Former Helmetta Mayor Told Police to Harass Couple, Lawsuit Says

Helmetta, NJ - Two Spotswood residents have filed a civil lawsuit against former Helmetta Mayor Nancy Martin, who they say directed the local police department to harass them after they tried to bring to light conditions inside the town's animal shelter.

In the suit, Steven and Collene Wronko allege that Martin used the Helmetta Police Department to target them and others who spoke out against her and the Helmetta Regional Animal Shelter.

The Helmetta Animal Shelter has been closed down since November of 2014, after the NJSPCA found dogs and cats being kept in filthy, disease-ridden conditions inside. The husband-wife team that ran the shelter, Michal and Richard Cielesz, have also since been charged with animal cruelty.

The Wronkos purchased a puppy from the shelter in 2014, which they said required $4,000 in medical care, according to MyCentralJersey.com. That's when the couple became actively involved in trying to expose conditions at the shelter.

They first made headlines when a video they made of Helmetta Police Officer Robert Recene went viral on August 4, 2014. Wronko said he went to the Helmetta municipal building that day to pick up some paperwork about his sick puppy, and that's when Recene stopped him, and said it was illegal to videotape inside the building. When Wronko asserted it was his right to film, Recene responded, “We don’t even care about that because Obama just decimated the freakin’ Constitution, so I don’t give a damn. If he doesn’t follow the Constitution, we don’t have to.”

That video, posted by Steve Wronko, can be seen above. Recine resigned from the Helmetta Police Department days later.

Although it is legal to film inside a public building, Martin, who was mayor at the time, introduced a borough ordinance to prevent people from filming inside a public place. The punishment would have been a $2,000 fine or jail time. Her measure failed after public outrage.

Email allegedly sent by former Helmetta Mayor Nancy Martin

It was after the Recene videotape incident that the town of Helmetta really stepped up the pressure to try and silence them, the Wronkos say.

The Wronkos, via their attorney Edward Harrington Heyburn, say they obtained the following email via New Jersey’s Open Public Record Act, which was sent from Nancy Martin’s AOL account to Robert Manney, who was police director at the time. The email was sent in November of 2014.

That email, provided to Patch, states:

Make sure that the case with the Wronkos goes as planned. I need these people off the boro property and out of the council meetings for good. They keep bringing more evidence of animal abuse. [Ptl. Devon] Gannon needs to keep writing summoms for cursing and stopping these people when they drive through town. I will speak with the prosecutor in NB and the Judge. Heitmann who will speak with the other Judge Feingold about this case so nothing is thrown out. If there are more protest l will send more people to disrupt these protests.

I dont think Baltizar is on board with this he doesn't seem to be a team player. I dont want the police interfering with the counter protesters. Just let happen and write the tickets later after speaking with ADA Glaser. Write as many tickets for cursing even ii is not directed at the police WE NEED THESE PEOPLE OUT OF OUR TOWN

Ptl Gannon is on duty every Saturday from 12-4 when the protesters are at the shelter. I want summoms written each time. He seems to be the only Ptl that is on board with making this go away. The more summoms the better. These orange shirt out of towners and their ring leader Wronko need to go and Gannon needs to do whatever he has to and you have to make sure Gannon knows this also. Im tired of hearing about the protestors rights. Write the summons for all types of offences, stretch the law if you have to. just do something lo get these people out of Helmetta for good. and I will speak with the ADA Glaser to make sure the charges are air type. Dont have them write the charges until after I speak with Cindy. The last protest when the counter protest shown up and Gannon refusing to do anything only fueled the situation and that is just the type of sitatu8ion we need to be able to arrest them. Have the officers stand there and do nothing.

(Mayor Nancy Martin email dated November 24, 2014).

Martin is no longer mayor of Helmetta, as she lost a heated re-election battle in the fall of 2015.

Martin says she did not write that email and that her account was hacked. Calls by MyCentralJersey to Martin and her attorney, James Stahl, were not returned. A call to Stahl by Patch was not immediately returned.

Assemblyman wants Nancy Martin investigated by Middlesex County Prosecutor

Once that email came to light, a Red Bank Assemblyman said he asked the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office to investigate Martin.

"She actually says to trump up charges, essentially” says Assemblyman Declan O'Scanlon (R –Red Bank), told News 12's Kane in Your Corner. “She’s probably not the only municipal official who believes the police are her private attack dogs, so the others should be put on notice as well that this won’t be stood for."

The Middlesex County prosecutor's office did not return calls asking whether they are investigating Martin.

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