Shawn Custis is walked to a van by (L-R) Essex County Sheriff Armando B. Fontoura, Sgt. Marco Vulpi and Officer Curtis Jones, after his arrest last month in the brutal home invasion of a Millburn woman.Robert Sciarrino/The Star-Ledger First convicted as an adult two months after his 18th birthday, he has done time for burglary, possession of a gun, robbery, assault, resisting arrest, theft and forgery. He has escaped at least once from a halfway house and boasts multiple parole revocations.When he sought parole last year after pleading guilty to a string of burglaries, his request was denied by the State Parole Board. Citing his long criminal history, the board determined there was a "reasonable expectation" he would violate the conditions of his release. The board, in its March 2012 decision, noted Custis’ criminal record was "extensive and repetitive," and that prison had failed to deter his behavior.It concluded that inmate #543494B appeared "committed to a life of crime."So how did Custis — charged last month in the notorious "Nanny Cam" home invasion that graphically captured the assault of a Millburn woman on surveillance video — get out of prison last December, three days before Christmas?MILLBURN SUSPECT'S LONG RAP SHEETHe made a deal.Court records show Custis bargained down the time he was facing for burglaries he committed in Essex, Mercer, Union and Middlesex counties to three years on each case, serving those sentences concurrently. With time he spent in jail before his case adjudicated, and credits for good behavior, he was out in 21 months.Put another way, Custis has been convicted of at least a dozen felonies since 1988. Yet he has never spent more than five years at any one stretch in state prison, according to state corrections department records. Most times — with parole — he’s been out in less than two. And in some cases, he did no jail time at all.A new and detailed review of Custis’ criminal past reveals a man with a penchant for violence, an appetite for drugs, and a willingness to kick down someone’s door for nothing more than whatever cash and jewelry he could stuff into his pockets or carry under his arm. Those records show a career criminal who has avoided the toughest penalties most of his life by sticking mostly to home burglaries that carry little prison exposure — crimes that kept him never far from a favorable deal when caught, regardless of how often he was locked up.For example, in 2010, Custis pleaded guilty to burglarizing a home in Nutley. Facing five years, the court records revealed, he was sentenced to five years probation on condition he enter a drug treatment program. Authorities say he ultimately got scooped up on other charges in another county and never did any jail time for that particular crime.In 2008 he was arrested for burglary in Bloomfield. Never indicted, he was released from jail and committed three other burglaries in the same town a year later, with all the cases later wrapped up into a single plea deal.In 2005, he was sentenced to four years for forgery. He only served three.His is not an uncommon story.Mug shot of Custis at the Essex County jailEssex County Department of Corrections Overcrowding in the courts and the prison system encourages plea deals, as well as parole. While the Administrative Office of the Courts does not track negotiated pleas by specific crime, nearly 70 percent of all criminal indictments are resolved through a guilty plea that typically benefits a defendant with less prison time."It’s almost impossible to imagine a criminal justice system without plea agreements — especially Essex County," said Todd Clear, dean of the School of Criminal Justice at Rutgers University. "They are scratching for resources."But critics say the pleas typically include the dismissal of some charges and the downgrading of others, giving a free ride to frequent offenders. At the same time, burglary is a property crime that does not carry the presumption of a prison sentence."They do a couple of years and then they are out," complained Bloomfield Police Chief Christopher Goul, who has arrested Custis twice — once in 2008, and then in 2009 for a string of burglaries in the suburban township while he was out on bail for the first case.On Dec. 4, 2008, Bloomfield detectives on a stakeout in the southern end of town saw Custis carrying a suitcase that appeared to be empty. He swung it back and forth as he walked. Later, they spotted him dragging the suitcase on its wheels. They stopped him and found jewelry and other household items inside. About 20 minutes later, Goul said, a homeowner on Grace Street reported that her front door had been kicked in. She identified the contents of the suitcase as being stolen from her house.Although Custis was arrested and charged with burglary, he was never indicted in the case. Jailed for a few months, he was released in February 2009 on bail.Less than a year later, Custis was again caught in Bloomfield. According to Goul, a woman on Bellevue Terrace called police after a man identified as Custis came to her door, first ringing the bell, then jiggling the knob as if to see if it were unlocked."She questioned him and he mumbled something about being a landscaper, there to trim the trees," said Goul.Sending him away, the woman then telephoned police who arrested him some time later, several blocks away. By then, he was carrying two laptop computers, jewelry and a camera. One of the computers was marked MBPD — Mendham Borough Police Department — and the detectives called the police chief there, John Taylor."You guys missing a laptop?" they asked. "We picked up a guy with a computer that looks like it belongs to your department."Taylor checked. "No," he replied. "Where did you grab him?""Broad Street."Video: Brutal Millburn home invasion caught on nanny camEDITOR'S NOTE: Graphic video shows a home invasion in Millburn where a man brutally beats a young mother while her 3-year-old watched.Taylor, who lived in Bloomfield and is now retired, recalls the conversation with humor, but did not find it funny at the time. "Broad Street? I live a block away," he said. "Check my house!"It had been broken into as well."He had taken my computer, my son’s computer, and my wife’s jewelry, all in our pillowcases," Taylor recalled. "We recovered everything except for her engagement ring. He must have tossed it."Custis pleaded guilty the next year to all the Bloomfield burglaries, in a plea deal that wrapped up the Essex cases with other burglaries in Mercer, Middlesex and Burlington. When his name surfaced again in the news in Millburn last month, Taylor assumed it was not the same person."My guy was supposed to be in jail," he said.He was not. Even with the denial of parole, his terms for the burglaries he committed in Essex, Mercer, Middlesex and Burlington counties ran concurrently and his sentence, with time served awaiting trial, maxed out in December.Acting Essex County Prosecutor Carolyn Murray, whose office negotiated the plea agreement with Custis, said the cases were not handled differently from anyone else facing similar charges."It’s typically what we would do," she said. "We offered a three-year term and he was willing to plead. It was an appropriate and efficient use of time and resources."But state Sen. Richard Codey (D-Essex), questioned why any deals were made with Custis, given his history, and called for an investigation by the state Attorney General’s Office."Did they think for one second he was not going to go back to what he was doing since he was a kid?" he asked, noting that Curtis had committed assault in one previous case under circumstances very similar to what he is charged with doing in Millburn."This is a serial home invader, who when he invades a house is prone to assaulting, and obviously if he’s been doing it since he was almost a teenager, nothing was going to stop him," said Codey, whose legislative district includes Millburn.A spokesman for the Attorney General’s Office declined comment.Murray would not respond to Codey’s remarks, but said her options were severely limited by state statute. She pointed out that even had Custis gone to trial for the most recent burglaries he committed, the maximum time he faced was five years."They were all third-degree offenses," she explained.The state’s criminal statutes do not allow for more than three to five years for a third-degree criminal offense.The incident in Millburn, though, is now sparking new efforts to increase the penalties for breaking into a person’s home."It’s insane," argued state Sen. Kevin O’Toole (R-Essex), the sponsor of one measure that would make a home burglary a second-degree offense, carrying a five- to 10-year prison term, while mandating no early release provisions if there was someone at home when the burglary took place."The odds of something going badly if someone breaks into a home are pretty high, but the penalties for breaking into a person’s car are the same as breaking into a home," said O’Toole. "There has to be consequences."But the Statehouse has been reluctant to act, repeatedly killing similar legislation over the past decade by letting it die in committee."Under the current law, there is no way to get the bad guys into jail," said Assemblyman Anthony Bucco (R-Morris), one of the primary sponsors of A1035, which would also upgrade burglary of a residence to a crime of the second degree, and also make it a crime of the first degree if committed while armed.Another sponsor of the same measure, Asssemblyman Ralph Caputo (D-Essex), said the incident in Millburn should serve as a wake-up call."These bills grow out of problems. They don’t grow on their own. You view that video and you can understand why we need to change the law," Caputo said. "I don’t think there is any wiggle room here."After sailing through the Assembly in March 2012 by a 69-8 vote with two abstentions, the bill was sent to the upper house, which has not taken up the measure. Sen. Nicholas Scutari (D-Union), who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee, which has been sitting on the bill, did not return calls for comment.Through a spokesman, Senate President Stephen Sweeney (D-Gloucester) said he agrees with the concept of increasing the penalties for home burglaries, but has yet to review the legislation."The Senate will be in during the summer and we plan on reviewing many pieces of legislation," said the spokesman, Chris Donnelly.Custis, whose roots are in South Jersey, has a criminal history dating to December 1988, when he pleaded guilty to burglary. Records show he received four years’ probation. Two years later, he was arrested for unlawful possession of a gun, and sentenced to five years’ probation. In 1991, he was again charged with burglary and sentenced to five years’ probation.His fourth conviction came while he was still on probation, when he broke into a home in Burlington County and was surprised by a homeowner as he rifled through a jewelry box in the bedroom.Loading Photo Gallery Authorities said he punched the young mother before pushing her and her child down a flight of stairs. Custis was arrested the next day attempting to sell the woman’s stolen Ford station wagon. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison.Paroled in 1998, he was arrested again in 1999 for eluding police, got hit with another pair of burglary charges in Burlington and Gloucester in 2000, and was charged with forgery in 2005. In 2010, there were the additional burglary charges in Union, Mercer, Middlesex and Essex counties.Members of his family could not be reached for comment. His attorney, a state public defender, did not return calls to his office.Custis is now facing far more serious charges of attempted murder, burglary and two counts of child endangerment, in connection with the June 21 incident in a Millburn home caught on a hidden surveillance camera.On a tape released to the public to help identify the suspect, an assailant believed to be Custis is seen breaking into a home where a mother and her daughter were watching cartoons. The man is seen pummeling the woman, repeatedly punching her, kicking her and yanking her by the hair as her 3-year-old sat frozen on the couch, just inches away.The intruder is seen going upstairs three times, returning each time to continue beating the woman, throwing her down the basement stairs before leaving through the front door. The woman, who has not been identified, suffered a concussion, chipped teeth, an injured lip, facial swelling and leg injuries.Detectives from the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office quickly recognized the suspect once the tape came to light. A three-day manhunt ended in Custis’ arrest in Manhattan on June 28.Authorities say it appears that particular home was targeted purely by chance. According to a law enforcement source who was not authorized to comment, new evidence from another video surveillance camera at a Millburn Avenue business shows a man, who appears to be Custis, walking in the vicinity of an NJ Transit bus stop toward Cyprus Street, where the attack occurred.The source said the assailant knocked on the front door of the home, and when there was no answer, kicked down the side door and entered the house. A short time later, the surveillance tape authorities obtained from the business showed the same man returning to the area of the bus stop.Custis is currently being held in Cell 326 in the Essex County Jail in lieu of $750,000 bail. Officials say he is in a single cell, in protective custody, because of the notoriety of the case. He has a sink, a bed, a toilet and access to recreational facilities. They would not say if he has received any visitors."He’s been quiet and cooperative," said Essex County Department of Corrections Director Alfaro Ortiz.He knows the routine. This is the fourth time he’s been there.Source:http://commonsensewonder.blogspot.com/2013/07/how-criminal-justice-system-is-broken.html
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Have you missed me?! I know, I know. It’s been over a week since you’ve last received an installment from yours truly. This semester of graduate school is winding down (2 finals to go!) and the last week has been filled with papers to write, discussion boards to complete and study guides to go over. Needless to say, stress is on the rise. Now if you are like me, stress can make you want to eat. Sometimes a lot. And things that are NOT good for you. You know those late night college study sessions you had where everyone was noshing on Doritos, donuts and guzzling enough coffee to send their heart into a frenzy of flutters, PVC’s (premature ventricular contractions) and Tachycardia. Now, I used to be that person. The stress eater. The sugar seeker. The stressed out, donut cramming, fudge round munching, soda guzzling crazy in a pair of oversized sweat pants just praying for an Organic Chemistry miracle. Every day was an endless cycle of bad eating and trying to visualize tertiary molecules until I was on the verge of tears. Or insanity. Or both. I’ve come a long way in the stress management department and have made even greater strides in healthy eating. I’ve replace the donuts and fudge rounds with apples and nuts. I’ve replaced that high calorie, sugar laden soda with water and passion tea. And my body has responded quite well (combined with exercise and enough sleep of course). So you are exercising, you’re getting enough sleep yet that number on the scale isn’t going anywhere. Now, you could genuinely be replacing pounds of fat with pounds of muscle OR… you could be sabotaging yourself by eating things you think are OK but really aren’t. So I’ve made a list of things to not eat when you are trying to slim down AND get healthy (or ever really. Because they are bad. Bad, bad, bad) Ever heard the term “excitotoxins”? Let me tell you a bit about excitotoxins. These substances (usually in the form of amino acids) damage or kill brain cells due to excessive stimulation (hence the term excitotoxin). We have a naturally occurring excitotoxin in our body known as glutamate. It serves as an excitatory neurotransmitter and is a key compound cellular metabolism (Sorry, the nerd in me is coming out… I promise I’m making a point). Now, we need glutamate to function, but excessive glutamate (or any excitotoxin) can build up and lead to cell damage and death. Now that I’ve given you a small anatomy lecture (which you thoroughly enjoyed… right!?), Let’s talk about some additives in your food that are excitotoxins: 1. Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein 2. Aspartame (Still guzzling that Diet Coke?) 3. Monosodium Glutamate (MSG)4. Sodium caseinate5. Hydrolyzed oat flour6. Autolyzed yeast (4-6 are all different compounds containing MSG) Many of these things are found in the processed foods that you buy. Now I’m not saying consuming these is going to send your body into excitotoxin attack mode and start immediately killing your brain cells but they have been linked to neurodegenerative disorders and have been known to exasperate the symptoms of disorders such as Fibromyalgia (FMS) and Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Don’t put these substances in your body and you won’t have to worry anyway. “Listen crazy woman, I don’t need my brain in 80 years and I want to slim down, quit rambling about that and tell me what I shouldn’t be eating so I can lose weight!” I know that’s where you are right now so… lets discuss another problem with food additives. Food additives like Aspartame and MSG is they down regulate appetite suppression. You will feel hungry sooner and you won’t feel as satisfied with a smaller amount (thanks Pringles… once you pop you can’t stop, right?). The more you can avoid food additives, the less they will mess with your head and your appetite. You should also avoid added and artificial sugars. They spike insulin levels to compensate for the glucose levels circulating in the blood stream. Once all of the glucose is used up or eliminated, your body crashes into a state of hypoglycemia so glucagon is released to compensate. It’s an endless cycle of ups and downs which can lead to insulin resistance, Type II diabetes, and metabolic syndrome (unhealthy/slow metabolism=problems losing weight). The more sugar you eat, the more you’ll want to eat because you won’t be as satisfied after that crash. Food Additive Offenders: Pretty much all fast food restaurants Canned Soups (the sodium levels in these are ridiculous too!) Frozen dinners (Yes, even those Lean Cuisine meals could be contributing to a rounder middle) Pretty much all snack chips (although you’ve cut those out already, yes?) Sugar additive Offenders: Most cereals targeting children. The sugar content is ridiculous (if you want a cereal, look whole grains, no added sugars, and fiber to fill you up. Shredded Wheat, Wheaties, and plain Fiber One cereals are better options, although an egg breakfast will fill you up for more protein, no sugar and sustain that full feeling longer :D) Granola bars Canned fruits (they are bathed in processed sugary, syrupy liquid diabetes) Most “healthy” protein bars (some have more sugar than a candy bar!) Dried fruits (most have added sugars to enhance flavors) Sauces and Salad dressings (read the label before you buy… learn how) “Flavored” Yogurts that try to mimic desserts like Key Lime Pie, Chocolate Cake, etc. (look for lower sugar and no artificial additives, like Yoplait Greek) Soda (an obvious one) Fruit Juices (if you must drink it, get fresh squeezed juices to avoid the flavor and sugar additives) Alcohol! (That one broke your heart, didn’t it?) Most Chocolate (Go for Dark, the more percent Cacao the better. I personally prefer 85%) Anything with “sugar alcohols” in substitution for sugar is a no no as well. I won’t bore you with the carbonyl to hydroxyl reduction chemistry but needless to say… these are not a good substitution for non-hydrogenated sugar. They aren’t readily absorbed in the intestines as sugar and can cause a host of “discomfort” and bloating (and by discomfort, I mean you should probably buy some Charmin, stat) “So what the H - E - double hockey sticks- am I supposed to eat then!?” Easy. Keep it simple and whole. Lean proteins (organic if you can get it, to avoid additives), lots of veggies and throw in a few fruits for sweetness. Yogurts and Grains (if you do eat them) should be a compliment to your diet, not the bulk of it. Think a salad with a side of pasta, not a plate of pasta with a side of salad. If you can’t pronounce it, it’s probably not good for you. A cookie a month won’t kill you, but remember to not overindulge and don’t let that sugar crash send you back for more. If you must enjoy a sweet treat on occasion (we are all human), keep yourself in check and prepare for the storm of cravings you will undoubtedly have not long after eating said cookie. Keep working hard. Discipline. Dedication. Determination. You can (and WILL) do this!For all the George Jones fans... enjoy. 
Chalk another victory up for the PC police.Via Washington Times:The U.S. Department of Education announced Thursday that beginning with the 2014-2015 federal student aid form, the Department will — for the first time — collect income “from a dependent student’s legal parents regardless of the parents’ marital status or gender, if those parents live together.”The new FAFSA form will use terms like “Parent 1” and “Parent 2” instead of gender-specific terms like “mother” and “father.”“All students should be able to apply for federal student aid within a system that incorporates their unique family dynamics,” Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said in a statement. “These changes will allow us to more precisely calculate federal student aid eligibility based on what a student’s whole family is able to contribute and ensure taxpayer dollars are better targeted toward those students who have the most need, as well as provide an inclusive form that reflects the diversity of American families.”
