October 3, 2012

Police investigations are ongoing into two incidents that took place last month on the Princeton University campus. One involved a student allegedly taking explicit photographs of another student while he was sleeping. The other concerned an employee at the University Place Princeton University store who police say was visited by a prostitute and took part in paid sexual acts at the store after hours.

But Jim Sykes, president of the store, says it isn’t clear that the incidents involving employee Eric Everett and a prostitute actually took place after the U-Store’s 4 a.m. closing time. Mr. Everett, who worked in the U-store’s campus location, was arrested and charged with prostitution and shoplifting after the store manager discovered money was missing when he audited the safe.

Revelations about the sexual acts came to light only after Princeton Borough police were informed of the missing funds. Also arrested was Brittany Smith, 20, of Keyport, who was not an employee of the store.

“From our perspective, all we were aware of was an employee theft,” Mr. Sykes said Monday. “We had no idea of the other part of it until a release came out from the Borough Police. What we can’t confirm is that this happened after hours. I mean, we’re open until 4 a.m. We’re just not sure of when it happened.”

It was on September 20 that the U-Store manager checked the safe and found that it came up short. “He asked everyone about it, and then Mr. Everett started to tell him about having his ex-girlfriend there,” Mr. Sykes said. “That started a sequence, and we informed the police.”

Mr. Everett, who was arrested September 24, apparently met Ms. Smith on Craigs list and arranged for her to visit him at the store on at least three occasions. The pair allegedly helped themselves to several items from the shelves. Borough Police learned of the sexual acts while investigating the thefts. Ms. Smith was arrested on September 25 and found to be in possession of a marijuana pipe and Adderall tablets.

Both Ms. Smith and Mr. Everett were charged and released without bail. Ms. Smith was charged with prostitution, possession of a controlled and dangerous substance, and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Mr. Everett, who is 23 and lives in Bordentown, was sent a letter terminating his employment at the store.” We hired him when he was 20,” said Mr. Sykes. “He lives at home. He seemed like a fairly normal guy. It’s a shame.”

Richard Charles Tuckwell, a 20-year-old Princeton University student from Australia, was charged last month with one count of invasion of privacy after allegedly taking photographs of another male student after he drank alcoholic beverages and fell asleep. Borough Police said the incident occurred on September 16 after Mr. Tuckwell met the other student at a party at one of the University’s eating clubs. The two went to a campus dormitory. The student, who fell asleep, awoke to find Mr. Tuckwell photographing him.

Mr. Tuckwell surrendered voluntarily to police on September 21. He was processed and released. The investigation, which also looks into whether Mr. Tuckwell sexually assaulted the other student, is continuing, according to Borough police.

Last May, Rutgers University freshman Tyler Clementi took his own life after his roommate broadcast video he took of him engaged in sexual activity with another man.

“It’s not that we’re really comparing this case to that,” said Borough Police Captain Nicholas Sutter of the Princeton University case. “But it is a serious incident, and we’re treating it as such.”


January 25, 2012

Early last December, Princeton Borough Council proposed the formation of a Transportation Corridor Special Improvement District [SID] in the area extending from Nassau Street down University Place to the Township border. Concerned about how this measure would affect local businesses, the Princeton Mechants Association [PMA] wrote letters to local newspapers requesting that the discussion be tabled until they had an opportunity to examine the issue more closely.

Members of PMA had a chance to learn more about the proposal and share their views on the subject at a meeting yesterday, January 24, in the Princeton Public Library’s Community Room. Borough Councilman Kevin Wilkes and Princeton University Director of Regional and Community Affairs Kristin Appelget were among those to informally address the more than 50 PMA members in attendance about how the SID would work.

“The purpose of today’s meeting is to share information,” said Mark Censits, one of PMA’s directors and the owner of Cool Vines store, at the beginning of the session. “The goal is for PMA to accurately represent the opinion of its members.”

Special Improvement Districts are organization, management, and financing tools used by local businesses to provide specialized services that complement existing municipal government services as part of a revitalization plan. Princeton Borough has looked into the formation of such districts in the past. SIDs have been established in such communities as Westfield, Newark, New Brunswick, and Jersey City. Proponents of the Princeton proposal said it would use assessments of non-residential properties to fund improvements in the new district such as crosswalks, bridges, tunnels, and light rail service.

Borough Council’s proposal for the SID was supposed to be formally introduced at a meeting last month, but was moved off the agenda and then expired at the end of the year. It is expected to be brought up again.

“The topic is back out there, and the board wants to have a position if need be,” said PMA board member and Princeton Shopping Center general manager Chris Hanington, after the meeting. “A lot of the merchants in our organization are not Princeton residents, and they might not read the local papers and know about this,” she said. “We wanted to get the information to them. That’s what PMA is all about.”

As it was first described last month, the proposed district would be managed by a seven-member district management corporation called “Princeton on the Move” [POM]. The non-profit group would be composed of the mayor, business administrator, a Borough resident, a business or property owner, a representative of the merchants’ association, and a business or property owner from Nassau Street between Vandeventer Avenue and University Place.

Nearly 36 properties, most along University Place, would be included in the district. Residential properties would be exempted. Most of the sites are owned by Princeton University. The anticipated assessment during the first year would be no more than $90,000.

Mr. Wilkes told the PMA members that a SID would not replace, but rather augment, existing services. It would be specifically focused on the potential extension of the existing Dinky transit line, with multiple stops.

Borough Council members Jenny Crumiller and Jo Butler, who attended the meeting, also commented about the issue. “You should all be concerned,” said Ms. Butler, who is opposed to the SID. “You’d have merchants on Witherspoon Street making decisions about East Nassau Street.” She added that a transit system with multiple stops could be a problem resulting in decreased ridership and inconvenience for those who currently ride the Dinky train. Ms. Crumiller commented, “The best decisions are democratic, and I don’t like adding a layer of bureaucracy.”

Mr. Censits spoke about his experiences with a SID in Westfield, where he has had a store since 2007. At the time the SID was formed, the town had a vacancy of approximately 40 percent. But it was substantially revitalized, recruiting such retailers as Trader Joe’s and holding fairs and festivals. Despite its success, Mr. Censits says he believes the SID has outlived its usefulness.

Architect Joshua Zinder asked if the SID would potentially benefit Princeton University, disproportionately to others.

Jim Sykes, president of the Princeton University Store, said he was having trouble understanding how a transit-related SID would serve the store’s interest. “We already pay $150,000 in property taxes,” he said. “Why would we be asked to pay an assessment?”

Mr. Wilkes responded that a transit stop adjacent to the store would bring more customers. Mr. Sykes countered that most of his customers are students who walk from campus. “To us, it seems this is maybe a little premature,” he said.