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| Eileen Hart and her young daughter |
I have promised to provide updates on the situation with the NJ housewife who went to a meeting concerning tax assessments in NJ, and when she read the Constitution, angered the company contracted to assess homes in NJ, who promptly had her charged with making terroristical threats that apparently no one heard.
I normally paraphrase newspaper articles, but the updated article which follows is so clear, that I am including it here.
The material within the two sets of undulating lines is the word product of NJ.com and has been written by: Andy Polhamus of the South Jersey Times.
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Franklin woman's charges reduced after alleged gun threats at tax meeting
By
on March 29, 2013 at 5:29 PM, updated March 29, 2013 at 5:37 PM
A Franklin Township woman who was arrested after a tax meeting in Clayton March 9 has had her charges downgraded from making terroristic threats, disorderly conduct and harassment to a petty disorderly persons offense, a misdemeanor.
The new charge means that Eileen Hart, 47, will now only face a maximum of 30 days in jail if she is convicted.
“That’s the lowest order of criminal offense,” said Hart’s defense attorney, Evan Nappen, whose work focuses on firearms law. “It’s still a charge that we’re going to vigorously fight, but the downgrade, I think, speaks volumes.”
Hart was arrested after she attended a tax revaluation meeting to dispute the assessed value of her home. She was reading from the Constitution to support her arguments.
Employees of Appraisal Systems, Inc., the firm hired by Gloucester County to conduct home inspections to determine their market value, told Clayton police Hart threatened to return to the meeting with a gun. Hart, on the other hand, said that she was aggressively approached by an ASI employee who was trying to silence her.
After leaving the meeting with her husband and daughter, Hart was arrested at her home, later turning two handguns over to the police in order to obtain a lower bail and avoid having the guns seized by way of a search warrant.
Hart maintains her innocence, saying she never made any threats.
“There was a small crowd of people listening to what I was saying,” she said. “I challenged the constitutionality of an issue that is not constitutional,” she said of having her home assessed after she would not let a man in to inspect her house because her husband was not home. “And I got arrested for it.”
Although Hart’s charges have been downgraded, she has not gotten her guns back. Nappen said that it was standard procedure for defendants out on bond to have their guns confiscated until their cases have been resolved.
“She still hasn’t gotten her guns back because her matter is still pending,” said Nappen. “A standard condition of bail is no firearm possession, so we’re waiting until she’s been adjudicated.”
Nappen said that although he expected Hart’s guns to be returned as a matter of course, they would consider legal action against the county.
“It could require a full-fledged lawsuit, but hopefully it can be done in a cordial way,” he said.
Hart’s court date is April 11 at 9:30 a.m. at Elk Township Municipal Court, 667 Whig Lane Rd., Monroeville.
© NJ.com. All rights reserved.
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If you would like to contribute to the Eileen Hart Legal Defense Fund
the contact information is:
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My other posts on this matter can be found at:
I have had some contact with Mrs. Hart since she was charged and I can assure you that she is a reasonable and cautious parent, homeschooling mom, and citizen.
8 comments:
Thanks for the update.
So much for the great generation defeating the Nazis, they seem to have missed a few.
It seems that there are some "tax nazis".
Thank you Gorges. It's an important story.
This is outrageous!
It certainly is. I think they believed they could silence their citizens through intimidation, as even if the charges are dropped, Mrs. Hart will be left with substantial legal bills for a good attorney.
"...substantial legal bills for a good attorney."
You're exactly right. How many of us are controlled because we can't afford the fight? Notice how she surrendered her guns for lower bail.
Yes, and many people will avoid the fight simply because of the legal expenses. My hope is that something happens which equalizes this. Perhaps tons of people will donate to her legal defense fund.
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