ASBURY PARK PRESS

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MONDAY 07.13.15

INVESTIGATION:
BETRAYAL OF TRUST

The Seidle
case and what
information is
not getting out

BOB BIELK/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Barbara Lieberman with attorney Steven Feldman in Superior

Court, Atlantic County, for a hearing this year. She admitted to
money laundering in the theft of millions from elderly victims.

Guardianship
battle takes
a nasty turn

If abuse was in marriage, why was

the accused officer allowed a gun?

SHANNON MULLEN @MULLENAPP

Second in a weeklong series about how the system

designed to protect the elderly is abused.
KEN SERRANO @KENSERRANOAPP

With Superior Court Judge William C. Todd III satisfied that Helen Hugo couldnt make decisions for herself, the only remaining issue to resolve was who her
guardian should be.
For Todd, the answer was just as clear-cut.
Barbara Martin, Hugos niece, initially sought to become Hugos guardian, but she withdrew that request
in the face of testimony and other evidence that was
presented during the trial that called her credibility
and character into question. At that point, Martins husband, Ken, put his name forward.
For the Martins, the trial was a debacle, from beginning to end.
Barbara Martin refused to testify, invoking her Fifth
Amendment rights against self-incrimination.

he denials came pages thick. h Public information re-

quests for documents surrounding police calls regarding Neptune police Sgt. Philip Seidles domestic violence
allegations with his ex-wife have not only kept the public
in the dark since Seidle shot Tamara Wilson-Seidle to

death with his service pistol June 16 on an Asbury Park street but set
police agency against police agency. h The Asbury Park Press requested police call logs to the Seidles marital home in Neptune, among other

See BATTLE, Page 10A

items. Steeped in pages of legalese was one fact that raised perhaps the
Join reporter Shannon Mullen and

single most important question in the case: If authorities knew about

Elaine Renoire of the National

domestic violence allegations between the couple, why was Seidle allowed to have a firearm?

Association to Stop Guardianship Abuse for a

See SEIDLE, Page 10A

live chat on our Facebook page, www.facebook

.com/asburyparkpress, at noon Tuesday.

Airplane makes landing on Route 72

MIKE DAVIS @BYMIKEDAVIS
STAFFORD A small airplane on a skydiving trip
made an emergency landing on Route 72 late Sunday
morning after suddenly losing power.
The plane had left the Skydive East Coast skydiving
school at Eagles Nest Airport in Eagleswood on a routine trip with a pilot, instructor and three students, Stafford police Sgt. Kenneth Schiattarella said.
While over Stafford, the pilot reported loss of power
and made an emergency landing on the Route 72 medi-

an, Schiattarella said. The Federal Aviation Administration notified Ocean County authorities after losing
contact with the airplane.
The plane was not high enough for the instructor and
students to jump with a parachute, Schiattarella said.
The only injury suffered was a small cut on the instructors arm, Officer Christopher Fritz said.
One lane in each direction on Route 72 was closed for
about 90 minutes. Police moved the plane to a parking
lot on West Road, Schiattarella said.
The probe will be turned over to the FAA, Fritz said.

COURTESY OF STAFFORD POLICE DEPARTMENT

A plane that took off from an Eagleswood airport sits on the

median of Route 72 in Stafford after its emergency landing.

KERRY: NUCLEAR DEAL WITH IRAN COULD BE REACHED BY TODAY PAGE 1B

The best on
the boardwalks
After spending the day beach-bumming at the Jersey Shore,
the last thing you want is to travel far for delicious dining,
refreshing drinks and shopping. Here are the best bars, bites
and stores along the areas boardwalks. @Play, 1C

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LOTTERIES
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VOLUME 136
NUMBER 166
SINCE 1879