A 34-year-old mother who authorities say explicitly threatened a woman who was taking care of one of her children, stating she was going to "stab and gut" her at the Newton Day festivities, has been ordered released from the county jail.
Erica Deltoro was arrested on June 7 and charged with third-degree terroristic threats, fourth-degree cyber harassment, a disorderly persons crime of disorderly conduct, and a disorderly persons offense of harassment.
Deltoro was detained in the county jail on a complaint warrant due to the nature of the offense and the seriousness of her threats, according to Assistant Prosecutor Stephanie LaCarrubba, who also filed a motion to detain her pending trial.
But on Thursday in state Superior Court, Judge Thomas J. Critchley agreed to release Deltoro, stating that while he hopes he's "not making a mistake" releasing someone who has issued a serious threat, he believed it was more acting out due to anger than intention to carry the act out.
According to an affidavit of arrest, shortly after 3 p.m. June 7, a woman, whose name is redacted but was identified in court as the sister of her children's father, came into Newton police headquarters to report that Deltoro threatened her on June 6 on Facebook Messenger, stating she hated her and that she was going to have "(explicit) pull up on you and (explicit) you up." She explicitly threatened to stab her and said she "hoped" the woman's kids get taken away from her.
The woman also said Deltoro, in a subsequent threat, specified that she was going to "stab her in the neck at Newton Day," which was held on June 9, and gut her, according to the affidavit.
According to Deltoro's attorney, Daniel Palazzo, Deltoro has four children, and while three of them live with her, one of them is residing in Sussex County with the father, who has temporary custody.
"She lost custody, which is emotional and upsetting," Palazzo said. "These are serious threats -- we aren't diminishing them in any way -- but children are involved in this. When children are involved, especially when you lose custody of a child, emotions get heightened, they get more forceful."
The affidavit also indicates that Deltoro allegedly threatened to stab her child's father and the father's sister, evidence of which is on video. A Newton officer, who viewed the video evidence, confirmed it was Deltoro in the video as he has had prior interactions with her, police said.
Deltoro has a prior criminal history and is pending a possible conviction in Middlesex County after being charged in November with aggravated assault on a police officer, resisting arrest and endangering the welfare of a child, specifically by driving while under the influence.
Deltoro, a part-time nursing assistant at St. Peter's University Hospital in New Brunswick, has prior convictions that include shoplifting, resisting arrest and bad checks. Her last conviction was in 2012.
Mom in custody dispute accused of stabbing threat
SUPERIOR COURT -- A 34-year-old mother who authorities say explicitly threatened a woman who was taking care of one of her children, stating she was going
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