A mother reportedly halted a recent court hearing to plead with a judge for fairness after waiting four years for an ex-teacher to stand trial for allegedly sexually assaulting her teen son.
According to TAPInto South Plainfield, the mother interrupted to express disappointment at waiting four years to see her son’s alleged abuser, John Angeline, 44, face justice. The former South Plainfield High School English teacher was accused of sexually assaulting the male victim at various locations between September 2010 and June 2013, beginning when the boy was 15.
“It’s been constant delays. All I’m asking for is fairness for this, please,” she told Superior Court Judge Joseph Rea.
The interruption wasn’t well-received by Rea, who reportedly told the mother to “Keep your mouth shut and sit down.”
Angeline was arrested in March 2015 on charges of sexual assault and endangering the welfare of a child and criminal sexual conduct. The news outlet reported that the Department of Education suspended Angeline’s teaching license in June 2017 and the Board of Education accepted his resignation this January.
The mother’s outburst comes a week after Middlesex County Assistant Prosecutor Thomas Carver announced that they’re willing to offer Angeline a plea deal which wouldn’t entail prison time or sex offender designation. Carver reportedly stepped back on those comments days later, telling the court that a deal would include sex offender designation and long-term supervision.
Nevertheless, Angeline’s attorney has asked Rea to acknowledge the initial deal offered by prosecutors, according to TAPinto.
Since no agreement was reached, Rea was in the process of scheduling a trial for sometime in October. One of the victim’s supporters told the news outlet that Angeline wasn’t in court and alleged that he left town without facing any sort of reprimand.
At the beginning of the latest hearing, the prosecutor reportedly revealed that the victim and his family are showing “a little frustration”—to which the judge responded, “I’m a little frustrated as well.”
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[Featured image: John Angeline/Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office]
