TRENTON
– Attorney General Jeffrey S. Chiesa
and Criminal Justice Director Stephen J. Taylor
announced today that a Salem City man was
indicted on first-degree charges of attempted
murder and kidnapping in connection with an
incident last year in which he allegedly held
his girlfriend and her three children hostage
and fired on responding law enforcement officers,
wounding a county investigator and a police
dog.
According
to Director Taylor, Lavar Rodgers, 25, of
Salem City, was named in a 29-count state
grand jury indictment returned on Tuesday,
Jan. 10, charging him with multiple counts
of kidnapping (1st degree), attempted murder
(1st degree), aggravated assault (2nd, 3rd
and 4th degree), and weapons offenses (2nd
degree). Rodgers is also charged with purposefully
injuring a police dog, a fourth-degree offense.
“The
law enforcement officers in this case responded
with great courage in circumstances that
were extremely dangerous and challenging,”
said Attorney General Chiesa. “I commend
them for their calm professionalism. To
protect the public and officers who put
their lives on the line each day, we will
prosecute this type of violent offender
to the full extent of the law.”
“The
allegations in this indictment reveal a
man who poses a grave threat to those close
to him, to law enforcement officers and
to the community at large,” said Director
Taylor. “We will vigorously prosecute
this case to keep him incarcerated, where
he will not pose such a threat.”
The
charges stem from an investigation by the
Attorney General’s Shooting Response
Team into an incident on Jan. 26, 2011.
The investigation determined that Rodgers
allegedly took his girlfriend and her three
children, all under age 4, against their
will and held them at gunpoint inside the
row home they shared in the 300 block of
East Broadway in Salem City. Officers from
the Salem County Prosecutor’s Office,
Salem County Sheriff’s Office and
Salem City Police Department initially responded
to the home about 3 p.m. in blizzard-like
conditions. Fearing for the safety of the
woman and her children, a decision was made
to have officers enter the home.
Four
officers entered the home: Salem City Police
Lt. Robert Eller, Senior Investigator Stephen
Dick of the Salem County Prosecutor’s
Office, and Officers William Robinson and
Walter Christy of the Salem City Police
Department. Robinson was accompanied by
his K-9 unit dog, Jordan, a German shepherd.
As soon as the officers entered, Rodgers
allegedly fired three shots, wounding Dick
in the shoulder and wounding the dog in
the chest. Dick and Robinson both returned
fire, but Rodgers was not hit. Rodgers remained
in the house with his hostages.
Police
attempted to negotiate with Rodgers, and
the girlfriend and children emerged from
the house over the next few hours. The standoff
continued until early morning, when members
of the New Jersey State Police Technical
Emergency and Mission Specialists (TEAMS)
Unit fired pepper gas into the home, and
subsequently entered and searched the home
and an adjacent row home. Rodgers was found
hiding in the adjacent home and was arrested
without further incident. Police recovered
a .45-caliber handgun in the home where
Rodgers was found, and recovered the gun
he allegedly fired at the officers in the
girlfriend’s home.
The
investigator and the dog both recovered
from their wounds. Rodgers remains in the
Salem County Jail with bail set at $500,000.
The
case was presented to the state grand jury
by Deputy Attorney General James Ruberton.
The lead detectives for the investigation
were Detective Glenn Garrels of the State
Police Major Crime Unit and Detective Janessa
Jones of the Division of Criminal Justice,
who were assigned to the Shooting Response
Team.
Rodgers
is charged with four counts of first-degree
kidnapping and four counts of third-degree
criminal restraint, one count of each offense
for the girlfriend and one for each of her
children. He is also charged with four counts
of first-degree attempted murder, one for
each of the law enforcement officers who
entered the home. He is charged with one
or more counts of aggravated assault for
each of the officers and hostages. He is
charged with weapons offenses in connection
with each of the two guns recovered by police.
First-degree
kidnapping carries a sentence of 15 to 30
years in state prison, including a period
of parole ineligibility equal to 85 percent
of the sentence imposed. First-degree attempted
murder carries a sentence of 10 to 20 years
in prison, including a period of parole
ineligibility equal to 85 percent of the
sentence imposed. First-degree crimes also
carry a fine of up to $200,000. Second-degree
crimes carry a maximum sentence of 10 years
in prison and a $150,000 fine; third-degree
crimes carry a maximum sentence of five
years in prison and a $15,000 fine; and
fourth-degree crimes carry a maximum sentence
of 18 months in prison and a $10,000 fine.
The second-degree weapons and aggravated
assault charges also carry mandatory periods
of parole ineligibility.
The
indictment is merely an accusation and the
defendant is presumed innocent until proven
guilty. The indictment was handed up to
Superior Court Judge Linda R. Feinberg in
Mercer County, who assigned the case to
Salem County.
Under
an Attorney General Directive, the Attorney
General’s Shooting Response Team,
made up of deputy attorneys general, detectives
of the Division of Criminal Justice and
detectives of the State Police Major Crime
Unit, are dispatched to the scene to handle
investigations of shooting incidents involving
state or county law enforcement officers.