March 20: Week in Review

Below you'll find some of the top stories from Manchester last week. To stay updated with the latest news all week, be sure to follow Manchester Patch on Facebook and Twitter.

1. A Lakewood woman was arrested and charged with stealing over $500 from a Whiting church, police said. Maria Alonso, 50, who lives on Joe Parker Boulevard in Lakewood, was arrested by Manchester Police Detective Chris Hemhauser on March 15 and charged with two counts of using bad checks and two counts of theft by deception totaling over $525, police reported on March 17. 

The arrest and charges came after an ongoing investigation beginning in November of 2009 when representatives of the Christ Lutheran Church in the Whiting section of Manchester notified police of unauthorized transactions on the church's checking account. Police said the investigation continues. 

2. An Ocean County grand jury has charged a 19-year-old Lakewood man with first-degree murderfor the Jan. 14 shooting death of Lakewood police officer and Manchester resident Christopher Matlosz.

Prosecutor Marlene Lynch Ford said the indictment against Jahmell W. Crockam of Edgewood Court, Lakewood, was voted on Thursday by the grand jurors after hearing evidence presented by Chief Assistant Prosecutor William J. Heisler.Deputy Chief Michal Mohel of the Prosecutor’s Office said evidence that Crockam was involved in a second Lakewood slaying will be presented to a grand jury “at a later time."

Mohel said if Crockam is convicted of those charges he faces life in prison. 

3. The total general tax levy presented in the 2011-12 Manchester Schools tentative budget is set to increase 2.7 percent over the 2010-11 plan as district administrators have applied to exceed the state's 2 percent cap law.

This would mean a property tax increase of $27.73 per every $100,000 should the budget be adopted as is, said a district official.

The 2011-12 school budget will be presented in detail during a March 24 public hearing at the Manchester Township High School auditorium at 7 p.m. School officials have encouraged residents to attend and make their opinions known.

A tax calculator will be available on the school district's website following the hearing so taxpayers can calculate their tax increase based on their home's assessed value. 

4. Three Manchester emergency responders were honored at the March 14 township council meeting for saving a heart attack victim in February.

Council President Craig Wallis presented Chris Garrett and Will Wojcik from Manchester First Aid and Rescue Squad No. 29 with plaques for rescuing a male who suffered a heart attack on Feb. 2. Mike Pauciello, also a member of the squad, was not present at the ceremony.

"The best part of our jobs is something like this," Wallis said.

The crew had responded to a call that a male was suffering a stroke, but when they arrived on scene discovered the victim was having a heart attack. The responders were able to revive the man after delivering six shocks and performing CPR. The victim has since recovered. 

5. Janice Carey, a basic skills instructor at Manchester Elementary School, has been named Teacher of the Year for the school district.

Carey has been teaching for 25 years, the last 23 in Manchester. She has always taught in the elementary school level.

Currently, she is working in basic skills instruction for grades three and five. She is also a Junior Impact adviser along with another teacher.

“It’s just something I’ve always wanted to do,” Carey said on why she became a teacher. “Since kindergarten, I’ve always wanted to help people.”

Carey, called "a fantastic teacher" by the school's principal, said that her teaching method incorporates humor and caring.