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BREAKING NEWS 24/7 AT COURIERPOSTONLINE.COM TUESDAY, APRIL 11, 2017

Vol. 143 No. 18

$1.50 RetailFor home delivery pricing, see Page 2A

Comics .................6DCrossword ...........4DHoroscopes .........4D

Obituaries ...........6AOpinion ...............8ATelevision ............5D

INDEX

Sunshine and verywarm

High 82 • Low 59Page 2A

CAMDEN - Jury selection could begin this weekfor the high-profile trial of a Westmont man accusedof killing his son.

But a schedule remains uncertain for the trial ofDavid “D.J.” Creato Jr., the Camden County Prose-cutor’s Office said.

Creato, 23, is accused of killing his son, Brendan,and dumping the toddler’s body in an isolated area ofCooper River Park in Haddon Township on Oct. 13,2015.

A hearing on pretrial motions, initially set forTuesday morning, has been moved to Wednesday af-ternoon, the prosecutor’s office said.

Jury selection is expected to begin after thosemotions have been decided.

“As for how long it will take, I can’t say,” Alexan-dra McVeigh, a spokeswoman for the prosecutor’soffice, said of the jury-selection process. “It variesfrom case to case.”

The trial is to be conducted by Superior CourtJudge John Kelley in Camden.

The prosecutor’s office, which declined to com-ment on the pending trial Monday, has said the caseagainst Creato is based on circumstantial evidence.

Creato’s lawyer, Richard Fuschino Jr. of Philadel-phia, could not be reached.

Kelley previously granted two delays after Fus-chino sought more time to get a report from a foren-

Creato murdercase nearing trialJIM WALSH @JIMWALSH_CP

See CREATO, Page 4A

After the Pinelands Commission gave the OK tobuild a natural gas pipeline through the protected for-est, environmentalists pledged the campaign wasn’tover; they said it was merely switching venues, fromthe commission’s meeting room to a courtroom.

That is being borne out, as now three environmen-tal groups have asked the courts to consider revers-ing the commission’s decision.

The New Jersey Sierra Club and EnvironmentNew Jersey jointly filed a notice of appeal on Monday

Pinelandspipeline not outof the woods yetRUSS ZIMMER @RUSSZIMMER

FILE PHOTO

Mary Ames of Voorhees and Christie Wagar of MedfordLakes attend the South Jersey Gas Cape Atlantic ReliabilityProject meeting in Cherry Hill in February to protest aproposed pipeline that would run through the Pinelands.Three environmental groups have asked the courts toconsider reversing the Pinelands Commission’s decision. See PIPELINE, Page 4A

Two adults were killed andtwo students wounded in apossible murder-suicide at aCalifornia school. Page 3B

Two dead atCalif. school

BACK ON THE DIAMOND

Kingsway High School rookie softball coach overcomes colorectal cancer, chemotherapy to lead Dragons. SPORTS

Twice a week, 20-year-old Hunter Hiros

steps below deck of the Battleship New

Jersey, where he labors alongside fellow

volunteers on the ship’s Brass Team. A

military enthusiast with autism and a deep re-

spect for veterans, Hiros is in his element when

he greets visitors and polishes the ship’s brass

columns, fittings and plates. • “He gets so excit-

ed and animated,” said Christine McGivern,

senior job coach at The Bancroft School in Had-

donfield, where Hiros will graduate in June.

What’s more, the experience is preparing Hiros

for employment elsewhere.

Bancroft studentsmatched with job,volunteer opportunitiesKIM MULFORD @CP_KIMMULFORD

See BANCROFT, Page 4A

BATTLESHIP ON BOARD

JOSE F. MORENO/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Hunter Hiros, a 20-year-old student at The Bancroft School, spends an hour twice a week on the BattleshipNew Jersey, a floating museum on the Camden Waterfront. The volunteer opportunity is preparing Hiros foremployment after graduation.

Cherry Hill Courier Post - 04/11/2017 Page : A04

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cour ie rpos ton l ine . com4A COURIER-POST, Tuesday, April 11, 2017

The Westampton resident is among 70young people enrolled in a Bancroft pro-gram to help students with special needstransition into life after graduation. Theprogram matches students with job, vol-unteer and internship opportunities inthe community, with on-site guidancefrom a Bancroft aide. In some cases, em-ployers hire Bancroft’s students aftergraduation or help them network to find

jobs, McGivern said. Partners include The Pop Shop in Col-

lingswood, Magnum Computer Recy-cling in Pennsauken, Creative Wraps inSomerdale, First Montgomery Group inHaddon Township, and large chains suchas Walgreens and Seasons Pizza.

When the school moves to its newMount Laurel location, Bancroft willlook for new community partners near-by, said Patrick Senft, supervisor of thetransition program.

“We’re just trying to make these op-portunities for our students, just as theirtypical peers would have,” Senft said.

On the battleship, where volunteer

veterans congregate below, Hiros snapsa salute to thank them for their service.His older brother, Chris, served a year inAfghanistan as part of the U.S. Army’s101st Airborne Division when Hiros was15 years old.

Ed Hamilton, a Vietnam veteran onthe ship’s Brass Team, enjoys the youngman’s energy and love for the work.When Hiros began volunteering in 2015,the men taught him how to rub off thetarnish using tight circular motions.

“Unfortunately, as you can see fromthe memorial board, we’re losing a lot ...because we are getting older,” notedHamilton, a 70-year-old Williamstown

resident. Sometimes, the men give Hiros a

thrill by calling for him over the ship’sloudspeakers, as if he were a real sailorrequired to report for duty. And as muchas he loves the ship and its “big, huge, 16-inch guns,” he loves the veterans evenmore.

“You gotta pay tribute to them, be-cause so many of them have survivedthis kind of ship,” Hiros said, gesturingto Hamilton behind him. “You know whatI always say to him? Thank you for yourservice.”

Kim Mulford: (856) 486-2448; kmul-ford@gannettnj.com

JOSE F. MORENO/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Hunter Hiros stands near massive guns on the deck of the Battleship New Jersey on the Camden Waterfront. Hiros, who has autism, participates in a Bancroft School program that helpsspecial-needs students transition into jobs.

BancroftContinued from Page 1A

with the Superior Court of New Jersey,challenging the commission’s Feb. 24approval of the South Jersey Gas pipe-line development application. The Pine-lands Preservation Alliance submittedits appeal late last month.

“We are going to court to do the jobthe Pinelands Commission is supposedto do, which is to protect the Pinelands,”NJ Sierra Club Executive Director JeffTittel said in a statement announcingthe appeal.

“The Pinelands Commission havesold out the Pinelands and the environ-ment by approving the South JerseyGas pipeline.”

The 22-mile-long, 2-feet-wide naturalgas transmission pipeline from Mill-ville to Upper Township has been pro-moted as a way to supply the B.L. Eng-land power plant with a relatively clean-er-burning alternative to coal and toreinforce the supply grid for 142,000commercial and residential customersin the region.

“South Jersey Gas has operated in-frastructure responsibly throughoutthe Pinelands for decades,” said aspokeswoman for South Jersey Indus-tries, the parent company of South Jer-sey Gas, in response to questions fromthe Asbury Park Press. “This project isno different.”

The environmentalists intend to at-tack the commission’s decision from a

few angles, according to the appeal fil-ing:

» The commission had no process bywhich to consider this type of develop-ment – a pipeline that passes throughthe Pinelands.

» There was no opportunity for oppo-nents to present evidence or counter theclaims made by South Jersey Gas.

» The project is not “intended to pri-marily serve only the needs of the Pine-lands,” which is a key tenet of the Pine-land’s Comprehensive ManagementPlan.

It’s been nearly five years sinceSouth Jersey Gas first applied for per-mission to cross through the Pinelands.The project was temporarily killed inJanuary 2014 when the commission wasdeadlocked at 7-7, with eight votes need-ed to pass.

Since then, Gov. Chris Christie andpowerful Democratic legislators, in-cluding Senate President Stephen Swee-ney, reshuffled the commission and re-moved two members who had been“No” votes in 2014.

The project has been a lightning rodfor controversy. That didn’t disappearafter the commission’s vote. If any-thing, it has only become more conten-tious.

Jane Jannarone, who was one of ninecommissioners to vote in favor of thepipeline, recently sued 14 people fortrashing her and her real estate busi-ness on social media, including writingJannarone into a verse of “Sympathyfor the Devil” by the Rolling Stones.

Russ Zimmer: 732-557-5748, razim-mer@app.com

PipelineContinued from Page 1A

FILE PHOTO

Protesters wield their signs during the South Jersey Gas Cape Atlantic Reliability Projectmeeting at The Crown Plaza hotel in Cherry Hill in February. The proposed pipeline has beenpromoted as a way to supply the B.L. England power plant with an alternative to coal and toreinforce the supply grid for 142,000 commercial and residential customers in the region.

sic pathologist serving as an expert wit-ness.

The defense attorney is expected toattack the work and credibility of a med-ical examiner for Camden County, Dr.Gerald Feigin.

Assistant Camden County Prosecu-tor Christine Shah has asserted Feigin“did not do one thing improperly.”

Creato reported his son was missingin a predawn 911 call, prompting a com-munitywide search. The boy’s body wasfound a few hours later several blocksfrom the Virginia Avenue apartment heshared with his father.

Shah has said the boy, who was wear-ing clean socks when he was found, “didnot under any circumstances walk” inthe dark from his home to the park.

Authorities contend Creato killed hisson in an effort to preserve a relation-ship with a teenage girlfriend.

Creato has been held since his arreston $750,000 bail.

Jim Walsh; (856) 486-2646;jwalsh@gannettnj.com

CreatoContinued from Page 1A

David “DJ”Creato, aWestmont manaccused of killinghis toddler son,could face a jurysoon.

MOORESTOWN – The ongoing dia-logue about parking in town will con-tinue.

The Moorestown Economic Develop-ment Advisory Committee will host atown hall discussion at 7 p.m. Wednes-day at the Moorestown Library regard-ing “parking on Main Street and sur-rounding streets,” according to town-ship officials.

The meeting will cover the optionsand alternatives available regardingparking meters, parking lots, and otherissues surrounding municipal parking,officials said.

Previous discussions have centeredon replacing traditional parking meterswith more modern kiosks, buying orleasing new meters and possibly addingadditional parking spaces in the heart oftown.

There was recent reconstruction ofthe Second Street parking lot behindMain Street and 42 new spaces werealso created.

Resident Canice Bonner walkedalong Main Street Wednesday morningpushing her child in a stroller.

“I can usually find a parking lot offSecond Street,” she said. “I don’t thinkit’s too bad.”

Jim “Ralph” Wolfe, the owner ofRalph’s Market, a town staple on the cor-ner of Main and Church street for years,said the main issue he sees is a need for

enforcement with the parking meterson Main.

“Without enforcement, you have peo-ple that abuse it and park all day,” hesaid. “You at least need the threat of en-forcement just to keep things movingbecause parking’s pretty limited. Theonly other issue they’re talking about isbanning overnight parking. That’s notnecessary.”

Mark Morgan, the producing artisticdirector of the Moorestown TheaterCompany, which has offices in the bot-tom of the First Baptist Church on MainStreet, said the meeting is a great thingbut the key is what happens afterward.

“It’s great to gather ideas and hear in-put from different parties,” Morgansaid. “I think kiosks are the way to go. Iknow change is hard. Some say it’ll takeaway from the quaintness of Moores-town. Maybe so, but we have to do some-thing. We’ve been doing nothing for waytoo long.”

Morgan says there has “forever beena parking issue on Main Street.”

Zeke Boren, a manager at The HappyHippo toy store on Main Street, said themain gripes he hears are about non-working parking meters.

“The meters don’t work is what I’mtold,” said Boren, who doesn’t think ki-osks are needed. “Sometimes people doabuse parking. I don’t think it is en-forced. You need a flow.”

Celeste E. Whittaker; (856) 486-2437;cwhittaker@gannettnj.com

Moorestown hoststown hall discussionon parking optionsCELESTE E. WHITTAKER@CP_CWHITTAKER