Angelo Corino, 61, of Belleville was charged with attempted murder on Feb. 16 for attempting to kill his estranged wife’s lover at her apartment in Lake Hiawatha, N.J. according to Morris County Prosecutor Robert A. Bianchi. The unidentified man, also 61 years of age, was transported to Morristown Memorial Hospital after sustaining multiple knife wounds. The couple, married for 37 years, had recently parted ways with Corino’s wife settling into the Lake Hiawatha apartment. While living at the new address, she rekindled a four-decade-old romance with the victim who had stopped by that day to assist her with her move. According to a court affidavit, the two heard a noise and were startled to see Corino walking up the stairs toward the apartment. After making it past his wife, Corino pushed the victim up against a wall where he proceeded to stab him multiple times, according to the document. After a joint investigation conducted by the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit and the Parsippany –Troy Hills Police Dept., Corino was arrested and charged with attempted murder and several counts of assault, amongst other charges. Corino was held in lieu of $500,000 bail at the Morris County Correctional Facility. In other Belleville happenings:
Feb. 16
At 1:26 a.m., units were dispatched to the Seared Lounge nightclub at 56 Union Ave. near the intersection of Union Ave. and Mill St., on a report of a large fight in progress. As the lounge was letting out, a large group formed in the parking lot at 250 Mill St. and a group of men began to fight. Officers broke up the brawl and the crowd was ordered to disperse. As this was occurring, one of the men, Mario F. Wright, 23, of East Orange turned combative and yelled, “Let my boy go!” at the officers. Wright was asked to disperse but took a swing at the officer instead. Officers sprayed Wright with mace to gain his compliance but he continued to fight. Officers finally gained control of Wright and placed him under arrest. At this point two more men began to yell at the officers. They, too, were ordered to disperse but refused to comply and were placed under arrest. Wright was charged with aggravated assault on police, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct. The other men, 22-year-old Victor L. Bazemore of East Orange and Mikal D. Francis, 28, of Newark were charged with disorderly conduct.
A police unit observed a black Honda Accord blow through a stop sign on Clara Maass Drive at 7:36 p.m. When they stopped the car at the intersection of Newark and Belmont Aves., they noticed a “strong aroma of burnt marijuana” emanating from the vehicle. At this time, a passenger began to make “back and forth sweeping motions with his right foot,” as if trying to conceal something. Police found a zip-loc bag filled with marijuana near the passenger’s foot. The man was subsequently searched and another bag of pot was discovered along with 64 empty zip-loc bags commonly used to package and distribute controlled dangerous substances. The vehicle’s driver was issued several motor vehicle summonses. Another passenger seated in the rear, Jonathan Gnisbett, 18, of Newark was found to have an outstanding warrant for $133 out of Newark and was taken into custody. The front passenger, Jose Mendoza, 18, of East Orange, was charged with possession of C.D.S. and released on his own recognizance.
Feb. 14
A store employee reported a burglary and theft at the Best of Breed Pet Grooming store, 328 Washington Avenue, at 9:20 a.m. The man stated that he found the back door unlocked when he arrived for work. A closer examination of the premises revealed an open cash register drawer missing $525. A blue-colored box containing $1700 was also missing from the store.
Feb. 13
At 10:21 p.m., police were dispatched to the Pathmark supermarket at 115 Belmont Ave. on a shoplifting call. Store detectives told police that they detained Alexandria Otero, 22, of Newark and Jennifer M. Ortiz, also of Newark after the two had concealed $298 worth of merchandise in their handbags and attempted to leave the store. Otero was charged with shoplifting and held on $200 bail. Ortiz was found to have an outstanding warrant for $500 out of Newark. She was charged with shoplifting and held on $200 bail in addition to the $500 Newark warrant.
Feb. 12
Police responded to Clara Maass Hospital at 11:31 a.m. after a nurse discovered three small glass pipes with burnt markings amidst a female patient’s belongings. The woman, Stephanie L. Sandora, 46, of Bloomfield was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia and released on her own recognizance.
At 7 p.m., Emmanuelle S. Opoku, 23, of Belleville turned himself over to Belleville police for an outstanding warrant out of Montclair.
Feb. 11
At 1:48 a.m. officers proceeded to the Speak Easy bar at 538 Union Ave. to quell a disturbance that began when some patrons turned unruly after leaving the bar. When officers asked the group to disperse, a man ran past an officer in an attempt to restart an earlier fight with someone in the crowd. The man, Nathan Ineves, 21, of Newark was charged with disorderly conduct. As this was playing out, the man’s girlfriend pushed past the officers in an attempt to aid her boyfriend. For her actions, Jazmine N. Rivera, 20, of Bloomfield was charged with disorderly conduct and underage drinking.
At 10:31 a.m., officers patrolling Watchung Ave. observed a suspicious looking male peering into cars near the intersection of Watchung Ave. and Cross St. After an identification check, it was learned that Angel Rodriquez, 49, of Newark carried a no-bail warrant from the Essex County Sherriff’s Dept. He was subsequently arrested.
At 12:08 p.m., police were summoned to the K-Mart shopping center at 371 Main St. on a shoplifting call. According to store detectives, Brian Moore, 24, of Belleville had stolen $184 worth of merchandise. Moore was arrested and charged with shoplifting and found to carry outstanding warrants from the Township of Bernards for $950, and Bloomfield for $500.
–Jeff Bahr
