August 21, 2002
Trenton, NJ — Rashe Oliver was indicted today by a Mercer County grand jury on aggravated manslaughter charges in the deaths of two Ewing Township women last December, Mercer County Prosecutor Daniel G. Giaquinto announced.
Oliver
(DOB 12/2/81), of the 300 block of South Cook Avenue, Trenton, was indicted on
four counts of first-degree aggravated manslaughter.
If convicted, he could face a maximum sentence in excess of 30 years in
prison, Giaquinto said.
At approximately 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, December 6, 2001, the Hamilton Township Police Department’s Vice Enforcement Unit conducted a narcotics investigation in Warwick Park, located behind Pullen’s Garage, 3060 Quakerbridge Road, Hamilton.
During
the course of this narcotics investigation, Oliver, operating a dark blue 1993
Lincoln Mark VIII, fled from the police. His
flight ended when he collided with the vehicle of Patricia Pollard, 70, of Ewing
Township, which was proceeding north on Olden Avenue.
As a result of this collision, Pollard and her passenger, Ruthann Dettmar,
70, also of Ewing Township, were killed.
The
investigation of this case was conducted jointly by the Mercer County
Prosecutor’s Office and the Trenton Police Department, with assistance from
the Hamilton Township Police Department.
In
addition to the aggravated manslaughter charges, Oliver was indicted on two
counts of death by auto, eluding police and conspiracy to distribute a
controlled dangerous substance. Assistant
Prosecutor Thomas Meidt presented the case to the grand jury.
Oliver
is currently being held in the Monmouth County Jail in lieu of $200,000 cash
bail.
The
Hamilton police were the subject of an earlier investigation by the
prosecutor’s office. It was
determined that they did not commit any criminal violation and therefore
presentation to a grand jury was not warranted.
Despite having been indicted, every defendant is presumed innocent until found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.