An Egg Harbor Township man who allegedly burglarized the same convenience store three times was on pretrial intervention for a deadly weapon offense at the time of his arrest, he told a judge.
It was less than 24 hours after he had allegedly broken the window of the store and stolen several boxes of cigarettes, folding pocket knives, cash and lottery tickets, police said.
He additionally was charged with an earlier break-in that Friday, according to information released in court.
But there was confusion during his bail hearing over pending weapons and threats charges.
The assistant prosecutor said Manley was on probation. But Judge Donna Taylor could not find any conviction in his record.
That’s when Manley raised his hand and asked to speak.
“I’m currently on pretrial intervention,” he explained, citing a program that allows those without a record to avoid prosecution for certain crimes by completing a program.
Manley said the charges were possession of a weapon and public intoxication.
According to the affidavit of probable cause in that case, Ventnor police were dispatched to the fishing pier for a physical altercation between two males Sept. 12, 2021.
A witness told police that Manley “an older couple and stopped them abruptly as they were walking onto the pier with their bicycles,” reads the affidavit obtained by BreakingAC. “During the altercation, (Manley) began shouting and threatening the victims. (He) then displayed a black knife in an intimidating manner as he continued to threaten and shout at the victims.”
The victims left the area and were not injured.
Manley said he was put into PTI for the offense in April, and “I was almost complete.”
That time frame surprised his attorney, who noted that the program isn’t usually that short.
Taylor denied the state’s motion to hold Manley, following instead the public safety assessment’s recommendation to release him.
Public safety assessments are used to help determine whether a defendant should be held under bail reform. It gives scores for likelihood to reoffend and risk of failure to appear.
The Ventnor charges had Manley listed as living in Ventnor. He told the officers who arrested him in Egg Harbor Township that he is homeless.
But he assured the judge that he has a place to live in Egg Harbor Township with his grandmother.
“I had gotten in an argument with her,” he explained for why he told police he had nowhere to go. “But I’m not homeless.”
