from approximately August of 2005 until April of 2010 while the family lived in Morris County, according to the indictment.

Prosecutors say the Jacksons physically assaulted their children with various objects, withheld proper medical care for their adopted children, forced two of them to consume foods like red pepper flakes, hot sauce and raw onion, which caused pain and suffering to the children.

They're also accused of withholding water from one child while forcing him to eat salt-laden food and substances, which led to a life-threatening condition.

According to court documents, the parents told their biological children that they were "training" the other children to behave through a variety of methods. They told their biological kids that the physical assaults were justified and that they should not talk about what was going on to others.

When one of the biological children did confide in a family friend, after that friend confronted the father, the boy was allegedly beaten with a belt.

Other allegations in the indictment include the parents allegedly forcing the kids to eat hot sauce, red pepper flakes and raw onion that caused the children "pain and suffering." 

The children are in the care of the state right now.

The U.S. Army said it is cooperating fully with investigators and could not comment any further. They referred all inquiries to the U.S. Attorney's office.

The Jacksons have not responded publicly to the charges, but an online search reveals a petition and articles written about the ordeal, dating back to 2011.

According to the petition, the New Jersey Division of Youth and Family Services removed the remaining five children from the home in April of 2010. The petition was a move to pressure DYFS to return the children:

Army Major Jackson and his wife, Carolyn, have been staunch advocates for children, adopting children, in addition to their biological children, who would have been hard to place because of their medical needs. They have provided their children with a stable, loving home. NJ DYFS must do what is in the best interests of the Jackson children and return them to their parents. We urge you to intervene on their behalf.

622 people signed the petition. And there has been other online support, characterized in World Net Daily as a “Christian family broken apart by a state agency holding 5 kids.”

The article said Jackson and his wife are “devout Christian homeschoolers with a history of serving as adoptive and foster parents ... During the course of a nine-month legal battle to regain custody of their children, the Jacksons say they have encountered prejudice against their religion and homeschooling as they fight a state agency determined to see the children adopted by strangers no matter what the evidence says."

According to the article, the Jacksons complained that one DYFS worker in particular, would not allow them to pray with their children. Major Jackson also claimed in the report that DYFS misrepresented statements he and his children made in order to build a case against the parents.

“My children are being held hostage, they’ve been kidnapped,” he told the independent, a conservative news website.

Mel Evans / AP

In this Wednesday, April 24, 2013 photo, Camden County police officers walk together near a mobile command post as they patrol in Camden, N.J.

The last remaining members of the 141-year-old police department in Camden, N.J., will retire their badges Tuesday as the city -- stricken by brutal murders and crippling poverty -- yields its streets to a new metro division of the county police force.

Gov. Chris Christie and other advocates hope that the transition to a county-run force will help drag the city of 77,000 out of a half century of post-industrial decline and decay, its annals pockmarked by open-air drug markets and sky-high murder rates. Union leaders called the new policing model, which was approved by local and state officials in August 2011, "untested" and said the move amounts to union busting.

What no one argues is that violent crime in Camden has been all too frequent and often chillingly desperate. The city recorded 67 homicides in 2012, blowing past the previous record of 58 set in 1995. In one case, a man killed a six-year-old boy. In another, a mother decapitated her 2-year-old son.

“First and foremost the number one goal of the department is to make the residents of Camden feel safer,” said Dan Keashen, a spokesman for the city. “We’re trying to ultimately stabilize the city and stabilize all the neighborhoods within the city.”

Officials have struggled for years to reduce crime in a city where more than 42 percent of people are thought to live below the poverty line. Budget cuts forced the city to lay off 168 officers in January 2011 -- 46 percent of the entire department. A spike in crime ensued

Even after some of the laid-off officers trickled back with the help of federal funds, crime rates never fully leveled off. Camden had about 270 cops to rely on as the streets turned into killing zones last year, with absentee rates reported as high as 30 percent, said Jose Cordero, a consultant with 21 years of New York City Police Department experience.

Police union contracts had gotten too expensive for the city, said Cordero, who helped design the new force. Officers could earn an 11 percent bump in their pay by working an anti-crime patrol, or 10 percent more for working a nighttime shift.

“The primary purpose of this was the city could not afford to staff up its police department to the number of officers required to have a fighting chance in what is one of the deadliest cities in America,” Cordero said.

Officers in what will be a 400-strong metro division, to be backed by 100 civilian employees, have trained on the streets of Camden alongside city police since March. About half of the regional force is expected to be comprised of members of the old Camden Police Department.

“I’m looking to see a partnership form between the metro division officers and the citizens of Camden; that partnership is crucial to prevent future crimes,” said Freeholder director Louis Capelli, Jr., who helped develop the new force.  “For the first time in decades they’ll have officers walking the beat and in their neighborhoods on bicycles.”

Camden is so far the only town or city to make use of the regional police department, which will be paid for by city property tax revenues and state municipal aid funds, Capelli said.

Camden Police Chief Scott Thomson will take control of the new force on Wednesday after retiring his city post. The force will cost Camden an estimated $62 million, the same amount the city use to pay for the smaller previous force.

Some city residents and business owners said they were pleased with the change as the new force began to roll out on streets in April.

“I’m glad they’re here. We used to have dope boys that were right there,” resident Alicia Mitchell told the Philadelphia Inquirer. “Before, we were afraid to even let our kids outside.”

The teams of newly sworn officers on patrol should be one part of an effort to get Camden cleaned up and back on its feet, said resident Lawrence Perry.

“The kids don’t have nothing to do, so what else are they going to do? Stand out here, hang on the streets,” Perry told NBC Philadelphia. "They definitely got to change, because we can’t have all these killings. So something’s definitely got to change. So this is just a start.”

Related:

• Camden phasing out old police force this week
• What's the matter with Camden?
• America's 'invincible' city brought to its knees by poverty, violence

A former "teacher of the year" won't serve any prison time after admitting she had a sexual relationship with a 15-year-old student.

A state Superior Court judge in Newark, New Jersey, sentenced 33-year-old Erica DePalo to lifetime parole supervision.

She also will have to forfeit her teaching certificate and register as a sex offender.

A tearful DePalo made a brief statement in court Monday expressing regret for her actions, and saying she was trying to rebuild her life.

She pleaded guilty in February to child endangerment.

Read more from NBCNewYork.com

Prosecutors said the Montclair resident had a brief sexual relationship with a student in her honors English class at West Orange High School.

She initially was charged with aggravated sexual assault, sexual assault and child endangerment and could have faced up to 10 years in prison if convicted.

Her attorney, Anthony Alfano, said DePalo suffers from bipolar disorder and was on bad medication that can cause errors in judgment.

Related:

Erica DePalo, former 'Teacher of the Year,' accused of having sex with 15-year-old student

Numerous charges have been filed against a burglary suspect who allegedly punched a police dog that helped apprehend him in northern New Jersey.

Clifton police tell The Record of Woodland Park that 22-year-old Angel Mendez ran from police on Friday and was found a short time later hiding under the front porch of a home. Mendez allegedly punched the police dog as he was being arrested, and the canine bit Mendez on the upper thigh. 

Mendez, who has no known address, faces four counts of burglary.

He's also charged with aggravated assault of a police dog, resisting arrest and obstruction of justice. A telephone number for Mendez could not be found Saturday, and it was not known if he has retained an attorney. 

A pair of seventh-grade girls in New Jersey have been pulled from school after allegedly posting a video on YouTube in which they threatened to kill several classmates, authorities said.

The girls at PS 27 in Paterson posted the roughly 20-minute video naming 10 to 12 classmates they wanted to kill and stab, school officials said.

In the video, which has since been taken down from YouTube, one of the girls brags about being a good assassin and explains why she wishes harm on her classmates.

"I have special killing thingies for different people," she says.

"I think about killing her," she adds. "I don't know why she's annoying."

The mother of one of the named students said the incident started Tuesday afternoon during a classroom journal writing exercise. One of the girls wrote and read aloud the names of students she wanted to kill, though not within earshot of the teacher.

"My daughter said to her, 'You want to kill me?'" said the mother, who did not want her name used. "She said, 'Yes I want to kill you.'"

The mother said her daughter called her from a school bathroom, terrified and in tears.

Read the original story on NBCNewYork.com

The school's principal told the mother that the girl who made the threats would be pulled from school and not allowed to return until she was evaluated by a doctor. But the girl was back in school the next day, in a different classroom, because she'd gotten medical clearance.

That afternoon, another student in the class found the threatening video on YouTube. Along with the girl who named classmates, another student participated off-camera.

"She got into detail, that she's going to stab, kill, choke," said the mother. "You can't finish the video, you're so shocked this girl's actually talking this way."

A spokesperson for Paterson schools said the two students have been "removed from the school environment," though it wasn't clear whether they were officially suspended.

"We have been communicating with the parents who had children in the same class as these two students," said Terry Corallo. "We have assured these parents that we have taken this issue very seriously and are taking the necessary steps to address this issue.

"Additionally, the video has been pulled from YouTube. This is now a police investigation and they will have our full cooperation."

The mother of the threatened girl, along with other parents, told NBC 4 New York administrators only removed the girls from class after they reached out to police and to the prosecutor's office.

They said they've learned the two girls have been charged and will be in court Monday, though neither school officials nor Paterson Police have confirmed that.

No one answered the door at the homes of the two girls Thursday evening.

Police have charged a New Jersey mother who allegedly lied and said her son was suffering from cancer in order to deceive friends and loved ones out of thousands of dollars.

Investigators say Susan Stillwagon, 35, stole as much as $3,500 through cupcake and bracelet fundraisers by claiming that her 9-year-old son had a type of lymphoma and needed medical care.

"You tell people your son has cancer and they want to help," said Police Lieutenant Michael Probasco in Pennsauken, N.J.

Police got a tip earlier this week that Stillwagon’s story about her son wasn’t adding up. Investigators subpoenaed medical records and discovered she had been lying.

Probasco says Stillwagon even convinced her son he was sick to carry out the scheme.

More news from NBC10.com

The suspect’s mother, who did not tell NBC10.com her name, says that her daughter is being treated at a local hospital.

“I will just tell you my daughter is sick and something snapped in her head. That’s why she is where she is so that we can find out what’s wrong with her,” said Stillwagon’s mother. “I am very concerned for my daughter, very concerned. We will get through this but people have to leave us alone or we will never get through it.”

New Jersey’s Division of Youth and Families checked on Stillwagon's four children Tuesday.

“They came to make sure the house is livable, food in fridge and that the kids aren't being mistreated and they didn’t find any of that,” said Lieutenant Michael Probasco.

Tamara Disalvo, a neighbor, says her thoughts are with the little boy.

“Just as a friend and neighbor you do feel deceived by this. He must be pretty confused because of he was deceived this way by his mother, that’s got to feel awful,” said Disalvo.

Stillwagon was charged with theft by deception and using her own son to commit a crime.