New Jersey Lawmaker Calls for Probe into Ray Rice Case

By Anthony Bellano (Patch Staff)

New Jersey’s Senate President Stephen Sweeney called on state officials to investigate the decision-making process that enabled former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice to avoid prosecution for assaulting a woman in an Atlantic City casino.

Sweeney made the statement Tuesday evening, after TMZ released a graphic video showing the former Rutgers University football star punching his then-fiancee Janay Palmer in an elevator Feb. 15 at the Revel Casino Hotel. Palmer was knocked unconscious by the blow.

“This video and the violence it shows is extremely disturbing,” Sweeney said. “It is a vivid reminder that domestic violence is a serious problem that can’t be ignored and shouldn’t be treated lightly. That is why I am asking Acting Attorney General John Hoffman to review the decision-making process that allowed for Pre-Trial Intervention (PTI) and to look at the law itself to see if it should be rewritten or revised. This should include a review of who qualifies for PTI and when it is allowed.”

Initially, both Rice and Palmer were charged with assault after the Feb. 15 incident in a Revel Casino elevator, but charges against Palmer were dropped. The two wed in late March, the day after Rice was indicted for third-degree assault.

In late spring, Rice pleaded not guilty to the charge and applied for admission into the PTI program. Atlantic County prosecutor Diane Ruberton told WBAL that anyone charged with a third-degree crime is eligible for PTI if there are no prior convictions.

On May 20, the prosecutor announced Rice was entering into PTI, a diversionary program that permits first-time offenders of third or fourth-degree crimes to avoid prosecution.

At the time, Atlantic County Prosecutor Jim McClain said the decision was the best possible given “all relevant information in light of applicable law.”

Typically, the program is for nonviolent offenders for crimes such as possessing drugs, the pretrial intervention program administrator told The Philadelphia Inquirer; however, character and other factors, such as one’s ties to the community, are considered. Rice was positioned as a role model in greater Baltimore, known for his presence at anti-bullying events in schools in counties including Howard and Harford.

Since Monday when the NFL suspended Rice indefinitely after the release of the second TMZ video, the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office has not responded to questions concerning the situation. That didn’t stop the senator from asking.

“As senate president, I have a responsibility to see that the law is used to protect women from abuse and, as a husband and father, I have a moral obligation to do what I can to prevent these acts of violence from being repeated,” Sweeney said. “Anything we can learn from this incident and the way it was handled by law enforcement that can be used to better counter domestic violence should be done.”

Photo: New Jersey Senate President Stephen Sweeney.

Related:

• Janay Rice, Wife Of Ray Rice, Responds To ‘Horrible Nightmare’
• ‘I Have to Be Strong’: Ray Rice Speaks Out
  
• New Video of Ray Rice Shows What Happened Inside Elevator
• NFL Enacts Tougher Domestic Violence Penalties After Ray Rice Criticism
• Comments on Rice Controversy: ‘Highly Offensive,’ Credibility Lost
• Ray Rice Apologizes to Wife: ‘Angel’ Not at Fault
• Howard County Domestic Violence Victim Advocate Speaks Out on Rice Controversy
• ‘Disappointing’: Ravens React to Ray Rice Announcement
• Ray Rice: ‘I Won’t Call Myself a Failure’
• NFL Officials Make Decision on Ray Rice Suspension
• Rice Admitted to Pre-Trial Intervention Program
• Ray Rice Pleads Not Guilty, Deal Pending
• Day After Ray Rice Indicted on Assault Charge, He Weds Fiancée
• Baltimore Ravens Running Back Ray Rice Faces New Criminal Charge
• Ray Rice Arrested in Atlantic City