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Alexandra Vargas, 33 (above, right), told Superior Court Judge James J. Guida she was very sorry.
“I never knew he was a juvenile,” she said in pleading guilty to child abuse. “He was about 6-foot-3.
“I knew he was young, but I didn’t know he was that young.”
Her partner, Shaina Carter, was admitted to Pre-Trial Intervention for two years. If she fulfills the program requirements during that term, her record will be cleared.
Vargas and Carter (above, left) came home earlier than expected one day last February, forcing the boy to hide in the bathroom.
“Go get your mother if you want your sneakers,” Vargas said she told him after assaulting the boy and kicking him out.
“Your daughter was already safe when you struck him — is that accurate?” the judge asked.
“Yes,” Vargas answered.
Carter, 31, whose address is listed as the Bronx, didn’t speak during the hearing other than to agree to two years of PTI.
Assistant Bergen County Prosecutor Dion Findley said probation was a fair resolution. Although the victim was taken to the hospital, he said, the boy’s injuries weren’t serious. The teen nonetheless is still troubled by the incident, he said.
All that was left to determine was restitution for the boy’s broken iPhone.
He asked for $829, based on a quote from Amazon.com
Defense attorney Joseph Siclari objected, saying iPhones don’t cost that much.
Guida’s clerk quickly checked online and found a white i-Phone listed at $499.
Restitution was set at $500.
STORY / PHOTO: Mary K. Miraglia, CLIFFVIEW PILOT Courthouse Reporter
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