TOMS RIVER — An undercover police officer appearsto have engaged in a justifiable use of deadly forcewhen he shot at a vehicle that nearly hit him as it spedaway earlier this week, the Ocean County prosecutorsaid Friday.
While Ocean County Prosecutor Joseph D. Coronatosaid any final determination would wait until his officeconducts official interviews of the officers, the prose-cutor did outline what he knows of the actions that led tothe shooting and why he thinks it appears justified.
“It appears to be an appropriate shooting,” Coronatosaid. “Our investigation is not concluded.”
No injuries were reported.Here’s how Coronato described the incident:Two undercover officers had been conducting sur-
veillance of a house in the Grande Woodlands develop-ment around 4:15 p.m. Wednesday, Coronato said. Thepair — dressed in plainclothes and outside of an un-
Ocean CountyProsecutor Joseph D.Coronato is continuingto investigate theshooting. FILE PHOTO
Cop’s deadly
force ‘appears
... appropriate’Prosecutor believes the suspect
intended to ram officer with car
By Stephanie Loder @Loder1
See DEADLY, Page A12
Asbury Park Press APP.COM $1.00
SATURDAY 05.31.14
VOLUME 135
NUMBER 130
SINCE 1879
ADVICE D5
CLASSIFIED D6
COMICS D4
LOCAL A3
MOVIES D3
OBITUARIES A8
OPINION A11
SPORTS C1
WEATHER C12
YOUR MONEY A5
Kristen Heckeroth credits the care she gets from her psychiatrist for allowing her once
again to work full time, obtain her degree and become engaged to the love of her life. ¶
“I honestly probably wouldn’t be alive if I didn’t find him,” said the 30-year-old, who
drives from her home in the Whiting section of Manchester to Yardley, Pennsylvania, to treat
her schizo-affective disorder. “I owe that man my life.” ¶ Heckeroth also pays for her care
out-of-pocket at $285 per visit because her doctor, like many, doesn’t accept insurance. Her
insurance will reimburse her for about $100.
She doesn’t expect much to change as federalhealth care reforms start to kick in. It’s a worrymany mental health care advocates have as the newhealth care law gives greater access to those withmental illness.
The reforms put mental health care on equal foot-ing with physical health care. That means, at least intheory, that those who need psychological care canget it. But there’s also the possibility more patientsare heading into a system that already has too fewdoctors and clinics to treat them.
TOO MANY PATIENTS, TOO FEW PROFESSIONALS
MENTAL HEALTHACCESS SCARCE
Kristen Heckeroth, 30, of Manchester says she owes her life to her psychiatrist. She pays him $285 out of pocket fora visit and gets a $100 insurance reimbursement. DAVID GARD/CORRESPONDENT
Few doctors willing to accept low Medicaid payments
By Susanne Cervenka @scervenka
See ACCESS, Page A7
“They are nowhere near accurate.
They are illusionary.”
DR. BARRY HELFMANN,about insurance companies’ “phantom networks,” lists of
mental health care providers who don’t actually accept the
insurance or accept the insurance but don’t take new patients
or, surprisingly, are dead
MIDDLETOWN — Where might one find a fireplacemantel, some fencing, a Wave Runner and a mailbox, allin one place?
At a flea market, you might think. But sadly, thoseitems were recently found illegally dumped among oth-er trash at the Leonardo State Marina.
State officials are going after those who stealthilyleave behind unwanted junk on state lands, and threeMonmouth County men have been their latest targets.
The two Middletown men and a Long Branch maneach have been charged in a state Department of Envi-ronmental Protection crackdown on illegal dumping atLeonardo State Marina.
DEP warns: Don’ttrash our public land
Trio nabbed in crackdown after
junk dumped at state marina
By Kathleen Hopkins @Khopkinsapp
See TRASH, Page A12
HEADING TO PRIDE FEST THIS WEEKEND?
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USA TODAY ERIC SHINSEKI RESIGNS AS VETERANS AFFAIRS CHIEF AMID UPROAR PAGE 1B
HAVE WE WON THE WAR ON HEROIN? COMING SUNDAY
ICED OUT Cupcake shop brings sprinkle of ‘magic’ to Red Bank
INDULGE, D1
