Politics & Government

UPDATE: Butler Councilman Appears in Court, No Action Taken

McNear's attorney said no new court date has been established.

appeared in court in Morristown on Monday again on filed in November, but his attorney, Peter Gilbreth, said he is still discussing the details of the case with the prosecutor and that no action was taken.

McNear has to charges that he allegedly choked, punched and pointed a loaded BB gun at his 7-year-old son over a two-year period. McNear was sworn in to the last month.

He first appeared in Butler Municipal Court on Dec. 14 before the case was referred to Morris County. Gilbreth said a new court date has not yet been set and that he is unsure how long the court process may take.

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"I think it's more in a long than short timeframe," he said.

Morris County Court clerk Steve Brozyna said Monday's appearance was an Early Disposition Conference (EDC), in which all parties are present and roll call is taken, but the purpose is mainly for the prosecutor and defendant to talk about details of the case in a closed-door setting.

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"It's the first time that the parties even meet," he said.

Brozyna confirmed that no new date for McNear's next court appearance has been established and that the timeline of the judicial process depends on if the case is referred to a grand jury.

"If it goes to grand jury, it could take years," he said.


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