Judge Denies Former Ocean County Juvenile Officer Pre-Trial Intervention After She Pleaded Guilty To Selling Heroin

A former Ocean County Juvenile Shelter officer who sold heroin while off-duty will not be allowed to enter a pre-trial intervention program that would expunge the drug charges, according to app.com.

Ocean County Superior Court Judge Patricia A. Roe ruled Thursday that prosecutors did not abuse their discretion by denying Erika Kotelnicki's application for pre-trial intervention, which would also have allowed her to receive treatment for her own addiction.

Kotelnicki previously pleaded guilty to possession of heroin with the intent to distribute and applied for the program, which is only open to first-time offenders. But the prosecutors denied the request and the Bayville woman appealed.

Law enforcement authorities found heroin and cocaine in her home. She was suspended without pay from her county judge and later resigned, said her attorney Ian Goldman.

Kotelnicki was not addicted to heroin, but sold it to feed her addiction to other drugs, Assistant Prosecutor Hillary Bryce said.

Goldman told the judge that Kotelnicki regretted her crimes and was no longer a danger to the public.

"She is not a bad person," he said. "She made a mistake. She's paid for what she's done. Everybody likes a good comeback story."

She is slated to be sentenced on Sept. 2.

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