Teacher
in booze case gets probation
Former Warren Hills High educator
will abstain from teaching for a year
Friday, June 10, 2005 • BY MIKE FRASSINELLI •
Star-Ledger Staff
A former Warren County high school
physical education teacher accused of furnishing alcohol to
students on the eve of the 2004 school prom was given two
years' probation yesterday in exchange for agreeing not to
teach for a year.
Former Warren Hills High School teacher
John Kurdilla, 26, was charged with one count of offering an
alcoholic beverage to underage people and three counts of
child abuse for supplying alcohol to students 17 and
younger, prosecutors said.
Police said that on the night before the
April 16, 2004, Warren Hills prom, Kurdilla met an
18-year-old student at the school in Washington Township,
Warren County, and handed over more than $200 worth of booze
for a party.
Kurdilla was allowed to enter the
county's pretrial intervention program, putting him on
probation for two years. If he successfully completes the
program, the charges will be dropped from his
record.
His hearing before Superior Court Judge
John Pursel in Belvidere yesterday lasted just three
minutes.
The tall, lanky former teacher with
close-cropped hair answered the judge's questions with a
respectful "sir" or "your honor."
Part of the agreement calls for Kurdilla
to undergo a mental health evaluation.
Assistant Warren County Prosecutor Kelly
Shelton said Kurdilla's entry into the pretrial intervention
program does not preclude other administrative offices --
the state Department of Education, for example -- from
taking action against Kurdilla's license.
Kurdilla and his lawyer, Dan Rosenberg,
declined further comment outside the courtroom.
Kurdilla's name surfaced during the
investigation into a case involving Jon Lesher, a former
Warren Hills head wrestling coach accused of sending
sexually explicit telephone text messages to the cell phone
of one student and furnishing alcohol to underage former
students.
Lesher, a 28-year-old former social
studies teacher, was given three years of probation last
month in exchange for forfeiting his teaching license
forever.
Mike Frassinelli covers Warren County. He may be reached
at mfras sinelli@starledger.com or (908) 475-1218.
© 2005 The Star-Ledger. Used by NJ.com with
permission.
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