STONE HARBOR – The May 17 Stone Harbor Borough Council meeting was canceled abruptly just hours before its scheduled start. The reason given was an “emergent public safety issue.”
One day later, Stone Harbor officials report that the decision came as a response to an ongoing police investigation into a “disturbing communication” sent to two members of the governing body.
A borough statement says that the meeting was canceled based on advice from Chief of Police Thomas Schutta, who requested more time for “further investigation.”
While the public council meeting was seen as a security risk, the borough statement says that law enforcement authorities do not believe the general public is at risk.
Individuals who have reason to know but request anonymity say that the disturbing communication was part of a pattern of recent behavior that may have influenced the police recommendation to cancel the meeting.
The next scheduled meeting of the governing body is June 7.
The next scheduled council meeting is June 7. Whether the canceled meeting will be rescheduled before June 7 is unclear. An official confirmed that the chief financial officer can exercise discretion to pay bills in the absence of a council motion.
This is an evolving story. Little is known at this time except that the threat is under active law enforcement investigation.
