A Lakewood man who harassed his neighbors and carved a swastika on their front lawn was sentenced to 15 months in state prison today for bias intimidation, a spokesman for the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office said.
Ocean County Superior Court Judge James M. Blaney turned down Scott F. Cooney’s defense attorney’s request that Cooney be sentenced to one year, spokesman Al Della Fave said.
“Judge Blaney stated that one of the main reasons for his sentencing decision was the fact that while the defendant was in jail awaiting sentence, he wrote threatening and bias letters to the victims and the arresting police detective, Sgt. Leroy Marshall of Lakewood PD,” Della Fave said.
Cooney, 46, was arrested on Aug. 13, 2014, after the victims reported that he had verbally harassed and threatened them many times. They told police that at 1:30 p.m. on Aug. 10 they saw Cooney carving a something on their front lawn with a lead pipe, Della Fave said.
“The victims, not wanting to provoke a confrontation, stayed safely within their home,” he said. ” Once Cooney departed, they went outside to find that he had carved a swastika into the lawn. The victims took a photo and immediately responded to the Lakewood Police Department.”
Marshall conducted the investigation that led to Cooney’s arrest at his home on East Dorchester Drive in Leisure Village around 11 a.m. on Aug. 13, 2014. Ocean County Superior Court Judge Francis R. Hodgson set Cooney’s bail at $25,000. Cooney originally posted bail, but it was revoked because he violated the no contact order, Della Fave said.
Blaney said Cooney’s conduct shows he intentionally defied the court’s order to have no contact with the victims and that his incarceration has not stopped him from continuing to harass and threaten the victims. He again issued a no contact order and asked that the state Department of Corrections monitor Cooney‘s outgoing mail, he said.ail.
Cooney has remained incarcerated since his bail revocation on June 5, 2015.
