A Pleasantville man pleaded guilty Friday in a case where he was jailed for violating the governor's face mask order three times within 48 hours.Robert Bell, 35, spent 18 days in the Atlantic County Justice Facility after his arrest last month.Bell was first arrested at Pleasantville's Wawa after he refused to wear a mask or leave.After being released on a summons, he was arrested the next day at the Dollar General, where he told police, "If you want to stop me, you'll have to put me in jail."They didn't then. But when he went to Dunkin' Donuts the next day without a mask and refused to leave, he was taken into custody.At a detention hearing April 16, Superior Court Judge Bernard DeLury ordered him held, saying, “The defendant’s contemptuous conduct is a risk to public safety.”
On Friday, DeLury released Bell after taking his plea and sentencing him to a year probation.A mental health evaluation was also recommended.
A Pleasantville man was ordered held in jail Thursday, after he was arrested three times within 48 hours for violating the governor’s order to wear a mask inside essential businesses.Robert Bell, 35, has no criminal history, but his “repeated lawless behavior indicates a danger above the mere degree of the offenses,” Superior Court Judge Bernard DeLury ruled Thursday.Bell was first arrested at the Wawa in Pleasantville, where he refused to wear a mask, according to the charges.He was released on a summons, but was met by police again at the Dollar General.It was there that the defendant told police, “If you want to stop me, you’ll have to put me in jail,” Assistant Prosecutor Rick McKelvey told the judge.Bell again was charged and released.Read more...
