An application for pretrial intervention by Lumberton Committeewoman Gina LaPlaca was rejected earlier this month, which means she’ll need to either enter a plea agreement or face trial on child endangerment and abuse charges.
“The court reviewed the defendant’s application and did not recommend admission to PTI,” a judiciary spokesman told the New Jersey Globe. Joel Bewley, a spokesman for the Burlington County Prosecutor’s office, said the application was denied on February 2.
LaPlaca, then serving as mayor, had her young child in the car when she was involved in a hit-and-run on St. Patrick’s Day in nearby Mount Laurel. After Lumberton police arrested her, her blood alcohol content was nearly four times the legal limit, according to police records. Her 2019 Blue BMW was damaged, and open bottles of alcohol were found in her car.
In November, a grand jury in Burlington County indicted her. If convicted, LaPlaca could face prison, hefty fines, forfeiture of her public office, and loss of custody of her child.
The child endangerment charge by the grand jury is a second-degree offense and carries a prison sentence of five to ten years, a $150,000 fine, and comes with a presumption of incarceration. The indictment accuses LaPlaca of causing harm, “thereby making him/her an abused or neglected child” as the legal caregiver.
LaPlaca’s indictment has created serious political problems for her in Lumberton, where she faces serious opposition in the June Democratic primary. She is no longer mayor, and her onetime running mate, Mayor Terrance Benson, is running with former Committeewoman Kendra Hatfield.
She now heads into her re-election campaign still facing criminal charges and dealing with her personal recovery issues.
LaPlaca is due back in court on March 2.