A newly sworn-in Pleasantville school board member charged with trespassing by the district superintendent did not appear at his scheduled arraignment Wednesday.
Jerome Page received a letter of representation from an attorney the day before, a Northfield Municipal Court clerk said. In many cases, an attorney will waive his or her client’s right to an arraignment, which takes the place of a first appearance for indictable charges.
The case was moved to a Northfield court due to a conflict.
The charges, school board attorney Navarro Gray said in January, were fourth-degree criminal charges of trespass resulting from a Jan. 2 incident at the district’s administrative offices at Pleasantville Middle School.
Gray said Page was supposed to make an appointment with the secretary of an administrator, but showed up at the administrative offices, creating an “outburst” that disturbed the school environment.
Superintendent Garnell Bailey had tried to stop Page from joining the school board based on the pending criminal charges, but a judge ruled that Page could be sworn in.
The case is being sent back to Pleasantville and the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office for review.
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