No Verdict on Livingston Manager Assault Charge

A West Caldwell judge withheld a decision Wednesday in the bizarre case of a Livingston public official who had been charged with assault and disorderly conduct.

The charges against Livingston Manager Michele Meade stem from a police exercise on April 19, 2013, during which resident Kelly Mollineaux — wife of Belleville Police Officer Charlie Mollineaux — alleged that Meade assaulted her. 

Meade faces two additional charges of disorderly conduct for abusive language toward a police officer and obstructing justice — both filed by Livingston Police Sgt. Kenneth Hanna. 

The obstruction charge was dropped by the state Tuesday, according to a report on The Alternative Press, and Meade pleaded not guilty last year.

The prosecution in the two-day trial called five witnesses, including Hanna and both Charlie and Kelly Mollineaux.

The defense called a preschool teacher and the director of Senior Youth and Leisure Services.

Judge Bridget Stecher told defense and prosecution attorneys that they had until May 23 to deliver summations, after which she would make a decision, according to TAP.

The case stems from the April 2013 incident during which it's alleged that a camouflaged Emergency Service Unit training member was seen with a gun outside a community center as part of an operation conducted by the Essex County Police Academy.