34°
Edward C. Mathews, 45, of Gramercy Way, was charged Tuesday with bias intimidation and harassment, according to Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina.
Four other rioters and neighbors were also charged with discharging pepper spray at police, throwing a brick through Mathews' home and more.
Mathews was served with the new charges at the Burlington County Jail in Mount Holly, where he has been held since his July 5 arrest.
The investigation of Mathews, conducted by the Prosecutor’s Office and the Mount Laurel Police Department, has now resulted in 22 separate charges against him since July 2, Coffina said.
The racially-charged words and actions of Mathews against his neighbors on July 2 went viral on social media and resulted in a large protest outside of his residence three days later, the same day he was arrested.
Mount Laurel Police Department officers who took Mathews into custody had to work their way through the crowd to place him into a patrol vehicle.
Four people who were in the crowd were charged on Tuesday with crimes that included discharging pepper spray at the police and Mathews, damaging property and spitting at the police:
- Tawanda M. Jones, 48, of Park Boulevard in Camden, is accused of discharging pepper spray onto the officers who were apprehending Mathews. She was charged with Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose (Third Degree), Unlawful Possession of a Weapon (Fourth Degree), Aggravated Assault on a Police Officer (Fourth Degree), Simple Assault (Disorderly Persons Offense), and Disorderly Conduct (Petty Disorderly Persons Offense).
- Daniel A. Harris, 25, of Cooper Street in Beverly, is accused of throwing a brick-like object through a window at Mathews’ residence just after he was taken into custody. He was charged with Criminal Mischief (Fourth Degree) and Disorderly Conduct (Petty Disorderly Persons Offense).
- Christopher D. Staples, 21, of Colgate Avenue in Pemberton, is accused of throwing rocks toward officers as they were walking the defendant to the Mount Laurel police vehicle. The rocks struck the vehicle, causing nearly $600 in damage. He was charged with Criminal Mischief (Fourth Degree) and Disorderly Conduct (Petty Disorderly Persons Offense).
- Khalil Wilson, 18, of Coventry Way in Mount Laurel, is accused of spitting toward police officers while standing on top of a vehicle as they escorted Mathews from his home. He was charged with Throwing Bodily Fluids at Law Enforcement Officers (Fourth Degree) and Disorderly Conduct (Petty Disorderly Persons Offense).
The charges were filed on a summons for each of the four defendants. They were not taken into custody. First appearances in Superior Court will be scheduled in the near future.
“The outrage sparked by Mathews’ conduct on the viral video does not give permission to anyone to commit unprovoked assaults upon police officers or acts of vandalism,” Coffina said. “These were blatant crimes, caught on video, and the individuals responsible must be held accountable, regardless of whether they were committed in the midst of a protest or at any other time.”
The most recent charge against Mathews was filed after a handwriting analysis performed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation revealed that a threatening note left on a neighbor’s vehicle in January had been written by Mathews. Feces also had been smeared on the vehicle.
Prior to July, multiple complaints had been lodged with Mount Laurel police concerning Mathews’ behavior, dating to 2016, but no charges had been filed. This led to allegations by some that the department was showing favoritism toward Mathews and failing to investigate the accusations made against him.
“We empathize with the residents of Essex Place who were on the receiving end of Mathews’ conduct,” Coffina said. “No one should have to endure racial harassment anywhere, but especially not in their own neighborhood and even in their own home.”
As a result, the Prosecutor’s Office announced on July 6 that it would undertake an independent review of all previous incidents reported to Mount Laurel police involving Mathews, and also MLPD’s response to them.
The Prosecutor’s Office reviewed the police department's handling of the case and found, among other issues:
- no indication of favoritism shown toward Mathews,
- neither individual MLPD officers, nor the department as a whole, failed to investigate or were dismissive of the complaints raised by his neighbors.
- MLPD generally viewed the complaints raised by Essex Place residents on a case-by-case basis, rather than taking a problem-oriented approach.
With a broader perspective on the situation in the community, MLPD might have been able to devise an effective solution and brought relief to the residents Mathews had victimized sooner than his July 2 arrest, the prosecutor's office concluded.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Highland Lakes-Vernon and receive free news updates.
