Other Crimes
Overview
Besides the murders of Solomon Krauskopf and Amzi Armstrong, and the Anthrax scare of 2001, there have been a few other major crimes, and some humorous attempted transgressions, reported in West Windsor. They are listed in chronological order below. While there have also been a number of violent crimes within the last 15 years, they will not be described on this page, as the events may still be fresh in some community members' minds. Also, as some of these crimes are explicit, this page may not be suitable for children.
Besides the murders of Solomon Krauskopf and Amzi Armstrong, and the Anthrax scare of 2001, there have been a few other major crimes, and some humorous attempted transgressions, reported in West Windsor. They are listed in chronological order below. While there have also been a number of violent crimes within the last 15 years, they will not be described on this page, as the events may still be fresh in some community members' minds. Also, as some of these crimes are explicit, this page may not be suitable for children.
- Attempted Post Office Robbery (1900) - The following is taken from a February 1900 newspaper article about the post office in Dutch Neck: "A gang of robbers made a daring attempt to rob the post office at Dutch Neck about 3 o'clock Wednesday (Feb 14) morning. The office is in connection with a general country store, over which is a residence. Postmaster Frank R. Adams was awakened by the noise made in blowing open the safe. Adams was sleeping in the room above the office, and , hearing men talking downstairs, fired four shots in the dark through a hole in the floor. The robbers immediately started on a run towards Princeton Junction. The farmers in the vicinity quickly organized a posse. But they could find no trace of the gang. The flight of the robbers was so hurried that they failed to take away any valuables."
- Riding While Intoxicated (1970) - An odd even transpired in May of this year when a man from Princeton Junction was arrested for riding a horse while drunk. Locals observed him making his horse prance around the center of North Post Road, through flower beds and over hedges. When he was stopped by Patrol Officer Bruce Wauters, who told him to dismount and walk home, the rider refused and was promptly arrested. As the arrest did not fall under the Motor Vehicle Code, the rider was instead charged under a state statute that bars a person from riding a horse while intoxicated.
- Edinburg Bank Robbery (1974) - The first bank robbery occured in July of this year when robbers stole $20,000 in cash from the Edinburg branch of the Princeton Bank and Trust.
- The Murder of Megan Kanka (1986) - On July 29, 1994, 7-year-old Megan Kanka of Hamilton was abducted, raped, and murdered by her neighbor, Jesse Timmendequas. The next day, Timmendequas, who had two prior convictions for sexual assault, confessed to the police about his crimes and led them to where he dumped the body, in the West Windsor portion of Mercer County Park. He was tried, convicted, and initially sentenced to death. In 2007, this changed to a life sentence, when New Jersey abolished the death penalty. As a result of this heavily-covered and horrific event, the New Jersey General Assembly passed a set of bills requiring a sexual offender registry and notification to communities about any sex offenders residing in and moving the area. These bills are collectively known as "Megan's Law."
- The John Smith murders (1974 and 1991) - In November of 1974, Janice Hartman, the estranged wife of John David Smith III (whom she married in 1970), disappeared from the public view in Ohio. His brother, Michael, and grandfather discovered human remains five years later, which Smith promptly removed. 11 years later, in 1990 Smith married his second wife, Betty Fran Gladden Smith. The next year, she disappeared from her home in West Windsor, NJ on October 4, 1991, whereupon her husband told relatives that she went on an impromptu trip. Until 1999, John Smith's secret was kept by his brother, who confessed to the FBI about his brother's actions. John Smith was arrested in October 2000 in Escondido, California, where he was residing with his third wife. He was tried and convicted in July of 2001 for the murder of Janice Hartman, and sentenced to 15 years to life in prison. During the proceedings, his third wife divorced him and filed a restraining order. Additionally, remains of a third unidentified woman - known as "Jane Doe" - were found in a locker owned by John David Smith III, and investigations are ongoing.
