The Courier-News from Bridgewater, New Jersey • Page 25

THE COURIER-NEWSThuraday, July 21, 1988 C-3 LOCAL OBITUARIES Lester D. Higgins, 66, retired Bell employee Man indicted in gun attack on cops By TEK TALMONT Courier-News Staff Writer hostage in her home at 964 W. Front St. McCord said the three officers partially opened the door behind which the attack was taking place, and saw "Mary Watkins bleeding heavily from the head and chest area." McCord said the officers ordered Watkins to "drop the weapon" and when they heard a thump on the floor, started to go in. He said Watkins, who was hiding behind the door, fired one or two shots "at point-blank range at the officers, but missed." He said Police Sgt.

Raymond Kozak fell back, thinking he had been hit, and fired two shots at Watkins, who also fell, thinking he had been hit. Watkins was then subdued. Police saw that he had dropped a 9mm automatic on the floor, but still had a .357 Magnum in his hand, from which the shots were fired. McCord said Mary Watkins was grazed by "a ricocheting bullet" during the exchange of gunfire. She said Watkins had struck her on the head with one of the guns.

Police do not know whether a police bullet or a bullet from Watkins' gun hit Mrs. Watkins. When patrolmen Alan Loalbo and Dominick Sforzasearched Watkins, they found brass knuckles in his pocket, McCord said. McCord said convictions on all charges could result in a sentence of up to 80 years for Watkins, who is being held in the Union County Jail. Plainfield police said Watkins, of Philadelphia, abducted his three children and took them to California in April, in violation of a restraining order.

The children were returned and in the home during the shooting. ELIZABETH A Plainfield man accused of firing a pistol at three Plainfield police officers responding to a domestic complaint was indicted yesterday on three counts of attempted murder. The Union County Grand Jury also indicted Nathaniel Watkins, 40, on four counts of aggravated assault three on the officers and one on his estranged wife, Mary. Assistant Union County Prosecutor Peter McCord said the three officers were sent to the 900 block of West Front Street on May 17 to investigate the report of a man with a gun. Once there, they found Watkins brutalizing his wife and holding her Roebling, and Claire of Somerset; and five grandchildren Funeral arrangements are by gart-Chamberlain Funeral Home in Bound Brook.

Joseph G. Harcar, 75, retired from Cyanamid RARITAN BOROUGH Joseph G. Harcar, 75, died yesterday (July 20, 1988) at his home. Mr. Harcar was born in Raritan-and was a lifelong borough resident.

He was a communicant of St. Joseph's Church here. He was a World War II Army veteran and was employed as a rigger with American Cyanamid for 35 years, retiring in 1975. Mr. Harcar is survived by his brother, Albert, of Neshanic Station.

Funeral arrangements are by Han-non Brothers Funeral Home in Raritan. Marietta J. Harrington UNION TOWNSHIP Marietta J. Harrington, 92, died Monday (July 18, 1988) at Stone Arch Health Care Center in the Pittstown section here. Mrs.

Harrington was born in Frewsburg, N.Y., and lived in Plain-field and Clearwater, before coming to Pittstown in 1978. Her husband, Herve E. Harrington, died in 1955. Survivors include two sons, Donald H. Harrington of Clearwater, and Jack L.

of Pittstown; a daughter, Charlotte Giles of New Brunswick; 14 grandchildren and 30 greatgrandchildren. Arrangements are by Robert L. Ford Funeral Home in Raritan Township. Piscataway people to protest against night truck traffic FRANKLIN (Somerset) Lester D. Higgins, 66, died yesterday (July 20, 1988) at Somerset Medical Center in Somerville.

Mr. Higgins was born in Somerville and moved to Franklin 30 years ago. He was an Army Air Corps veteran of World War II and had spent 16 months as a prisoner of war in Germany. He was a life member of Disabled American Veterans. Mr.

Higgins was a supervisor at New Jersey Bell Telephone Co. in Newark for 38 years where he was a member of the New Jersey Bell Telephone Pioneers. He retired in 1983. He had been active in area Boy Scouts and had attended the Reformed Church of Bound Brook in South Bound Brook. Surviving are his wife, Clara Jean Wolferz Higgins; a son, the Rev.

Charles L. of Boonton; three daughters, Army Major Catherine Matier of Hinesville, Claudia O'Neal of CARD OF THANKS The family of Bernlce Hall would like to extend their gratitude and thanks for all the flowers, cards, and help we received during our loss. A special thanks to Rev. Henry and Shlloh Church, and to Mrs. Maryann Fulmore xx IN MEMORIAM IN LOVING MEMORY LILLIAN A CALHOUN 1ST ANNIVERSARY, JULY 21, 1987 WE MISS YOU SO MUCH THE FAMILY -21 FUNERAL NOTICES HARCAR Joseph 75, on July 20, 1988, brother of Albert of Neshanic Station.

Funeral Services from HANNON BROS. FUNERAL HOME 43 West Somerset St. Raritan 9:00 a.m. Saturday. Interment St.

Bernards Cemetery Bridgewater. Family and friends may call Friday 7-9 p.m. 21 HIGGINS Lester D. 66 of Somerset on Wednesday July 20, 1988, beloved husband of Clara Jean Wolferz Higgins, beloved mother of the Rev. Charles L.

Higgins of Boonton NJ, Maj. Catherine Matier of Hinesville Claudia O'Neal of Roebling NJ and Claire Higgins of Somerset NJ. Grandfather of 5. Funeral Services 11:00 a.m. Saturday July 23 at THE TAGGART-CHAMBERLAIN FUNERAL HOME 305 E.

High St. Bound Brook. Interment Bound Brook Cemetery. Friends received at the funeral home Friday 7-9 p.m. Memorial donations may be made to The Reformed Church of Bound Brcok, South Bound Brook.

21 PIWOWARCZYK Of Piscataway, on Tuesday, July 19, 1988, Zofia, wife of Felix Piwowarczyk, stepmother of Bruno, Joseph, Edward and Anthony Piwowarczyk, Christine Florek, Mary Troisi, and Charlotte Lucasiewicz, grandchildren and 1 sister in Poland. Funeral from PISCATAWAY FUNERAL HOME, 18Stelton Rd. Piscataway on Friday at 8:30 a m. Mass of Christian Burial at St. Francis Cabrini Church at 9:30 a m.

Interment Resurrection Cemetery. Visiting Thursday 2-4 and 7 p.m. 21 Transportation Commissioner Kenneth Afferton to permit trucks to travel at all hours on River Road. Township ordinances approved last year prohibit truck traffic between 5 p.m. and 8 a.m.

and reduce the road's speed limit. But last month Afferton notified the township that the state could not recommend implementing any traffic restriction or speed-limit reduction on the road. Residents say trucks speed on the road and cause hazards to pedestrians and motorists. The group intends to construct billboards Tuesday that will emphasize accidents that have occurred there. Mayor Ted Light said he does not object to the demonstration but plans to concentrate his efforts elsewhere.

"I have no problems with it as long as they don't obstruct traffic," he said. "But my style is to meet with the officials involved." Light previously has said he plans to pressure state officials to hasten construction that would eliminate traffic problems on River Road. The extension of Route 18 up Hoes Lane to Interstate 287 is slated to begin in 1992. By ROBIN SIDEL Courier-News Staff Writer PISCATAWAY Angered by a recent decision to permit nighttime truck traffic in front of their homes, residents of River Road next week will take their protest to the streets. Members of the Piscataway Environmental Protection Organization have planned a "Day of Action" Tuesday to demonstrate their concern about the traffic, which they say is making their lives unbearable.

The group is encouraging residents to display anti-truck signs and to contact the commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Transportation, Hazel Gluck, to complain about the recent decision. "We want to let her know how important this is and how serious a threat it is to safety," said Michael Mink, chairman of the group. Last week the group argued that the state's decision to permit truck traffic at night was based on a distorted and erroneous study. The group sent an eight-page letter to Gluck urging her to reconsider. The letter criticized a recommendation by state Assistant Six deny scheme to launder money Bedminster report due on office-building plan Union County freeholders expected to OK own raises By TEK TALMONT Courier-News Staff Writer ELIZABETH Members of the Union County Board of Freeholders are expected to vote themselves their first raises since 1985, Freeholder Joseph Suliga said yesterday.

Suliga, who serves as the board's finance chairman, said he himself favors a raise of about $1,000 over the $18,000 salary now paid to the nine freeholders, a figure that could change "depending on what they decide to do." Most of Suliga's fellow Democrats, who form the board majority, are attending the party's presidential nominating convention in Atlanta. Suliga's comments came in response to a statement by former Democratic Freeholder Gerald Green of Plainfield, a candidate for election in November. Green said that he "could not support raises of $7,000 for the freeholders." Suliga said he was unaware of such a high figure being mentioned in behind-the-scenes discussions. Green said he heard that was one of the figures being mentioned as freeholders prepared the annual salary ordinance, which sets salaries for board members, department heads, constitutional officers and some 600 "exclusionary" county employees who are not covered by union contracts. The ordinance is scheduled for introduction at the board's Aug.

2 meeting. Suliga said that because contracts call for raises of about 6 percent, the "package" for the exclusionaries would total that figure, but would be doled out on merit, rather than strictly across the board. Green called for a freeze on salaries of all department heads until after the new county manager, Joseph Martin, takes office next month and is able to evaluate the performance of each. He also urged the board to apply the money for freeholder raises to the prosecutor's office for fighting the drug problem in Plainfield, which he termed "devastating." Suliga said he felt acting County Manager Ann Baran is "in a much better position to evaluate the performance of department heads." Martin would need several months' tenure in the county before he could make such an evaluation, "and making these employees wait that long just would not be fair," he said. Workers covered by contracts received their raises effective Jan.

1. The exclusionary employees included in the annual salary ordinance traditionally receive their pay hikes retroactively, usually about two months after the county budget for the year is adopted. Green's opposition to a possible pay hike is consistent with his vote in 1983, when a bipartisan 5-4 majority voted to increase the salary of board members from $9,000 to $13,000. The board's last salary hike was voted in 1985, with salaries rising from $13,800 to the $18,000 level. The board chairman currently receives an extra $2,000, the vice chairman $1,000.

The freeholders last year dropped proposed pay hikes in an aim to save money in a tight fiscal year. Suliga said the salaries of Union County freeholders rank 12th in the state, with Monmouth's $25,000 the highest. KIN-BUC: Edison Continued from Page C-1 another plaintiff, said he had received no word on a settlement. The federal Environmental Protection Agency closed the landfill in 1980 after several lawsuits failed to do so. At the time of the closing, the state Department of Environmental Parkway to shut Cranford rest area By TIMOTHY KASEN Courier-News Staff Writer CRANFORD Recurring incidents of illegal, public sexual activity at the Tall Oaks Rest Area here is forcing officials today to temporarily close the Garden State Parkway facility.

The New Jersey Highway Authority, which operates the 173-mile-long toll road, made the decision following complaints from township officials: who said that the area has been attracting a contingent of men engag-' ing in unlawful sexual activity for-several years. "We were concerned about it," Township Police Chief Robert Guer- tin said. "(The residents) are concerned about people urinating through the fence and the gathering of people in the area." The rest area is the second in less than a year to be closed because of illegal activities. Highway authorities closed the Glenside Rest Area in Woodbridge in October after conn plaints that it was being used as a meeting place for drug users and for public sex. State police Lt.

John Neeld said that while the closing is temporary, it may lead to permanent closure after highway authorities meet with Cranford officials. "Down the road it could become permanent," he said. Cranford borders the rest area, which only has several telephones and picnic tables. In 1986, the state Department of Transportation constructed a fence separating the town after Cranford police arrested 27 people for illicit sexual acts, Guertin said. Most were found guilty and fined $1,000, but the police chief said the area continued as a meeting place prompting township officials to request the closing.

"I believe the notoriety from all the arrests made it a more popular meeting place," Guertin said. Guertin said the situation reached a point where male couples were leaving the rest area and performing illicit acts in nearby residential areas. "We decided to take a different approach and instead of making arrests we asked the proper authorities to close it down," he said. Neeld said motorists will not be affected by the closing because full-service rest areas are located 15 miles in both directions from Cranford. Aug.

16. The plan calls for the units to be built in five phases on a 72-acre site south of Route 22. The developer is Colebrook Associates of Edison. Developer K. Hovnanian is planning 1,100 units on Vanderveer Road, 450 housing units are planned for a tract of land on Shields Lane and Route 22 and 75 townhouses were approved for a site at Milltown Road and Route 202.

The group plans to meet weekly, and anyone interested in joining can call Campbell at 725-0478. for $2.8 million though it had the right to. He said he will move soon to have the town removed from the case. Edison Mayor Anthony Yelencsics, whose town also is named as a defendant, said, "As far as I know, we have never used that landfill. We have our own landfill and would have no reason to." Earlier in the day, several of Malba 's former co-workers at the restaurant testified he had plenty of cash and cocaine after the date of the killing.

Sean Phillips, a classmate who accompanied Malba to the Shore the following weekend after their senior prom, said Malba brandished a piece of cocaine in rock form, "about the size of a Chicken McNugget." Malba also had about $600 in cash in a box in his room, Phillips sid. NEWARK (AP) Six people, including four Edison residents and a Seattle rabbi, charged with helping launder millions of dollars in a worldwide scheme based in Colombia, pleaded innocent yesterday to a revised indictment. Authorities indicted 16 people in the case last March. Five have pleaded guilty and are cooperating with the government, and five others are, presumably in Israel and Colombia, beyond the grasp of authorities, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Stuart J.

Rabner. A revised indictment returned this month names the 11 suspects who have not pleaded guilty. They include the reputed U.S. ringleaders Adi Tal and Nir Goldesh-tein, both 27 and both of Edison and Rabbi Sholom Levitin, a leader of the Lubavitch Hasidic community in Seattle. The supserseding indictment adds to the original eight counts 21 counts alleging more specific illegal By JAMES FERRARO Courier-News Staff Writer BEDMINSTER A decision may be near on the controversial Sammis Region office-building proposal.

A special review committee is slated to report its views on the proposal at a meeting of the Township Committee on Monday at 7 p.m. at the Hillside Avenue municipal complex. Preliminary reports by Committeeman Paul Gavin, who heads the subcommittee, indicate that the group would probably recommend scaling down the Sammis proposal. The committee is expected to make a decision on the tradeoff proposal and may consider buying the Research-Cottrell building and surrounding property for use as municipal offices. The Sammis tradeoff proposal met with a storm of opposition earlier this year, nearly 300 residents showing up for a Township Committee public hearing on a proposed ordinance.

The committee shelved the plan. The proposal would have given the Parsippany-based developer the right to build 880,000 square feet of office space at the corner of Laming-ton Road and Route 206. The developer would also have been permitted to build 30,000 square feet of storage space and 12,500 square feet of atri Randy Horn READINGTON Randy Horn, an employee of Sunoco Service Station in Piscataway, died Monday (July 18, 1988) at his Whitehouse Station home. He was 21. Mr.

Horn was born in New Brunswick and lived in Piscataway before moving to the Whitehouse Station section of Readington 15 years ago. He was a 1985 graduate of Ward-law Hardridge High School in Edison and attended Raritan Valley Community College in Branchburg. Mr. Horn was a member of the Karate Club at the Hunterdon County YMCA Deerpath Family Branch in Readington. Surviving are his parents, James and Marietta Neochoritis Horn; a sister, Christina at home, and his maternal grandparents, Stefanos and Charlotte Neochoritis of Berlin, Germany.

Arrangements are by Kearns Funeral Home in Whitehouse. ums on the 95-acre site. In return, the developer would have donated to the township the former Research-Cottrell building and surrounding 17 acres on Route 206 for municipal offices and police headquarters, built a library, donated 11 acres for senior-citizens housing across from the present municipal complex, and built a post office on Route 206. The night the committee dropped the proposal, Mayor Robert Lloyd formed the subcommittee, which has met almost weekly since April 27. Opposition to the Sammis proposal and proposed changes to the township master plan were the apparent causes of the ouster of Lloyd in the June 7 Republican primary.

An interim report given by Gavin on May 17 concluded that there was no need to build senior-citizens housing, a library and a post office on the Hillside Avenue site. The report did recommend using the Research-Cottrell building and putting senior-citizens housing and a library on the site. The lack of a tradeoff proposal still leaves Sammis with its plans for the Route 206 property that came as a result of a court-ordered settlement in 1987. That proposal called for a office building, an 11-acre senior-citizens housing complex, and 23 single-family homes. Both men were charged with distribution of cocaine, possession with intent to distribute, conspiracy to distribute andor possession with the intent to distribute it and possession of cocaine.

But under the plea agreement, they admitted to only two charges. Both pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine with intent to distribute it and conspiracy. In exchange for the plea, the state agreed to drop the other two charges against both defendants. Under the plea agreement, both men could be fined $3,000 and receive 10-year prison sentences. Each faced 30 years in jail and a $400,000 fine if they had been found guilty at trial, Under the agreement, Rodriguez will not be eligible for parole for 3'i years.

Lorenzo received no parole stipulation, which means he will be eligible after two years. Rodriguez admitted his role in the deal, but Lorenzo was hesitant. After being told he could be forced to go to trial, he finally admitted that he served as bodyguard and lookout for Rodrlquez. Group forms to fight development By MARY ROMANO Courier-News Staff Writer BRIDGEWATER About 35 resi-dents of the North Branch Park area have formed an organization to protest overcrowding from proposed developments in that section of the township. The group, headed by Milltown Road resident Barry Campbell, is called the SAVE Bridgewater Association.

SAVE stands for Sane and Vital Environment. The group hopes to convince the transactions. Authorities have said the ring sought to conceal the source of at least $25 million over an 18-month period until the arrests in March. The defendants, operating in the New York, Seattle and Los Angeles areas, allegedly violated federal currency reporting requirements to mask the flow of cash, most of which arrived in a Panama bank, officials' said. Also charged were Avshalom Ha-zan, 24, of Seattle; Tal's wife Jacqueline Tal, 26, and Goldeshtein's wife Zoe Lawton, 23.

With the new indictment, Tal and Goldeshtein face more than 100 years in prison if convicted on all counts, Rabner said. Levitin and Hazan would face five years, Lawton 30 years and Mrs. Tal 10 years, he said. Tal and Goldeshtein were ordered held without bail at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York and the others were free on bail. Planning Board to study zoning in the Milltown Road area, which includes Vanderveer Road and Ventura Drive, and possibly change it to a lower density, "Hopefully, we can produce some evidence for the town to minimize the development on that tract," Campbell said.

Plans to build 473 townhouses and condominiums on the east side of Milltown Road Including Mount Laurel units were presented to the Planning Board in June. A public hearing is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. supply. The state Supreme Court ruled that 26 towns named as defendants will remain in the case even though they failed to receive 90iday notices of the suit as required by court rules. Thomas Benitz, attorney for Middlesex Borough, said the town has never used the Global landfill even vated robbery and manslaughter in exchange for 20-year prison terms, with the possibility of parole after 7Vj years.

Davis, 22, pleaded guilty to first-degree robbery in exchange for an indeterminate sentence of up to 15 years, with the possibility of parole in three years. None of the three have been sentenced yet. Both Rogers and Williams are In the county jail, while Davis is free on bail. Malba, now 20, also is free on bail. Pair admit drug possession before trial gets under way landfill suit settled out of court MALBA: Three describe Remington restaurant slaying By DERRICK HINMON Courier-News Staff Writer SOMERVILLE Two New Brunswick men pleaded guilty to drug possession yesterday before their trial was scheduled to begin.

The defendants, Jose Rodriguez and Pablo Lorenzo, had discussed a plea agreement Tuesday but then decided to go to trial. A jury was chosen Tuesday and opening arguments were set to begin yesterday morning. But after considering their options, both men admitted selling cocaine to an undercover officer from the narcotics strike force of the Somerset County prosecutor's office. Rodriguez and Lorenzo were arrested Jan. 13 at the TraveLodge in Franklin Township when they allegedly sold a half-ounce of cocaine to an undercover detective, authorities said.

An Investigation revealed that the pair, both residents of 2 Jersey had been distributing cocaine at several township taverns, authorities said, Detectives said they seized 7 ounces of cocaine during the bust. 4' Protection was reviewing plans to expand the landfil. Still pending is a similar lawsuit against Global Landfill Reclaiming in Old Bridge. Some 400 residents who live in apartments adjacent to the landfill say they have been harmed by toxic chemicals from the landfill which seeped into the water ing lot, Davis testified. Returning to Brown Street, where Williams, Rogers and Davis all lived, Malba handed each at least $1,000 and kept the rest, he said.

Malba 's attorney, Francis X. Hermes of Somerville, accused the three of lying and cited earlier statements by Rogers and Williams that did not mention Davis' Involvement. Rogers, 19, and Williams, 19, have pleaded guilty to charges aggra Continued from Page C-1 tinued to struggle, Williams unscrewed the push broom and handed the bottom to Malba, they testified. Malba hit Petrovich with the broom bottom several times, then had Williams hand him an apron, the pair testified. Malba stuffed the apron into Petrovlch's mouth until he was still, then dragged his body back to his bedroom, they testified.

The three then fled, joining Davis In the neighboring Burger Kinpark-.