A clemency application by a man convicted of the attempted murder of three Egg Harbor Township police officers in 2006 is getting some major pushback.

Christopher Blank, now 46, was sentenced to 85 years in prison for wounding Officer Clear Costantino and shooting at two other officers following a car stop in July 13, 2006.

Officer Christopher Leary was shot in the chest, but was protected by his vest. Officer William Loder wounded Blank in a gunfire exchange. Blank claims he fired into the air, and that Loder shot him in the back.

Following several failed appeals, an online movement was started with a website, several social media pages and a petition dedicated to freeing Blank.

 “After serving 18 years of an excessive 85 year sentence, it’s time to bring an innocent man home to his family,” states the petition started by Jennifer Degrassi of Somers Point.

There is now a clemency application, filed through an initiative Gov. Phil Murphy started last summer that includes a Clemency Advisory Board responsible for reviewing each application and making recommendations.

As part of the process, victims of the crimes are alerted to the application and given a chance to respond.

Costantino — who left the department after the shooting — was notified earlier this month, and shared the news on her Facebook page, asking for supporters to add their voices to those against clemency.

The response she received has been strong.

Calls against clemency

    Clear Costantino, far left, participated in the recent Police Unity Tour and Law Enforcement United's annual bike ride to Washington, D.C.
  

“The Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office stands united with our victim survivors and law enforcement community in strong opposition to this defendant’s application for clemency,” Atlantic County Prosecutor William Reynolds said in a statement. “His actions in disarming an Egg Harbor Township police officer and then using that weapon to shoot her three times, subsequently shooting a second officer, who was saved by his ballistic vest, and then shooting at the head of a third officer, who fortunately was not struck, speaks to the horrific nature of this defendant’s actions and his utter disregard of the lives of our law enforcement officers.”

Egg Harbor Township Police Chief Fred Spano said the application should not be considered.

“Any assault on law enforcement carries harsh consequences,” he told BreakingAC. “This is another example of someone that lacks accountability ... who doesn’t want to accept the consequences of their actions.”

Spano accompanied Costantino to the hospital in 2006, when she had to undergo emergency surgery that included removing a section of her intestines. 

“I feel horrible for Clear, especially because I know it was tragic for her, obviously,” he said. “It’s probably stirring up feelings and emotions, and she’s being victimized again.”

Blank's blogs

    Supporters of Christopher Blank have created a website and social media pages to try to bring him home.
  

Blank claims the events of that night were an over-reaction by police, after what he says he thought was a motor vehicle stop for a minor driving infraction by his then-girlfriend, Destiny Baker.

In posts he authored on the website, Blank writes that he only found out later that there was a “$200 unsigned warrant” for his arrest.

But Baker testified at his trial that Blank told her not to stop and that he would run.

Blank’s supporters also claim that the media did not present his side, instead having coverage dictated by the prosecution. 

However, Blank’s two days’ of testimony were covered, including him getting down from the witness stand to re-enact his claims of being handcuffed to a fence and then picking up Costantino’s gun that he said fell, and shooting himself free.

Reached via email in New Jersey State Prison about the discrepancies, Blank said he was waiting to hear back from his attorney Monday before replying. BreakingAC has not gotten a response.

Degrassi, who started the petition that has garnered more than 2,100 signatures, said she was waiting to speak with Blank before responding.

Meanwhile, more are adding their voices to the opposition.

“As the chief elected law enforcement official in Atlantic County, I am asking my fellow law enforcement executives and officers to join me in advocating to keep this dangerous criminal behind bars to serve out his full sentence,” Atlantic County Sheriff Joseph O’Donoghue wrote. “We must demand that anyone who injures or kills a police officer receive harsh sentences and serve it out 100 percent of it.”

Judge stands by decisions

Blank would have to live more than two months past his 100th birthday to serve the entire sentence handed down by Superior Court Judge Michael Donio.

“I stand by the evidence in the case and I stand by the rulings that were made and that were all upheld by all the appellate courts,” Donio, now retired, told BreakingAC. “Police officers have a right to expect that they go home to their loved ones after they put in their work for the day.”

Donio said that he was warned that the 85-year sentence would be overturned on appeal. But it was upheld. 

The sentence gave consecutive terms for each of the officers: 50 years for wounding Costantino, 20 for shooting Leary and 15 for shooting at Loder.

“This defendant didn’t just shoot one officer, but shot two officers and shot at a third officer who, by the grace of God, also escaped significant injury or death,” Donio said.

The Governor’s Office does not “comment on pending clemency applications due to the confidentiality of the process,” spokesman Tyler Jones told BreakingAC.

He referred to frequently asked questions on the Clemency Advisory Board’s website.

That section also provides an email address for those wishing to communicate their views on a clemency application to the Governor’s Office: clemency@nj.gov